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marydnn's review
the ending has me finking. why does he die? i think from a doylist perspective i get it, like he was just the spark that helped others to wake up, and no one individual could’ve won the entire war. in that regard i like how it ends at the *beginning* of the war, and he’s not even around to see it. but i have to wonder why in watsonian terms he succumbs to their command to die. ok nvm maybe it’s just we all still live under capitalism and thus still have to play by its rules. okay fine i guess it makes sense. Anyway i think john carpenter brings a lot of valuable additions, and situating this story within reagan’s america and from an unhoused guy brings the specifically anti-capitalism message to the forefront (rather than a more general cultural critique). and of course carpenter adds more personality. but i still enjoyed this story! i was very interested in how nada’s awareness wavered, which is an important aspect to the metaphor u just don’t get with glasses! cipher-esque
ricky93's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
paulataua's review against another edition
4.0
So happy that I found this 6 page long short story that was the egg from which John Carpenter’s ‘They Live’ was hatched. It is a very bare-boned story that really has no meat on it whatsoever, and kind of feels like it was thrown together in a few minutes. Still and all, it’s such a great idea, I’m not going to knock it.
drix's review
3.0
A fun little read if you like the movie, but not really a short story I'll remember.
stef_hb's review
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
dustin_frueh7921's review
4.0
Without having seen John Carpenter's 1988 film, They Live, starring the late Rowdy "Roddy" Piper, I have no means of comparing the two. It's best not to. They're completely different mediums and as such, they should stand on their own. Eight O'Clock in the Morning was a very short story (its five pages felt closer to two or three,) so the film presumably added plenty of substance to fill its hour and forty minutes. Now knowing that, I'm curious as to how they filled in the gaps. Was it a fully realized story? Did it add character development and/or worldbuilding? Those are only a few questions lingering. I was, in fact, somewhat surprised that the source material didn't contain Piper's often played line. A line that most film enthusiasts likely know by heart:
Ray Faraday Nelson's story was told in an easily digestable style, which I believe was excellent, and his bold intentionality served its black and white mentality very well. You see it in Nada's actions as well as the alien's. This was more than a simplistic science fiction tale. It's social commentary more relevant now than when it was initially published in 1963. Nelson's concepts were many and they were grand.
Ultimately, it ended abruptly and I closed the link wanting more. A lot more. That can be a good or bad thing. In this instance, it was a good thing. A really profound thing. The finality of it stung, delivering a gut punch that I never expected. And now, on a side note, I hope to see They Live sooner rather than later.
Read it for free HERE:
http://www.whale.to/b/eight_o.html
"I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Ray Faraday Nelson's story was told in an easily digestable style, which I believe was excellent, and his bold intentionality served its black and white mentality very well. You see it in Nada's actions as well as the alien's. This was more than a simplistic science fiction tale. It's social commentary more relevant now than when it was initially published in 1963. Nelson's concepts were many and they were grand.
One of the subjects awoke all the way. This had never happened before. His name was George Nada and he blinked out at the sea of faces in the theatre, at first unaware of anything out of the ordinary. Then he noticed, spotted here and there in the crowd, the non-human faces, the faces of the Fascinators. They had been there all along, of course, but only George was really awake, so only George recognized them for what they were. He understood everything in a flash, including the fact that if he were to give any outward sign, the Fascinators would instantly command him to return to his former state, and he would obey.
Ultimately, it ended abruptly and I closed the link wanting more. A lot more. That can be a good or bad thing. In this instance, it was a good thing. A really profound thing. The finality of it stung, delivering a gut punch that I never expected. And now, on a side note, I hope to see They Live sooner rather than later.
Read it for free HERE:
http://www.whale.to/b/eight_o.html