My thanks to both NetGalley and HarperVia for an advance copy of this book of speculative fiction on being human, being alone, and dealing with a world that seems more alien colder and different everyday.

Everyday I feel like an alien observing people from a distance, and even then sometimes to close for me. I don't mean to, and in many ways my life would be a lot easier if I didn't but in interactions with humans, at work, or in stores or in looking at replacing a refrigerator humans do so many odd things, I just can't understand, nor care. It just seems so weird. Feigning interest is even more exhausting, and I get why people complain about being tired all the time. I can't imagine paying attention to a lot of humans, long enough to make a meal out of them, like the alien in the novel Walking Practice written by Dolki Min and translated by Victoria Caudle, does. It doesn't seem worth the meal.

An unnamed alien walks through a city 15 years after arriving heading to meet someone they contacted on a dating app. Along the way we get to hear the alien discuss being the only alien on Earth and how humans are enough to drive one crazy. Humans smell odd, they yell, riding buses are unsafe, with drivers screaming curses, and passengers unwilling to help an alien who has fallen, and is having trouble keeping his shape. Subways are just as bad, as the doors have a habit of cutting chunks off of the alien, and they are too crowded and anxiety inducing. The alien is a shape changer, but changing shape to fit an image on a dating app is tiring as the alien has four legs, and has to compress their body to pretend to be human. The person they are meeting is rude, mentioning nothing about the broken elevator, causing more anxiety in the stairwell leading up sixteen stories to the aliens' planned assignation. The alien finally arrives at the apartment, and things begin to happen.

This is a short book, but manages to cover a lot of questions, thoughts and feelings about the human condition, and what humans do to themselves, not just to fit in, but be happy with what they are. Dolki Min is an artist and writer based in Korea, who wears masks in interviews, and is sort of a big thing in the Korean literary world. Dolki Min mentions that they were quite depressed while writing this, and it shows. The discussions about dating, shape changing to to fit what society asked of them. Even a simple bus ride is one bump away from embarrassment, mortification, or even danger for those that people view as outsiders. The book is well written, but does take a bit to get into, but once readers give it a bit of time and thought, the book takes off. The alien is a little lost, a little confused, maybe a little looney, and lonely. The more they talk though the more you understand and start to feel alien oneself. Again this is a short novel, but one that stayed with me, and that I have found myself thinking about. I enjoyed it quite a bit, as this book seemed very fresh and different, and yet I felt that I knew this alien well.

Recommended for people who like speculative fiction that makes one think about their own lives. The story is unique and will speak to an audience that will understand the alien and their plight in terms of their own life.

This little novella really leans into all of the awkward, squishy things about being human, magnified througb the lens of a carnivorous alien experiencing a human form. There are some fabulous explorations of gender and identity present, couched in witty, humorous dialogue. However, I personally found a lot of the content too gory and graphic for my personal tastes. Definitely a unique entry that breathes new life into the classic pulp horror-sci-fi genre, but slightly too shocking and gruesome for me.

Walking Practice by Dolki Min is a wild ride that I'm glad I went on. We follow an unnamed alien who hunts humans through a dating app and watch as they kill, eat, and wonder existentially on how strange humans are, especially when concerning emotions such as love and gender.

I was not expecting the book to be as violent as it was, but loved that it went there. There's a hyperviolence to the narrator's thoughts and actions that's very compelling to me and never goes over the line. It's tasteful for the most part and the scenes in which our narrator butchers the bodies of their victims is contrasted with these pretty delicious-sounding cooking scenes. It's a darkly funny but piercing reminder of what it takes to consume and how comfortable humans are at the top of the food chain.

Besides food, I found the alien's thoughts on gender really interesting. As they shapeshift into the preferred body type and sex of whomever they're luring through the dating app, they take pleasure in how they're perceived as if it's a game. It's made clear that they have no preference of what form to take but that they recognize the misogyny that's directed towards them when they present as a conventional woman. There's a simplicity in the ways they think about how girls and women shrink themselves for men and the various acts of violence committed against them. The rage that they feel from this was so satisfying, especially since they have the capability to punish the men who do them wrong.

I found the narrator's voice very charming as they have a slightly maniacal sense of humor and a wisdom that contrasts their sometimes crude statements. This made Walking Practice really fun to read and it was easy to root for the alien despite the questionable morals of what they were doing.

The ending is unexpected, poignant, and best left to your imagination. Even if you can guess what happens, the way Min lays out this finale is so simple yet heart-wrenching. Throughout the book, the reader sees how lonely the alien actually is and how, despite them laughing at humans for wanting love and comfort, they are no exception.

Walking Practice is a wonderfully fresh and sometimes frantic look into the strangeness of being human through an alien lens.

Being a human is awkward. Dating is awkward. Pretending to be a human, whilst dating, whilst satisfying your insatiable alien urge to consume human flesh? Yep, also awkward. Walking Practice takes us inside the mind of such an alien, who cobbles themselves into some simulacrum of a human before seeking out its prey.

I spent an amusing afternoon zipping through this story, as it’s written in a breezy, conversational way. It’s titillating, graphic, and occasionally grotesque. And while there are some interesting observations about gender politics at play here, I’d imagine this novella would be more effective as a short story, as the alien’s constant inner monologuing started to lose its luster and focus after the first section of the book.

I’ll be sure to check out the print version of this book when it comes out, though, as the black and white line illustrations are really fantastic looking.

I enjoy some grotesque horror, but this just wasn't for me. I felt like it would have been a lot more effective as a short story rather than a novella. I definitely saw the themes of alienation, gender, sexuality, and disability—there is some really poignant inner dialogue from the narrator—but like another reviewer mentioned, the shock value overshadows everything. There is so much sex and gore that is just not necessary and it loses its intended impact by being so repetitive. I think this could be a great and interesting short story if it was cut back quite a bit.

A big positive—the illustrations are stunning.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC for this!

Definitely weird, twisted, psychological thriller but the writing felt very juvenile and bare-bones. However, it is definitely not for kids given the gory nature of the book. I did not find the story captivating and that is mostly the fault of the writing / translation style. The only thing I enjoyed were the accompanying pictures.

Ooof, if you're in the mood for a space invasion like no other, wherein only one foreign alien has crash-landed onto Earth and is now preying after hopeless romantics and fuck-boys on an online dating site, only to, in turn, drain their life, blood, and harvest their meat and organs... then this book is right up your alley. Thank you big time to Dolki Min, Netgalley, and HarperVia for sending me advanced electronic access to Walking Practice, a colorful and gruesome Sci-Fi Horror read -- before it hits shelves on March 14, 2023

3.5 stars
A very engaging start. I love how annoyed and disgusted the alien is with humans. I like their crudeness and how after they get their pleasure, they bite the head off. It reminds me about biting the head off a piece of candy. I think that’s a good way to show the aliens relationship with humans. The gravity aspect of this novel is interesting. This powerful alien is so clumsy and weak all the time. I love how the story depicts how no one is willing to help someone struggling. They see them wobble and trip and do nothing.
The book was very repetitive. I thought it would progress but it never did. The book is just the alien meeting people on dating apps, traveling the long/painful journey there, having sex, and killing/chopping them. That’s all. Nothing else.

I'm not the target audience for this book, which despite it's extremely graphic content, feels very young. If you're looking for literary fiction, this may not be for you, but it feels clever at times, and I always enjoy themes of otherness. The pictures were whimsical and i enjoyedtheart, beauty in chaos. I'm sure there were times in my life I would have greatly enjoyed this, and I imagine if I were younger, and using dating apps, this would have resonated more for me.

A flesh-eating alien struggles to survive on Earth.

This book had a very attention-grabbing concept and I enjoyed the erratic and unusual narration of the main character, which reflected their nature as someone completely removed from human views of morality and etiquette. The story itself was a bit disjointed however, and the chaotic nature of the narration also worked against the book in that it was sometimes difficult to follow.

Overall a good read for those who are looking for a fresh mix of scifi and horror with biting social commentary.

This is a young book. It reads almost like fan fiction. It carries one along in a slap-dash way and it feels like a draft and by saying this I mean no disrespect. I liked its ease. Reading it was a joyful experience. The story felt free of guile and free of authorial self-regard. It's as if the author were saying to me: here is my story, the way I wanted to tell it--take it or leave it. The accompanying pictures delighted me. I had no idea what to make of them and their lack of coherent connection to the words of the story added to the whimsy, the joy of the read for me. I enjoyed Walking Practice on a level other than literary.

Is weird and twisted and grimy. Love the pictures of the “monsters” in between action scenes. So fun to see and imagine the way they would interact. Such a fun gooey weird read!

I don't read a lot of sci-fi but this sounded so unique that I had to request it! And boy howdy - was I right! An incredible psychological sci-fi thriller that examines social constructs and what our hunger leads to.