Die Apotheke: Hard Science Fiction (Erstkontakt)

First Contact

by Peter Cawdron, Sharyn Wegmann (translator)

Im Jahr 1558, während der Herrschaft von Königin Maria I. Tudor, wird die Erde von Außerirdischen besucht. Ihr Auftrag besteht darin, Proben des Lebens auf der Erde zu sammeln und die Menschheit zu beobachten. Auf keinen Fall sollen sie, die als Lord und Lady deBrooke in die Gesellschaft integriert sind, jedoch in Kontakt mit den Einheimischen treten. Als sie allerdings Zeugen einer brutalen Hinrichtung werden, stellt das ihre Geduld auf eine harte Probe. Sollen sie ihre Fähigkeiten nutzen, um die unschuldigen Opfer zu retten, und damit ihre Mission gefährden?

Wie etwa "Black Mirror" basiert die Erstkontakt-Reihe auf einem bestimmten Thema und nicht auf gemeinsamen Charakteren. Alle Teile können deshalb in beliebiger Reihenfolge gelesen werden. Technisch gesehen ist tatsächlich jeder Teil der "erste", weil es immer darum geht, wie wir auf den Kontakt mit Außerirdischen aus der Perspektive von Wissenschaft, Gesellschaft, Politik und Religion reagieren könnten.

Hard Science Fiction, die in einer nahen Zukunft genau so geschehen könnte.

Genres: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction

402 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2023

Reviews

[Andy Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:

Cawdron is one of my favorite authors and I'll buy each and every book he publishes, but this one was a bit of a miss for me.

The story isn't really about aliens, although they do play a role. Mostly we follow Anthony from his life as an apprentice (in the 6th century) to his interactions with the aliens and then to the modern-day England. It sounds like a lot of story, but there isn't much more than could be covered in a short story. So what adds pages to the book?

Much of this book falls between philosophical tangents and preaching. We get religion vs. science in the beginning, discovery of sciences in the middle, and power vs. population in the end. With a bit of thought on our progression of technology vs societal morality at the end. If you're new to these topics, you'll enjoy these soliloquies. Unfortunately, it was much covered ground for me.

Read it!

[reherrma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.7| Im neuesten Roman von Peter Cawdron in seiner Reihe "Erstkontakt" hatte ich zu Beginn zum ersten Mal das Gefühl, einen eher gefühlt durchschnittlichen Roman in dieser Reihe zu lesen. Allerdings hat mich der Autor im Laufe der Lektüre wieder mal gezeigt, dass auch hier wieder ein überdurchschnittlicher SF-Roman vorliegt, besonders nach einer Wendung der Erzählung mit einem zeitlichen Perspektivwechsel konnte sich bei mir wieder der gewohnte "Wow-Effekt" bei dieser Romanreihe einstellen, wie bei den bisherigen, auf deutsch vorliegenden, Bänden dieser Reihe.
Der Roman beginnt in der Zeit der Bloody Queen Mary (1516-1558) im frühen 16. Jahrhundert. Außerirdische beobachten in dieser Zeit die Erde und halten sich in London auf. Dabei kommen sie in Kontakt mit dem Apothekergehilfen Anthony und einem blinden Mädchen, die beiden geraten unschuldig in die Fänge des Bischofs Blaine, der sie vor der St. Pauls Kathedrale auf dem Scheiterhaufen hinrichten wollte, bevor sie von den beiden Außerirdischen geretten werden. Sie werden von den Außerirdischen aufgenommen und mit auf die Reise zu anderen Sonnensystemen mitgenommen. Nachdem das Mädchen tragisch gestorben ist, wird Anthonys Wunsch, nach London zurückzukehren, gewährt. Allerdings sind durch die Zeitdilation mehr als 500 Jahre vergangen, als Anthony wieder den Boden in London betritt. Er geht zur Apotheke, dessen Gemäuer immer noch steht, allerdings wurde ein Sexshop darin integriert, die Angestellte nimmt, nach einigen Schwierigkeiten, sich dem Fremden an, der in einem altenglischen Dialekt spricht. Die Ankunft des UFOs wurde allerdings von den Militärs bemerkt und die Ankunft des Mannes registriert, was daraufhin eine Jagd auf Anthony einleitet...
Ein atemberaubender (Polit)Thriller entwickelt sich, der einige politische Anspielungen auf unsere Zeit beinhaltet. Ein Buch, das auch ein spannender historischer Einblick in eine interessante Zeit gewährt, im 2. Teil eine atemberaubende Verfolgungsjagd mit spannenden Einblicken in die britische Politik mit Verwicklungen und militärischen Einflüssen außenpolitischer Art und zum Schluss mit einer eindrucksvollen Rede Anhonys an die Weltöffentlichkeit über den Vergleich der gesellschaftlichen Intelligenz der Menschheit in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, besonders auch im Hinblick wie die Aliens uns sehen; spannend, eindrucksvoll, anrührend und mit emphatischen Szenen, die für mich sehr ergreifend und herrlich waren...
Ich kann es noch immer nicht begreifen, wie gut diese Bücher (Erstkontakt-Reihe) sind und dass noch kein SF-Großverlag darauf gekommen ist, sich ihrer anzunehmen...

[Val Slininger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good news and Bad

First the Good News: I haven't read a Peter Cawdron book that hasn't made me think beyond the story. Yes, it is enjoyable. Yes, it is some of the best SciFi work out there. Yes, I'm comparing it to the giants Heinlen, Clark, Herbert, Asimov, Niven... Cawdron doesn't stand on their shoulders, he stands next to them! You get the idea of what "Best" means to me
The bad news: I came to the end of the book. Sigh.
Read his books.

[Nemo ☠️ (pagesandprozac) · Rating 1 out of 5]

(DNF at 55%)

I've enjoyed a couple of Cawdron's other works, and although his writing has always been a bit clumsy, this one turns it up to eleven. This is barely even a novel, just a megaphone for the author's beliefs - beliefs which I in fact agree with, but I want to read a novel. If I wanted a list of basic boilerplate opinions, I'd open Twitter (or Twatter, as he calls it). I'm not interested in reading something with the subtlety and complexity of a lead brick to the face.

[Jas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another brilliant Sci-Fi Masterpiece in the continued “First Contact” series by Cawdron, although each of these books is a standalone so can be read separately without any issue.
The story centres around Anthony, a young apothecary apprentice in 16th Century England. Anthony is an intelligent young lad, growing up in the lower-class areas of London in the time of Queen Mary and when it was common for brutal people using the Church and Religion to push an agenda of cruelty and murder. People are routinely picked off the streets for seemingly trivial infractions and burnt at the stack, or crucified as blasphemers.
For young Anthony, he is trying to survive in this world, learning about his craft, with his best friend, a young blind girl called Julia. Julia comes out each day and sits on the wall in front of the Apothecary, listening to the world go by, and whenever she can, getting Anthony to tell her literally EVERYTHING that is happening, or describing to the smallest detail what he can see about the street, the sky, a bakery. Whilst Julia learns from this, for Anthony, it has allowed him to ‘SEE’ in a different way, giving him a different perspective of the world, and because he is an intelligent person, a greater grasp of his surroundings.
Of course, because he is a teenage lad, his mind does tend to wander though, and this gets him into trouble.
This is where we meet a fascinating character, The Lady Elizabeth de Brooke.
As the story progresses, we get to see the full force of a local Bishop on display as he uses his power to execute some of the local population, and then turns his attention to others. However, he doesn’t realise that some of those involved have also become the interest of beings that are not of this world, beings that have been sent to gather information about our world. I don’t want to give anything away, but what happens as a result makes for a brilliant read.
This story is divided into several ‘Acts’, and it is fascinating watching the story unfold through each of these different sections, not just how the characters evolve and change, but how the world changes around them as well.
As with all of his books, Cawdron has done an exceptional job of researching his work to create this stunning world that we get to exist in for the start of this story. You really feel like you are in 16th Century England, with the sites, the sounds, the smells. The descriptive work that he portrays between Anthony and Julia is just beautiful, and you can really feel the genuine love and connection that the two characters have for each other. But the detail that Anthony gives, you can imagine closing your own eyes and listening to him, and understanding what he creates, this complex picture right out of old England. Cawdron has even gone to the effort of using some ‘old English’ from the times, but wrapping it into modern English and the story, so that it can be understood, whilst still adding some authenticity to the story (to a fashion)
The two characters of Anthony and Julia are exceptional, you get the intelligence of Anthony, but that youthful daydreaming he has to, whilst for Julia, you can really empathise with her situation, the daily struggle she has. There are numerous side characters (Anthony’s Master, the Bishop other friends), that are just outstanding in their roles to.
I can’t give anything away for the later parts of the story, but there are some other characters that are just as brilliant as Anthony and Julia later in the story to.
Cawdron has had some great fun with this story as well, there are parts of this book in which I was laughing so hard, I had to put the book down I was in tears (The chapter entitled ‘Churlish Dalcop Fopdoodle’ is particularly hilarious!! And yes, these are real words from Old English). There are just some really clever and humorous parts that add an extra element to this story.
This is Cawdron at his best, telling a wonderful tale of a set of characters in a stunning backdrop, that come across a first contact situation that they did not expect, and the resultant outcomes. In this situation, there are multiple outcomes and some fascinating situations that result, both gritty and intriguing, (and some incredibly brutal in the 16th Century), others hilarious.
Apothecary is another of Cawdron’s Masterpieces and is an absolute MUST READ – add it to the Must Reads of 2023.

[Damon McLay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fantastic Novel!

It’s slow going at the beginning, I had to really push myself to keep reading. However it soon became totally worth it! I highly recommend this and other Peter Cawdron Contact novels.

[Kimmy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

History, Science, and a bit of humour

Two of my favourite things - science fiction and the Elizabethan period (well, pre-Liz, but who’s counting?). Anthony, an apothecary’s apprentice in the London of Queen Mary, and is blind best friend Julia run into a spot of bother with the local religious hardliners, and are rescued by an aristocratic couple.
One boat journey later, and they realise that all is not as they thought,nor indeed, they could have ever imagined, as they find themselves hurtling amongst the stars with their saviours and new friends. Back in present day London, however, a threat appears in the shape of a UFO, and soon it’s realised that there’s an alien on the loose. This (READ THE BOOK!!!) leads to one of the funniest robbery gone wrong scenes I’ve encountered.
As always, humanity and science rub along together quite well, and we’re taught a lot about what we are via a mirror held up by a visitor from the past.

[Gus Grubba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter, you’ve outdone yourself.

Yet again…

(This thing is telling me it requires 11 more words. So this is just to make the lord of silly rules happy.)

[Zepp Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

London, home to the best and the worst

The best and the worst. Anthony must travel dozens of light years in order to return to a home changed beyond comprehension, and yet very frighteningly just as her left it. A brilliant out big-time story by Carson that will haunt and empower your dreams.

[Alex Lennon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely comment at length on poor books but in this case I’ll make an exception. I deeply resent a book ostensibly telling me to think for myself whilst then parroting the decades of nonsense we have thrown at us in the name of this intelligent the author appears to be that which he most dislikes. A Father Blaine, sure in his correctness whilst he damages those around him.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody Mary reigns in England as this remarkable novel opens. It’s 1558. Shakespeare had not yet been born, and the queen who would give her name to the Elizabethan Age was months away from gaining the throne. Mary’s agent, the notorious Bishop Blaine, is terrorizing London with wild accusations of heresy—and burning his victims at the stake, with explosive collars around their necks. Scenes like this dominate the opening chapters of Apothecary, Peter Cawdron’s brilliant sci-fi historical fiction mashup.

A BISHOP, A BURNING, AND A BEAUTIFUL LADY
Seventeen-year-old Anthony is apprenticed to Master Dunmore, proprietor of the apothecary in Westminster, a village on the outskirts of London and the seat of Parliament. The young man has grown up with Julia, his best friend, who turned blind at the age of six from the “pox.” He defends her fiercely. But he is powerless when Bishop Blaine seizes them both. Anthony had been horror-stricken at witnessing two innocent men burning at the stake, and the bishop took his expression as a sign of heresy. But a passing noblewoman, Lady Elizabeth de Brooke, a confidante of the queen, intervenes, rescuing the pair.

BUT LADY DE BROOKE IS NO LADY
Unfortunately, to escape from the bishop and the armed men he commands, Lady de Brooke must display power no earthly woman could muster. She brings down a bolt of lightning on one soldier, then summons a fierce storm on the Thames as they escape from Westminster in a boat. And soon it is clear that Lady de Brooke is no lady, and in fact is not human.

She and her “husband,” Lord de Brooke, are long-lived aliens who have been studying life on Earth as part of their race’s mission to gather knowledge of life throughout the universe. Both Anthony and Julia are bright and curious, unlike most of the people they know. And despite Lord de Brooke’s misgivings, they insist on accompanying the aliens as they leave Earth on their continuing quest for knowledge.

So it is that First Contact on Earth has taken place in 16th-century England. But there is more to come. Much more. The two young English subjects have great adventures in store for them. And that apothecary will prove to be central to the story.

AN OVERALL ASSESSMENT
It’s common for a mixed-genre mashup to excel in one genre and fall short in the other. But this sci-fi historical fiction mashup works as well in either.

However, the novel isn’t flawless. Peter Cawdron seems to have missed a calling as a moral philosopher, and Apothecary, like some of his other books, includes sometimes long-winded narrative passages and monologues that strike me as preachy. But he writes well, and the interruptions are tolerable. More to the point, the man tells a damn good story.

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good*
This is a quirky Sci-Fi story about alien first contact set in 16th century England. It's a character driven story that *leans too heavily on inducing anxiety in the reader.
I very nearly quit twice and wished that I had once but ultimately finished it. It was a fun ride that went places I honestly did not expect.

[Sean Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tremendously exciting read: I had no idea where it was going to go at first, but as soon as we left the planet my excitement rocketed along with the spacecraft.
by the time we catch up with the modern era, I am thoroughly hooked, and the story played out with, yes, some predictability but, for all that, a sense of satisfaction and rightness.

[Karen Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another thoughtful First Contact story

We are shown ourselves in this book, the weaknesses and cruelties and unreasoning fear of humankind. My but we are a paranoid species!

Fear makes people do cruel things to those they fear. But we can learn why that makes no sense, why our species needs to grow beyond that paranoid point of view.

This is an enjoyable series, challenging us to experience some of the possible ways First contact could occur.

On to the next one!

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Peter Cawdron for another first contact book. This version was excellent until the didacticism overwhelmed me in the second part. 3.5 stars.

[Douglas Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like almost all of Peter Cawdron's books, but I loved Apothecary. It's a first contact story (Peter has written a collection of them, each with a different take on the same topic). This one is set in pre-renaissance England. Queen Mary is on the throne and William Shakespeare is just a boy. Hidden among the English nobles are two aliens! No worries, these aliens are just checking things out, not trying to steal our water or enslave the humans at the dilithium crystal mines. We also meet a young man learning a trade and his friend, a blind girl. It's an interesting collection of characters, and what happens next is when the story gets interesting. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that everything you wish would happen, does happen. Keep reading. The story will change but it holds your attention all the way to the end!

[Chris Galicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I was excited to read this based off of the synopsis. I was all in for aliens interacting with humans. I was here for all the amazing things that come from a sci-fi book. This wasn’t it. For me, it barely fits the category.
The first quarter of the book is the best part. Once it reaches the second “part”, it becomes less sci-fi and more preachy. This wasn’t a total miss for me, solely because of the first half. If you’re looking for futuristic crazy sci-fi, this is not the book. Look elsewhere.
If you want a tiny bit of sci-fi mixed in with the authors opinion about what’s wrong with humanity by way of religion, politics, and morality…then go for it.
Based solely off this book, I don’t think I’d read this author again.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't know if I can say this was one of Cawdron's best books but, I will. I don't often give 5-star ratings but there was something about this book that made me do it. I have enjoyed several of Peter Cawdron's stories, especially those of First Contact, and I look forward to many more. He writes a lot of books but that doesn't mean that the quality suffers from the quantity.

This book starts out in the 16th Century with a pair of commoners in their late teens. Anthony is fortunate to have an apprenticeship working at the Apothecary probably because he is smart and perceptive. He is also compassionate. He has a close friendship with (and a bit of a crush on) a 17-year-old blind girl who he guides through life (literally). His compassion is shown in how he takes great pleasure in describing everyday sights to her and enjoying the pleasure she derives from his descriptions. (This is also, a great example of Cawdron's ability to paint pictures with words)

Anthony and Julia live in London during the reign of Queen (Bloody) Mary I, a brutal period in England's history. Cawdron describes their life in a way that takes the reader back to that harsh and frightening environment. The detail to which Cawdron goes to convey the brutality of the times is both enlightening and rebarbative. To the 21st Century reader it is hard to imagine how the young pair could even survive from day to day in that setting. Cawdron's world-building skills are very evident in his depiction of that existence.

So as not to provide any spoilers I will suffice to say that the adventure continues in 21st Century London when an alien ship appears briefly over the city and then disappears. The ensuing chaos brings us to meet new characters who are propelled into a situation that creates choices for them that very well may lead to tragedy if not made correctly.

Cawdron does an excellent job of developing relatable characters and putting the reader in their shoes, and instilling in the reader the sense of urgency the characters feel. His ability to create realistic environments and to take the reader there are exceptional. And although he is Australian, or maybe because he is Australian, he has a unique perspective of the British and American views of the world and their places in it.

Some readers may find portions of this book particularly the end, a bit "preachy" but I found Cawdron's viewpoint refreshing and uplifting. I left this story with the feeling that even in this period of cynicism, particularly in America, that there is still hope for a better world, and for people that will bring it about.

I can't wait to read more of Peter Cawdron's stories.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apothecary is the latest of Peter Cawdron’s first contact books and it is quite a bit different that the twenty-two others. As I’ve said before, writing just one good book about humanities first contact with an alien species is quite an achievement but twenty-three is downright ridiculous.

If you are old like me, or if you watch a lot of old movies, you might remember the fun of trying to spot Alfred Hitchcock’s quick cameo in his films. With Cawdron, the fun thing is seeing how he is going to have humanity meet up with a sentient species from another world. It is always a surprise and that goes triple for Apothecary with London in the year 1558 CE being an unusual setting for a science fiction novel.

This book is part science fiction story, part historical novel, part science textbook, and part a sociological/philosophical thesis. Our protagonist, Anthony, gets to experience aliens and different centuries and then freely shares with the reader what he has learned along the way.

While this is ostensively a book about aliens, it primarily focuses on human nature. Is it our thinking or our feeling that makes us human? Should our focus be on the civilizations we build or innate savagery we cannot seem to escape? In so many ways we are the best and the worst we can be. In this book, Cawdron shines a light on how our technological advances are far outpacing our ethical development.

I left this book a bit disappointed, which is surprising as I have loved each and every Cawdron first contact book. Somehow it feels like he has spread himself too thin - fitting in so much English history and modern politics the aliens become a mere backdrop. This isn’t to say this is not an interesting book but rather I would have preferred more time with the aliens.

As always, I want to point out that one of the best parts of Cawdron’s books is the afterword. Here his gives you some insight into how the book came to be, issues he faced writing it, and more about the science mentioned in the book. It is almost like getting to chat with the author.

[Judith Trail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this a 4.5 rating. Similar to the Art of War, by Cawdron, this book started out in 16th century England at the time of Mary Queen of Scots. The beginning chapters offer no suggestion as to how this is going to be a First Contact type of story, instead focusing on the extreme aggression shown by the Catholic Church to anyone engaging in "heresy," loosely defined as any criticism of the Catholic Church and its teachings. It is a time of persecution, repression and execution. Young Anthony and his blind friend are unwittingly accused of heresy and sentenced to be burned to death. However, sentenced to death, they are saved by an aristocratic woman, who tells them they will sail with her to the West Indies. Then things get interesting. Cawdron then turns this interesting historic story to pure science fiction as First Contact is introduced. The novel ends with Anthony returning to Earth after what seemed to him to be 10 years, but was in fact over 500 years. At this point, the novel got a bit didactic for my tastes. While still dealing with humans reacting to alien contact, Cawdron's writing became a bit like a lecturer, pointing out humanity's many faults and failings and issuing dire warnings if our natures do not improve. However, the historical aspect of this novel held things together to offer another glimpse of first contact at a time when humanity was not as sophisticated technologically, but capable of nuanced and profound moral thinking.

[Julbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Apothecary is a book one wouldn't want to put down once started—that is, if one's a huge science fiction fan, especially of the space exploration genre, like me. The weaving of medieval England into the story was an added bonus (I also like history).

With that said, I'm only giving this 3/5 stars because I had to suspend disbelief as early as the second chapter. Apothecary is really good if one focuses only on its captivating storytelling. Add a dash of critical thinking and the book loses its brilliance. Anthony's characterisation felt out of place of medieval England. He's simply not a believable character. Felix was even worse. I was ready to give this book 4/5 stars but that preachy, holier-than-thou tirade at the end had simply made my eyes roll. That hundred-thousand march at the end was too contrived and did the book a disservice.

Whilst Apothecary is truly enjoyable, its magic doesn't linger. It didn't keep me thinking about it for days like Liu Cixin's The Three Body Problem did. It didn't evoke imagination and rumination of what's said and unsaid like Stephen King's "The Jaunt" did to me. It was a good read, and nothing else.

Nonetheless, I'll surely read more of Peter Cawdron's works! Let's support independent science fiction authors!

[John Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Cawdron is an expert at First Contact because he has probably thought about it more than any other author. He is also an expert at character development, making you fall in love with his characters in every book. But he is also outstanding at setting the stage, creating the scene, and allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the story as though they are there. He also does more research to ensure his stories are factual than most authors.

Wrap all this up, and you have another great story from Peter, this time with First Contact being initiated by aliens who are exploring our world in the 16th Century. He has gone to great lengths to ensure his story is historically accurate and again proven he is the master at hard science fiction. One interesting thing about this book is that it is written in three acts, each providing a different POV, never returning to the original.

Expertly written, this is one of Cawdron's three best novels. Be forewarned, however, because he has used British English, much of it Olde English, and the American reader may find it a bit odd. This allows him to set the stage and make the reader think they are there, along with the story's characters. I strongly recommend you add this to your collection.

[Brad Stephan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all but two of Peter Cawdron's First Contact series and have enjoyed them all. (Those two are locked and loaded on my Paperwhite!) I could call Cawdron the Louie L'Amour of Science Fiction- you will always have an enjoyable, approachable read in your hands! Often with this genre, I am unable to finish a novel due to boredom or whatever. This is why I always check out the reviews on Goodreads before wasting time and money on a Science Fiction novel. But, checking Goodreads is something I do not have to do with Cawdron. I know without doubt when I pick up a Cawdron First Contact novel, I will read the entire length and be perfectly entertained all along the way. Also, being Science Fiction rather than a Western, each book is entirely unlike all the others, which cannot be said for L'Amour. Regarding this book, I would describe the first half as being: "Peter Cawdron meets Charles Dickens and Ken Follet", while the second half being: "Peter Cawdron meets Mark Twain and Paddy Ashdown". I'll stop here, as I cannot hope to compete with all the fine reviewers on Goodreads and will just say - pick up any book from Cawdron's First Contact series and be prepared for an entertaining, thought-provoking and knowledge-gaining afternoon!

[Emz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a captivating tale that delves into the intricacies of time dilation, following the journey of Anthony, an apprentice apothecary from the Elizabethan era. Accused of heresy alongside his friend Julia, they make a daring escape from Earth to avoid a grim fate of death by immolation. What unfolds is a narrative spanning ten years for Anthony aboard an alien spaceship, while five hundred years elapse on Earth.

The story takes a gripping turn with the second contact, marked by confusion and fear, catapulting Anthony into the center of geopolitical turmoil and widespread panic. Through Anthony's lens, we witness the wondrous changes that have transpired during his absence, from the marvel of flushing toilets to the poignant realization that, in essence, very little has changed in the human psyche.

In conclusion, the narrative skillfully weaves together elements of suspense, wonder, and reflection. Anthony's observations serve as a lens through which we explore both the advancements and enduring aspects of the human experience, making for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

[William S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not impressed

This book is written with two stories. The why of this escapes me. With a few adventures here and there, we tell a story of two young people running off with a couple of aliens in a space ship. That story abruptly ends out in space. The aliens are so incompletely developed in the story that they are like flimsy paper dolls. The new story starts with England panicking over the approach of an extra terrestrial object speeding on a collision like an ICBM straight toward London. Instead, it drops off one of the aforesaid couple, and promptly shoots back into space. For reasons explained in the story, our returnee ends up at a sex shop where he shows off his numchuk skills with a pair of dildoes. Meanwhile the government does a Keystone Cops simulation trying to find him. So with several pages of the author's opinions about peace and war, and how first contact should be handled, our returnee is allowed to go his way out to get a hamburger at the local Mickey D's.

[Elrik · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I thought it would be a tedious YA story. Then it turned out to be an interesting take on the first contact scenario. Paired with a funny twist of time traveller.
But...
At some point it becomes tedious, when the characters stand literally before the solution and cant grasp it. As it happened soo often, it must a perk of P Cawdron, some kind of tension building - and I learned to hate it. Literally. Wanted to finish the story, but it became partially painful.
And...
When every sentence of dialogue is prepared and explained and xrayed and and and - again, very very annoying.
Finally...
The end was horribly soapwashed, not woven into the story, I cant start to explain. Moral Kindergarten, if you grow up you can play with the grown ups. And kind of the whole story hinges on the end, and it is done in one speech.

I really liked some of the ideas and characters, and some scenes were indeed hilarious. But overall, I would not read this again, wouldnt recommend it and only finished skipping/inattentive.

[Curt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in Cawdron's First Contact Series

What I enjoy about Peter Cawdron's FIRST CONTACT series are two things. First, each book is a stand-alone novel; there are no cliffhangers, multi-book trilogies, tetralogies, pentalogies, or worse, the never-ending series of books that drag you along, feeding repetitive content to collect your money. Second, Cawdron manages to develop a unique story with each novel.

Apothecary starts in the 16th century with Anthony, a young man who works as an apprentice in an apothecary in England. The apothecary procures and sells spices, aromatics and the like. Anthony lives during the reign of England's "Bloody" Queen Mary and is witness to religious execution at the hands of Bishop Blaine. Bishop Blaine soon targets Anthony and his blind girlfriend for execution. An alien, posing as a human, intercedes. The story is not confined to the 16th century, and the second act moves to 21st-century England, where the old Apothecary is a retail sex shop and the location of another alien encounter. This time, the government response highlights humanity in a less-than-perfect light.

The characters were well developed. Cawdron manages to dispel some misconceptions people may have about the intelligence of people based on their stations in life. Anthony, from the 16th century, where people defecate in buckets and have inferior technology, is quite insightful in the ways of humanity. Similarly, Lucy, "just a store clerk," demonstrates a level of maturity in relating to the aliens well beyond that of her government.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book (as I have many of the books Cawdron's First Contact series)

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a continuation of Cawdron's "First Contact" series of novels that are on one subject...the first contact with Aliens life. This one is somewhat unique as its basic premise is a intelligent alien race that sends out space ships across the universe to find life and then return to a gathering of their own species to share what they have found on their journeys.

The story starts with in the late 16th century in London. The story is told through the eyes of Anthony who works in a Apothecary and his friend who is a girl and is blind. They meet an Alien who they believe to be a "Lady" of the day and she becomes protective the youths. Events unfold that put the youths in danger of being burned at the stake by the local bishop. The Lady saves them and takes them with them on their journey to the stars. The book ends with Anthony's return via the space ship in modern day London. The ship is detected and chaos unfolds to which Anthony must respond. The ending is very well handle. The story lags in the beginning but the end is handled very well.

[Lynda Engler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slow burnand a compeling story. When teenager Anthony and his blind friend Julia meet aliens (disguised as humans) in 1558, their lives change forever. In the reign of Bloody Queen Mary, London is not a safe place for anyone. The Bishop can arrest you and burn you at the stake for heresy because he feels like it. Trumped up lies are all it takes.

When Julia is accused of reading withcraft in church (forget the fact that she's blind and cannot see to read), Anthony rescues her ... and that's where their adventure with aliens begins. But no matter how far they travel, the wonders they experience, they long for home, even if they can never go back.

I first discovered Peter Cawdron from an Audible suggestion, "Welcome to the Occupied States of America" in 2017 and have been a fan ever since. The "First Contact" series are stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life and can be read in any order.

[Stephen O'Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

Amazon Kindle offers a vast panoply of science fiction pap. Tired tropes delivered via braided story lines that eventually converge in …..the next book ( always the next book) .

Cawdron’s Contact series is not one of these. Each book is stand alone. Each book superbly written, actually goes somewhere , somewhere new, somewhere that has a destination.

Apothecary is ( to me) a completely new take on the first contact genre. And while not perfect ( bits of it felt like he was channeling Ayn Randy’s sermonizing) it is perfect enough to be the only book out of hundreds that I felt deserved a review.