Finney, Jack: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

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Has someone you know been acting strangely lately? Nothing you can put your finger on, just.... Maybe your husband's stopped yelling at the kids? Don't assume it's nothing. More than likely, his body's been replicated cell by cell, down to almost the last detail, as part of an attempt by extra-terrestrial pod creatures to take over the earth.

Or maybe not. The point is, you've seen the movie, maybe even the movies--the original 1956 film (with Kevin McCarthy) was remade in both 1978 (with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy) and (less successfully) 1993. Now it's time to read the book.

Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel, first published in 1954, is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you up reading late into the night. The prose is light; the plot is unbeatable. And you never know: just because you've seen the movies doesn't mean you know how the book's gonna end.

P.S. Another must read is Finney's haunting novel Time and Again, a book that will have you believing that time travel is wholly possible.