Little Green Men: A Novel 
asked by perfectjen on November 13, 2006 12:39 AM
In Christopher Buckley's hilarious fourth novel, Washington, D.C., is naturally enough a place of sex, lies, and videotape. Unfortunately for Little Green Men's pundit protagonist, John Oliver Banion, it is also the HQ of Majestic Twelve, a very, very covert government project. Since "that golden Cold War summer of 1947," MJ-12 has had a single mission--to convince taxpayers that space invaders are constantly lurking below what's left of the ozone layer. "A country convinced that little green men were hovering over the rooftops was inclined to vote yea for big weapons and space programs," the author thoughtfully explains.
But one disgruntled operative wants out. Nathan Scrubbs is fed up to the back teeth with the art of alien abduction--not to mention his cover as a Social Security flunky--so when his request for a transfer is quashed, he drunkenly decides to take it out on ubiquitous ultra-prig Banion, who happens to be on TV at the time. The ensuing high-tech kidnap, at Maryland's Burning Bush Country Club, is only one of the thousands of convulsively funny scenes in Little Green Men. Not that the novel isn't a skewed morality play of some sort: as Banion comes to believe in Tall Nordics and Short Ugly Grays, he is quickly removed from every A-list in town. But oddly enough, social and political disaster turns out to be as liberating as the finest alien probe. Let's just say that long before Banion and Scrubbs have a close encounter at the Millennium Man March on Washington, this Beltway barrel of monkeys attains a truly extraplanetary level of amusement. --Kerry Fried
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There are plenty of stories about contact with aliens, including a plethora dealing with government conspiracies to conceal such contact. In Little Green Men, Christopher Buckley offers his own take on these stories and has delivered a fun novel.
Little Green Men centers on John Banion, the most powerful man on television. He is an incisive and often nasty interviewer of political figures, and even the President accommodates him. Banion lives the good life until he is abducted by aliens and subjected to the standard probes and other tests. He almost shakes off this event, but then it happens a second time, and he becomes an avid crusader for exposing aliens. This, of course, makes him appear crazy to many and his reputation slides quickly.
What Banion is unaware of is that this whole thing was a hoax orchestrated by Majestic Twelve, a super-secret government agency that occasionally fakes abductions for its own reasons that dates back to the Cold War. Nathan Scrubbs, a disgruntled member of Majestic Twelve, in a drunken rage, had targeted Banion for abduction; this was strictly against the rules that prohibit prominent figures from being kidnapped. Scrubbs's actions put him on the wrong side of his mysterious employer, forcing the lowly bureaucrat to go on the run.
Unfortunately for Majestic Twelve, Banion does not either fade away or get dragged off to an insane asylum. Instead, he builds a new following of true believers in UFOs, and raises these folks to a much higher level of importance. Even as he threatens Majestic Twelve, he is himself in danger, all the while remaining oblivious to the truth.
This is a delightfully funny novel that is also well-plotted. Few people on any side of the UFO debate emerge unscathed in this satire. This may have been my first Christopher Buckley book, but I have a suspicion it won't be my last.
Little Green Men centers on John Banion, the most powerful man on television. He is an incisive and often nasty interviewer of political figures, and even the President accommodates him. Banion lives the good life until he is abducted by aliens and subjected to the standard probes and other tests. He almost shakes off this event, but then it happens a second time, and he becomes an avid crusader for exposing aliens. This, of course, makes him appear crazy to many and his reputation slides quickly.
What Banion is unaware of is that this whole thing was a hoax orchestrated by Majestic Twelve, a super-secret government agency that occasionally fakes abductions for its own reasons that dates back to the Cold War. Nathan Scrubbs, a disgruntled member of Majestic Twelve, in a drunken rage, had targeted Banion for abduction; this was strictly against the rules that prohibit prominent figures from being kidnapped. Scrubbs's actions put him on the wrong side of his mysterious employer, forcing the lowly bureaucrat to go on the run.
Unfortunately for Majestic Twelve, Banion does not either fade away or get dragged off to an insane asylum. Instead, he builds a new following of true believers in UFOs, and raises these folks to a much higher level of importance. Even as he threatens Majestic Twelve, he is himself in danger, all the while remaining oblivious to the truth.
This is a delightfully funny novel that is also well-plotted. Few people on any side of the UFO debate emerge unscathed in this satire. This may have been my first Christopher Buckley book, but I have a suspicion it won't be my last.
reviewed by advisor on November 21, 2006 7:02 AM
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This is the first book I have read by Christopher Buckley and I am pretty happy with it. At first I wasn't sure how I would like it when it started with the talk show and the Washington political scene. I am definitely not savy when it comes to politics. I thought I would not understand the plot, the theme, the characters, etc. But that's what made Buckley such a great writer for me. He write so well that I could both understand and enjoy this political satire.
Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was how both sides: government and UFO enthusiasts received comical attention. On the UFO side we had the UFO convention stories, how the "probing" started, Banion's groupies, Tall Nordiac singers, etc... On the political side readers saw how the government concocted this alien cultural belief in order to achieve their objective: funding to beat the Russians. The back and forth (most of the time silly )behind the scenes debates politicians go through during an election year, i.e. the President's and his staff's dilemna on if he should attend the shuttle lauch and it's final manipulative conclusion.
My favorite line "He noticed a smell, acrid and overwhelming at first, like ammonia, with a sweetish aftertaste, like...cinnamon? Was this alien BO?" I have to admit this little insigificant line made me laugh out loud. This book is full of Buckley's wry sense of humor.
Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was how both sides: government and UFO enthusiasts received comical attention. On the UFO side we had the UFO convention stories, how the "probing" started, Banion's groupies, Tall Nordiac singers, etc... On the political side readers saw how the government concocted this alien cultural belief in order to achieve their objective: funding to beat the Russians. The back and forth (most of the time silly )behind the scenes debates politicians go through during an election year, i.e. the President's and his staff's dilemna on if he should attend the shuttle lauch and it's final manipulative conclusion.
My favorite line "He noticed a smell, acrid and overwhelming at first, like ammonia, with a sweetish aftertaste, like...cinnamon? Was this alien BO?" I have to admit this little insigificant line made me laugh out loud. This book is full of Buckley's wry sense of humor.
reviewed by maxwell on November 26, 2006 4:00 AM
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Reading this book is literally stunning. If there were any justice, the hacks ought to abandon their work (or at least rewrite it through a few times) before they sling it out the door- looking at James Patterson and Dan Brown.
The prose on every page is so carefully wrought it is amazing. He captures characters, organizations and Washington dynamics with such economy, with such perfect on-the-nose phrasing it, it really is amazing. Put your finger down on any page and you will find excellence. This is the league of Wodehouse and Waugh.
The book is both amusing and enteraining and worth the purchase because the reread value will be high, but I'll be damned if you dont come away with the feeling of resentment at other popular authors who's poor craftsmanship is so clearly shown up by Buckley.
"Banion took the call.
'Jack!' Bill Stimple was the Ur-corporate relations man. Each greeting began with an exclaimation mark. When the Grim Reeper came for Bill he'd probably bray, 'Death!', and ask how his golf game was coming."
The prose on every page is so carefully wrought it is amazing. He captures characters, organizations and Washington dynamics with such economy, with such perfect on-the-nose phrasing it, it really is amazing. Put your finger down on any page and you will find excellence. This is the league of Wodehouse and Waugh.
The book is both amusing and enteraining and worth the purchase because the reread value will be high, but I'll be damned if you dont come away with the feeling of resentment at other popular authors who's poor craftsmanship is so clearly shown up by Buckley.
"Banion took the call.
'Jack!' Bill Stimple was the Ur-corporate relations man. Each greeting began with an exclaimation mark. When the Grim Reeper came for Bill he'd probably bray, 'Death!', and ask how his golf game was coming."
reviewed by tubi on November 29, 2006 8:06 AM
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This is one of the most uninteresting novels I have ever read. There was nothing in the whole book that was worth reading. The characters are so 1 dimensional that from the get go you can see through them all and wish you weren't reading the book. I finished the novel, just to see if it ever redeems itself. Please don't waste your time.
reviewed by h2o on November 29, 2006 1:30 PM