- Needle (novel)
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Needle 
Cover of first edition (hardcover)Author(s) Hal Clement Country United States Language English Genre(s) Science fiction novel Publisher Doubleday & Company, Inc. Publication date 1950 Media type Print (Hardback) Pages 222 pp ISBN 0-380-00635-9 OCLC Number 3468444 Followed by Through the Eye of a Needle Needle is a 1950 novel written by Hal Clement, originally published the previous year in Astounding Science Fiction magazine. The book was notable in that it broke new ground in the science fiction field by postulating an alien lifeform, not hostile, which could live within the human body.[citation needed] Also published as From Outer Space, the book would, in 1978, spark the sequel Through the Eye of a Needle.
Contents
Plot summary
The Hunter, an alien lifeform (when not inside another being, resembling a four-pound green jellyfish) with the ability to live in symbiosis with and within another creature, is in hot pursuit of another of his kind. Both crash their ships into Earth, in the Pacific Ocean, and both survive the crashes.
The Hunter makes its way to shore (its erstwhile host having been killed in the crash) and takes up residence in the nearest human being it can find (as it turns out, fifteen-year-old Robert Kinnaird) without letting the human being know. By the time it has figured out enough of what goes on inside a human being to look through Bob's eyes, it is shocked to find itself within an air vessel, being carried further away from its quarry every second. As it happens, Bob is simply returning to a New England boarding school from his home on an industrial island in the Western Pacific.
Once Bob arrives at school, the Hunter sees no alternative to communicating with his host. After initial attempts produce panic in the boy, the Hunter eventually finds a way to convince Bob of his presence. Bob is very accepting of his guest, perhaps beyond what would be expected of a teenage boy who learns another entity is inside him, observing his every move.[1] The two plot a way to return home. The puzzle distracts Bob from his studies, leading to a decline in grades that the school authorities ascribe to homesickness, and he is sent home for the remainder of the term.
Upon arrival, the two begin to seek out their quarry. Bob is injured by an accident. The Hunter is able to hold the wound together, but he can't stop Bob from limping, and Bob is sent to the island doctor. They see no alternative to confiding in the doctor (the Hunter is forced to show his own form to convince the man) and the doctor becomes an ally in their search. Which of the many humans on the island is the host to their quarry? It is worse than a needle in a haystack (thus the title) because a needle at least looks like a needle, not a piece of straw.
The Hunter is able to solve the riddle by observing the behavior of the island people. Bob's father, known for his attention to detail and safety, has been taking amazing risks. He is at least unconsciously aware that an accident will have no ill consequences. The quarry resides within him. The Hunter confirms this, and Bob and the alien have a new puzzle—how to get the alien out of Mr. Kinnaird's body without harming the man?
This time, Bob comes up with the solution. He places himself in the middle of a large number of (empty) oil cans, uses a little actual oil to start a small fire, making it look like there will be a huge explosion shortly, and calls his father for help. The fugitive alien, fearful of being killed in the explosion, knocks out his host and removes himself from Mr. Kinnaird's unconscious body. As soon as the alien is a few feet away from Bob's father, the boy grabs the one full oil can, races over to the alien, pours oil over it, and lights it on fire. He then tends to his father.
Mr. Kinnaird is fine, but Bob is worried. He and the Hunter had better come up with a good story for the man, or the Hunter will have to find some way to assuage the pain of a spanking.
Reception
L. Sprague de Camp praised Needle for its "very original" idea and its "well written" story. Despite faulting the plotting as "thin" and having the antagonist act "improbably stupid," he concluded the novel was "a good sound entertaining yarn."[2]
Reprint
The novel was reprinted in Volume 1 (Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter) of NESFA's three-volume collection of Clement's works, The Essential Hal Clement.
See also
- 7 Billion Needles (manga)
- The Hidden (film)
Footnotes
- ^ Needle book review at scifi.com
- ^ "Books", Astounding, November 1950, p.93
Categories:- 1950 novels
- Debut novels
- American science fiction novels
- Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact
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