Second Contact

by J.D. Austin

When attempts to seek contact with the alien paradise planet of Kivlan are rebuffed with missiles, Earth forces send Matt Wiener to make friends with a reluctant extraterrestrial civilization. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jamesboggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up Second Contact for $2 at Arisia 2018 just in case I ever wanted to read a pulp sci fi novel in between heavier books. It was not worth the money.

Now, I will not complain about the flat characters that never change, the female PHDs who faced with contact with an alien species just want to talk about makeup, the simple plot you could finish in your sleep, or the rushed romances. These sorts of flaws should all be expected of a pulp novel. Pulp need not be art; it just has to be fun.

Unfortunately, Second Contact is not fun. I could not get past the overbearing conservative political commentary just dripping off of every page. Seriously, it makes Starship Troopers seem measured and philosophically deep. It starts with a botched mission led by the sort of parodies of liberals you find on particularly childish Internet forums. These “astronauts” are so coddled they cannot stand that the one conservative reads something so problematic as Shakespeare, and ultimately melt down when faced with the slightest opposition. The next mission is filled with military men and women, and the book delights in describing in detail the ways the military saved each poor misunderstood genius. I am not exaggerating; this book does portray every single member of any military as unbelievably brilliant, preternaturally hardworking, and superhumanly moral. I am honestly surprised the author found any time between extended passages of military worship to write even a flimsy plot. Maybe I am oversensitive, but I have a problem with a book literally telling me I am a lesser human being because I never joined the military.

Keep your political nonsense out of my books. Conservative, liberal, libertarian, or socialist – it does not matter. I see this sort of drivel spouted sincerely in the real world and on the Internet too often as it is. If all you have are insults and stereotypes, just do not even bother.

Ironically, despite pages and pages and pages extolling the virtues of our military heroes, they do nothing in this book. They never make any choices. They never use any skills. They never help anyone. They are just there for the ride. Compare this to famous pulp hero John Carter of Mars, whose skills and choices shake multiple civilizations to their foundation. John Carter actually mattered to his own books! If you removed our intrepid military supermen from Second Contact, you would have a much better thriller about an alien world on the brink of war. Pulp heroes should drive the plots of their books with their abilities and indomitable wills. Why would I want to read about a hero who never does anything heroic?

This book annoyed me the whole way through. There were some bright spots during the section on Kivlan before the second mission arrived, but even then there was this weird fixation on the military. I strongly recommend anyone thinking about this book just skip it.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second Contact starts out as a near future Satire/Comedy. The first chapter is funny and fantastic. Then the book breaks down into what appears to be a layout for the real book. The 7 or 8 characters are introduced and we are told their histories. This monotonous introduction takes up about a quarter of the book. Then we get a little bit of interesting interaction between the characters before we move on to Kivlan to meet and greet those characters and their society. By now a majority of the humor has disappeared and has been replaced with, well, nothing. The rest of the book has no heart or soul. It's not a terrible story, or a terrible book, it just seems very incomplete. It almost read like a high school writing assignment. Like others have mentioned, I find it hard to believe that any editor would allow a book this incomplete to be published.

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd book. At first I didn't know how to take it. Then I realized it was pure satire and a morality tale to book. Made me laugh. A very high three stars. Maybe I'll come back and raise to four stars.

[K. Kumar Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Less science, but semi deep philosophy. Entertaining, though no engaging climax. Good to read, more like those Ed Wood Jr movies.