Review of Hard Landing by Algis Budrys

Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel Planet of the Apes is a classic of science fiction. Hollywood has since wiped a bit of the luster off the book by rendering Boulle’s universe in less rigorous terms, but that should not detract from the commentary inherent to the book. I will not spoil it, save to say there is a strong reciprocity to the relationship between the humans who come from Earth and the apes they find on the planet Soror. Shifting from atavism to the Cold War, Algis Budrys uses his own sense of reciprocity in telling of humanity’s relationship with a certain race of methane-breathing aliens in Hard Landing (1993).

Hard Landing kicks off in classic hardboiled detective style. Apparently falling from above onto railroad tracks, a body is discovered, dead. But during the autopsy, things quickly depart from classic. The doctor on duty discovering highly unusual aspects of the corpse, he quickly sweeps the info under the rug for the media, in turn reporting the situation to American intelligence. The broader situation slowly peeled back, it seems a secret war has been happening on Earth and elsewhere in the galaxy for some time, and important albeit subtle changes are afoot.

The plot description above minimally motivates the novel. Most of Hard Landing is based in a handful of characters, alien and human. The alien’s arrival to Earth is a little rough, but they fit into Earth society appearance-wise. Blending in, they are forced to confront the difference between their expectations and reality, not to mention simply survive. And it’s through these interactions with humans (and vice versa) that the reader has a chance at understanding the substance of the novel.

Beyond “extended vignette”, Hard Landing leaves itself open to interpretation. There are a number of things pointing toward commentary on post-Cold War life, however. Published in 1993, just a couple years after the Berlin Wall fell, and with it the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, the timing is relevant. The title could thus refer to the proverbial fall of the Berlin Wall and the arrival back on solid ground for certain populations once all of the posturing, brinksmanship, threats, and implications of the Cold War were over. And there is the novel’s setup: two races infiltrating agents into each other’s territory to keep tabs on progress, activity, and to essentially double-check that what they see in the public eye relates to what is going on in the government behind the scenes. USA vs Soviets, no? I would be remiss not to also add Budrys’ Lithuanian heritage. His other stories and novels dealing with the Cold War (see Who?), and the impact the end of the Cold War undoubtedly had on impact on him and his homeland.

In the end, Hard Landing is a straight-forward science fiction scene made interesting by Budrys’ commentary (open to interpretation) and approach to narrative. Further spicing things up, the reader will find multiple forms of writing (exposition, interview, diary entry, report content, etc.). The novel has largely been swept under the rug of history (if it was ever on the floor somewhere), and the reason is semi-clear. This isn’t Hollywood-esque storytelling, and Budrys’ diction is not fireworks. But for readers interested in science fiction (potentially) addressing the Cold War or texts commenting on some of the innate aspects of humanity (a la Boulle’s Planet of the Apes), this may be worth it.