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Slipt
Something strange is happening down at the chemical dump ... Old Jake Pickett is a strange one. He can turn bullets to dust or collapse skyscrapers with his mind. But all he really wants to do with his 'magic' is entertain the poor kids who live, like him, near the chemical dump. Or talk telepathically with his crippled niece, Amanda. Then an international conglomerate decides that the only way to cover up their mess is to eliminate the people who have been affected -- for better or worse -- by the seeping industrial wastes. Now Jake and Amanda are running for their lives. And ours.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
43 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
482 books1,980 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 3, 2022
This is a neat little story by Foster. I have read some of his Alien tie-ins and the guy is prolific as all get on, but this is a fairly early novel, first published in 1985. Slipt tells the tale of an old great uncle, his niece, a greedy corporation, and toxic waste. This seemed to be a major motif of the era; witness books like The Bridge. In any case, the corporation (CCM) had been dumping all kinds of nasty toxic sludge in a valley outside of Riverside, CA. The book starts off with a hasty, midnight cleanup of said waste to avoid the county's investigation of such things. There are a few people that live above the valley, poor immigrants of just plain poor people. CCM manages to buy most of them off by giving them jobs and such so the county investigators will have no one to ask about the former dump. Yet, one guy, Jake, refuses a job (he is 71 with a bad heart) and the leader of the corporate cleanup crew is suspicious that he will blab to the county if they come asking.
The slimy corporate player Huddy who lead the cleanup efforts decides to pay Jake one last visit to buy him off to keep his mouth shut. He discovers, however, that Jake has some unusual talents, like taking off bottle caps with his mind, and even cleaning the dirt of the executives car! Basically, Jake has the ability to slipt things, and while he never thought much of it, and used it for tricks for the local kids, the corporate geek sees a world of possibilities! Oh, I should mention that Jake has some sort of telepathy with his niece Amanda and they talk every night.
While this might not be the most novel plot-- toxic waste produces strange effects on people-- it was a rather heartwarming take on it. Jake just wants to get along with everyone and he loves his niece. Yet, the corporate slime Huddy will seemingly stop at nothing to get Jake somewhere where he can be 'tested'. Foster has good, workman-like prose and the story moves along nicely. There were some editing mistakes and continuity issues that were annoying, but overall, a very fun read. 4 glowing stars!!
The slimy corporate player Huddy who lead the cleanup efforts decides to pay Jake one last visit to buy him off to keep his mouth shut. He discovers, however, that Jake has some unusual talents, like taking off bottle caps with his mind, and even cleaning the dirt of the executives car! Basically, Jake has the ability to slipt things, and while he never thought much of it, and used it for tricks for the local kids, the corporate geek sees a world of possibilities! Oh, I should mention that Jake has some sort of telepathy with his niece Amanda and they talk every night.
While this might not be the most novel plot-- toxic waste produces strange effects on people-- it was a rather heartwarming take on it. Jake just wants to get along with everyone and he loves his niece. Yet, the corporate slime Huddy will seemingly stop at nothing to get Jake somewhere where he can be 'tested'. Foster has good, workman-like prose and the story moves along nicely. There were some editing mistakes and continuity issues that were annoying, but overall, a very fun read. 4 glowing stars!!
March 8, 2023
An old paperback gem by Alan Dean Foster, "Slipt" was a little bit "The Shining" meets "The Toxic Avenger", minus the gratuitous gore. I wish I still had this paperback. I don't remember a lot of this book, but I remember enjoying it.
June 27, 2021
Slipt is a nice contemporary moral fable by Foster, and is unconnected to any of his series works. It's the story of a man who lives next to a toxic chemical dump and develops unusual powers as a result. (This kind of thing used to happen a whole lot in the last century... usually the victims turned into zombies...) He and his niece oppose the mega-corporation that wants to exploit them, and... well it's a kind of sad yet hopeful story. Nicely drawn characters, a fast-paced plot, and a nice message that's not too overdone.
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January 24, 2023Really good. Grandpa doesn’t understand his psychic powers. Made me cry at the end
November 27, 2007
This is the first book by Alan Dean Foster I've ever read, and I must say that the writing was great, it was the generic, predictable plot that I hated. This feels like a USA Original movie, or something you'd see on the sci-fi channel.
April 6, 2023
Had this paperback when I was a teenager, and suddenly had a weird urge to revisit it, which meant digging up an out-of-print copy. It's a Perfectly Okay thriller, more or less Alan Dean Foster's Firestarter, with an uncle/niece relationship instead of a father/daughter, and a scheming corporation instead of a scheming shadowy government entity. Still feels entirely relevant in terms of corporate malfeasance, coverups, and greed, but not as gripping as I would have liked, and the phrase "making things slipt" got old once it started to turn up five times per page.
May 17, 2020
Nice book. I love these old school sci-fy writings. Living next to a toxic chemical dump is Jake Pickett, the magic man. He can turn bullets to dust or collapse skyscrapers with his mind. But all he really wants to do with his "magic" is entertain the local kids. Then one day, the giant chemical company decides to eliminate the people who have been affected by their mess. Already sounds fun, right?
January 29, 2025
In a number of ways, this book felt like a Stephen King novel (and I mean that as a compliment as I really enjoy Stephen King). No, it was not a horror novel but it has the touch of supernatural that King often has in his stories and then has ordinary people reacting to extraordinary situations. This was a quick, enjoyable read. Yes, the ending is fairly predictable and that's why I did not give it 5 stars but it was a very good read.
April 2, 2025
Jake and the princess win.
What a neat story of a reluctant hero. Great writing with some true evil defeated by love. Deserved death and destruction rampant unleashed power that could not have Devine retribution in the conclusion. Careful selection for a bit more mature reader.
What a neat story of a reluctant hero. Great writing with some true evil defeated by love. Deserved death and destruction rampant unleashed power that could not have Devine retribution in the conclusion. Careful selection for a bit more mature reader.
June 19, 2025
It is a decent book
While this'll never be one of my favorites, nor reread it, its a solid and enjoyable book. If he'd done a sequel to more fully explore the possibilities in the DNA & main character we see in the end of the book, I might have enjoyed it more.
While this'll never be one of my favorites, nor reread it, its a solid and enjoyable book. If he'd done a sequel to more fully explore the possibilities in the DNA & main character we see in the end of the book, I might have enjoyed it more.
September 27, 2019
An old man with telekinetic powers is up against the company responsable for it. Fast paced easy read
September 4, 2023
Parts were pretty terrible, but liked the conceit, esp with the corporation as the baddies instead of the gov't.
November 11, 2023
Good little story, entertaining.
March 15, 2019
I first read Alen Dean Foster in 1978, splinter of the minds eye, But He writes so much more than Star wars books, this book is about an old man with a special Quirk, but he doesn't think its a big deal, He can also speak, telepathically with his crippled neice, another thing he does that he begs her to keep secret. this book plays like an action movie in my head as I read it, give it a try, yourself.
June 3, 2022
I only half-remembered this story by Foster, which involves a chemical dump, a secret mutation and a grasping corporation determined to control powers they don't understand at any cost.
A mish-mash of tropes, it features Jake, known to his neighbors as "El Magico" for his ability to open bottle caps without touching them, his niece Amanda who possesses her own secret talent, and Benjamin Huddy, an amoral grasping young executive who accidentally discovers Jake's ability and attempts to capitalize on it.
Much of the story is an escalating chase as Jake tries to elude Huddy and his minions after Amanda warns him about their bad intentions.
The story would in some ways actually make a better movie and I have to wonder if Foster's experience with writing novelizations of movies comes into play there. Unfortunately none of the characters really rises above the stereotypes they start as: the contankerous old man with a secret, the 80's yuppie executive, his computer expert yuppie executive girlfriend, and various minions.
The plot leans heavily on the idea that a chemical and mining company would be able to whistle up kidnapping teams all over California and Texas though there is at least a nod to reality in that they're mostly individuals trying to make a quick buck and aren't very good.
Ruth Somerset, Huddy's girlfriend and partner in crime is interesting in that she's both a grasping company executive, a woman aware of her looks and ready to trade on them to get what she wants, and also engaged in a relationship where she feels her partner isn't paying enough attention to her.
You spend a lot of time in the villains heads and the evil here is definitely of the banal type.
Those criticisms aside, the development of Jake's talent under the pressure of being on the run is interesting and the mounting stakes keep some tension going.
There is an attempted rape close to the end of the book which is intended to heighten the sense of danger and tension but wasn't necessary.
There are also a few scenes where Jake really lets loose with his dimly understood power and those are great. I can't help picturing them as movie set pieces, especially with modern effects.
All told, this isn't Foster's best work but it was a nice nostalgia read.
A mish-mash of tropes, it features Jake, known to his neighbors as "El Magico" for his ability to open bottle caps without touching them, his niece Amanda who possesses her own secret talent, and Benjamin Huddy, an amoral grasping young executive who accidentally discovers Jake's ability and attempts to capitalize on it.
Much of the story is an escalating chase as Jake tries to elude Huddy and his minions after Amanda warns him about their bad intentions.
The story would in some ways actually make a better movie and I have to wonder if Foster's experience with writing novelizations of movies comes into play there. Unfortunately none of the characters really rises above the stereotypes they start as: the contankerous old man with a secret, the 80's yuppie executive, his computer expert yuppie executive girlfriend, and various minions.
The plot leans heavily on the idea that a chemical and mining company would be able to whistle up kidnapping teams all over California and Texas though there is at least a nod to reality in that they're mostly individuals trying to make a quick buck and aren't very good.
Ruth Somerset, Huddy's girlfriend and partner in crime is interesting in that she's both a grasping company executive, a woman aware of her looks and ready to trade on them to get what she wants, and also engaged in a relationship where she feels her partner isn't paying enough attention to her.
You spend a lot of time in the villains heads and the evil here is definitely of the banal type.
Those criticisms aside, the development of Jake's talent under the pressure of being on the run is interesting and the mounting stakes keep some tension going.
There is an attempted rape close to the end of the book which is intended to heighten the sense of danger and tension but wasn't necessary.
There are also a few scenes where Jake really lets loose with his dimly understood power and those are great. I can't help picturing them as movie set pieces, especially with modern effects.
All told, this isn't Foster's best work but it was a nice nostalgia read.
April 16, 2020
I first read this book about 35 years ago when I was in high school and remember really enjoying it, so I thought I'd give it another go. I was less enthusiastic about it this time around, but still enjoyed the sci-fi plot about an old man with unique telekinetic abilities, who also has a telepathic connection to his teenage niece who lives thousands of miles away. While the man keeps his powers secret and only uses it for benign magic tricks to amuse local kids, an executive at a chemical corporation gets wind of it and, of course, wants to capitalize on the old man's skills for evil purposes. From a plot point of view this all works, but where the novel falls flat is in the very one-dimensional, cliched characters. Everyone in the book is either good or bad with no nuance. And the couple of "romantic" scenes between the greedy, ambitious corporate executive and his even more greedy, ambitious female corporate counterpart had me rolling my eyes. All that said, the novel does get more and more suspenseful as the bad guy hunts the good guy, so it was a bit of a page-turner. I'm sure I won't give it a third read, though.
February 5, 2014
Re-read an old fav that I was thinking about, so decided to re-visit....it's called Slipt by Alan Dean Foster, it's about an old man with a form of telekinesis as a result of having grown up next to a toxic waste dump (and his parents as well). One of the execs finds out he is "unusual" and starts a chain of events that force the poor old guy (70 years old and with a heart condition) to start running or face "medical tests". In the process of running, he starts using his powers in ways he never considered, all of which make him MORE enticing to the powers that be and thus causing them to take stronger measures to catch him, causing him to become more desperate to get away .....where will the circle end? Amazing story, and one I am surprised no one has picked up for a movie....then again there's a few books that I've read where I could literally see the movie in my head (and sometimes when they make the movie, they ruin it.....like Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist or Angus Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging......etc etc) anyway, it's a really old book, but if you can find it, read it (I'm not lending mine, too many titles disappear).....=)
November 29, 2010
Published in 1986, this novel by Alan Dean Foster reads like a knockoff inspired by Stephen King's 1981 novel Firestarter. Not to say that the novel itself is bad - it just falls sort of flat when you compare it to other novels in the same sort of psi-power sub-genre. The characters are very two-dimensional and some of their behavior and response to the situations they're forced into is just silly. Although it's a quick read, after about 100 pages I was just pushing through the book hoping to get to the end and forget about it.
August 12, 2012
A somewhat depressing story.
A man and his niece share a bond that brings them closer than father and daughter.
This bond also gives the man the ability to use telekinesis, yeah, it's weird but go with it.
The company that was responsible for accidentally bestowing these powers, pollution hurray, finds out about the old man's gifts and wants to harvest them and find out if they can duplicate the process.
I am not always a big fan of Alan Dean Foster's writing style. I can not put my finger on it but it doesn't always sit well with me. If you like his writing, then add another star.
A man and his niece share a bond that brings them closer than father and daughter.
This bond also gives the man the ability to use telekinesis, yeah, it's weird but go with it.
The company that was responsible for accidentally bestowing these powers, pollution hurray, finds out about the old man's gifts and wants to harvest them and find out if they can duplicate the process.
I am not always a big fan of Alan Dean Foster's writing style. I can not put my finger on it but it doesn't always sit well with me. If you like his writing, then add another star.
February 6, 2016
A somewhat depressing story.
A man and his niece share a bond that brings them closer than father and daughter.
This bond also gives the man the ability to use telekinesis, yeah, it's weird but go with it.
The company that was responsible for accidentally bestowing these powers, pollution hurray, finds out about the old man's gifts and wants to harvest them and find out if they can duplicate the process.
I am not always a big fan of Alan Dean Foster's writing style. I can not put my finger on it but it doesn't always sit well with me. If you like his writing, then add another star.
June 1, 2010
Another morality tale from ADF. Not as satisfying as whole story as some of his best. However, far superior to many of his movie books written after the fact or as 'feature length' treatments.
What happens when the crackdown and cleanup finally gets done. Topical for the eve of June 2010 with the Gulf of Mexico filling up with crude oil.
What happens when the crackdown and cleanup finally gets done. Topical for the eve of June 2010 with the Gulf of Mexico filling up with crude oil.
November 4, 2010
I thought this was a pretty good book. Very similar to many of Foster's other books. The story was very engaging and kept me interested throughout the book. It was a little graphic in it's descriptions of some of the violence at the end of the book, but nothing too bad. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a nice quick read.
September 20, 2016
This was a fun, quick read about an interesting paranormal power - the ability to 'slipt' things. It reminded me of a beach-read version of Firestarter.
April 28, 2011
An interesting idea, but the ending leaves a bit to be desired. I can't help but wonder what the fallout will be from the way the book ended. It was kind of messy and there were several large loose ends.
June 7, 2007
Surprisingly good book by Foster about psychic powers, and the negative reactions of those who don't like differences. Short and sweet, and definitely worth a look.
July 24, 2007
One of Alan Dean Foster's most successful efforts. As far as I know, this is an original story, and yet it doesn't seem silly like a lot of his original stories do.
February 12, 2009
Excellent Story. Sonewhat disturbing with the violence...
May 19, 2009
Not a full review, just a thought.
The power that Jake possessed was a most original one. I only wish we could have "seen" more of it.
The power that Jake possessed was a most original one. I only wish we could have "seen" more of it.
March 11, 2012
I think I would've liked this a lot more when I was younger and noticed plot holes a lot less...
January 20, 2012
Find this to be a great novel for middle school children. ADF has such a creative way of capturing your attention and it is quite and easy read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews