The Scout

by Eric Tozzi

Change is inevitable. It's heading for Earth at twelve thousand miles per hour...and it will land virtually undetected. For Jack McAllister, a young writer who has finally launched a career for himself, it begins tragically: his estranged father, a former NASA engineer, dies suddenly at his home in Merriweather, Indiana, leaving Jack's Alzheimer's-stricken mother a widow. But in the wake of personal heartbreak, he's confronted by an even more astonishing event--the covert landing of an alien machine in the forest just a few miles outside of town.

Now Jack must unmask the true purpose of the otherworldly device that has begun a detailed environmental survey of the woods. Aided by the town's young and resilient female deputy sheriff, he soon discovers that the alien scout is only one small part of a much larger operation, and the countdown to a terrifying global catastrophe is about to take place. Drawing deeply from his father’s scientific influence, all while attempting to avoid the snares of a sexy, seductive and scheming local TV reporter, Jack uncovers—and ultimately finds himself an unwilling component of—an alien plan set to terminate life on Earth as we know it.

Genres: Science Fiction, Amazon

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2012

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scout
By: Eric Tozzi
Narrated by: Stephen J. Holowid
A different kind of first contact story. Assumed meteor hit in the woods. Things go sideways when the "meteorite" is discovered. Action packed and makes you think.
Good narration.

[Nick Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tozzi takes the classic Small Town Alien Invasion tale to a bold new level with a blend of real world space exploration technical expertise, a film-makers gift for stunning descriptive sequences, and a keen insight into the human heart. No punches were pulled, no easy answers were offered. This is old school SciFi well worthy of past grandmasters delivered by an exciting new voice. Get this one.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Scout this July as a beta test reader before it was published. I found the characters to be developed well, and the story kept me up at night wondering what was going to happen next. I loved that Jack had several story lines happening to him with his ailing mother, his connection to his deceased father, and the developing love interests with the women in his hometown. Thanks to Eric Tozzi's work experience with JPL, there were many references to real-life space explorers, which made the story believable. Tozzi's descriptive use of words made the story come alive for me, and I can see this becoming a movie. I'm not a Sci-fi fan, but I found this book to be more than I expected. It was well-written, and I would recommend to anyone looking for an exciting story.

[David Teachout · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alien lands in a small town and an intrepid science fiction writer is the only one putting together the pieces. Sounds like every scifi writer's fantasy, much like a fantasy writer writing about people playing a board game and entering a real version of it. That the author here can do this and still have fun and make it suspenseful is impressive. Standard tropes like police ignorance and a love triangle are thrown in but don't sidetrack the story. The ending gets a little silly but the story is racing along so fast by then that it's easy to forgive and just have fun with it.

[E.K. Carmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the main story and pacing were good. The scenes with the Alzheimer's parent seemed very real and there were some interesting ideas regarding the aliens and their scouts.

That said, I had some problems with the rest of it. Strange word choices often threw me out of the story. The subplot involving the main character and the newswoman was pretty bizarre and seemed to come out of nowhere. Her turnaround near the end was way too simple and easy, too.

[Dan Barbier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good alien invasion in a small city story. Reminiscent of the movie Signs and a Michael Crichton thriller where some science mix with the Sci-Fi.
The characters of Jack and Linda are tridimensional, not the usual cardboard ones you get in these kind of stories. I recommend it to people who like their science fiction rooted in reality.

[Rory Aylward · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it started off very well, but it became less compelling as it went on and too many of the subplots were unnecessary, unsatisfying or both. Disappointing ...

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A reasonable storyline but there aren't many surprises and the writing often feels clichéd / laboured. Especially the internal dialogue and bizarre non-developing relationships.

[Katya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of reality (ageing parents, dealing with your 30s) and fantasy (mysterious things tromping through forests). Definitely kept me turning the pages!

[Kari Morandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good science fiction

Dialogue is a little hokey and stilted. And some of the leaps to understanding were a little implausible, but it was an enjoyable quick read.

[Barbara J. Blumthal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first contact story.

This is one book that you will not want to put down. I particularly liked the Midwest setting, as I was raised there.

[Kev · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor story. Didn't finish.