Perhaps the greatest argument one could bring against the existence of this book was that during reading the central story I felt “hmm, this could use some trimming.”

So I'd say this experiment is somewhat of a failure - the gorgeous drawings, dark and appropriately chilling, and the strength of the original story are balanced out by lacklustre introductions (that offer some interesting history, but also call this version inferior), the inclusion of a mystifying potential “follow-up” (apparently penned by the editor himself - talk about self-serving, tackling your obviously inferior waste of time on one of the most acclaimed sci-fi stories ever), and the restoration of some 40 pages of (personally) excruciatingly boring hard sci-fi descriptions of melting ice.

There are moments that work in the new text, but it's only once the story gets past its intro that it really gets into its groove, the uncertainty and paranoia building into beautifully creepy mind games and poetic philosophising, the story becoming impossible to put down before the ending. It still shows its age with its naive belief in the human spirit and -kind, and the pretty much xenophobic and racist approach to anything different; not to mention that the characters truly are no characters, just a cast of names for mostly interchangeable scientists. But the problems are the clearest during the intro and the rest of the story, nevermind the naivety, just works.

And to think, I almost quit the whole book right there, thinking it just wasn’t for me.

5 stars for the original tale (and the drawings), none for this misguided endeavour - some stuff should remain on the cutting floor.