Walter Tevis’s The Man Who Fell to Earth is a haunting, introspective science-fiction masterpiece first published in 1963. The novel tells the story of Thomas Jerome Newton—an alien who arrives on Earth in search of water to save his dying home planet. Gifted with extraordinary intelligence, Newton becomes a powerful industrial figure, but soon becomes entangled in human corruption, loneliness, and self-destruction.
 
Tevis (also author of The Queen’s Gambit and The Hustler) blends speculative fiction with human tragedy, exploring themes of identity, alienation, addiction, and the dark undercurrents of American capitalism.
 
Originally published: 1963 (J.W. Sears & Co, Inc.). This 2005 Del Rey paperback edition revives the novel for modern readers with a stylish minimalist cover and updated typesetting, offering one of the cleanest and most accessible versions for collectors and fans of classic sci-fi.
 
The novel holds a special place in literary and pop culture history, notably serving as the basis for the 1976 film starring David Bowie.