Camouflage

By: Joe Haldeman

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

The artifact is found seven miles below the surface of the sea and beneath 40 more feet of sand. The Navy's efforts to raise a wrecked submarine uncover it - and set in motion a scientific race to retrieve it, to discover just what it is and where it came from.

Denser than any substance known to man, it has broken every drill bit they've tried on it and will not budge an inch. It resists every effort to breach it - or communicate with it. So the government turns to marine biologist Russell Sutton for help.

Meanwhile, unknown to any of them, two creatures have wandered the earth for generations. The aliens have no knowledge of each other, but possess a residual memory of the artifact - and an affinity for deep water. One, which calls itself the changeling, has survived by adaptation, by taking on many different forms: man, woman, snake, shark. The other, which calls itself the chameleon, has survived solely by destroying anything or anyone that threatens it.

Now, finally brought up from the bottom of the sea, the artifact calls to them both...to come home. For all these generations there have been two invincible creatures on Earth. But the chameleon has decided there's only room for one.

A novel of human and inhuman nature, Camouflage will take you to the depths of the sea, to the limit of man's imagination - and beyond.

©2005 Joe Haldeman (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2005

"Haldeman trips through history wearing alien goggles but his message is all about human nature." (Entertainment Weekly)
An extremely intelligent thriller." (Washington Post)

Fast paced...intriguing story

I tried this book as an "audible recommends" suggestion. What a pleasant surprise. I like the way the author was able to comment on the last century of history using the aliens as his impartial observers. I'm eager to listen to more from this author.

I never really got into the story.

This is a decent book, worth listening to but seems contrived and a little too unrealistic For me there was too much "real people wouldn't do that" and "things don't happen that way". I never really got into the story.

Loved it!

This is one that I picked up on a whim as frankly I had a ton of credits and none of my norms was grabbing my interest.

This is very well written and narrated and simply a lot of fun to listen to. From the beginning to a little more than halfway into the book they jump back and forth in time from chapter to chapter which really adds a lot of fun to this booth.

First chapter will be about them finding the object at the bottom of the Ocean in 2019 and setting the plot for the current time line of the book. Next chapter is about the Changeling out of the Ocean in 1932 and becoming human. It jumps back and forth like that giving you a glimpse of what 'made' the Changeling what it is 'today' and also introducing the protagonist the Chameleon in this manner as well. Makes for some fun listening.

Take a chance like I did, I think you'll very much enjoy it.

PUT AN EGG IN YOUR SHOE AND BEAT IT

This is enjoyable in parts, it is not great and not one of Hadleman's best. I felt it could have been better had it not been so disjointed. Joe has some good concepts about aliens and how they may differ from us and why. The lack of flow and the parts of the story that go off on weird boring tangents, keeps me form recommending the book. It is also one of those books where a week after you read it, you will have trouble remembering it.

Another Joe Haldeman winner

This was a great listen that I saved until I was making a long car trip. Kept bouncing back between the past and the present, which was a bit offputting at first, until both stories converge in a great climax. I won't give anything away, but if you have enjoyed other books by this author like Forever War, this is for you. There is no war in this one, however. Get it!

Fun idea, good performance

This book is one of those where you will have to suspend your beliefs to enjoy it. The idea of two immortals that end up on earth a very long time ago and as humanity evolves decides to partake in society (one brutal, one less so) and how the two entities find each other....an engaging story. Its sort of disturbing that you know that the humans can do nothing about the situation - only the two entities. It leaves you feeling a bit helpless.

But I liked the story. It is a quick read will keep you entertained.

A view from the outside

The story is simple: An alien shapeshifter encounters humanity and learns what it means to be fully human. Haldeman's story moves along at a nice clip keeping the reader engaged and occasionally deconstructing sexuality and gender along the way. Ultimately the story is comes down to love which may not be original but it is timeless. The excellent narration boosts and otherwise average experience to good one.

Interesting story - narrator needs a Samoan lesson

What did you love best about Camouflage?

I love sci-fi, especially stories about aliens among us. This book did not disappoint on that front.

What did you like best about this story?

The main character was well developed, and I was intrigued by its progression through different 20th century situations.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator had a pleasant voice, but clearly needed a Samoan language lesson. I've spent time in both Samoas, and am sorry to say almost every word and phrase was mispronounced. It became annoying to the point of distraction.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, no extreme reactions to the book. In places, the writing seemed forced and some scenes were predictable. There were also some racy scenes that I just couldn't engage with.

Any additional comments?

The story took some very interesting turns, but overall fell kind of flat. My guess, without looking at the details, is that this is an early book for a new author - it has that rough-around-the-edges feeling.

Fun read

This was a fun read. Not one of his best, the end feels like a Hollywood movie lol

Good book but...

This was a good story although I wasn't sure if I was reading an erotic novel or a sci-fi book at times. This book isn't for the young readers it deals with some adult situations that wasn't mentioned. But in the end the story was very good I highly recommend.