He Walked Among Us

He Walked Among Us by Spinrad, Norman. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780765325846.

What, exactly, is He Walked Among Us? In a way its science fiction. Its also an acidly satiric satire of show business. The novel is screamingly funny at times. There are New Age aspects to He Walked Among Us. Its philosophical. It might deal with Quantum Physicse. And it also has some hardcore scenes that might make Edward Lee wince. Jimmy Balaban is an aging, seedy, third rate show biz agent. He meets a dubious comedian named Ralf who claims to be from the future. Hes here to save us from ourselves. Its an odd act, but Jimmy is a pro and the nose knows. Maybe there is a little bit of money to be made from this strange act. He takes Ralf on as a client and hires a male science fiction writer and a female New Age guru to turn Ralf into the cash cow that he always wanted. Astonishingly, it works. The question remains: Who, or what, is Ralf? Spinrad has called He Walked Among Us his magnum opus and I definitely agree. Ive been a fan of his work for a long time and Ive been continually blown away by his writing. He Walked Among Us, however, is a revelation. Naturally, a lot of people arent going to get it. This isnt an easy, simple book. Oh, its easy enough to read, but its even easier to dismiss it as gimmicky fluff. Worse, readers could feel that Spinrad has a condescending attitude toward his audience. That hes laughing at them or feeling smugly superior. I dont feel that way, but a complex novel like He Walked Among Us can be interpreted in endless ways. Thats part of the beauty of it. Spinrad has always had an amazing imagination, which is augmented by his own radical sensibilities.