What do you think?
Rate this book
The Emissary: A First Contact Novel
MP3 CD Format It wasn't the aliens she had to worry about; it was the humans.
A troubled young woman is recruited by a race of ancient alien explorers to be their emissary to save the human race from extinction. The problem is that not everyone believes the world is doomed, and not everyone trusts the aliens' motives. Holly Burton will have to overcome opposition from world leaders, attacks by religious zealots, assassination attempts, intractable bureaucracies, and her own fears and doubts if she is to save the human race, not just from the coming apocalypse, but from itself.
She will have to become a very different person to lead a remnant of humanity into space and become the architect of a new civilization. The question Can she use the extraordinary knowledge and abilities given to her without losing her own humanity in the process?
A troubled young woman is recruited by a race of ancient alien explorers to be their emissary to save the human race from extinction. The problem is that not everyone believes the world is doomed, and not everyone trusts the aliens' motives. Holly Burton will have to overcome opposition from world leaders, attacks by religious zealots, assassination attempts, intractable bureaucracies, and her own fears and doubts if she is to save the human race, not just from the coming apocalypse, but from itself.
She will have to become a very different person to lead a remnant of humanity into space and become the architect of a new civilization. The question Can she use the extraordinary knowledge and abilities given to her without losing her own humanity in the process?
1 pages, Audio CD
First published December 28, 2021
153 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. Edwards
2 books13 followersMichael J. Edwards is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest (USA). Having unexpectedly found himself in his seventh decade of life, he decided to retire from Boeing and become a writer of speculative fiction. He has two published novels: The Emissary and The Eye of Crasis.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Read
March 3, 2023Read for the Semi-Finals of the Self Published Science Fiction Competition - thespsfc.org
Review to come
Review to come
September 29, 2022
4.65 stars? Easy to please I guess... I'm sorry, but when the villain is so poorly stereotyped (as this generations mustache twirling villain of yesteryear is rich, white, religious-mainly Christian based and republican) while his motivations are so, SO unbelievably stupid that literally no one ever would think this way, I can't get past it.
Attack an alien civilization with a nuke on first contact because war is inevitable just because? Attack them in space ...and get this logic...attack them in order to try and steal the aliens far advanced technology in order to attack them with it because there's no way of winning a war against someone that advanced.
I'm serious, this author (acknowledged as a first time writer but number of published works has nothing to do with writing with the logic of an imbecile) really wrote that. We attack someone who has shown no hostility, who will obviously wipe us out, for zero reason other than war is inevitable apparently and the plan is based on the attack steals their technology even after writing of the impossibility of success (only of course to make it happen to move the "plot" along.
Not to mention sending an attack force to Mars with nobody ever noticing the assembly or the journey or whatever.
4.65 though? The logic for that is almost as poor as the logic shown by the author...I guess I should say the lack of logic
A great concept with one of the worst planned executions of a story I've ever seen and honestly the worst logic in any book I've ever read. Painful to read at some times. Cat in the hat was possibly more realistic than almost everything in this book.
Kudos for the self publishing but it's easy to see why nobody would take it on.
Attack an alien civilization with a nuke on first contact because war is inevitable just because? Attack them in space ...and get this logic...attack them in order to try and steal the aliens far advanced technology in order to attack them with it because there's no way of winning a war against someone that advanced.
I'm serious, this author (acknowledged as a first time writer but number of published works has nothing to do with writing with the logic of an imbecile) really wrote that. We attack someone who has shown no hostility, who will obviously wipe us out, for zero reason other than war is inevitable apparently and the plan is based on the attack steals their technology even after writing of the impossibility of success (only of course to make it happen to move the "plot" along.
Not to mention sending an attack force to Mars with nobody ever noticing the assembly or the journey or whatever.
4.65 though? The logic for that is almost as poor as the logic shown by the author...I guess I should say the lack of logic
A great concept with one of the worst planned executions of a story I've ever seen and honestly the worst logic in any book I've ever read. Painful to read at some times. Cat in the hat was possibly more realistic than almost everything in this book.
Kudos for the self publishing but it's easy to see why nobody would take it on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2023
/* Side note: In the Afterword of this book, the author tells us where this novel originated. His son was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, and in the final stages of his life he envisioned this story. Michael and his son worked on the book together, but ultimately his son passed away before the novel was completed. The author promised his son he'd finish the book after he was gone, and he made good on his promise.
I found the story of the author's loss to be touching, not the least because his son's name is my name—Joshua Edwards. I have infinite respect for the author for finishing this book, and for persevering after one of the most terrible things that could happen, losing a child. My review is more on the critical side, but judging from the book's Amazon and Goodreads reviews, I'm glad to see Joshua's story bringing joy to so many people. */
In The Emissary, a troubled young woman named Holly Burton is recruited by an ancient alien race to save humanity from extinction. However, her task proves to be challenging as she faces opposition from world leaders, religious zealots, and her own fears and doubts. She must lead a remnant of humanity into space, armed with knowledge and abilities given to her by the aliens, without losing her own humanity in the process.
The premise of this story is intriguing—in fact, there was a lot of similarity with the setup of my own book, Grave of the Waiting, so I was naturally very onboard—however, the execution leaves much to be desired. The first chapter sets the stage for the story in a powerful and explosive way, but the exposition felt heavy-handed right off the bat, and the dialogue between some characters felt rather stilted.
I really wanted more character development throughout the book as well. A couple of times, I was introduced to multiple characters at once, making it difficult to keep track of who's who, with no way to tell who's important and who's a side character. This lack of depth results in a shallow emotional impact, even when these characters were facing life-threatening situations.
They certainly face many of those. The central plot is varied and engaging enough to keep readers interested—seeing the protagonist survive assassination attempts, travel to Jupiter, and more—but again it just came down to not feeling connected enough to the characters. It suffered from some consistency and structural issues as well. There's one moment when a major conflict deflates abruptly, and the villain's motivations suddenly changed. He became a sort of cartoon-villain who's over-the-top racist, despite no prior indication of his racism.
Overall, I thought The Emissary presented a promising concept that had the potential to be an exciting science fiction story. However, the lack of character depth, inconsistent details, and heavy exposition made it difficult to fully engage with the narrative. I give it a 3.5 out of 10. There are many cool action scenes and interesting technological ideas, but those looking for a science fiction adventure with strong character development and depth may want to look elsewhere.
/* Note: This review reflects only my personal opinion of the book, not the opinion of the entire Team Sciencefiction.news */
I found the story of the author's loss to be touching, not the least because his son's name is my name—Joshua Edwards. I have infinite respect for the author for finishing this book, and for persevering after one of the most terrible things that could happen, losing a child. My review is more on the critical side, but judging from the book's Amazon and Goodreads reviews, I'm glad to see Joshua's story bringing joy to so many people. */
In The Emissary, a troubled young woman named Holly Burton is recruited by an ancient alien race to save humanity from extinction. However, her task proves to be challenging as she faces opposition from world leaders, religious zealots, and her own fears and doubts. She must lead a remnant of humanity into space, armed with knowledge and abilities given to her by the aliens, without losing her own humanity in the process.
The premise of this story is intriguing—in fact, there was a lot of similarity with the setup of my own book, Grave of the Waiting, so I was naturally very onboard—however, the execution leaves much to be desired. The first chapter sets the stage for the story in a powerful and explosive way, but the exposition felt heavy-handed right off the bat, and the dialogue between some characters felt rather stilted.
I really wanted more character development throughout the book as well. A couple of times, I was introduced to multiple characters at once, making it difficult to keep track of who's who, with no way to tell who's important and who's a side character. This lack of depth results in a shallow emotional impact, even when these characters were facing life-threatening situations.
They certainly face many of those. The central plot is varied and engaging enough to keep readers interested—seeing the protagonist survive assassination attempts, travel to Jupiter, and more—but again it just came down to not feeling connected enough to the characters. It suffered from some consistency and structural issues as well. There's one moment when a major conflict deflates abruptly, and the villain's motivations suddenly changed. He became a sort of cartoon-villain who's over-the-top racist, despite no prior indication of his racism.
Overall, I thought The Emissary presented a promising concept that had the potential to be an exciting science fiction story. However, the lack of character depth, inconsistent details, and heavy exposition made it difficult to fully engage with the narrative. I give it a 3.5 out of 10. There are many cool action scenes and interesting technological ideas, but those looking for a science fiction adventure with strong character development and depth may want to look elsewhere.
/* Note: This review reflects only my personal opinion of the book, not the opinion of the entire Team Sciencefiction.news */
March 15, 2023
SPSFC 2 Quarterfinalist Review. This has been moved on to the Semifinalist Round. This is my personal opinion/score only. I gave this a 8.5/10 (or 4/5 with some rounding).
As a quick note, this is my highest personal score from our quarter-finalist selections, so I was quite pleased we were able to move it on to a semi-finalist position after all of our team's scores were in.
“It was not the aliens they had to worry about. It was the humans”
As the subtitle on the cover of the book indicates – this is a first contact novel. However, it's a pretty unique first contact novel in my experience. The alien contacting earth is not one of an army of little green men from Golden Age sci-fi. The alien presence in this book is not monstrous but I am finding it difficult to say anything specific without massive spoilers. I did think it was a great approach to show the alien's technology and capabilities far outstripping those of Earth's. It makes sense, as if the alien is contacting us then obviously they already have interstellar travel and communication where we do not.
In most first contact stories it boils down to a question of alien v. earthling and the earthlings win no matter how unlikely that seems from a technological development standpoint. I like that this book took a very different approach and hope other readers will also find it a refreshing change. Also, I loved the tone of the very first intro to the aliens, “The aliens arrived on a Tuesday morning during rush hour.”
Another thing I thought was done quite well was that the first contact wasn't exactly super smooth going. Our protagonist is a very bright young woman of 15 named Holly Burton, the youngest student at the University of New Auckland, when we first meet her and the aliens. I thought it was a clever authorial choice to show how the first meeting with the aliens shaped Holly's life and inform the later parts of the book, including how Holly ends up being at the center of developments. I also like that our main character was from New Zealand – not a background I see too often.
Not so very long after first contact happens, it becomes (somewhat) clear that Earth is doomed, although of course, there's no consensus on that either! The split of scientists, conspiracy-theorists, politicians, religious leaders, and the average working person, as well as the different governmental responses to how to deal with impending disaster was all too real. In this future setting the United States is now known as the CRA – Christian Republic of America, which gives a good indication of how politics and religion have intertwined and developed.
As a small criticism, some of the antagonist character choices were a little over-the-top into mustache-twirling villainy. It didn't take away from the story for me, but it was a bit like “terrible, terrible person, also they kick puppies.” There was also a fair bit of hand-wavy science, but I enjoyed the story all the same and don't always need a technical breakdown of how we're getting from A to B.
I found this a really engaging combination of first contact and escape from Earth type stories, told from an imperfect but very relatable character's point of view.
As a quick note, this is my highest personal score from our quarter-finalist selections, so I was quite pleased we were able to move it on to a semi-finalist position after all of our team's scores were in.
“It was not the aliens they had to worry about. It was the humans”
As the subtitle on the cover of the book indicates – this is a first contact novel. However, it's a pretty unique first contact novel in my experience. The alien contacting earth is not one of an army of little green men from Golden Age sci-fi. The alien presence in this book is not monstrous but I am finding it difficult to say anything specific without massive spoilers. I did think it was a great approach to show the alien's technology and capabilities far outstripping those of Earth's. It makes sense, as if the alien is contacting us then obviously they already have interstellar travel and communication where we do not.
In most first contact stories it boils down to a question of alien v. earthling and the earthlings win no matter how unlikely that seems from a technological development standpoint. I like that this book took a very different approach and hope other readers will also find it a refreshing change. Also, I loved the tone of the very first intro to the aliens, “The aliens arrived on a Tuesday morning during rush hour.”
Another thing I thought was done quite well was that the first contact wasn't exactly super smooth going. Our protagonist is a very bright young woman of 15 named Holly Burton, the youngest student at the University of New Auckland, when we first meet her and the aliens. I thought it was a clever authorial choice to show how the first meeting with the aliens shaped Holly's life and inform the later parts of the book, including how Holly ends up being at the center of developments. I also like that our main character was from New Zealand – not a background I see too often.
Not so very long after first contact happens, it becomes (somewhat) clear that Earth is doomed, although of course, there's no consensus on that either! The split of scientists, conspiracy-theorists, politicians, religious leaders, and the average working person, as well as the different governmental responses to how to deal with impending disaster was all too real. In this future setting the United States is now known as the CRA – Christian Republic of America, which gives a good indication of how politics and religion have intertwined and developed.
As a small criticism, some of the antagonist character choices were a little over-the-top into mustache-twirling villainy. It didn't take away from the story for me, but it was a bit like “terrible, terrible person, also they kick puppies.” There was also a fair bit of hand-wavy science, but I enjoyed the story all the same and don't always need a technical breakdown of how we're getting from A to B.
I found this a really engaging combination of first contact and escape from Earth type stories, told from an imperfect but very relatable character's point of view.
August 25, 2025
Audiobook
A "First Contact" and "Mankind Expands Beyond Earth" story, told with the tropes and themes of a MarvelMovie and/or OP-protagonist Anime.
Part 1: A workable, if bland, sci-fi foundation.
The story is set on a future earth, ravaged by climate change; an Earth that needs help. An Extraterrestrial Intelligence makes first contact. It's revealed that the E.T. is offering that help. The story eventually extends to include talk of 2d vs 3d vs 5d space, Cryostasis, Ark ships, Nanobots, and more.
This foundation ends up being pretty workable. It's nothing particularly new to the Sci-fi genre, but it does the job of carrying the other themes of the book well enough. The story rapidly spins out into a different kind of story, but this baseline foundation stands fast through it all.
Part 2: Abrupt Timeskips, so the author doesn't have to write character moments.
The story makes it clear, early on, that this is a story written to focus on the Events that take place, rather than the characters who are a part of it. You're not supposed to wonder how Character-A feels, you're supposed to wonder what they're going to do next.
This is shown most clearly in the fact that, every time the book succeeds in telling the important events for that year/month/day etc, it almost immediately timeskips to the next important event, no matter if characters were left with unresolved baggage or unfulfilled character arcs.
At the very start, the Protagonist loses her entire livelihood and nearly all of her family. Do we see how she handles this? Barely, if at all. It time skips past the 'boring character drama', and fast-forwards to the 'interesting' intended future, where that trauma has turned her into a 'Quirky lady, that not everybody can get along with'.
To be crystal clear, nearly every chapter-transition includes at least a little time-skipping, along these same lines.
Part 3: Repeat explanations.
The story seems much more interested in showing off just how 'cool' the sci-fi technology is. Many plot beats, boiled down, are just excuses to show off how much better the sci-fi tech is, compared to contemporary technology.
The most recurring way the story shows this, is through having a character explain it. Before, during, and after a given sci-fi technology is used, the story will contrive a reason to have the protagonist 'geek-out' about the technology, and go into a long explanation of how the technology could hypothetically work. Each technology gets a minimum of 2 explanations, leading to a story where a solid 15%-25% of it's text length is just paraphrased (sometimes, word-for-word) repeats.
It seems that the story expects the reader to take great pleasure from fantasizing about common sci-fi technologies.
Part 4: SuperHero movies/anime; the infectious writing style.
The focus on events and explanations, it seems to fit with a bigger trend with this book: it's trying to be a Superhero Movie.
The Protagonist isn't just the lead diplomat on the First Contact mission, she ends up being a sort of Psuedo-'Iron Man' type hero character, with a really smart brain, and physical powers as a result of sci-fi military technology.
So the 'good guys' just so happen to give big, dramatic names to things: it's not a railgun cannon, it's the "Armageddon System"; it's not an incoming asteroid, it's "The Deathbringer".
The story contrives for all of it's villains to be extreme caricatures of evil, 'super-nazis', if you will. But even though these enemies are out to do irreparable harm to the human race, the Hero still hesitates to kill them when they retreat, because 'That's the Right Thing to Do: Heroes Don't Kill'. But then, the bad guys take hostages! "How Dastardly, what will our hero do?!" She'll nobly sacrifice herself to save the hostages, (putting the safety of the entire human race at stake), because 'She wouldn't dare leave the hostages in enemy hands!'. So on and so forth, you know the drill.
It's all just the standard superhero tropes. The only small nuance is that, technically, the End of The World stakes aren't the result of the villain's actions; instead, the villain is reacting to the End of The World situation very poorly, causing things to go even worse.
In my opinion, this is the books biggest flaw: it cheapens the entire story, weakens the other stories that could be told, all in favor of 'keeping the action up' and 'trying to be not boring by adding more explosions'. I don't even think the story executes this style of story well enough on its own merits; failing to properly lead up to the various forms of spectacle, and not making enough use of callbacks to make the story feel more coherent.
Part 5: US Politics; Fascism
I figured I'd mention this, because it was relevant to me:
The story goes out of its way to villainize the United States of America, by the simple act of extending the current(2020's) trends that are causing it so much grief.
The USA becomes the CRA: the Christian Republic of America. It's blatantly a Fascist Dictatorship, and its Leading members are openly women-abusers and White-Supremacists.
I, personally, found it extremely cathartic to have the USA called out like this in a Sci-fi story; so much so that I actually finished the book. But, that is because my own personal political leanings let me see the book as "calling out an honest problem with the USA", as opposed to how others might interpret it.
It does go a bit further: the book makes a very deliberate effort to emphasize that the Heroic and Noble Protagonist is a Woman who sleeps around, and does not keep her opinions to herself; and yet, she's still Heroic and Noble. For those not in the know, the 'Chastity of Women' is something that Americans (as a collective) tend to get really stupid about, so deliberately doing the opposite could be seen as 'divisively feminist'.
Your mileage may vary: I found it neat, if clumsy.
Conclusion
I got this book 'for free', included in a subscription I was already paying for. And 'for free' is exactly how much I think this book is worth. It's not unreadably bad, but it's very much a 'time-waster' kind of experience: something to put on as white-noise in the background.
A "First Contact" and "Mankind Expands Beyond Earth" story, told with the tropes and themes of a MarvelMovie and/or OP-protagonist Anime.
Part 1: A workable, if bland, sci-fi foundation.
The story is set on a future earth, ravaged by climate change; an Earth that needs help. An Extraterrestrial Intelligence makes first contact. It's revealed that the E.T. is offering that help. The story eventually extends to include talk of 2d vs 3d vs 5d space, Cryostasis, Ark ships, Nanobots, and more.
This foundation ends up being pretty workable. It's nothing particularly new to the Sci-fi genre, but it does the job of carrying the other themes of the book well enough. The story rapidly spins out into a different kind of story, but this baseline foundation stands fast through it all.
Part 2: Abrupt Timeskips, so the author doesn't have to write character moments.
The story makes it clear, early on, that this is a story written to focus on the Events that take place, rather than the characters who are a part of it. You're not supposed to wonder how Character-A feels, you're supposed to wonder what they're going to do next.
This is shown most clearly in the fact that, every time the book succeeds in telling the important events for that year/month/day etc, it almost immediately timeskips to the next important event, no matter if characters were left with unresolved baggage or unfulfilled character arcs.
At the very start, the Protagonist loses her entire livelihood and nearly all of her family. Do we see how she handles this? Barely, if at all. It time skips past the 'boring character drama', and fast-forwards to the 'interesting' intended future, where that trauma has turned her into a 'Quirky lady, that not everybody can get along with'.
To be crystal clear, nearly every chapter-transition includes at least a little time-skipping, along these same lines.
Part 3: Repeat explanations.
The story seems much more interested in showing off just how 'cool' the sci-fi technology is. Many plot beats, boiled down, are just excuses to show off how much better the sci-fi tech is, compared to contemporary technology.
The most recurring way the story shows this, is through having a character explain it. Before, during, and after a given sci-fi technology is used, the story will contrive a reason to have the protagonist 'geek-out' about the technology, and go into a long explanation of how the technology could hypothetically work. Each technology gets a minimum of 2 explanations, leading to a story where a solid 15%-25% of it's text length is just paraphrased (sometimes, word-for-word) repeats.
It seems that the story expects the reader to take great pleasure from fantasizing about common sci-fi technologies.
Part 4: SuperHero movies/anime; the infectious writing style.
The focus on events and explanations, it seems to fit with a bigger trend with this book: it's trying to be a Superhero Movie.
The Protagonist isn't just the lead diplomat on the First Contact mission, she ends up being a sort of Psuedo-'Iron Man' type hero character, with a really smart brain, and physical powers as a result of sci-fi military technology.
So the 'good guys' just so happen to give big, dramatic names to things: it's not a railgun cannon, it's the "Armageddon System"; it's not an incoming asteroid, it's "The Deathbringer".
The story contrives for all of it's villains to be extreme caricatures of evil, 'super-nazis', if you will. But even though these enemies are out to do irreparable harm to the human race, the Hero still hesitates to kill them when they retreat, because 'That's the Right Thing to Do: Heroes Don't Kill'. But then, the bad guys take hostages! "How Dastardly, what will our hero do?!" She'll nobly sacrifice herself to save the hostages, (putting the safety of the entire human race at stake), because 'She wouldn't dare leave the hostages in enemy hands!'. So on and so forth, you know the drill.
It's all just the standard superhero tropes. The only small nuance is that, technically, the End of The World stakes aren't the result of the villain's actions; instead, the villain is reacting to the End of The World situation very poorly, causing things to go even worse.
In my opinion, this is the books biggest flaw: it cheapens the entire story, weakens the other stories that could be told, all in favor of 'keeping the action up' and 'trying to be not boring by adding more explosions'. I don't even think the story executes this style of story well enough on its own merits; failing to properly lead up to the various forms of spectacle, and not making enough use of callbacks to make the story feel more coherent.
Part 5: US Politics; Fascism
I figured I'd mention this, because it was relevant to me:
The story goes out of its way to villainize the United States of America, by the simple act of extending the current(2020's) trends that are causing it so much grief.
The USA becomes the CRA: the Christian Republic of America. It's blatantly a Fascist Dictatorship, and its Leading members are openly women-abusers and White-Supremacists.
I, personally, found it extremely cathartic to have the USA called out like this in a Sci-fi story; so much so that I actually finished the book. But, that is because my own personal political leanings let me see the book as "calling out an honest problem with the USA", as opposed to how others might interpret it.
It does go a bit further: the book makes a very deliberate effort to emphasize that the Heroic and Noble Protagonist is a Woman who sleeps around, and does not keep her opinions to herself; and yet, she's still Heroic and Noble. For those not in the know, the 'Chastity of Women' is something that Americans (as a collective) tend to get really stupid about, so deliberately doing the opposite could be seen as 'divisively feminist'.
Your mileage may vary: I found it neat, if clumsy.
Conclusion
I got this book 'for free', included in a subscription I was already paying for. And 'for free' is exactly how much I think this book is worth. It's not unreadably bad, but it's very much a 'time-waster' kind of experience: something to put on as white-noise in the background.
May 9, 2022
What a page turner! I have been reading SF for over 50 years, and recently been reading a lot of first contact stories. This one is head and shoulders above most of them. I really enjoy reading stories based around strong female characters and the way Edwards throws you into her life from the very beginning is beautifully done. His portrayal of her is wonderfully rich and complex as she grows into the complicated role that she is thrown into. I was also particularly impressed with the idea of the alien "Fragment" and how he presented that entity in the book. The science throughout the narrative was sufficiently credible to suspend my disbelief which is a real plus. Overall, this book is impeccably paced and structured to keep you turning pages, I consumed it in less than two days. And like all good science fiction, it is left me with all kinds of thoughts rattling around in my head about the nature of humans and aliens. I look forward to reading more of Michael J. Edwards books!
In general, I find that first contact books are more about how humanity responds than the aliens themselves and this book is no exception. The way that humans perceive aliens as threats and then break up into tribalism, racism, fear mongering etc. always bothers me, but I guess it's what humans are. It also bothers me that all of these stories end up with a lot of military stuff and graphic violence and that is true of this book. There is a lot of extreme graphic violence, I mean real blood and guts stuff, and I don't much care for it although it worked well in the context of the narrative here. So if you are squeamish, brace yourself!
In general, I find that first contact books are more about how humanity responds than the aliens themselves and this book is no exception. The way that humans perceive aliens as threats and then break up into tribalism, racism, fear mongering etc. always bothers me, but I guess it's what humans are. It also bothers me that all of these stories end up with a lot of military stuff and graphic violence and that is true of this book. There is a lot of extreme graphic violence, I mean real blood and guts stuff, and I don't much care for it although it worked well in the context of the narrative here. So if you are squeamish, brace yourself!
March 28, 2022
Edwards, Michael J. The Emissary: A First Contact Novel. Kindle, 2021.
Kindle Unlimited has been a boon to self-published, first-time novelists, who in the old days would have been relegated to fanzines and the vanity presses. I don’t know whether Michael J. Edwards will ever publish another novel, but I am glad he had a chance to publish The Emissary. It is not a perfect book by any means, but I have read worse by well-established writers. It gets off to a good start: when an alien spaceship splashes down in Singapore’s Marina Bay, commandeers communication satellites, and issues a multilingual invitation to meet with world leaders, some fool nukes it, taking out a good deal of Singapore along with it. The spacecraft takes off and parks in the Jovian system, remaining incommunicado. A young girl witnessed the landing from a hotel-room balcony and barely survived the blast, albeit with later post-traumatic stress. She becomes a scholar in cultural anthropology and is drafted into a mission to fly to Jupiter and reestablish contact with the aliens. She is a feisty, flawed character, who after a series of disasters becomes the alien’s emissary to humanity. We are always interested in her fate, and the plot keeps the alien mysterious long enough to keep up the plot’s suspense level. I was disappointed in the ending, when Edwards seems to take the easy way out of his plot. 3 stars.
Kindle Unlimited has been a boon to self-published, first-time novelists, who in the old days would have been relegated to fanzines and the vanity presses. I don’t know whether Michael J. Edwards will ever publish another novel, but I am glad he had a chance to publish The Emissary. It is not a perfect book by any means, but I have read worse by well-established writers. It gets off to a good start: when an alien spaceship splashes down in Singapore’s Marina Bay, commandeers communication satellites, and issues a multilingual invitation to meet with world leaders, some fool nukes it, taking out a good deal of Singapore along with it. The spacecraft takes off and parks in the Jovian system, remaining incommunicado. A young girl witnessed the landing from a hotel-room balcony and barely survived the blast, albeit with later post-traumatic stress. She becomes a scholar in cultural anthropology and is drafted into a mission to fly to Jupiter and reestablish contact with the aliens. She is a feisty, flawed character, who after a series of disasters becomes the alien’s emissary to humanity. We are always interested in her fate, and the plot keeps the alien mysterious long enough to keep up the plot’s suspense level. I was disappointed in the ending, when Edwards seems to take the easy way out of his plot. 3 stars.
April 9, 2022
Holly Burton is just a girl living a normal life with her Dad–well, as normal as you can get in a post-apocalyptic world. Then, aliens arrive, announcing that they want to meet with the world’s leaders, and Holly’s life is literally turned upside down. Twelve years later, she is a troubled university professor, and the aliens choose her as emissary. She is to lead a select group of Earth’s people into space so they can prevent the extinction of the human race. There is a real coming of age element, as Holly matures from partying professor to leader and struggles with the politics and suspicion that surround her at every turn.
This is a compelling story of first contact that portrays how certain governments and individuals might react. The characters are interesting and well written, and Holly is a wonderfully conflicted protagonist who shows real character growth. The plot is well developed and engaging. The idea of first contact is an intriguing one. What would varying reactions be from different countries? Would our world accept first contact or react with suspicion?
There are some political opinions in this story, so if you avoid politics, be aware. The ending is a bit of a surprise. I would recommend this book to fans of classic science fiction.
I received a free copy of this book via Reedsy Discovery and also downloaded it on Kindle Unlimited. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
This is a compelling story of first contact that portrays how certain governments and individuals might react. The characters are interesting and well written, and Holly is a wonderfully conflicted protagonist who shows real character growth. The plot is well developed and engaging. The idea of first contact is an intriguing one. What would varying reactions be from different countries? Would our world accept first contact or react with suspicion?
There are some political opinions in this story, so if you avoid politics, be aware. The ending is a bit of a surprise. I would recommend this book to fans of classic science fiction.
I received a free copy of this book via Reedsy Discovery and also downloaded it on Kindle Unlimited. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
January 30, 2023
Oh dear me, I so wanted to like this book, some good reviews, the blurb caught my eye. I wasn’t sure whether this type of novel was my cup of tea. But boy was I glad I read it, so refreshing to read a good book, well written, intriguing plot line, strong believable characters. An entertaining, engrossing, compelling and pleasurable read, couldn’t put down, 424 pages, puff gone just like that.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. A deep dive into the human psyche, and how utterly unprepared we are to work together as one entity. Depressing in a way, how splintered and tribal we are as a species. Unwilling and unable to work together for a common good, but there again it shouldn’t come as a shock, the writing was so believable and insightful, it left me feeling disheartened and disappointed.
I’m also disappointed that I can only find two books by this author. I will definitely read the other book ASAP. I have no qualms in giving this book five stars.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. A deep dive into the human psyche, and how utterly unprepared we are to work together as one entity. Depressing in a way, how splintered and tribal we are as a species. Unwilling and unable to work together for a common good, but there again it shouldn’t come as a shock, the writing was so believable and insightful, it left me feeling disheartened and disappointed.
I’m also disappointed that I can only find two books by this author. I will definitely read the other book ASAP. I have no qualms in giving this book five stars.
January 26, 2022
I just finished reading the Emissary in one day. In my mind this is a great science fiction book, the best one I have read in the last five years. The author's writing style was easy to read and follow. The character development of the protagonist was exceptional, while the alien in the story remained much off a mystery until the very end of the book. The politics of the governments facing the end of world in the book reflect very much on the shambles of the politics that we see in the world today. The religious and philosophical discussions in the book raised by the impending doomsday were balanced, well thought out, and challenging. I must admit I had a few tears reading the book, especially at the ending. I would recommend this book to everyone, even snobbish readers.
September 29, 2025
This engaging story spans the decades leading up to a world ending event. It challenges our perspective of time, dimention, and even touches on Tolstoy's parables regarding religion. I found the story thoroughly enjoyable and left me wishing for more from this new author. I'm definitely looking forward to his follow-up. I enjoyed his writing so much that I would love to see this be a trilogy: the end of earth, the arcs' time in space, and the new colonies. Or even one book for each new colony! And more on the Elder and the mandate, please!
Also, as an audiobook reader, Alison Ewing did a fantastic job as narrator! I do hope they keep the same narrator for any subsequent books in the series.
Also, as an audiobook reader, Alison Ewing did a fantastic job as narrator! I do hope they keep the same narrator for any subsequent books in the series.
April 9, 2022
an amazing story, well worth the read!
First, I would like to offer my condolences. We will never meet but I feel your on going pain. I’m very happy you chose to finish the story. It couldn’t have been easy. I think you hit pretty durn close though to how I imagine it. I’ve always wondered if we as humanity would rise to the challenge or kill ourselves with Stupidity. Lol, actually I still wonder. I know we have the capability of both. Thanks for an amazing read. I hope there are future adventures for Holly. I look forward to your next book. I’m headed to look for the one you mentioned in the back. Best wishes to you and your family.
First, I would like to offer my condolences. We will never meet but I feel your on going pain. I’m very happy you chose to finish the story. It couldn’t have been easy. I think you hit pretty durn close though to how I imagine it. I’ve always wondered if we as humanity would rise to the challenge or kill ourselves with Stupidity. Lol, actually I still wonder. I know we have the capability of both. Thanks for an amazing read. I hope there are future adventures for Holly. I look forward to your next book. I’m headed to look for the one you mentioned in the back. Best wishes to you and your family.
March 31, 2022
This is very good story telling throughout the book. I noted that one reviewer stopped reading the book because it had politics in it. I almost didn't read it because of that one review, but I'm glad I tried this book because it is a great story and keeps you reading to see what happens. Yes, there are bad characters that are in visions of power who disgust you when you see what they do but that's what makes the story of good versus bad very real and very interesting :-) I highly recommend this book to you :-)
December 12, 2022
A very enjoyable read! Excited to read 'The Emissary' sequel. I read Michael Edwards' second book, The Eye of Crasis: An Alien Technology Thriller and was feeling this might be a prequel. It wasn't but that's okay.
Character development, plot, and writing style are all wonderful. Love the imagery, character interaction, the story.
Reading the afterward, was touched to learn of this novel's origins. Plan to watch this author if you enjoy science fiction - a rising star in my humble opinion!
Character development, plot, and writing style are all wonderful. Love the imagery, character interaction, the story.
Reading the afterward, was touched to learn of this novel's origins. Plan to watch this author if you enjoy science fiction - a rising star in my humble opinion!
November 5, 2024
Could be the best I have read.. Well written Speculative, 1st contact, an easy, flowing, sophisticated read with startling twists and turns, completely engaging characters. I am a Hard SF fan and although not a lot of hard science, plausibility of this engaging story catapulted me though.. I am not a huge fan of military SF, quite a bit of warring did not seem at all gratuitous but relevant.. Philosophical and theosophical ponderings for me, balanced out any necessary violence.. A great read for sure and can't wait for another!!! Totally sad to finish!!
May 12, 2022
Superb!
How does one rate a book without bias? By adding five stars? No. I start a lot of books with five stars that I return after reading the first two chapters. So how can I rate this book? I think it has to do with the author. This author has great talent and it shows in this story. That is indeed rare. I will come back periodically to see if there is a sequel - I hope so. N W Meyer
How does one rate a book without bias? By adding five stars? No. I start a lot of books with five stars that I return after reading the first two chapters. So how can I rate this book? I think it has to do with the author. This author has great talent and it shows in this story. That is indeed rare. I will come back periodically to see if there is a sequel - I hope so. N W Meyer
November 25, 2022
A PROTOCOL FOR FIRST CONTACT PERHAPS: I enjoyed this book so much, I spent the entire afternoon reading it one sitting. Not only does is span several years, but several planets. I loved the use of A.I. and biotech, too. But most of all, I enjoyed the characters. The protagonist is a highly intelligent, thoughtful woman with gravitas +++ and the other characters are both lively and interesting. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this author.
April 29, 2022
Excellent book!!!!!
Great plot, great character development, moves along at the correct pace. Lots of hard science descriptions, lots of future tech developments that I hope we will reach someday. Just the right inclusion of philosophy and discussion. I Really Hope there will be a sequel !!!!!
- Randol Craver.....
Great plot, great character development, moves along at the correct pace. Lots of hard science descriptions, lots of future tech developments that I hope we will reach someday. Just the right inclusion of philosophy and discussion. I Really Hope there will be a sequel !!!!!
- Randol Craver.....
August 17, 2022
Brilliant novel
A coruscutating gem. A novel which combines philosophical questioning, a fast paced entertaining plot and enough baddies to fuel the action. The development of the MC is done well. She is flawed but learns to do what the world needs her to do. The novel truly is in the tradition of the best of the science fiction giants.
A coruscutating gem. A novel which combines philosophical questioning, a fast paced entertaining plot and enough baddies to fuel the action. The development of the MC is done well. She is flawed but learns to do what the world needs her to do. The novel truly is in the tradition of the best of the science fiction giants.
September 21, 2022
This was a great story. Well planned characters and story.
In the beginning this book starts out in a direction that seemed odd. After a couple chapters you realize that the main character build is, just that long. And, the auther created a great leading character.
5 Stars. Would read again in a year or two it was enjoyable.
In the beginning this book starts out in a direction that seemed odd. After a couple chapters you realize that the main character build is, just that long. And, the auther created a great leading character.
5 Stars. Would read again in a year or two it was enjoyable.
May 29, 2025
Outstanding
I have read literally thousands of books. Usually legal thrillers or relatable Sci-fi. This book breaks all the rules by starting well and getting better throughout the read. I highly recommend it. Although it is relatively easy to drop a bust of a deity on stage, it is nearly impossible to do it so convincingly.
I have read literally thousands of books. Usually legal thrillers or relatable Sci-fi. This book breaks all the rules by starting well and getting better throughout the read. I highly recommend it. Although it is relatively easy to drop a bust of a deity on stage, it is nearly impossible to do it so convincingly.
February 16, 2022
Realistic future
Normally I don't leave comments or descriptions of books I review but this is too scrumptious not to. It shows humanities greatness and greatness in sharp contrast to our fellow man's hope for survival. A must read on anyone's list.
Normally I don't leave comments or descriptions of books I review but this is too scrumptious not to. It shows humanities greatness and greatness in sharp contrast to our fellow man's hope for survival. A must read on anyone's list.
February 21, 2022
an intriguing storyline
This book has an intriguing storyline. If there is alien life what is the extent of it’s interaction with humanity. Will it help or harm or possibly neither.
This book has an intriguing storyline. If there is alien life what is the extent of it’s interaction with humanity. Will it help or harm or possibly neither.
March 9, 2022
A read deep into the night book.
Hated to put it down. It grabbed me from the second chapter (yes, I usually read them that actually take place off-Earth so it took a couple!) But after that hated to stop even for sleep! Hopefully more to come.
Hated to put it down. It grabbed me from the second chapter (yes, I usually read them that actually take place off-Earth so it took a couple!) But after that hated to stop even for sleep! Hopefully more to come.
April 17, 2022
enjoyable read
Imaginative story, with on going action well developed characters, and compelling philosophical ideas. Definitely a page turner for me. Found myself truly wanting to know how it ended.
Imaginative story, with on going action well developed characters, and compelling philosophical ideas. Definitely a page turner for me. Found myself truly wanting to know how it ended.
May 15, 2022
A very imaginative and different first contact story. This was a read that kept me coming back to find out what would happen next. I'm reading for pleasure and distraction lately, and this book met my needs.
June 5, 2022
Emissary enjoyed
Good feeling read, a bit overly optimistic and at times dramatized. Felt somewhat super heroish , but was interesting and escapist, which I enjoy. If you want an easy fun few hours of escape, I recommend this book
Good feeling read, a bit overly optimistic and at times dramatized. Felt somewhat super heroish , but was interesting and escapist, which I enjoy. If you want an easy fun few hours of escape, I recommend this book
July 24, 2022
good story
The emissary is a good story of humans and their ability to stuff things up for themselves, even to the detriment of their own salvation. The ideas presented within are very well thought about and very well written.
The emissary is a good story of humans and their ability to stuff things up for themselves, even to the detriment of their own salvation. The ideas presented within are very well thought about and very well written.
July 26, 2022
Excellent story about an alien encounter and humanity's reaction to imminent doom
Edwards does a great job of portraying humanity at its worst and best in this dystopian future where the earth is doomed and its only hope is a young academic and an unknowable alien.
Edwards does a great job of portraying humanity at its worst and best in this dystopian future where the earth is doomed and its only hope is a young academic and an unknowable alien.
February 15, 2023
Surprisingly very good
Reading the first chapter I thought that this was going to be a YA WOKE novel then everything changed and the real story developed and just grew and grew. You need to read this one! I'm not sure how the follow up novel will be but I'll be waiting for it!
Reading the first chapter I thought that this was going to be a YA WOKE novel then everything changed and the real story developed and just grew and grew. You need to read this one! I'm not sure how the follow up novel will be but I'll be waiting for it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews