John W. Campbell's "Who Goes There?"

I love a good monster story, and John W. Campbell's "Who Goes There?" is a really good monster story.  The novella is the basis for the movies "The Thing from Another World" (1957), "The Thing" (1982) and "The Thing" (2011).

I loved the 1982 version.  Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley (back before his dia-beet-us days), and Donald Moffatt (who had one of the best lines in the movie).

The book was surprisingly good, especially considering it was written in 1938.

"Who Goes There?" tells the story of a group of scientists at a remote Antarctic station who discover a disabled spaceship frozen in the ice and recover a vicious-looking, red-eyed alien from the crash site.

Over the dire warnings of one of the scientists, they decide to thaw it out.  Well, you can pretty much guess what happens next.  Lots of blood and death.

The alien can dissolve living tissue and absorb it, then become a new version of the person or animal that it absorbed.  And as it accumulates more mass, it can become more things - sled dogs, cows, people.  Left unchecked, it could replace all life on Earth.

The scientists defeat the creature in the end, just as it was about to use its advanced technology to escape the base.

I really enjoyed this one.  Clever, well-written, and just the right length.  The pacing was fast and suspenseful.  Just a really good read.

When doing some background research on the book, I came across a short story written by Peter Watts that takes Campbell's premise, and retells it from the monster's point of view.  Very clever, and a remarkably good read itself.  I suggest reading both.  Watt's story, "The Things," is available online at the Clarkesworld Magazine site.

I checked out Peter Watts' website, and am very impressed.  First, it's a cool design.  And even better, many of his novels and short stories are available to download for free.  I love authors (and musicians and artists…) who do that.  Getting to know them and their writing through free downloads makes me more likely to purchase their work.  Once I'm hooked, I'm hooked.