The Man Who Fell to Earth

By: Walter Tevis

Narrated by: George Guidall

The basis for a feature film starring David Bowie in his first major role, The Man Who Fell to Earth tells the story of Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien disguised as a human who comes to Earth on a mission to save his people. Devastated by nuclear war, his home planet, Anthea, is no longer habitable. Newton lands in Kentucky and starts patenting Anthean technology, amassing the fortune he needs to build a spaceship that will bring the last 300 Anthean survivors to Earth.

But instead of the help he seeks, he finds only self-destruction, sinking into alcoholism, abandoning his spaceship, and can save neither his people nor himself. This is the poignant story of a man fallen to addiction, materialism, and loneliness.

"Beautiful science fiction … [Newton] acquires a moving, tragic force as the stranger, caught and destroyed in a strange land … The story of an extraterrestrial visitor from another planet is designed mainly to say something about life on this one."—The New York Times

©1963 Walter Tevis (P)1990 Recorded Books

Better than the movie

I was a teen when the movie came out, and I liked it, though it was slow. But of course the book has a lot more depth.

Adored it

It was a fantastic story, no major tail spinning stuff happens, however, the personal tale is quite fantastic! Definite read for people who enjoy a fish out of water story, or relate to feeling alien from the majority of the population!

Essential prelude to Showtime series.

Marvelous story. Visionary for its time. A sympathetic portrayal of a superior species. Read it!

The ingenuity of the Anthian

I liked reading about how a person from outer space adapted to human life and learning his perspective of humans.

One of the best sci-fi books I've ever read

The Man Who Fell to Earth was original, creative, and moving. Walter Tevis is a creative force on a parallel with Philip K. Dick.