GRINNY: A Novel of Science Fiction

by Nicholas Fisk ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1974

Nicholas Fisk's scenarios for alien invasion aren't unusually bizarre, but they do have a kind of horrible conviction which often slips into just plain horror. If the tiny, drifting particles of Trillions (KR, 1973) were a little too abstract, this wave of invaders is as homey as Great Aunt Emma, a sweet little old lady who comes to visit, asks a lot of questions and from time to time makes mistakes that reveal the ways in which she is not quite human. It takes the fierce, prescient hatred of nine year-old Beth and the clear-eyed observation of her older brother (who records Aunt Emma's quirks in his diary) to convince the ""Old lady"" that these humans are ""not suitable"" for conquest; her transformation from a humorous eccentric to a diabolical robot -- which spurs the children's decision to conquer her by emotional and other tortures -- is subtly frightening. And the children have substantial, well-differentiated personalities not usually encountered in genre sci fi.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1974

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Nelson

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1974

Categories: FICTION