Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780671464936
ISBN number: 0671464930
Label: Timescape Books
Manufacturer: Timescape Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 399
Printing Date: 1983-08
Publishing house: Timescape Books
Sale Popularity Level: 1822634
Studio: Timescape Books
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
With the human population ravaged by a series of devastating plagues, the alien Chtorr arrive to begin the final phase of their invasion. Even as many on Earth deny their existence, the giant wormlike carnivores prepare the world for the ultimate violation--the enslavement of humanity for food! Reissue.
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Rated by buyers 
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It's not life changing but its ok. The reason I gave it a 4 is because of the story idea, such a story idea deserves a five but the actual content that made up the story line dropped it down a star.
PROS:
Obviously the most intriguing part of the whole novel is the idea behind it, the idea that an unknown alien species is trying to irradicate all terran life, and replace it with chtorran life without any casualties on the alien side. The chapters in the book that explained a lot about the chtorran species and where they may have come from was very interesting.
CONS:
I think a unanimous con for most people was the fact that Jim McCarthy was so whiny and dare i say "bitchy" most of the time, even over stuff that made perfect since, he still complained and couldnt see the reasoning behind it. another character flaw ( a big and uncomfortable one for must of us) are the homesexual acts depicted in the book albeit not very bad, just kissing (one instance of mouth to penis), but i honestly couldn't see the imporatance of any of those scenes. They didn't advance the plot in any way, and served only to take up room and time, at one point i actually thought about stop reading because i had grown so tired of the all the man kissing. The other thing that got annoying (after a while) was McCarthy's highschool teacher mr.whitlaw. The whole whitlaw thing only served to push philosophy down the readers throat in between action when mr.gerrold couldnt think of anything else to write about.
I was really hoping this book would be the kind of thought provoking, and inspiring book I was looking for, but instead turned out to be just another ok book.
If the above is what your looking for then i would highly recomend the hyperion cantos (thats the very first 2 books). On to the subsequent book which is Anathem by neal stephenson, I'm sure I'll let you know what i think of that book when im finished.
Rated by buyers -
Quite apart from your typical alien invasion, this is the story of a different kind of invasion: and ecological invasion.
On a stary night there were a number of unexpected meteor showers and givn time, hundreds of aggressive new species began to emerge displacing the earth's ecosystem for one that was totally alien and deadly to human beings.
One of the very first effects of the new alien microbes on earth were a series of devastating plagues that killed almost 2/3rds of the world population. Most of the survivors are walking wounded and all of them are traumatized.
Can the surviving humans fight off this unusual invasion? Only if they can understand it.
There are three books to this seiies and they are all great reading. Problem is, it isn't finished. I hope Mr. Gerrold releases the new three volumes soon. I would love to find out what happens in the end.
Minus one star for being an incomplete series.
Rated by buyers 
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This is probably the most addictive series of books I've ever read. A Matter for Men is in some ways the best of the entire Chtorr series, though it is shorter, more focused on action, and with less Heinlein-like interludes than the later novels. I'm sure everyone knows the basic premise: Earth is being terraformed by an alien ecology. This book covers a lot of detail about the very first wave of the invasion, terrible plagues that wipe out two-thirds of humanity. And then the fun really begins: giant purple caterpillar-like creatures who feed on humans begin the subsequent step in the invasion.
What makes this novel so fun to read is its accessible very first person narration. The narrator, Jim McCarthy, isn't some superhero. He's just an average survivor with no special skills. We follow him through some really harrowing adventures as a biologist attached to the army special forces whose job is to erradicate Chtorrans. The novel is set in the near future, and Gerrold likes to make note of futuristic gadgetry and weapons. We even find out that by the time of the plagues mankind has setup moonbases and organized a "telepathy corps" which allows people to switch bodies by way of a device implanted in their head. These little details just add to the rich atmosphere.
The novel is a setup for the later books in the Chtorr series, so obviously it has no definite ending, but even on its own it is an incredibly entertaining read. I believe anyone who reads A Matter for Men will find it impossible to resist the subsequent chapter in the series.
At the time of this writing, the fifth book is still being worked on. It will be released eventually, but it would be foolish to speculate on when at this point.
Rated by buyers -
A long, long time ago, when the Chtorr novels very first came out, I worked at a restaurant in the kitchen. When the waitstaff (aka the Morons) thought we were cooking too slow they would enter the kitchen and start clapping like mindless cheerleaders to prod us into cooking faster. We usually told them to go soak their heads and get the hell out unless they wanted to be on the menu. Maybe if we all started clapping our hands (like the Morons) and started cheering on Davey boy he'll write faster? Just an idea.
By the way, the Chtorr stories are gripping stuff. Buy them!
Rated by buyers -
This is very hard sci-fi. Do not pick up ths book without having many hours available to you to finish it. Once started, the book sucks you in gradually so that you say, "just one more chapter". When you finish the book at 5:50 am the subsequent morning, you will be exhausted as if you had just run a 10K.
The above also applies to the three follow-on books.
I have read this book at least 5 times. Maybe 8. I lost count many years ago.
Gerrold's site, www.chtorr.com , claims that there will be a fifth book and a sixth book and a seventh book. I will believe it when I see it. I suspect that these books are so strenuous to write that the man might not have the strength to finish them anymore. There is a taunting preview of book 5 at http://www.chtorr.com/books-chtorr5/chtorr5.htm .
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