Jim C's Reviews > Slan

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

This book is a science fiction novel that was written well over seventy years ago. In this one, mutants have developed telepathic powers and these mutants, also known as slans, are being hunted by humans. Our main character is a slan as we follow him through loss and him trying to survive.

Right away I was blown away by this book. This was X-Men but written twenty five years earlier. As with X-Men, the persecution of mutants is an allegory for racial tensions. I loved the fact of when this was written and I love when science fiction reflects the real world. As with most books that were written during this time period, it has a breakneck pace with a limited amount of pages. This was a detriment to this novel as I wish everything was fleshed out a little more including the characters. This was especially the case with the ending as I felt like it didn't hit the mark. Other reviews have stated that this is dated because of the science and it is but I took it with a grain of salt and it did not affect my enjoyment of this book.

This is one of the earlier science fiction novels that was written and it shows. That being said, it has a very strong message and I believe it to be an important science fiction book. I am really glad that I read it and I will look into this author's other works.