The Almost-Men

In Short

This science fiction story follows a young man named Lanny and his brother, Gill, who live under the rule of the "Almost-men"—an alien race that occupies Earth with superior technology. While their elders dwell in defeat and despair, Lanny and his peers have been raised by teachers to view the world through a radical new lens. The book explores a pivotal shift: humanity’s transition from a machine-dependent society to a species that masters the fundamental energy of the universe through disciplined thought. It is a contemplative, philosophical work about the nature of learning and the liberation of the mind.

The Story

In the shadow of an alien occupation, Lanny and his brother Gill live in a restricted settlement near the ruins of Santa Barbara. Their foster father, Juan Pendillo—a former philosophy professor—has raised them as "hunters" who rely on physical skill and mental focus rather than the forbidden metal tools of the past. When an attempt to secure hidden rifles leads to a violent confrontation, the trio is forced to flee toward the San Francisco treaty area.

During their journey, the brothers display strange, nascent abilities: they can manipulate the energy of machines and heal their own flesh through sheer concentration. They are joined by Tak Laleen, an alien missionary from the ruling power, who is captured during their trek. As the trio makes their way north, they encounter remnants of human civilization, including a functional automobile that Gill instinctively "drives" with his mind, despite it having no fuel.

Upon reaching San Francisco, they find a massive, automated skyport where alien invaders harvest Earth's resources. A resistance council, divided between caution and open war, debates how to reclaim the world. Pendillo and the teacher Endhart orchestrate a daring plan: they manipulate Tak Laleen to provoke a conflict, forcing the aliens into a panic. This conflict is designed to dismantle the humans' reliance on machines, for if they were to win using alien weaponry, they would simply revert to their old, flawed ways.

The climax occurs when the resistance strikes the skyport, disabling the force-field domes and throwing the alien infrastructure into chaos. Lanny, now recognizing his own capacity to reshape reality, confronts the alien governor. He realizes that the struggle is not merely about physical victory, but about reorienting the human (and alien) mind. Ultimately, Lanny, Gill, and Tak Laleen, who has undergone her own intellectual awakening, decide to use the conquered skyport as a laboratory. They aim to teach both humans and the invading race that the "Almost-men" were never truly civilized, as they lacked the self-mastery that Lanny’s generation has attained. The story concludes with the recognition that learning is an internal act of will, and the responsibility for the future lies in the hands of those who have broken free from their self-imposed mental prisons.

How It Unfolds

The flight begins Fleeing their compound after a violent clash, Lanny, Gill, and their father, Juan, must cross hundreds of miles of occupied territory. They travel with the instincts of hunters, relying on their unique, heightened perception of the world rather than the tools of a lost age.

The discovery of power While moving through the ruins of Santa Maria, the brothers test their abilities on a dormant car, realizing their minds can interact directly with machinery. This realization shatters their understanding of the invader’s technological dominance and forces them to confront their own latent potential.

The infiltration of the skyport The trio reaches the San Francisco stronghold, where they join a desperate resistance council. They navigate the glitter and stench of the alien city, planning a strike that will force humanity to choose between reliance on machines and a new, independent path.

The collapse of the old order As the resistance disables the city’s defenses, the alien society descends into frantic, machine-driven madness. Lanny moves through the chaos, witnessing the helplessness of those who have surrendered their agency to their technology.

The new way of thinking Lanny, Gill, and the converted missionary Tak Laleen secure the city and prepare to teach others. They accept that the risk of failure is constant, but they recognize that true freedom only exists when one masters the reality of their own mind.

The People

Lanny is the primary protagonist, a young man whose strength is matched by a growing, often painful, self-awareness. He struggles with the guilt of his past actions but eventually realizes that he represents a "new breed" of humanity capable of reality-shaping mental focus.

Gill, Lanny’s brother, is the more aggressive of the two, often aligning with the "war party" in the resistance. He is physically imposing and shares Lanny’s mental abilities, but his journey is defined by his transition from wanting to seize the enemy’s weapons to understanding that the weapons are irrelevant.

Juan Pendillo acts as the father figure and guiding intellectual force. A former professor, he views the invasion as a necessary crucible for human evolution. He dies having succeeded in his goal: teaching his "sons" that the only true path to liberation is internal.

Tak Laleen serves as a vital bridge between the two species. Initially a rigid, machine-dependent alien, her exposure to the humans—and specifically to Pendillo—forces her to break her own cognitive chains. By the end, she is a partner in the brothers' effort to reform both cultures.

In Its Own Voice

"All learning must begin with a need."

This observation, delivered early in the narrative, sets the tone for the philosophical shift the characters must undergo to reclaim their world.

"The individual who lives in a closed world of absolutes--shut in by prison walls of his own mind--is already insane."

Lanny reflects on the nature of freedom and the paralyzing effects of clinging to old, rigid patterns of thought.

What It's Really About

The book argues that humanity’s greatest prison is not the physical occupation of Earth, but the intellectual dependence on machines. The "Almost-men" are so named because they have outsourced their will and problem-solving to technology, a condition the survivors of the invasion were also trapped in before their collapse. The central theme is the development of a "rational mind" that treats the universe as a malleable structure of energy rather than a collection of static objects. The book posits that technology is a crutch that prevents, rather than enables, true civilization. It questions whether humanity can survive its own reliance on "technological bric-a-brac" and asserts that the only true path to mastery is through the disciplined expansion of consciousness.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy mid-century speculative fiction that prioritizes ideas over hardware will find this work compelling. It captures the specific, slightly intellectualized atmosphere of 1950s science fiction, where dialogue often serves to distill complex arguments about societal evolution. The writing is direct and atmospheric, painting a haunting picture of a California overgrown by nature and haunted by the ghosts of a "machine-age" past.

However, the reader should be prepared for its period-specific attitudes. The prose reflects the mid-century tendency to view "civilization" through a lens that might feel dated today, and the characters’ internal monologues about "savage" versus "civilized" states are firmly rooted in the era’s academic sensibilities. The pacing is deliberate, favoring scenes of discovery and debate over traditional action-adventure beats. You will likely walk away from the book thinking about the "prison walls" of your own perceptions and how much of your daily life is governed by technologies you do not fully understand. It is a slim, thoughtful read that lingers because it challenges the reader to consider if we, like the characters, have become "almost" human by letting our tools do our thinking for us.