Nevertheless, the mystery is still obscure enough to make it difficult to figure out by the end. This is a proper mystery tale, where the reader has a real chance of figuring out the mystery by the end, and nothing "unfair" happens like an introduction of an as-yet-unseen technology or surprise that clever readers could not have seen in advance. The setting, story, and mystery in the novel is all quite good, though. Then again, the story is set in 1949 and was probably written not long after that date, so at least the author is portraying the humans in a more or less realistic way, even if they don't garner any respect from me. Great mystery novel, but such horrid sexism! Sure, Clement does a moderately good job of insisting that the alien be completely fair to both sexes, but the human characters (male and female) are all horribly in need of taking a few feminism classes. Overall, this was an enjoyable novel but not one of Clement’s best. None was ever written but the ending to this one is rather abrupt and there are several loose ends for the characters that could be explored further.
I wonder if there was meant to be a third novel. The science is intriguing, as it always is in a Clement novel, especially how a symbiotic relationship can both heal and cause life-threatening problems for the host. The plot seemed to plod along, with the solutions and final resolution being quickly revealed in the final three pages or so, much like detective novels of that era. Clement will never be known for those parts of his novels. This book was a little less science oriented and a little more focused on the characters and their interaction. He majored in astronomy and also obtained master’s degrees in education and chemistry and, in fact was a long time professor of both astronomy and chemistry. The author, Hal Clement, is known as a “hard” science fiction writer of the golden age, meaning he used a solid basis in actual science upon which to frame his stories. It can best be classified as a science fiction adventure/mystery novel.
What follows is a concerted effort by Bob and his friends to contact the aliens to obtain some form of cure or reversal of this process. The main character, Bob Kinnaird has completed his college degree and returned to his Polynesian island home to confront and get help for what has become all too obvious: his alien symbiont and friend (the Hunter) has lingered too long in his host body and is leading to the complete deterioration and breakdown of Bob’s body. This sequel novel to Needle, was written and published in 1978, some 29 years after its predecessor but takes place only a few years later.
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