Product Description

His name is Prot. Nobody knows where he's from. And everyone wants to go there.Psychiatrist Gene Brewer doesn't have a diagnosis for the mysterious new patient who calls himself "prot" (rhymes with goat).But this strange and likeable man cannot be-as he claims-from the planet K-PAX.Or can he?Prot knows facts about space that are confounding the experts.He is soon revealing Dr. Brewer's own deepest pains and most sublime longings.And his tales of K-PAX have other patients competing to go along with him when he heads "home."Now the doctor is racing the clock to find prot's true identity before he loses a man whose "madness" might just save them all...Published in a dozen countries with movie rights sold to the producer of Field of Dreams, K-PAX has touched the hearts and expanded the horizons of readers around the world.It promises to join Robert Heinlein's classic Stranger in a Strange Land as a moving, thought-provoking masterpiece of modern-day fiction.AUTHORBIO: Gene Brewer was born and raised in Muncie, Indiana, and educated at DePauw University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.Before becoming a novelist, he studied DNA replication and cell division at several major research institutions.Dr. Brewer lives in New York City with his wife and Dalmatian.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #268061 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This gripping first novel is a moving study of split-personality disorder and of a psychiatrist's desperate efforts to rescue a tragically lost soul. A patient calling himself "prot" and claiming to be a visitor from the planet K-PAX, an idyllic world without wars, government, sex or religion, is brought to the Manhattan psychiatric institute run by a character named... Gene Brewer (who is a psychiatrist, not a retired molecular biologist like his creator). Self-assured, wisecracking prot, who seems to possess arcane knowledge of subjects ranging from astronomy to paleontology, announces that he will return to K-PAX on August 17, just two months away. Before then, though, he enlists fellow patients in his fantasy; some of them, touched by his humanity, show marked improvement. Moreover, when Brewer invites prot home for a July Fourth barbecue, the man's mere presence seems to trigger dramatic changes in the psychiatrist's family. Brewer's daughter confesses that she's a lesbian, while his son, a pilot, divulges his deep-seated fear of flying, and switches careers. Aided by Giselle, a sleuthing reporter whose mawkish crush on prot strikes one of the few false notes here, Brewer finally brings out the repressed personality of a man scarred by trauma. Throughout, the narration's matter-of-fact, clinical tone makes this touching and suspenseful story all the more convincing. Film rights to Lawrence Gordon for Universal Pictures; audio rights to Brilliance.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Presented as the case study of a man brought to a psychiatric hospital for treatment who insists that he is from a planet called K-Pax, this novel is narrated by the attending psychiatrist. Using hypnosis and other therapeutic techniques, Dr. Brewer finally decides that "prot," as the man calls himself, is really the alter ego of Robert, a man whose wife and child were murdered. But if he is Robert, how does he know so much about astronomy, how is he able to cure other mental patients, and how can he vanish from the hospital periodically? The reader is left to decide whether or not to believe prot's story, since the ending is deliberately ambiguous. While this first novel does not stand out in terms of plot, writing, or character development, it is a pleasant read with moments of genuine humor. A good secondary purchase.?Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The narrator of this novel, a psychiatrist named Gene Brewer, has quite a story to tell, one whose implications the reader is well aware Brewer the character, not the author, has not completely accepted at book's end. Character Brewer undertakes the treatment of prot (rhymes with boat), a white male in his early thirties who claims to be from a planet whose inhabitants, the K-PAX, use neither nominal capitals nor formal address, find sex painful--indeed, and for valid reasons, revolting--and like crime even less. Ostensibly more than 300 years old, prot likes fruit, travels in space at speeds faster than light, and has a good sense of humor. Brewer, naturally, does not accept prot's extraterrestrial origin and finally diagnoses his patient as having multiple personality disorder. Nevertheless, prot helps improve the mental health of many of his fellow patients and shocks an astronomer with his intergalactic knowledge. This fascinating novel will be fascinatingly packaged in an au courant 3-D cover. William Beatty

Customer Reviews

Alien or psycho? That's missing the point!
PROS: Descriptive, brisk writing style. Interesting story.
CONS: Somewhat predictable, mis-marketed as sf.
BOTTOM LINE: An enjoyable book I would gladly recommend

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A psychiatrist gets a new patient who claims to be a visitor from the planet K-PAX.

Alien visitor or mental patient? The truth is not revealed until the very end, so the book is mainly about the relationship between doctor and patient on present-day Earth. So, it's a stretch to call this science fiction just because a psychiatric patient claims to be from another planet. Although the patient/visitor named "prot" (rhymes with goat - no capitals, please!) can describe the planet with vivid detail, it's mainly a general fiction book.

Classification aside, it's a quick and fun read! The book cover contains a quote calling it a "mixture of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Starman." However, it's more of a mixture between Cuckoo and Field of Dreams. The story is mostly set in a psychiatric ward like Cuckoo and contains the "emotional healing" aspects of Field of Dreams. Alien or psycho? That's missing the point!

The story moves briskly...always a good thing. This book could have easily been padded with another 100-200 pages, but thankfully, it's just the right length (228 pp) for the story it contains. The writing style is clear, detailed and always interesting. With the clarity of writing, it's obvious that much of the psychiatrist's family life is based on Brewer's own experience; sure enough, Brewer's website reveals some personal details that mirror those of his characters.

I do fear that the current sequel and forthcoming 3rd book might be stretching a good premise too far, but, overall, K-PAX is a really good novel.

Captivating character study and social commentary
I picked this book up and read it in one day, at two sittings. It's an intriguing novel done as a psychiatric case study of the main character, "prot", a homeless man who believes himself to be from the planet K-PAX. The story is a voyage of discovery into prot's character and a social commentary on the ills of our time. Although there are touches of sadness, the overall quality of the book is optimism. I didn't find it as compelling as the other reviewers, although it was certainly enjoyable and well done. I don't see this as a must-read for sci-fi fans at all--it isn't by any means a science fiction novel. Rather, for those of you interested in the human condition and in people; for those of you willing to take a touch of magical realism with your reality, this will be a good read.

Wanna take a ride?
I was first introduced to K-PAX when I saw the movie as few years ago. Right away I was hooked by the movie. The book brings you into a world that is not here or there. Is he (Prot/ Robert Porter) an Alien or just another mentally ill earthling who has a acute knowledge of science? This book was truly fascinating. I can't tell if this is a Science Fiction novel of a medical thriller.

All I know is that I could not put his book down, and I would have to give it my strongest recommendation.