Friend

by Diana Henstell

Book Overview

Paul Conway -- born to brilliance, with a mind that flashes and sparks scientific fireworks. A young genius desperately isolated in a world of theories and formulae few can understand. Until he meets... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553253158
• ISBN13: 9780553253153
• Release Date: October 1985
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 323 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

an awesome book

the book was as awesome as the movie.a great read

Book vs Movie

This was made into the Wes Craven movie Deadly Friend, starring...oh, whatshername, the original Buffy, the "no problem whatsoever" in Bueller...Kristy Swanson, yes, that's it. The movie was pretty cool in its time but the book has a completely different vibe. While the movie is basically horror, the book delves deeper; it's more science fiction mixed with a tragic love story, with an ending not in the movie, with the (anti)hero plunging into a river due to his obsession. (Been a while since I've read this.) And, there's no death by basketball in the story's original incarnation.

Horrifying tale

The main character, Paul, in this book is a mathematical genius who is made fun of by the kids at school. He builds a robot that he uses as his only friend. Finally when his family moves he meets a friend named Sam. They become very close. Then one night Sam's father goes into a drunken rage destroying Paul's robot and killing his own daughter Sam. Paul is completely devastated by the loss of his friend and ends up implanting the brain of his computer friend into his friend Sam's skull and brings her back to life. But the person she comes backas is a monster bent on destruction and revenge, a creature Paul can't control. Truly horrifying tale.

The Best Book From 1986 Ever!

I have never read this book before, but I saw the movie at midnight while flipping through channels looking for good movies. When I started watching the movie from the beginning, I thought it was a fun movie that friends go out and play, but when the movie started getting worse, I got confused. First, I had no idea why they called it The Deadly Friend, but when I finished watching the movie, I understood why. Although part of the movie is super disgusting, but I love it a lot, because it's very touching, sad, romantic, and else. The most melancholy part is the ending, when Sam started remembering her life as the real Samantha and the friendship with Paul, the police shot her when she was running up to him. While she was surrounded by police everywhere, you see her vision started getting more vivid and real, but it's so sad that the police didn't know who she really is and why she killed her father and the old woman who shot Bee Bee. Just hearing her whispering Paul's name the first time in a long time, you feel like if you want something good to happen, just like if she could survive and become the real Samantha. Therefore, I recommand you to read this book or watch the movie. If you ever like these kind of stories, then you should see the movie Artificial Intelligence made in 2001, too.

A science-fiction, horror, and love story, taken to the edge

This book is about a lonely boy named Paul Conway who moves to the small town of Welling with his mother due to a divorce and a horrible accident. He is a scientific genius who built his own robot named "Bee Bee". He falls in love with his next door neighbor named Samantha Pringle. Her father is a raging alcoholic who shatters Paul's life by destroying Bee Bee and killing Sam. Paul takes the robot computer and implants it into her brain bringing her back to life, well sort of. She turns into a revengful monster totaly unlike Sam who murders her father and several others. It seems as if no one, not even he, can destroy this monster which he has created. In short, good book. Pick it up!