The Coming of the Bullocks

K-Pax #5

by Gene Brewer

"In this final book of the K-PAX series, Dr. Gene Brewer is approached by visitors from the planet Bullock, who demand that he deliver an ultimatum to the United Nations: Homo sapiens must end the killing of other humans as well as all other animal species living on Earth. Failure to meet this demand will result in the immediate extinction of the human race.
Dr. B is amazed to discover that U.S. Government officials, including the President, have been expecting such visitors (who, though not corporeal, behave like a colony of ants), and are fully prepared to acquiesce to these demands. The problem is that the rest of the world must be convinced that the Bullocks are capable of, and willing to, eliminate human beings from the face of the Earth.
Sometimes funny, always sympathetic, Dr. Brewer has a number of encounters with the Bullocks, in which he experiences undreamed of travels around the galaxy, and to his own past and beyond. For their part, the aliens willingly demonstrate their ability to remove Homo sapiens from this world.
Will the clues found on the mysterious cone-shaped device be deciphered in time to save mankind from extinction? The surprise ending will captivate and reward K-PAX fans everywhere."

Genres: Science Fiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2014

About the author

Gene R. Brewer was born and raised in Muncie, Indiana and educated at DePauw University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before becoming a novelist Dr. Brewer studied DNA replication and cell division at several major research institutions, including St. Jude Children's REsearch Hospital (Memphis) and Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland). He is the author of the acclaimed K-PAX trilogy, a memoir (Creating K-PAX), a story for young adults ("Alejandro" in Twice Told), and the stage adaptation of his novel, K-PAX. He lives in New York City and Vermont with his wife and their dog Flower. Hobbies are flying, running, chess, astronomy/cosmology, music, theater, and of course, reading (favorite author: Kurt Vonnegut). Passions include ecology, animal rights*, and his wife, Karen.

Reviews

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

KPAX-V: The Coming of the Bullocks (K-PAX #5) by Gene Brewer (Kindle Edition 2014) (Fiction – Science Fiction). I have loved the brilliant K-PAX series from the first installlment in 1995. I have waited impatiently for Gene Brewer to publish the sequels to the original and have savored each one when it came out. With that said, after reading K-PAX-V: The Coming of the Bullocks, I am glad that the author has brought this series to a close. This final installment, and for that matter the penultimate novel as well, did not necessarily flow form the story arc that author Gene Brewer had blazed in the original three novels. My sense is that the author was torn between a desire to maintain the integrity of his originally-imagined saga (the story of Prot) on the one hand and a desire to craft a generational fable for our time (Lord of the Rings, Narnia). K-PAX V is quite readable; Mr. Brewer tied a bow on this saga in just about the only way he possibly could have done so. While I believe that K-PAX V merits a score of 7/10 (three stars), I would rate the entire K-PAX series at an overall score of 8.5/10. I finished this book on 3/3/18. (This book was my very first e-book and was my first Kindle purchase).

[Hertzan Chimera · Rating 3 out of 5]

in 2014, my review of K-PAX V went online @ SF-Zone

http://www.zone-sf.com/wordworks/kpax...

2016 UPDATE: re-read this novel over Xmas 2015 and it's just as well written as any of Gene Brewer's K-PAX novels i.e. superb, invigorating, inspiring. I just hate that (utterly superfluous) AFTERWORD chapter in K-PAX V.

Basically, Gene, this is a five-star novel iff the pre-AFTERWORD chapter blended perfectly into the (five years later) EPILOGUE. Kill the AFTERWORD, I beg you.

"They go away, they come back, they tell of their findings," done, five stars, and a new movie version. Surely. :)

[Avery Follett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating is primarily for the ending, which was a cheap cliché. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 3 books of this series, but after reading the finale of the 5th book, a piece meant to resolve the plot in its entirety, I feel as though I've had something stolen from me. Would recommend stopping after finishing book 3.

[Morgan Faas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This re-imagines everything from K-PAX 1 thru this one. Be prepared.

[Pauly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book really tedious and hard going; I loved the first 3 but these last two are really bad in my opinion... That us, up until the Afterwards of this book. It suddeny validates a lot of it and leaves you wondering a bit more. I wish I knew that history before actually reading it.

It would get 1-2 stars if it wasn't for that.

Don't let this out you off the first 3 books though.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great ending (I think?) to the K-Pax series. Good story that highlighted the key need for humans to stop killing each other, which was presented in Gene Brewer's familiar sci-fi K-Pax universe.

I was not expecting the ending, which is the mark of a good story, one I think will stick with me for a while. Recommended and worth the read.

[Johnny Moscato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the entire K-PAX series. So sad that this is the last book. Getting ready to start over with book 1 again.

[Goga · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad that the story is over but what an ending. (Standing ovation)