Mr. Spaceman

By: Robert Olen Butler

Narrated by: Arte Johnson, Gabrielle de Cuir

With Mr. Spaceman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler has created a magical and humorous contemporary fable that captures the state of humanity at the cusp of a new millennium - as seen through the uniquely sensitive perspective of an empathetic extraterrestrial. The night before the turn of the millennium, a tour bus bound for a Louisiana casino is suddenly beamed inside a spaceship hovering high above Earth's surface. As its 12 passengers emerge nervously from the vehicle, they come face-to-face with the being who has brought them aboard, a 16-fingered, zoot-suited alien named Desi. Over the course of the next 24 hours, Desi will seek their help as he readies himself for the final phase of the mysterious mission he has traveled across the galaxies to fulfill.©2000 Robert Olen Butler (P)2000 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Butler] balances the playfulness of alien lore with the weight of religion, marrying the comic and the tragic with mastery." (Publishers Weekly)

Delightful, sweet, funny book, never sacchrine

My partner and I have both read this several times with great pleasure. Insightful, unpretentious, full of truth and humor. Recommend it particularly for Southerners and those who love both sci-fi and Southern literature.

Cute, but...

I actually liked the premise of this book, and found it to have a sweet quality. However, it's always disturbing to be surprised by crass vocabulary when the rest of the story doesn't contain any. This element was so out of sync with the other parts that it left me with bad taste. It's unfortunate too, because I actually liked the Spaceman character a lot and the ending was predictable but had a twist.

stunning

just an amazing book. funny at times, heartbreaking other. just brilliant. the narrator is great as well. I'll never forget Ms. Edna Bradshaw

Mr. Spaceman

Mr. Spaceman is a wonderful book - one of the best audiobooks thus far. Really unforgettable. Butler's premise for the book is clever and amusing. The narration of by the 12 earthlings gives a range of emotions and experiences. I loved them all.

A little of this goes a long way

Arte Johnson does a great job reading this book that has some interesting ideas but runs far too long. Descriptions of descriptions do little to add value to what should have been an excellent short story.