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David Mazzotta writes "Reading like an extended, Darin Morgan-penned episode of the X-files (Humbug, Bruckman, Coprophages, Chung), Christopher Buckley's Little Green Men uses alien abductions and UFO conspiracies as a backdrop for some of the surest and funniest satires in recent years." Read on for the rest of David's review; I tend to prefer books from William F. Buckley, but this one sounds fun. Little Green Men author Christopher Buckley pages 317 publisher Random House rating 8.0 reviewer David Mazzotta ISBN 0742963314 summary Political and social satire wrapped in a zany story of alien abduction.

John O. "Jack" Banion is a man of fearsome power. A combination of Larry King and Bill O'Reilly, he hosts a pompous Sunday morning "issues" talk show that is the hub of Washington media. Politicians hate him, but need him. The dowdy matrons of beltway society fall over themselves to get him to attend their dinner parties. He has the luxury of dismissing millions of dollars in endorsements as beneath his lofty station. In an early scene, the President appears on his show and gets treated with righteous disdain, about which he privately muses "Presidents come and go."

Banion's life is filled with stifling protocols that he has fully embraced. He has few passions -- his wife seems happily neglected, the arts bore him, he doesn't even truly care about the politics he is immersed in, except to the extent that he wields influence over it. Even his cynicism rings hollow.

Enter one Nathan Scrubbs, a frustrated, mid-level, black-ops bureaucrat and professional alien abductor for an unmentionable government program called MJ-12. For years, Scrubbs has located prime abductee candidates: those who are personally reliable and believable, yet have the social and educational standing that would cause the media to doubt their veracity -- that is to say, trustworthy rubes. He orders their abductions with bored detachment, then monitors the media reaction to ensure that there is just a subtle but consistent undercurrent of belief that can be used for various manipulative purposes (bolstering the defense budget, scaring the Russians, funding satellites, etc.).

But Scrubs is bitter. He dreams of being a CIA field op, but was rejected by the agency. His job is a dead end. He can't advance, can't transfer, can't even talk about it with anyone. So one Sunday morning, blind drunk on Bloody Marys, while watching Banion's talk show, he authorizes a rogue abduction of Banion.

Banion goes public about his abduction and finds himself outcast from his elite circles while Scrubbs flees for his life from his own agency. Not surprisingly, events spiral out of control and the fates of Scrubbs and Banion intertwine. No more hoaxing unsuspecting rednecks, or manipulating meaningless government policies; for the first time in their lives they find there are deadly serious consequences to their actions. The collision of the contemptuous gravitas of the political actors with the madcap world of UFO conspiracists provides ample opportunity to compare the two and leave us wondering which one is sillier.

As a former speechwriter for Bush the Elder, Buckley, the editor of Forbes FYI, is very assured in lampooning the Washington DC aristocracy he is undoubtedly familiar with. He perfectly captures the egos behind the noble facades in the degrade-or-be-degraded Capitol high society. After his on-air flaying of the President, Banion is greeted by other power players at an elite dinner party.

But here was Tony Flemm, host of the second-rated Washington show, trying not to look jealous. "Jack. Nice show."

"Do you think? I don't know."

That's right, torture the poor bastard, make him explain, make him elaborate in front of everyone on just why he though it was such a good show. But wait, here came Burt Galilee, beaming, shaking his head in mock horror at Banion's ruffling of presidential eagle feathers. And here, just behind him, came the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and behind him, the French ambassador. A triumph.

Buckley is equally sardonic with the abductee population, yet, perhaps because they are painfully sincere despite their silliness, they are treated with a bit less vitriol.

Another of [hypnotherapist Bart Hupkin's] regressees shared her breakthrough of wrapping herself in cellophane, which, like panty hose, made it more difficult for the aliens to drive home their vile phallic probes. She noted that this also helped with weight loss. Another abductee announced that she was depressed because she missed her alien children. The father had, contrary to their joint custody arrangement, taken them off to the Pleiades with a "slut" from Aldebran. Hupkin said she should not take this personally. Aliens were notoriously problematic when it came to commitment.

Banion left the workshop unable to shake the feeling that there was something lacking in these people's lives...Banion had to keep reminding himself that the early Christians must have been an odd bunch, too.

As with any satire of length, the droll commentary can only take you so far; then you need characters that can carry the story. Though both are essentially passionless cynics at heart, Banion and Scrubbs flesh out fairly well. A central irony: Banion finds zeal for the abductee movement that he never experienced in the "serious" world of politics, and Scrubbs finally gets a taste undercover agent life as he flees the wrath of MJ-12. The plot runs a bit low on steam towards the end, but by that time we are, if not sympathetic for, at least interested enough in Banion and Scrubbs to want to know how it all ends.

Buckley takes an unbiased approach to satire. He is non-partisan regarding politics or social standing; he punctures the pretentious and skewers the self-important wherever he finds them. If you would rather be amused than disgusted with the inanity you read in the news or see on TV, Little Green Men is for you.

You can purchase Little Green Men from bn.com; (Note the remaindered price of $3.99 for the hardcover). Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

David Mazzotta writes "Reading like an extended, Darin Morgan-penned episode of the X-files (Humbug, Bruckman, Coprophages, Chung), Christopher Buckley's Little Green Men uses alien abductions and UFO conspiracies as a backdrop for some of the surest and funniest satires in recent years." Read on for the rest of David's review; I tend to prefer books from William F. Buckley, but this one sounds fun. Little Green Men author Christopher Buckley pages 317 publisher Random House rating 8.0 reviewer David Mazzotta ISBN 0742963314 summary Political and social satire wrapped in a zany story of alien abduction.

John O. "Jack" Banion is a man of fearsome power. A combination of Larry King and Bill O'Reilly, he hosts a pompous Sunday morning "issues" talk show that is the hub of Washington media. Politicians hate him, but need him. The dowdy matrons of beltway society fall over themselves to get him to attend their dinner parties. He has the luxury of dismissing millions of dollars in endorsements as beneath his lofty station. In an early scene, the President appears on his show and gets treated with righteous disdain, about which he privately muses "Presidents come and go."

Banion's life is filled with stifling protocols that he has fully embraced. He has few passions -- his wife seems happily neglected, the arts bore him, he doesn't even truly care about the politics he is immersed in, except to the extent that he wields influence over it. Even his cynicism rings hollow.

Enter one Nathan Scrubbs, a frustrated, mid-level, black-ops bureaucrat and professional alien abductor for an unmentionable government program called MJ-12. For years, Scrubbs has located prime abductee candidates: those who are personally reliable and believable, yet have the social and educational standing that would cause the media to doubt their veracity -- that is to say, trustworthy rubes. He orders their abductions with bored detachment, then monitors the media reaction to ensure that there is just a subtle but consistent undercurrent of belief that can be used for various manipulative purposes (bolstering the defense budget, scaring the Russians, funding satellites, etc.).

But Scrubs is bitter. He dreams of being a CIA field op, but was rejected by the agency. His job is a dead end. He can't advance, can't transfer, can't even talk about it with anyone. So one Sunday morning, blind drunk on Bloody Marys, while watching Banion's talk show, he authorizes a rogue abduction of Banion.

Banion goes public about his abduction and finds himself outcast from his elite circles while Scrubbs flees for his life from his own agency. Not surprisingly, events spiral out of control and the fates of Scrubbs and Banion intertwine. No more hoaxing unsuspecting rednecks, or manipulating meaningless government policies; for the first time in their lives they find there are deadly serious consequences to their actions. The collision of the contemptuous gravitas of the political actors with the madcap world of UFO conspiracists provides ample opportunity to compare the two and leave us wondering which one is sillier.

As a former speechwriter for Bush the Elder, Buckley, the editor of Forbes FYI, is very assured in lampooning the Washington DC aristocracy he is undoubtedly familiar with. He perfectly captures the egos behind the noble facades in the degrade-or-be-degraded Capitol high society. After his on-air flaying of the President, Banion is greeted by other power players at an elite dinner party.

But here was Tony Flemm, host of the second-rated Washington show, trying not to look jealous. "Jack. Nice show."

"Do you think? I don't know."

That's right, torture the poor bastard, make him explain, make him elaborate in front of everyone on just why he though it was such a good show. But wait, here came Burt Galilee, beaming, shaking his head in mock horror at Banion's ruffling of presidential eagle feathers. And here, just behind him, came the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and behind him, the French ambassador. A triumph.

Buckley is equally sardonic with the abductee population, yet, perhaps because they are painfully sincere despite their silliness, they are treated with a bit less vitriol.

Another of [hypnotherapist Bart Hupkin's] regressees shared her breakthrough of wrapping herself in cellophane, which, like panty hose, made it more difficult for the aliens to drive home their vile phallic probes. She noted that this also helped with weight loss. Another abductee announced that she was depressed because she missed her alien children. The father had, contrary to their joint custody arrangement, taken them off to the Pleiades with a "slut" from Aldebran. Hupkin said she should not take this personally. Aliens were notoriously problematic when it came to commitment.

Banion left the workshop unable to shake the feeling that there was something lacking in these people's lives...Banion had to keep reminding himself that the early Christians must have been an odd bunch, too.

As with any satire of length, the droll commentary can only take you so far; then you need characters that can carry the story. Though both are essentially passionless cynics at heart, Banion and Scrubbs flesh out fairly well. A central irony: Banion finds zeal for the abductee movement that he never experienced in the "serious" world of politics, and Scrubbs finally gets a taste undercover agent life as he flees the wrath of MJ-12. The plot runs a bit low on steam towards the end, but by that time we are, if not sympathetic for, at least interested enough in Banion and Scrubbs to want to know how it all ends.

Buckley takes an unbiased approach to satire. He is non-partisan regarding politics or social standing; he punctures the pretentious and skewers the self-important wherever he finds them. If you would rather be amused than disgusted with the inanity you read in the news or see on TV, Little Green Men is for you.

You can purchase Little Green Men from bn.com; (Note the remaindered price of $3.99 for the hardcover). Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

David Mazzotta writes "Reading like an extended, Darin Morgan-penned episode of the X-files (Humbug, Bruckman, Coprophages, Chung), Christopher Buckley's Little Green Men uses alien abductions and UFO conspiracies as a backdrop for some of the surest and funniest satires in recent years." Read on for the rest of David's review; I tend to prefer books from William F. Buckley, but this one sounds fun. Little Green Men author Christopher Buckley pages 317 publisher Random House rating 8.0 reviewer David Mazzotta ISBN 0742963314 summary Political and social satire wrapped in a zany story of alien abduction.

John O. "Jack" Banion is a man of fearsome power. A combination of Larry King and Bill O'Reilly, he hosts a pompous Sunday morning "issues" talk show that is the hub of Washington media. Politicians hate him, but need him. The dowdy matrons of beltway society fall over themselves to get him to attend their dinner parties. He has the luxury of dismissing millions of dollars in endorsements as beneath his lofty station. In an early scene, the President appears on his show and gets treated with righteous disdain, about which he privately muses "Presidents come and go."

Banion's life is filled with stifling protocols that he has fully embraced. He has few passions -- his wife seems happily neglected, the arts bore him, he doesn't even truly care about the politics he is immersed in, except to the extent that he wields influence over it. Even his cynicism rings hollow.

Enter one Nathan Scrubbs, a frustrated, mid-level, black-ops bureaucrat and professional alien abductor for an unmentionable government program called MJ-12. For years, Scrubbs has located prime abductee candidates: those who are personally reliable and believable, yet have the social and educational standing that would cause the media to doubt their veracity -- that is to say, trustworthy rubes. He orders their abductions with bored detachment, then monitors the media reaction to ensure that there is just a subtle but consistent undercurrent of belief that can be used for various manipulative purposes (bolstering the defense budget, scaring the Russians, funding satellites, etc.).

But Scrubs is bitter. He dreams of being a CIA field op, but was rejected by the agency. His job is a dead end. He can't advance, can't transfer, can't even talk about it with anyone. So one Sunday morning, blind drunk on Bloody Marys, while watching Banion's talk show, he authorizes a rogue abduction of Banion.

Banion goes public about his abduction and finds himself outcast from his elite circles while Scrubbs flees for his life from his own agency. Not surprisingly, events spiral out of control and the fates of Scrubbs and Banion intertwine. No more hoaxing unsuspecting rednecks, or manipulating meaningless government policies; for the first time in their lives they find there are deadly serious consequences to their actions. The collision of the contemptuous gravitas of the political actors with the madcap world of UFO conspiracists provides ample opportunity to compare the two and leave us wondering which one is sillier.

As a former speechwriter for Bush the Elder, Buckley, the editor of Forbes FYI, is very assured in lampooning the Washington DC aristocracy he is undoubtedly familiar with. He perfectly captures the egos behind the noble facades in the degrade-or-be-degraded Capitol high society. After his on-air flaying of the President, Banion is greeted by other power players at an elite dinner party.

But here was Tony Flemm, host of the second-rated Washington show, trying not to look jealous. "Jack. Nice show."

"Do you think? I don't know."

That's right, torture the poor bastard, make him explain, make him elaborate in front of everyone on just why he though it was such a good show. But wait, here came Burt Galilee, beaming, shaking his head in mock horror at Banion's ruffling of presidential eagle feathers. And here, just behind him, came the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and behind him, the French ambassador. A triumph.

Buckley is equally sardonic with the abductee population, yet, perhaps because they are painfully sincere despite their silliness, they are treated with a bit less vitriol.

Another of [hypnotherapist Bart Hupkin's] regressees shared her breakthrough of wrapping herself in cellophane, which, like panty hose, made it more difficult for the aliens to drive home their vile phallic probes. She noted that this also helped with weight loss. Another abductee announced that she was depressed because she missed her alien children. The father had, contrary to their joint custody arrangement, taken them off to the Pleiades with a "slut" from Aldebran. Hupkin said she should not take this personally. Aliens were notoriously problematic when it came to commitment.

Banion left the workshop unable to shake the feeling that there was something lacking in these people's lives...Banion had to keep reminding himself that the early Christians must have been an odd bunch, too.

As with any satire of length, the droll commentary can only take you so far; then you need characters that can carry the story. Though both are essentially passionless cynics at heart, Banion and Scrubbs flesh out fairly well. A central irony: Banion finds zeal for the abductee movement that he never experienced in the "serious" world of politics, and Scrubbs finally gets a taste undercover agent life as he flees the wrath of MJ-12. The plot runs a bit low on steam towards the end, but by that time we are, if not sympathetic for, at least interested enough in Banion and Scrubbs to want to know how it all ends.

Buckley takes an unbiased approach to satire. He is non-partisan regarding politics or social standing; he punctures the pretentious and skewers the self-important wherever he finds them. If you would rather be amused than disgusted with the inanity you read in the news or see on TV, Little Green Men is for you.

You can purchase Little Green Men from bn.com; (Note the remaindered price of $3.99 for the hardcover). Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

David Mazzotta writes "Reading like an extended, Darin Morgan-penned episode of the X-files (Humbug, Bruckman, Coprophages, Chung), Christopher Buckley's Little Green Men uses alien abductions and UFO conspiracies as a backdrop for some of the surest and funniest satires in recent years." Read on for the rest of David's review; I tend to prefer books from William F. Buckley, but this one sounds fun. Little Green Men author Christopher Buckley pages 317 publisher Random House rating 8.0 reviewer David Mazzotta ISBN 0742963314 summary Political and social satire wrapped in a zany story of alien abduction.

John O. "Jack" Banion is a man of fearsome power. A combination of Larry King and Bill O'Reilly, he hosts a pompous Sunday morning "issues" talk show that is the hub of Washington media. Politicians hate him, but need him. The dowdy matrons of beltway society fall over themselves to get him to attend their dinner parties. He has the luxury of dismissing millions of dollars in endorsements as beneath his lofty station. In an early scene, the President appears on his show and gets treated with righteous disdain, about which he privately muses "Presidents come and go."

Banion's life is filled with stifling protocols that he has fully embraced. He has few passions -- his wife seems happily neglected, the arts bore him, he doesn't even truly care about the politics he is immersed in, except to the extent that he wields influence over it. Even his cynicism rings hollow.

Enter one Nathan Scrubbs, a frustrated, mid-level, black-ops bureaucrat and professional alien abductor for an unmentionable government program called MJ-12. For years, Scrubbs has located prime abductee candidates: those who are personally reliable and believable, yet have the social and educational standing that would cause the media to doubt their veracity -- that is to say, trustworthy rubes. He orders their abductions with bored detachment, then monitors the media reaction to ensure that there is just a subtle but consistent undercurrent of belief that can be used for various manipulative purposes (bolstering the defense budget, scaring the Russians, funding satellites, etc.).

But Scrubs is bitter. He dreams of being a CIA field op, but was rejected by the agency. His job is a dead end. He can't advance, can't transfer, can't even talk about it with anyone. So one Sunday morning, blind drunk on Bloody Marys, while watching Banion's talk show, he authorizes a rogue abduction of Banion.

Banion goes public about his abduction and finds himself outcast from his elite circles while Scrubbs flees for his life from his own agency. Not surprisingly, events spiral out of control and the fates of Scrubbs and Banion intertwine. No more hoaxing unsuspecting rednecks, or manipulating meaningless government policies; for the first time in their lives they find there are deadly serious consequences to their actions. The collision of the contemptuous gravitas of the political actors with the madcap world of UFO conspiracists provides ample opportunity to compare the two and leave us wondering which one is sillier.

As a former speechwriter for Bush the Elder, Buckley, the editor of Forbes FYI, is very assured in lampooning the Washington DC aristocracy he is undoubtedly familiar with. He perfectly captures the egos behind the noble facades in the degrade-or-be-degraded Capitol high society. After his on-air flaying of the President, Banion is greeted by other power players at an elite dinner party.

But here was Tony Flemm, host of the second-rated Washington show, trying not to look jealous. "Jack. Nice show."

"Do you think? I don't know."

That's right, torture the poor bastard, make him explain, make him elaborate in front of everyone on just why he though it was such a good show. But wait, here came Burt Galilee, beaming, shaking his head in mock horror at Banion's ruffling of presidential eagle feathers. And here, just behind him, came the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and behind him, the French ambassador. A triumph.

Buckley is equally sardonic with the abductee population, yet, perhaps because they are painfully sincere despite their silliness, they are treated with a bit less vitriol.

Another of [hypnotherapist Bart Hupkin's] regressees shared her breakthrough of wrapping herself in cellophane, which, like panty hose, made it more difficult for the aliens to drive home their vile phallic probes. She noted that this also helped with weight loss. Another abductee announced that she was depressed because she missed her alien children. The father had, contrary to their joint custody arrangement, taken them off to the Pleiades with a "slut" from Aldebran. Hupkin said she should not take this personally. Aliens were notoriously problematic when it came to commitment.

Banion left the workshop unable to shake the feeling that there was something lacking in these people's lives...Banion had to keep reminding himself that the early Christians must have been an odd bunch, too.

As with any satire of length, the droll commentary can only take you so far; then you need characters that can carry the story. Though both are essentially passionless cynics at heart, Banion and Scrubbs flesh out fairly well. A central irony: Banion finds zeal for the abductee movement that he never experienced in the "serious" world of politics, and Scrubbs finally gets a taste undercover agent life as he flees the wrath of MJ-12. The plot runs a bit low on steam towards the end, but by that time we are, if not sympathetic for, at least interested enough in Banion and Scrubbs to want to know how it all ends.

Buckley takes an unbiased approach to satire. He is non-partisan regarding politics or social standing; he punctures the pretentious and skewers the self-important wherever he finds them. If you would rather be amused than disgusted with the inanity you read in the news or see on TV, Little Green Men is for you.

You can purchase Little Green Men from bn.com; (Note the remaindered price of $3.99 for the hardcover). Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

A reader writes: "With the series finale of The X-Files rapidly approaching, the official site has recently been updated with a brief description and a few images from the final episode. Normally, this would not be a notable occurance - except for the fact that one of the images, which are said to be from the final episode, is of The Lone Gunmen!"

A reader writes: "With the series finale of The X-Files rapidly approaching, the official site has recently been updated with a brief description and a few images from the final episode. Normally, this would not be a notable occurance - except for the fact that one of the images, which are said to be from the final episode, is of The Lone Gunmen!"

A reader writes: "With the series finale of The X-Files rapidly approaching, the official site has recently been updated with a brief description and a few images from the final episode. Normally, this would not be a notable occurance - except for the fact that one of the images, which are said to be from the final episode, is of The Lone Gunmen!"

A reader writes: "With the series finale of The X-Files rapidly approaching, the official site has recently been updated with a brief description and a few images from the final episode. Normally, this would not be a notable occurance - except for the fact that one of the images, which are said to be from the final episode, is of The Lone Gunmen!"

unemployed_schlep writes "According to the official press release, DD will reprise his Fox Mulder role for the two-hour series closer. He'll also direct and co-write (but not appear in) an episode to premiere in late April. The final five eps all deal with the mythology thread." I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping that the final round of episodes can wash the taste out of my mouth from this season. I know Carter & Co have it in them...