“They Walked Like Men”

I used to think that science fiction was as odd as the people who read it. In my view only nerdy, insecure teenage boys liked to read stories set on different planets, or which featured aliens come to Earth. Everything was so fantastical, so unreal.

Then I realized my mistake: I’d been reading *bad* science fiction.

Later in life I discovered Sarah Hoyt. Reading her work I found character-driven stories that didn’t rely on gimmicks. Only good, old-fashioned storytelling, with interesting plots and characters I could cheer on. Learning about her influences from her blog led me to Heinlen and other masters.

This past week I finished one of those classics, “They Walked Like Men.” Author Clifford Semak published this in 1962, after a career as a newspaperman. Naturally, he wrote what he knew, and the hero of the tale is a hard-working, hard-drinking journalist. He’s got a story which NO ONE believes that no one will publish.

Of course I won’t give any plot spoilers but imagine a world invasion handled completely by the book – by our own laws. Everything nice and tidy. An invasion carried out by way of real-estate sales, happening all over the globe. That’s what our newspaperman hero had to confront. The oddly-smelling others – who look and walk just like men – are simply using our laws, social codes, and currency system against us.

The protagonist isn’t whip-smart or condescending, like so many unbelievable heroes of today’s action novels. He blunders about, makes mistakes, and just barely figures out his path forward. You’ll be hanging on to every word, cheering him on.