Book Review – They Came From Below
Author: Blake Nelson
Cover Artist: Yuko Shimizu
Publisher: Tor
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: July 2007
On the surface, this is a story about and narrated by the main character – Emily, a 16 yr old daughter of divorced parents. She spends every summer at Cape Cod with her professor father and hanging out with friends at the beach. Her first order of business this summer was to find her best friend Reese and check out the boys. These plans are sidewinded by a couple of mysterious young men who turn out to not be young men at all but immortal aliens living at the bottom of the ocean. They desperately need the help of Emily and her friends and this is where the action takes off. Amid several unexplainable events, Emily and her friends face opportunities to stand for their convictions in the midst of crisis.
As you get further into the book, however, you see that we face the same crisis as the aliens. Interwoven in the story is a sense of helplessness regarding the fate of our world and the responsibility we have towards life here. Humanity is not portrayed as evil, but has possibilities. We could be reaching out to help, not to destroy. Yet, is it already too late?
The author shows a good grasp of the adolescent mind: someone who firmly believes the world revolves around self, yet paradoxically has an unlimited ability to accept the unexplainable and to give endlessly to it. I found myself buying into the storyline, even though it was reminiscent of the movie Cocoon. This was a great way to break down some very big ideas for young readers regarding stewardship of the Earth, the circle of life, and the importance of communication. As one of the aliens explained, “all creatures have language. Humans say the same thing. All the creatures say the same thing. I am here; where are you?”
Unfortunately, the ending was abrupt and reminded me of my own summer vacations as a teenager. At the beginning I was full of anticipation regarding the upcoming adventure. In the middle, desperation took over as I attempted to achieve all the intended activities. Finally, the end – where reality takes over and I realize the summer that promised so much had delivered so little. While this book might thoroughly satisfy young readers, I felt he could have done more with the characters in his wrap up. His ending carried a hint of potential, yet I was left feeling confused and deflated. In addition, the aliens become a bit redundant and overdo it as they lecture the kids on the reason for the existence of said aliens.
Like my summer vacations, I will carry a few good memories of They Came From Below. Regrettably, these few will be all I have gathered from this story.
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