Rating:  Summary: Possibly the funniest novel I've ever read! Review: As someone with a long personal involvement in the UFO field, I am familiar with many of the individuals Buckley used for his characters, and I can attest to the fact that he has "nailed" them perfectly! There is much that is worthy of parody in the world of UFOs, the media and the federal government, and Buckley has managed to prove that fiction is stranger than truth.
Rating:  Summary: great DC landscape description Review: If Tom Wolfe would take the encyclopedia of knowledge from his textbooks and distill it for those who really do not need the educational content, he may one day be as proficient and efficient as Mr. Buckley. Mr. Buckley's knowledge and wit about the DC mindset is very entertaining.
Rating:  Summary: save your money Review: Couldn't wait to read this book by Christopher Buckley because I thought Thank You for Smoking was laugh-out-loud funny. What a disappointment. This book is moderately amusing at best. It just tries a little too hard and misses. My recommendation: save your money and if you must read it, check it out at library. Buy another book from amazon w/your $$.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointing Review: Anyone expecting the trademark Buckley found in "Thank You For Smoking" and "The White House Mess" will be disappointed. I wonder about the motives and critical acumen of people like Kerry Fried who refer to "Little Green Men" as "hilarious", or Gabriella Stern who claims that Buckley is "clever and barbed as usual". The usually wicked, humorous plots, the die-laughing dialogue and the hilariously descriptive character thoughts and emotions found in Buckleys other works are, unfortunately, absent in this one. It appears as if little effort was put into character and plot development, the author attempting to place more emphasis on rather silly dialogue - nothing like the kind to which a Buckley fan should be accustomed. Halfway through the book, just when one expects an increase in the so-far-so-good momentum, the plot thins and the story dwindles into absurdity and frivolity, requiring, on the part of the reader, some effort to get to the end. The literary judgement and opinions of the reviewer who claims that this book is "as funny as anything he (Buckley) has ever written" really cannot be trusted. The individuals who rated this book at five stars are, sadly, quite easily amused and entertained. To the first time readers of Buckley who liked this novel, I would suggest either or both of the titles mentioned at the beginning of this review. Buckley is a writer of rare talent and genius. He should be able to redeem himself with his next effort.
Rating:  Summary: This Book is a Stitch Review: I loved it. Unlike some readers, I don't think it was inferior to Thank You For Smoking--I think it was the equal of the earlier masterpiece. Buckley isn't always terrific--witness Steaming to Bamboola and Wet Work--but when he's going for sophisticated humor instead of lyrical journalism (Bamboola) or flat-out repulsiveness (Wet Work), he has no equal. When I finished the last page of Little Green Men, I turned immediately to Page 1 and read the whole book again, to savor the language and wit.
Rating:  Summary: Fascinating Premise Review: A fascinating premise. Gets you wondering about the real world UFO and aliens- for which it reminds me of an equally fascinating book that's both informative, entertaining, and thought provoking: COSMIC TEST TUBE by Randall Fitzgerald. Cosmic is the real-world stuff of Little Green Men, and more.
Rating:  Summary: Buckley Exposes A Government Conspiracy Review: I'll tell you something. I can believe this book much more easily than I can accept any of the other books that tell us that THEY are out there abducting our not so brave and brightest citizens. CB is his usual funny self as he tells us about UFOs and the machinations of the D.C. politicians. Buckley can't say anything with a straight face. On the flyleaf where his other books are listed we see that with a little help he wrote Moby Dick and Madame Bovary. His bio on the back states that he has been an advisor to Presidents since the Taft administration; also, his next book will refute the theories of Stephen Hawking.Congress is busy with hearings regarding a failed attempt by the CIA to attempt an assassination of the Canadian Prime Minister. Israel has just annexed Jordan. The sponsor of our protagonist's TV talk show wants him to promote their newest technological masterpiece: the all new XT-2000 electric chair to be demonstrated at the Florida penitentiary in Starke, Florida. And then it happens, an employee at a secret, secret government agency plays a prank that ultimately leaks the fact that the U.S. govmint is behind the "alien abductions." Read it. It's Buckley at his best...except I really didn't like the overall wind down toward the end of the book. Still, if you are a die-hard skeptic like me you should have some great laughs reading it.
Rating:  Summary: Saturday Night Live in Roswell, New Mexico Review: The strength of this book lies in the hysterical premise that extraterrestrial biological lifeforms/aka "little green men" are really a government invention that - regrettably - sold like hotcakes to legions of sociopathic "believers" the government wishes would just go away. Scripting the screenplay will be a hoot! Oh, and Kudos to the cover design!
Rating:  Summary: A good book that loses its steam half-way through. Review: Overall, this is a good book, but it loses its steam half-way through the story. Up until he loses his TV show, Banion is a great character - intelligent, powerful, witty, and hilariously snobbish. His reaming of the President over his NASA policy early in the book is a classic. Afterwards, however, he becomes disappointingly bland. People's feelings start to matter to him and he loosens up considerably, making him a better person but a far less enjoyable character. I was a bit disappointed with the ending because it was too pat. Hopefully, this won't give away too much, but everything's explained away and none of the main characters end up the worse for wear, which is ridiculous considering the enormity of the conspiracy Buckley creates. Even with all that, however, it's a good read.
Rating:  Summary: Fabulously vivid description of life in the nation's capital Review: As someone with a very short attention span and a plethora of unfinished novels on my bedside table it says quite a lot for Mr. Buckley that I could not put this book down! It was great! I noticed that none of the other reviewers so far have been from Washington D.C. so I just wanted to tell you all how vivid his descriptions of the city are! I could picture everything happening as I was reading it! Especially the part on Roosevelt Island... I went to day camp there when I was 10! Excellent book and I look forward to reading others by Christopher Buckley.
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