Way of the Pilgrim

by Gordon R. Dickson

Shane, a gifted linguist, has spent his life learning the language of the old and powerful alien race that has conquered Earth. He has learned it so well that the interstellar masters, old hands at enslaving planets, regard him as a valuable servant.

But Shane has a secret. One day, in a rebellious moment, he invented The Pilgrim: a mysterious figure who incites rebellion and vanishes unseen, leaving a distinctive icon behind him.

Now the human underground is preparing to rebel. Shane knows how hopeless their rebellion will be. He knows, as well, that he will be unable to keep himself from taking part.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Aliens, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections, Space Opera

439 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one because it's by Gordon R. Dickson, who, in my opinion, was an underrated science fiction author, born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1923, died in Minnesota in 2001. I've read a lot of his stuff, especially the Childe Cycle that he is perhaps best known for. This one was published way back in the Reagan era, in 1987, and I've had the book for years in a stack of SF books to be read. Finally got to it, as a Russian invasion and occupation of one of its neighboring countries, Ukraine, is (and most tragically) ongoing...The story is about an advanced-- and militaristic-- humanoid alien species--the Aalaug-- conquering the Earth and about their occupation of the planet. Our hero is Shane, a linguist who has become fluent in the Aalaug language and is a collaborator working for the aliens at their main headquarters, which happens to be Minneapolis (good choice thinks I). But, almost by accident, he ignites a resistance movement against the conquerors, becoming the mysterious figure of "the Pilgrim"-wearing a robe and carrying a staff.
I've always liked these alien invasion stories, starting with H.G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds," as humans try to defeat aliens with superior technology ( think of Native Americans or Australian aborigines fighting European colonizers). In this story, Shane has to figure out the weakness, the Achilles heel, you might say, of the Aalaugs. We can figure that he can do it, but what is it? The story is a rather slow moving one--over 400 pages-- driven by dialogue and, surprisingly, there's really very little action. But I have no problem giving "Way of the Pilgrim" 4 stars, as I felt immersed in the 1980s world (pre-Internet-and- smartphone) under the heel of the aliens. And, there's an interesting twist at the end. Sorry, as that's a spoiler--but I will not say what it is.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me thinking for quite a while after finishing it. On the surface, it's a story about a powerful alien species that is similar enough to mankind to want our world and its resources, but different enough that the mind set for even basic communications is barely there.
To these aliens, the Aalaag, humans are useful cattle. We had our chance to prove our worth in a fair fight, when they invaded. Since we lost, we're sub-Aalaag, and have no rights.
Because this was a Dickson book, it's about more than that, as the reader gradually sees the parallels within human history. The basic principles of colonialism and chattel slavery are little different from the ways the Aalaag deal with humanity, and even the ending is a remarkable little story about that, and about perceptions.
It could have been trimmed down, but I think that a shorter book would have been less engrossing and less convincing in its portrayal of both humans and Aalaag.

[Drew Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has, admittedly, been some time since I read this book. However, I remember it as Gordon R. Dickson's masterwork. For me, it was what moved him from the 'Author who writes enjoyable fiction like The Dragon and the George' shelf to the 'Author capable of deeply moving works' shelf. The Way of the Pilgrim is a deeply thoughtful book about the human penchant for rebellion and yearning for freedom. Dickson's classic uber man stars as the main character again: A highly educated analytical hero man who has the insight of Sherlock Holmes, the ingenuity of MacGyver, and the boldness of Robin Hood. I've always thought this character is quite fun, but you may be familiar with him already if you've read other Dickson books. However, leaving aside a well used main character, the book is very original.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alien super-race, Norse-god-like, has taken over the earth. They see humans as cattle, beasts to be used - along with the resources of our beast-world - in their ultimate goal of retaking their "home world" - stolen from them by an even more powerful alien race. They are cast out, roving homeless space pirates. Our hero, Shane, is a gifted linguist, one of the few (only?) people who can truly speak the alien tongue, and as such achieves an understanding and insight about the aliens and their relationship with humans.

I started with this book expecting (and mostly getting) a kind of an "asshole uber-man" novel, classic from the 50s-60s, where the hero knows more than anyone else and does as he sees best to save the day, kicking ass and taking names while he does so. Everyone just falls in behind him because... well... just because he's the hero, right? But in this book, our hero does quite a bit of introspection and we come to understand the price he pays to set himself apart. He's become much more like the aliens. In doing so, he gains some insight in how to get rid of them, but also disconnects from his fellow humans.. and is that trade off worth it?

There's very little "action" in this book. There's a lot of jetting about and some minor vandalism (Shane draws a symbol of resistance in various areas around the world). This thumbs a nose to the alien occupation and is stated to be deserving of an instant death sentence. There is some tension as he needs to lead a bit of a double life (simultaneously serving the aliens and the resistance), but honestly not much happens until the final face off. It's a long way to go for that confrontation. I didn't buy the "pilgrim" as embodiment of the human spirit, with mystical implications that causes all humans to rise up and reject alien occupation at precisely the same moment. But there is a nice bit at the end, wherein Shane learns maybe he didn't understand the alien mind as well as he thought he did.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire premise of this book is predicated upon showing alien conquerors as actually being . . . well . . . alien. The author makes an admirable stab at establishing this premise, albeit in a laborious and repetitive way. Most books of this ilk, show either the always unfathomable superior ingenuity of mankind or that of pure happenstance as always triumphant over the alien oppressors, despite technological shortcomings. Many books like this seem to invariably cast the aliens in terms of human motivation and actions while dressed up in outlandish outer skins, usually of humanoid design. However written more than 35 years ago the author, while the context of the real world may have been different at that time, shows a deep-rooted naivete of the human disposition toward the world and perhaps more importantly toward other humans. The characterization of the aliens as alien isn't half bad but the vehicle by which they are defeated falls flat.

[A.J. McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best written science fiction novels I have ever read. The Earth has been conquered by an extraterrestrial race who have such an advanced technology and who are so ruthless that it is impossible to see how they can be overthrown. A human servant of theirs, who understands their way of life because he is one of the gifted few who can speak their language and thus interpret for them, sets out to play a role in the human rebellion against their overlordship. This is a highly intelligent novel, full of interesting observations and superb characterisations. Very much worth reading.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, well-crafted read. I enjoyed Shane's reluctance to be the hero. This is surprisingly timely, as the U.S. prepares to possibly elect a socialist government. We need to be reminded that tyranny, even the soft tyranny of liberalism, is still oppression. From the book: "When you Aalaag came to this world, you limited or ended many things that humans thought of as evils and that humans themselves had not been able to control. You brought peace and shelter and food and medical care for all you did not consider unwell among this native race. You brought cleanliness and order, and many other worthwhile things - but you brought them all with a mailed fist, an armored fist that arbitrarily destroyed what it chose not to cure - and you did what you did for your own comfort and reasons..." Does this sound familiar in this election year? I'll take care of this, and this, and this, but there is a cost - a loss of liberty.

[Shoshánnah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has changed me. There are no words in English, Aalaag or any other human language that can describe the way it influenced me, but it's real, visceral even. I'm really bitter about the last page though. I can't assure anyone that this book will have the same effect on them as it had on me, but if there's a small chance of that, it would be quite foolish not to try - the emotions are not entirely pleasant, but they're Good and worth it all.

[Logan Kratzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a slow start, and it never turned into an action book. The end is what is really interesting. The first half is kinda boring to be honest, but it turns out to be pretty good. before the last 3 pages I thought the author was a moron who did not understand man kind, but then in the last pages I found that he did understand, it was that I did not understand Aalaag

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars I think, rounding down.

"Way of the Pilgrim" is an alien invasion story. The aliens already invaded and conquered earth when the story begins. The crux of this story is following our hero as he tries to find a way to entice the aliens to leave.

If you're a fan of novels that dive into the way a conquering alien civilization might think and behave, this book has it.

The book is flawed in my opinion, and some of it rings hollow. I'm not sure there are 430 pages of story here, even though a story like this needs some space to breathe. But we don't really get that; the entire story takes place in about six months worth of universe time (the Aalaag have controlled earth for about three years total). So the idea that the Aalaag can be peacefully turned away, some might say tricked into leaving, doesn't seem fleshed out. Maybe the book was too far along to perform any major revisions, like having it take place over a few years rather than a few months.

Lead character Shane has the same argument with the Peter character at least ten times during the course of the book. There are a number of resistance movements around the planet that Peter seems to be in contact with, and Shane tends to reject anything they might say. There is an internal consistency to all this, but ultimately the book lacks any conflicts between the human characters. I can't think of any significant conflicts between humans in the whole book. Would that happen? Seemed odd to me.

This was a re-read for me, I remember liking it back in the mid 90s but I was lukewarm on it this time around. I also labelled this review as a spoiler because there just aren't enough plot points to go around. Seems to me that any discussion of plot becomes a spoiler, which shouldn't happen with such a lengthy book.

Recommended if you don't mind a lot of conversations, mild philosophizing, and little action.

[Camille Siddartha · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this book, 10, I thought of the future and what it would mean if I was a hostage and we were taken over by a race and made servants of that race. It turns out it was that way after all and how many billions of natives around the world died for one races greed. I was saddened then. I hope and pray that this is a dream that I am in and the world is once again safe.

[Greymalkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most innovative or original of this type of book, except for the end, which has a very sassy twist that kind of thumbs it's nose at the reader and the expectations set up throughout the book. I kinda really loved the book for that.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. The twist at the end made the whole thing superb.

See more...

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good novel can shatter your understanding. This one will leave you broken with a remade understanding of the world around you.

[Joshua Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way of the Pilgrim is one of the few really good alien invasion stories I have read. It takes place years after the invasion is over. We were against an alien force VERY far beyond us, we were not able to put up any real fight (Think Aztecs verses the US marines of today).

There are two things that really make it stand out, the first the aliens are not just a little ahead of us. They are so far ahead of us that it could very well be possible for one of them with their weapons and gear to defeat the entire military might of the Earth by themselves with little effort.
This is a much more likely scenario then aliens attacking who are far enough ahead to come here, but not so far as to be unable to easily beat us. Think about what a modern air craft carrier could have done during world war two, and that was less then a century ago.

The other thing is that it builds up what would happen to us socially and psychologically during that situation. This is one of the reasons the book is as long as it is, and I feel the page space was well spent. The fact that we do not get a victory through military might or technology makes the ending that much better.

www.JoshuaLawrencePike.com

[Gilles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lu en anglais

Le terre a été envahie, trois ans plus tôt, par une race d’humanoïdes géants (les Aalaags) d'environ 2,75 mètres. En plus, les Aalaags possèdent une technologie imparable. Pour eux, les humains ne sont que du bétail et leur valeur ne vient que de leur utilité. C'est justement le cas de Shane, un humain prodige des langues, qui sert de traducteur pour le chef des envahisseurs. Tout acte d'agression contre le envahisseurs, sans effet de toute façon, est puni par une mort cruelle. Et Shane, après voir assisté à une de ces exécutions, et un peu éméché, pose un acte de révolte sur impulsion. Mais il ne soupçonnait pas l'impact de ce geste sur l'ensemble des humains. Et...

Une situation dont les humains n'ont aucune chance de s'en sortir. La technologie des envahisseurs est beaucoup trop avancée. L'intérêt est que l'auteur l'aborde de façon psychologique en essayant de développer les points forts de l'humanité et les points faibles de la mentalité des envahisseurs.

Le roman est lent, mais tout de même intéressant.

J'ai aimé les nouveaux concepts même si le roman s'étire un peu en longueur.

[Karen A. Wyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absorbing, suspenseful, sometimes moving, and highly original tale of an Earth and humanity conquered by aliens, the genesis of a resistance, and what comes of it.

It is hard to say how much the POV character changes, and how much his original self-assessment was inaccurate; but his perceptions and his actions grow in directions and in magnitude far beyond what he would have believed at the beginning.

The ending is an interesting blend of conclusive and inconclusive. I found the last sentence unsatisfying in its vague not-quite-profundity, but on the whole, I enjoyed the book and was impressed by it.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read and own a lot of Gordon Dickson. I own this book. I remember not being particularly impressed with it but not much more. That and there was some other previous form of this story, apparently a somewhat earlier short story.

This story was fine, if a bit slow. Our pov character was not all that likable. There really wasn't much supporting cast as such. In some ways this kind of reminded me of McCaffrey's Freedom series, except we don't leave Earth.

There was a solid attempt to make the aliens alien. And their technology un-understandable. But we really weren't shown or told enough to believe or care. 2.5 of 5.

[James]

Shane, a gifted linguist, has spent his life learning the language of the old and powerful alien race that has conquered Earth. He has learned it so well that the interstellar masters, old hands at enslaving planets, regard him as a valuable servant.But Shane has a secret. One day, in a rebellious moment, he invented The Pilgrim: a mysterious figure who incites rebellion and vanishes unseen, leaving a distinctive icon behind him.Now the human underground is preparing to rebel. Shane knows how hopeless their rebellion will be. He knows, as well, that he will be unable to keep himself from taking part.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! This came out in 1987. I bought it then, but just got around to reading this now(life intervened in my reading schedule). The beauty of this piece of science fiction is that it transcends time. A lot of my reading these days takes me into stale science, science fiction that has now been surpassed by science fact. Not here! This story could happen today, or 10,000 years from now. There would be no change. I heartily enjoy a read like this. I think you will, too, if you haven't had the chance to read it already.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a little slower than expected, but very intellectually rewarding. I expected more of a warfare book, more Independence day-ish, but this ended up being much more philosophical, more about the human spirit and its unconquerable-ness than expected. Despite being a slow burn I found it quite enjoyable. It wasn't so compelling that I couldn't put it down, but I did always want to finish it.

[Engie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was different than anything I have read before. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the concepts.

[Russell Murphy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this one at all. An unlikeable main character whose arc was more stalkerish than heroic.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best science fiction book i have read to date

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read the short story Enter A Pilgrim in Analog magazine in 1974. It was one of the best things I had ever read. When I saw that it had been expanded into a full novel, I was excited. As I read this book, I found, however, that it fell flat.

I think that the greatness of the original short story was, to a large extent, embodied in the open ended nature of it. Shane, a timid linguist, firmly under the thumb of the Aalaag, finds enough courage to start a rumor of "The Pilgrim". One's imagination was left to create the fruition of this nascent rebellion, its failure or triumph was up to the reader. When fleshed out to a novel, it became flat and lifeless, the difference between a glimpse of a butterfly flitting by, and of that same butterfly pinned to a display board.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The flaw of the story remains apparent on a reread nearly thirty years after the first time I read it. Shane's distancing of himself from the human race makes it hard to relate to him as the protagonist and as a person. His distance from the rest of humanity as an Aalaag courier-translator gives us little perspective on how the rest of the world is living under the aliens' forced 'equality'. And there are elements of the translation and language differences that are never touched on--specifically (to my mind) how years of Shane and the other translators referring to themselves and other humans as 'beasts' may have sapped their morale and spirit.

[Catana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dickson is a great story teller, but a poor writer. Sometimes I can overlook the problems. But sometimes they can't be ignored because they pull me out of the story. In this case, they're impossible to ignore. Too many problems here that I'd expect from a novice, not a well-thought-of established writer.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Earth enslaved by an invading alien race and one man's pivotal role in leading the resistance movement in an attempt to free all of humanity . Decent story and believable characters, but way overwritten. This would have worked better as a novella or even a short story.

[Tim Weakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Anyone who enjoyed V for Vendetta would like this one as well. You get a real sense of fear, and jeopardy in the story. It's another resistance movement, another underground. Very tight storytelling.