Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell

Who Goes There?: Seven Tales of Science-Fiction by John W. Campbell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've been meaning to read this for over twenty years (ever since I discovered it was the story that gave birth to The Thing from Another World, and the superb John Carpenter remake, back in the 80s). Now, with a sequel to Carpenters film about to hit cinemas, I decided it was about time I got stuck in. The story is entertaining and it's clear how close Capenter stuckl to the tale for his film version, with his version of the creature much closer to Campbell's original beast than the Howard Hawk's produced version in the 50s - several scenes from Carpenter's adaptation are remarkably true to the source, and many of the characters keep their names (if not always their fates). It's also interesting to see the period setting of the story, with steam tractors and airplanes instead of the snowcats and helicopters of the 80s. There's also that stalwart of period SF - Atomic Energy!



All in all, a story worth visiting wheteher you're a fan of the film(s) or not.



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