Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede
When televisions worldwide begin broadcasting a nonstop, noninterruptible live performance by Buddy Holly purporting to originate somewhere in the vicinity of Jupiter, Oliver Vale--the apparent object of the broadcasts--finds himself drafted for a mission so secret that even he is not sure of its purpose. (Campbell Award winner, 1992)
ill be most pleased as she ships you off to the state hospital at Osawatomie!"
Buddy took a few steps back from the camera and shifted the Strat into playing position. "That's all the sign says, but I'll repeat the address in a while in case nobody's listening right now." He looked up and around, as if watching an airplane cross the sky. "Seems like I'm in a big glass bubble, and I can't tell where the light's coming from. It's a little chilly, and I sure hope I don't have to be here long. In the meantime, here's one for your family audience, Mr. Sullivan." He struck a hard chord and began singing "Oh, Boy!" in a wild shout.
I remote-controlled the Sony into blank-screened silence. Poor Buddy. He had seemed to be surrounded by nothing worse than stars and shadows, but I remembered enough from my Introductory Astronomy course to know better. Ganymede was an immense ice ball strewn with occasional patches of meteoric rock, and its surface was constantly bombarded by vicious streams of protons and
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It's difficult to pick out a particular fault, but this novel just didn't seize my attention as it seems to have done for my fellow reviewers. Perhaps part of my disappoint lies in my (however unfounded) expectation of a Douglas Adams-style laugh-fest, which this isn't--it's a humorous novel, to be sure, but not one that'll have you repeating savory little lines of pithiness to yourself for days afterward. And while allusion is unavoidable in a novel about a cultural icon, it seemed to lean almost entirely on cultural references--a 50s travelogue, as someone below put it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a bit of a niche thing.
Absolutely marvellous. An ingeniously silly plot involving aliens and Buddy Holly leads the reader deftly through a moving and touching coming-of-age tale about a boy dealing with his mother's insanity. Add to that a sly critique of post-1950s America, and you have a brilliant read.
Highly entertaining. Polished, action-packed, funny, and impossible to put down.
this is one of the best and funniest sci fi books I have read in some time. It is fresh and inventive . It is also a mini travelogue through the 50s and 60s. I cant recommend it enough. Well worth the time to read.
One of my favorite books of all time...and a bit of a hidden gem...I never thought I would read this book again as it always came up as 'Out of Print' on any search I did for it.
I'm so glad to have the chance to read this again and again.
You're a genius, Mr. Denton, and one hell of a writer.
What a pleasant surprise to find such a delight here. This amazing and funny SF novel is my all-time favorite. Highly recommended! Bradley Denton rocks & rulez!
