Casts real problems in an unreal context
Let me get this out of the way first: Prolific non-fiction author and eminent Judaic scholar David Halperin's debut novel Journal of a UFO Investigator (Viking, Blackstone Audio) is not "properly" science fiction. It is, however, a wonderful book, and Sean Runnette's narration brings it wonderfully to life, and it is, to quote Bull Spec reviewer Richard Dansky, "a novel about what science fiction is for and about -- not aliens or rocketships, but rather the ability to cast real problems in an unreal context, and by doing so, get a handle on them". The publisher's summary here is spot on -- particularly the Daniel Wallace blurb. I can't really add much more than again quoting Dansky: "Journal of a UFO Investigator is one of those rare reads that takes advantage of the wildest things science fiction can do in order to tell a human, mundane, and wonderful story." Well, OK, I will try. Runnette's narration does not have the benefit of the book's layout and typesetting. We don't have clues like indentation, italics, and so on to help denote "this is a dream sequence" or "this is a journal entry" and so in audio the lines between reality and fantasy blur even further. For me this was a wonderful effect, and I, again, can't recommend this one enough.