What do you think?
Rate this book
First Contact
Entropy
Deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, on the border between Brazil and Peru, lies the Vale do Javari, a region so remote that the native tribes living there remain uncontacted by Europeans. When a Gulfstream crashes in the jungle with billionaire John Teitel onboard, an international rescue mission is launched to search for the wreckage and any possible survivors. As the team follows the winding tributaries into the dense rainforest, Lisa Mendes realizes they're being watched, but by who? Could it be that an uncontacted tribe has been contacted by extraterrestrials exploring the diversity of life on Earth?
FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.
FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.
- GenresScience Fiction
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 22, 2026
Heart pounding! I was in the Amazon!
From the first page to the last, heart pounding adventure and thrilling adventure. The characters breathed and the descriptions transported. But there was also a message making it more than fabulous entertainmeny
From the first page to the last, heart pounding adventure and thrilling adventure. The characters breathed and the descriptions transported. But there was also a message making it more than fabulous entertainmeny
March 27, 2026
Another good book by Peter Cawdron
I enjoyed the book! It's another good one by Peter Cawdron. I've read almost all of his first contact books.
I enjoyed the book! It's another good one by Peter Cawdron. I've read almost all of his first contact books.
March 25, 2026
Jared Diamond, in his 1997 seminal work Guns, Germs, and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years, made the point that intelligence is highly situational, and that adaptability in a wide range of geographical, climatological, cultural variances, combined with type and availability of exploitable resources, was the true metric of human intelligence.
Cawdron immediately gets his readers thinking along those lines with the introduction of two major characters. John Teitel is, in the words of the faddish mouthful, a multi-centi-billionaire. A plutocrat. A man whose talents are acquisition and manipulation of power and wealth, at the cost of the empathy and emotional structure that most humans need to survive. Cawdron has had plutocratic characters in the past, and has defied trope to make them sympathetic, even heroic characters. (No, not like Ayn Rand did!). In the case of John Teitel, it is clear in the first three paragraphs that he has none of those positive qualities Cawdron has given his previous such incarnations. He is bitter, angry, a bully, and a dismissive shit. He is an irredeemable dick.
In the following chapter, we meet Anuk. Anuk is a young hunter in a uncontacted tribe, at the very heart of the Amazon jungle. With effortless grace, Cawdron shows the immense versatility, stamina, situational awareness and quickness needed just to survive in an extraordinarily dangerous environment.
The juxtaposition invites the reader to compare the intelligence of the two men. Neither would last 10 minutes in the environment of the other, but on some other, more neutral ground, unfamiliar to both, my money would be on Anuk rather than the socially atrophied plutocrat.
Mick Anders is piloting Teitel’s Gulfstream G800 from French Guinia to Lima, Peru. He becomes aware that ahead lies a supercell of a size and ferocity unique to the Amazon basin, towering to 60,000 feet and with vast, dangerous convective winds. He can’t fly over it, so he’ll have to go around.
He goes back to the cabin to find Teitel viciously berating his teenage daughter. The already enraged plutocrat is not amused to learn of the delay the detour will cause, and tells Anders to fly through what he considers “just a goddamn cloud.” Anders doesn’t want to have his career trashed, and tries to split the difference, flying as close to the periphery of the storms as he dares.
It’s an ill-fated decision, as a bolt of lightning hits the nose of the craft, knocking the main flight computer offline. Also, the craft is in immediate danger of explosive decompression, which at 40,000 feet would kill all aboard. So he drops to what he hopes will be a safe altitude. But supercells have massive downdrafts, and the plane crashes, not far from where Anuk is hunting.
Anuk sees an opportunity to capture the inhabitants of the strange, noisy silver bird and prove to the elders that they are not gods, but just creatures of earth not unlike himself.
Thus the stage is set for the story. The jungle is full of strange, bizarre, never-seen-before creatures, and this being a Cawdron novel, some of them aren’t from Earth.
There is a sequence, late in the book, when Anuk is hunting the alien non-gods, and it is as suspenseful and riveting a story of cat-and-mouse as you’re ever going to read. Cawdron is brilliant in showing Atuk’s utter attunement with his environment, and how his human prey react and adapt, a clash of differing intelligences.
Kids in my time used to smirk at people like Anuk, who didn’t even know what a transistor radio was. With today’s kids, it would be a smart phone. Thinking back, I believe we would have been outraged if someone came along and asked how a transistor radio worked. Most of us, myself included, didn’t have a clue. Knowing that twisting the dials produced bad pop music gave us a leg up on Anuk, but he probably would have figured it out in minutes, and perhaps had better taste in music. Cawdron gives his character Anuk his full due, and you have to respect him and his culture even as he’s stalking the plucky survivors.
Cawdron immediately gets his readers thinking along those lines with the introduction of two major characters. John Teitel is, in the words of the faddish mouthful, a multi-centi-billionaire. A plutocrat. A man whose talents are acquisition and manipulation of power and wealth, at the cost of the empathy and emotional structure that most humans need to survive. Cawdron has had plutocratic characters in the past, and has defied trope to make them sympathetic, even heroic characters. (No, not like Ayn Rand did!). In the case of John Teitel, it is clear in the first three paragraphs that he has none of those positive qualities Cawdron has given his previous such incarnations. He is bitter, angry, a bully, and a dismissive shit. He is an irredeemable dick.
In the following chapter, we meet Anuk. Anuk is a young hunter in a uncontacted tribe, at the very heart of the Amazon jungle. With effortless grace, Cawdron shows the immense versatility, stamina, situational awareness and quickness needed just to survive in an extraordinarily dangerous environment.
The juxtaposition invites the reader to compare the intelligence of the two men. Neither would last 10 minutes in the environment of the other, but on some other, more neutral ground, unfamiliar to both, my money would be on Anuk rather than the socially atrophied plutocrat.
Mick Anders is piloting Teitel’s Gulfstream G800 from French Guinia to Lima, Peru. He becomes aware that ahead lies a supercell of a size and ferocity unique to the Amazon basin, towering to 60,000 feet and with vast, dangerous convective winds. He can’t fly over it, so he’ll have to go around.
He goes back to the cabin to find Teitel viciously berating his teenage daughter. The already enraged plutocrat is not amused to learn of the delay the detour will cause, and tells Anders to fly through what he considers “just a goddamn cloud.” Anders doesn’t want to have his career trashed, and tries to split the difference, flying as close to the periphery of the storms as he dares.
It’s an ill-fated decision, as a bolt of lightning hits the nose of the craft, knocking the main flight computer offline. Also, the craft is in immediate danger of explosive decompression, which at 40,000 feet would kill all aboard. So he drops to what he hopes will be a safe altitude. But supercells have massive downdrafts, and the plane crashes, not far from where Anuk is hunting.
Anuk sees an opportunity to capture the inhabitants of the strange, noisy silver bird and prove to the elders that they are not gods, but just creatures of earth not unlike himself.
Thus the stage is set for the story. The jungle is full of strange, bizarre, never-seen-before creatures, and this being a Cawdron novel, some of them aren’t from Earth.
There is a sequence, late in the book, when Anuk is hunting the alien non-gods, and it is as suspenseful and riveting a story of cat-and-mouse as you’re ever going to read. Cawdron is brilliant in showing Atuk’s utter attunement with his environment, and how his human prey react and adapt, a clash of differing intelligences.
Kids in my time used to smirk at people like Anuk, who didn’t even know what a transistor radio was. With today’s kids, it would be a smart phone. Thinking back, I believe we would have been outraged if someone came along and asked how a transistor radio worked. Most of us, myself included, didn’t have a clue. Knowing that twisting the dials produced bad pop music gave us a leg up on Anuk, but he probably would have figured it out in minutes, and perhaps had better taste in music. Cawdron gives his character Anuk his full due, and you have to respect him and his culture even as he’s stalking the plucky survivors.
March 27, 2026
thanks to Peter
Once again Peter takes us on an interesting adventure and shares some interesting points and perspectives with his readers. Is this my favourite Peter Cawdron book? Probably not. Is it worth a read?Certainly it is. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
Once again Peter takes us on an interesting adventure and shares some interesting points and perspectives with his readers. Is this my favourite Peter Cawdron book? Probably not. Is it worth a read?Certainly it is. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
March 23, 2026
5-stars for another great Cawdron book. I love this First Contact series. I was more than a third of the way through and I realized that the characters and plot lines had my attention so much that I forgot this was a sci-fi story! Not a mention of aliens until half-way into the book. That's what I love about these First Contact stories -- they offer so much more rich character development and storylines than a typical sci-fi book. As usual in a Cawdron book, there is a lot of philosophical dialog. The appearance of aliens is almost incidental to the story, yet we see how people might react to contact with intelligent life from elsewhere. Great read!
March 23, 2026
Entropy
Again, Mr. Cameron has taken a good read and elevated it. The questions HE asks, which in turn, become the questions I have asked my whole life, are both sublime and introspective. As Pogo once said; "I has seed the enemy, and he is us". This book will take you where you didn't expect to go. Which, I suspect, was the point all along. Thank you, Peter, for expanding my horizons once again.
Again, Mr. Cameron has taken a good read and elevated it. The questions HE asks, which in turn, become the questions I have asked my whole life, are both sublime and introspective. As Pogo once said; "I has seed the enemy, and he is us". This book will take you where you didn't expect to go. Which, I suspect, was the point all along. Thank you, Peter, for expanding my horizons once again.
March 23, 2026
Entropy, Peter Cawdron
This is another great read in Peter Cawdron's excellent First Contact series. It is thoughtful and absorbing, leaving you with all kinds of interesting speculations to muse upon.
And yet another very different alien species, very much not human -- but highly advanced and intelligent.
Give Entropy a read! You'll not be disappointed.
This is another great read in Peter Cawdron's excellent First Contact series. It is thoughtful and absorbing, leaving you with all kinds of interesting speculations to muse upon.
And yet another very different alien species, very much not human -- but highly advanced and intelligent.
Give Entropy a read! You'll not be disappointed.
April 2, 2026
First Contact deep in the Amazon rainforest
What can I say about a book that could have been great but isn’t? In Entropy, the 31st entry in his long-running series of standalone novels about First Contact with alien intelligence, Australian author Peter Cawdron tells a gripping story about the crash of a private jet deep in the Amazon rainforest and a rescue operation sent to recover the remains. Then, just as two survivors of the crash are about to begin First Contact with one of the more than 100 “uncontacted” tribes in the Amazon, Cawdron turns tail and launches into a fantasy involving highly advanced interstellar visitors. And he does so merely to subject readers to long lectures about the foibles of the human race. It’s profoundly disappointing. I know how screwed up we are. I don’t need to be reminded of it again.
Philosophical discussion mars this disappointing novel
Truth to tell, Cawdron has a long history of interjecting unbelievably articulate philosophical discussions into otherwise straightforward science fiction tales. I’ve tolerated it before because I loved the action and character development in previous books in the series. And Cawdron writes well. This time, however, I felt cheated that he dodged the opportunity to apply the logic of First Contact to that between wealthy and educated Americans and the hunter-gatherer tribespeople of the rainforest. Well told, that story could have been outstanding. Too bad.
In fairness, Cawdron does confront criticism of this sort. In an afterword explaining the sources of the facts he cites in the novel, he writes, “One common complaint about my novels is that they come across as preachy. And I get it. Readers are looking for an escape, not a sermon. The problem is… what would an intelligent extraterrestrial species make of the clusterfuck that is Homo sapiens’ recent dominance of Earth?” Fair enough. But that rejoinder comes across as lame to me in this context. Because he could have told a brilliant story here without introducing any extraterrestrials.
The story in a nutshell
A “multi-centi-billionaire” named John Teitel is flying on a private jet from the European Space Agency base in French Guiana to Lima, Peru. (He has an estimated net worth of more than $600 billion, which is somewhat less than Elon Musk’s fortune of $833 billion that Fortune estimates as I write.) Teitel is accompanied by his young trophy wife and 17-year-old daughter, Jillian. Also on an the luxurious Gulfstream G800 are pilot Mick Anders, the copilot, and a flight attendant. A massive storm causes the aircraft to plummet into the Vale do Javari in the western reaches of the Amazon rainforest, near the borders of Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. Only Mick and Jillian survive the crash. But as they walk away from the wreckage a young local warrior named Anuk captures them and forces them to walk to his village.
It turns out, however, that the elders of the village are furious with Anuk for bringing outsiders into their community. While the two Americans are confined to the village hall, the elders subject Anuk to a tongue-lashing. But he is defiant. Because Anuk has a plan. He wants to use Mick and Jillian as bait to draw out into the open the white-skinned “ghost” the elders believe is a god. And that ghost—of course!—is extraterrestrial.
More intruders enter the tale
Meanwhile, outsiders including Teitel’s family and business associates as well as the United States government are moving quickly to send a rescue mission. The team dispatched to the Amazon includes an intrepid investigative reporter named Lisa Mendes who is an expert on the rainforest and a team of Army Rangers led by Major James McCallum. Naturally, Lisa’s lover is none other than Mick Anders. She’s earning $100,000 to join the rescue effort, but Mick is more important to her. So, of course—of course!—the two will reconnect in the forest. And all will work out in the end . . . after their fateful encounter with extraterrestrials. Need I say more?
Setting the context
The nonprofit Survival International explains the logic of the “uncontacted” tribes’ refusal to allow outsiders to visit them. “Very little is known about these peoples. What we do know is that they wish to remain uncontacted: they have shot arrows at outsiders and airplanes, or they simply avoid contact by hiding deep in the forest. . . Their decision not to maintain contact with other Indigenous peoples and outsiders is almost certainly a result of previous disastrous encounters and the ongoing invasion and destruction of their forest home.” And years of headlines about violence inflicted by loggers and ranchers in Brazil makes clear exactly why the tribes behave as they do.
According to scholar Alexander Hinton’s 2002 book, Annihilating Difference: The Anthropology of Genocide, “Over eighty indigenous tribes were destroyed between 1900 and 1957, and the overall indigenous population declined by over eighty percent, from over one million to around two hundred thousand.” And the history of violence against native populations in the rainforest goes back hundreds of years to the arrival of Europeans in South America. Uncounted millions more died then. Disease was the major cause. But deliberate violence has always been part of the picture. Both the Portuguese and the Spanish were notorious for the genocide they inflicted on native peoples in the name of religion.
About the author
As Amazon tells us (in the author’s words), Peter Cawdron is a New Zealand-born Australian “science fiction writer specializing in making hard science fiction easy to understand and thoroughly enjoyable. His First Contact series is topical rather than character-based, meaning each book stands alone. These novels can be read in any order. But they all focus on the same topic of First Contact with extraterrestrial lifeforms.
“Hard science fiction is a misnomer as far as categories of literature go, as it sounds harsh and difficult to understand, but that is far from reality. Hard science fiction is simply plausible science fiction, fiction that is written in such a way that it conforms to the known laws of science, and that makes it more interesting, as there’s no magic wand the protagonist can wave to get out of trouble.”
Cawdron has lived in Queensland, Australia, for many years.
What can I say about a book that could have been great but isn’t? In Entropy, the 31st entry in his long-running series of standalone novels about First Contact with alien intelligence, Australian author Peter Cawdron tells a gripping story about the crash of a private jet deep in the Amazon rainforest and a rescue operation sent to recover the remains. Then, just as two survivors of the crash are about to begin First Contact with one of the more than 100 “uncontacted” tribes in the Amazon, Cawdron turns tail and launches into a fantasy involving highly advanced interstellar visitors. And he does so merely to subject readers to long lectures about the foibles of the human race. It’s profoundly disappointing. I know how screwed up we are. I don’t need to be reminded of it again.
Philosophical discussion mars this disappointing novel
Truth to tell, Cawdron has a long history of interjecting unbelievably articulate philosophical discussions into otherwise straightforward science fiction tales. I’ve tolerated it before because I loved the action and character development in previous books in the series. And Cawdron writes well. This time, however, I felt cheated that he dodged the opportunity to apply the logic of First Contact to that between wealthy and educated Americans and the hunter-gatherer tribespeople of the rainforest. Well told, that story could have been outstanding. Too bad.
In fairness, Cawdron does confront criticism of this sort. In an afterword explaining the sources of the facts he cites in the novel, he writes, “One common complaint about my novels is that they come across as preachy. And I get it. Readers are looking for an escape, not a sermon. The problem is… what would an intelligent extraterrestrial species make of the clusterfuck that is Homo sapiens’ recent dominance of Earth?” Fair enough. But that rejoinder comes across as lame to me in this context. Because he could have told a brilliant story here without introducing any extraterrestrials.
The story in a nutshell
A “multi-centi-billionaire” named John Teitel is flying on a private jet from the European Space Agency base in French Guiana to Lima, Peru. (He has an estimated net worth of more than $600 billion, which is somewhat less than Elon Musk’s fortune of $833 billion that Fortune estimates as I write.) Teitel is accompanied by his young trophy wife and 17-year-old daughter, Jillian. Also on an the luxurious Gulfstream G800 are pilot Mick Anders, the copilot, and a flight attendant. A massive storm causes the aircraft to plummet into the Vale do Javari in the western reaches of the Amazon rainforest, near the borders of Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. Only Mick and Jillian survive the crash. But as they walk away from the wreckage a young local warrior named Anuk captures them and forces them to walk to his village.
It turns out, however, that the elders of the village are furious with Anuk for bringing outsiders into their community. While the two Americans are confined to the village hall, the elders subject Anuk to a tongue-lashing. But he is defiant. Because Anuk has a plan. He wants to use Mick and Jillian as bait to draw out into the open the white-skinned “ghost” the elders believe is a god. And that ghost—of course!—is extraterrestrial.
More intruders enter the tale
Meanwhile, outsiders including Teitel’s family and business associates as well as the United States government are moving quickly to send a rescue mission. The team dispatched to the Amazon includes an intrepid investigative reporter named Lisa Mendes who is an expert on the rainforest and a team of Army Rangers led by Major James McCallum. Naturally, Lisa’s lover is none other than Mick Anders. She’s earning $100,000 to join the rescue effort, but Mick is more important to her. So, of course—of course!—the two will reconnect in the forest. And all will work out in the end . . . after their fateful encounter with extraterrestrials. Need I say more?
Setting the context
The nonprofit Survival International explains the logic of the “uncontacted” tribes’ refusal to allow outsiders to visit them. “Very little is known about these peoples. What we do know is that they wish to remain uncontacted: they have shot arrows at outsiders and airplanes, or they simply avoid contact by hiding deep in the forest. . . Their decision not to maintain contact with other Indigenous peoples and outsiders is almost certainly a result of previous disastrous encounters and the ongoing invasion and destruction of their forest home.” And years of headlines about violence inflicted by loggers and ranchers in Brazil makes clear exactly why the tribes behave as they do.
According to scholar Alexander Hinton’s 2002 book, Annihilating Difference: The Anthropology of Genocide, “Over eighty indigenous tribes were destroyed between 1900 and 1957, and the overall indigenous population declined by over eighty percent, from over one million to around two hundred thousand.” And the history of violence against native populations in the rainforest goes back hundreds of years to the arrival of Europeans in South America. Uncounted millions more died then. Disease was the major cause. But deliberate violence has always been part of the picture. Both the Portuguese and the Spanish were notorious for the genocide they inflicted on native peoples in the name of religion.
About the author
As Amazon tells us (in the author’s words), Peter Cawdron is a New Zealand-born Australian “science fiction writer specializing in making hard science fiction easy to understand and thoroughly enjoyable. His First Contact series is topical rather than character-based, meaning each book stands alone. These novels can be read in any order. But they all focus on the same topic of First Contact with extraterrestrial lifeforms.
“Hard science fiction is a misnomer as far as categories of literature go, as it sounds harsh and difficult to understand, but that is far from reality. Hard science fiction is simply plausible science fiction, fiction that is written in such a way that it conforms to the known laws of science, and that makes it more interesting, as there’s no magic wand the protagonist can wave to get out of trouble.”
Cawdron has lived in Queensland, Australia, for many years.
March 26, 2026
In each of my previous reviews of Peter Cawdron’s first contact books I say how amazing it is that he has now churned out thirty-four First Contact books with each being excellent, hard science Science Fiction. Each novel is unique, each approach to First Contact is new, and his writing is always engaging. And I haven’t even gotten to the Afterword, one of my favorite parts of his books. However, I am sorry to say this book does not get the same glowing introduction.
Entropy has some great ideas including; an unusual alien, lots of information about the Amazon rainforest, a different slant on drug smuggling, thoughts about uncontacted tribes, intelligence, and personal vs social knowledge. As always there were the entertaining little insights slipped into the story; such as how hypocrisy comes from the Greek meaning actors in a play, that “intelligence lies not in things but in how things are arranged,” and how the English language is anything but succinct.
In all of Cawdron’s books he uses the alien as a mirror to show the strengths and weaknesses in the human race. While Entropy has this same focus, the characters, and even the author in the Afterword, seem more like people on a soapboxes shouting platitudes.
In the Afterword Cawdron says people complain that his novels come across as preachy. For myself, I would never had said that until this one. Did Cawdron rush this book out or did he think he was too subtle in the past or has he just taken his first contact series too far? Perhaps the previous books was just so perfect that even a good book fails in comparison. Perhaps this fits into the “you can’t please all of the people all of the time” and this book might just not be my cup of tea. For whatever the reason Entropy is probably my least favorite in the series. I will anxiously away the next installment with the sincere hope that Cawdron gets his mojo back.
Entropy has some great ideas including; an unusual alien, lots of information about the Amazon rainforest, a different slant on drug smuggling, thoughts about uncontacted tribes, intelligence, and personal vs social knowledge. As always there were the entertaining little insights slipped into the story; such as how hypocrisy comes from the Greek meaning actors in a play, that “intelligence lies not in things but in how things are arranged,” and how the English language is anything but succinct.
In all of Cawdron’s books he uses the alien as a mirror to show the strengths and weaknesses in the human race. While Entropy has this same focus, the characters, and even the author in the Afterword, seem more like people on a soapboxes shouting platitudes.
In the Afterword Cawdron says people complain that his novels come across as preachy. For myself, I would never had said that until this one. Did Cawdron rush this book out or did he think he was too subtle in the past or has he just taken his first contact series too far? Perhaps the previous books was just so perfect that even a good book fails in comparison. Perhaps this fits into the “you can’t please all of the people all of the time” and this book might just not be my cup of tea. For whatever the reason Entropy is probably my least favorite in the series. I will anxiously away the next installment with the sincere hope that Cawdron gets his mojo back.
March 24, 2026
I need more stars: this latest from Peter Cawdron is that good. Real science combined with an untethered imaginative story interwoven with indisputable social philosophy: a perfect blend of ideas to provoke and challenge your intelligence and conscience. A private jet crashes in the Amazon jungle, killing all but two of the passengers: the pilot and teen-aged daughter of a billionaire. They are in an area of the Amazon that is not explored, populated by small, uncontacted tribes and dangerous beyond imagining. A small force is sent in to locate the crash site and rescue any survivors, although survival is not anticipated. There is something else in the jungle, an alien presence and an encounter with this presence may be the greatest danger, or gift, humanity has known. This story is well-written, the characters sufficiently developed but the best part of this novel is the message. This book will make you think and question everything as well as remind you of your duty to humanity and to the world. Read this!
March 28, 2026
not the way you would expect first contact to go
The aliens are here, and they are not interested in talking to our world “leaders”. Too many lies and too much deception.
A well done story, with scenes rich in detail, great character building, some surprises, though the finish was a little open-ended, sort of incomplete, but that’s because the characters still have a bit to do as they work though the things they learned from their encounter with an alien intelligence. As usual, Mr. Cawdron has given me some things to think about that will probably roll around in my head for weeks. This story seemed a bit “preachy”, in fact, Mr. Cawdron addressed that point in the notes following the story. I can’t argue with the message though, I wholeheartedly agree, but I still get annoyed when my entertainment tries to get serious with me. I can’t be sure if I’m annoyed at PC for pointing it out, or annoyed at myself for knowing I should do better.
The aliens are here, and they are not interested in talking to our world “leaders”. Too many lies and too much deception.
A well done story, with scenes rich in detail, great character building, some surprises, though the finish was a little open-ended, sort of incomplete, but that’s because the characters still have a bit to do as they work though the things they learned from their encounter with an alien intelligence. As usual, Mr. Cawdron has given me some things to think about that will probably roll around in my head for weeks. This story seemed a bit “preachy”, in fact, Mr. Cawdron addressed that point in the notes following the story. I can’t argue with the message though, I wholeheartedly agree, but I still get annoyed when my entertainment tries to get serious with me. I can’t be sure if I’m annoyed at PC for pointing it out, or annoyed at myself for knowing I should do better.
April 23, 2026
Unique and highly informative. Mr. Cawdron's writing skills are very impressive in EVERY book he writes. "Entropy" takes place mostly in the Amazon rainforest. The scenery is beautifully described including the very dangerous flora and fauna as well as the hidden "untouched tribes." In the daring attempt to rescue a multi billionaire the characters of the passengers as well as the rescue team are well defined and developed: they are what the story is truly focused on. This stand alone novel is so well written it's another must read from Mr. Cawdron's "First Contact" series. Cannot praise his books enough. The breadth and depth of his knowledge in the humanities and then integrated into a fascinating story arc of science fiction is amazing.
April 2, 2026
Entropy
A fascinating and well considered fiction that blends imagination, moral philosophy, speculation and adventure. Peter Cawdron challenges us to examine society on both the macro and micro scales. To question our place and purpose in said society and our contributions to it. He also holds up a mirror that does not generally reflect positively on our existence, he is thought provoking and probably unpalatable to a large proportion of our interlinked societies asking the age old question “What is the purpose for our/my existence?”.
A fascinating and well considered fiction that blends imagination, moral philosophy, speculation and adventure. Peter Cawdron challenges us to examine society on both the macro and micro scales. To question our place and purpose in said society and our contributions to it. He also holds up a mirror that does not generally reflect positively on our existence, he is thought provoking and probably unpalatable to a large proportion of our interlinked societies asking the age old question “What is the purpose for our/my existence?”.
April 11, 2026
I believe that Peter Cawdron’s most appealing novels are those which incorporate generous amounts of hard science mixed with interesting speculation regarding our first contact with alien species. This novel had some of that, but it was more about human foibles / philosophical weaknesses with a chapter (or more) dwelling in detail on each individual character -- their thoughts, actions, and background. The story just seemed to drag on with little advancement. This was not my favorite Peter Cawdron story.
April 16, 2026
So Good It's Hard To Put Down
Really enjoyed this book, though reading about all the creatures in the Amazon right before bed did give me a few nightmares LOL. Also really liked the portrayal of the alien entity and what he had to say about us and our world. I loved Carl Sagan and was so happy to read one of my favorite quotes in the perfect context. Thank you Peter for that and the hopeful ending...
Really enjoyed this book, though reading about all the creatures in the Amazon right before bed did give me a few nightmares LOL. Also really liked the portrayal of the alien entity and what he had to say about us and our world. I loved Carl Sagan and was so happy to read one of my favorite quotes in the perfect context. Thank you Peter for that and the hopeful ending...
April 24, 2026
It's a winner!
I really enjoyed reading Entropy, the latest book in the First Contact series. The setting is in the Amazon which is always enticing to me. So many dangers and mysterious things lurking at every turn. Also a really bad place to crash in an airplane. While waiting rescue the survivors must fight to stay alive. I don't want to spoil the plot. Needless to say, they make first contact. Great story! This book is another winner from Peter Cawdron.
5 stars for sure!
I really enjoyed reading Entropy, the latest book in the First Contact series. The setting is in the Amazon which is always enticing to me. So many dangers and mysterious things lurking at every turn. Also a really bad place to crash in an airplane. While waiting rescue the survivors must fight to stay alive. I don't want to spoil the plot. Needless to say, they make first contact. Great story! This book is another winner from Peter Cawdron.
5 stars for sure!
May 8, 2026
Another thought provoking outing...
Peter has a great talent for combining an entertaining tale with thoughtful ideas about what it is to be human.
In a setting that most of us would find quite alien is a story of survival in a hostile environment.
As with many of Peter's works, the afterword is a fascinating collection of science and philosophy.
The First Contact series continues to fascinate me with the multiplicity of scenarios that Peter is able to imagine.
Peter has a great talent for combining an entertaining tale with thoughtful ideas about what it is to be human.
In a setting that most of us would find quite alien is a story of survival in a hostile environment.
As with many of Peter's works, the afterword is a fascinating collection of science and philosophy.
The First Contact series continues to fascinate me with the multiplicity of scenarios that Peter is able to imagine.
May 13, 2026
good writing, nice story, boring in spots
Another well written by a skilled author. Interesting story line and solid science foundations. Unfortunately the author burdens reader with boring political commentary and employs a couple of hackneyed story elements. I always enjoy Cawdron‘s writing, but his inability to separate the behavior of humans (greed) from the economic system he complains about (capitalism), makes it hard for me to highly recommend this book.
Another well written by a skilled author. Interesting story line and solid science foundations. Unfortunately the author burdens reader with boring political commentary and employs a couple of hackneyed story elements. I always enjoy Cawdron‘s writing, but his inability to separate the behavior of humans (greed) from the economic system he complains about (capitalism), makes it hard for me to highly recommend this book.
March 22, 2026
imaginative view on first contact
Wordy but interesting and imaginative view of first contact. Another good story in a series of first contact scenarios. Worth reading.
Unfortunately, as always, the leftist politics intrude. I can get by it for the story, but it’s like pollution. I hate being lectured. It’s so predictable.
Wordy but interesting and imaginative view of first contact. Another good story in a series of first contact scenarios. Worth reading.
Unfortunately, as always, the leftist politics intrude. I can get by it for the story, but it’s like pollution. I hate being lectured. It’s so predictable.
March 26, 2026
Another great entry in the First Contact series.
Each story in this long and enjoyable series has been unique with its own take on first contact.
A fascinating and gripping tale that doesn't involve aliens until well into the book. I couldn't put it down.
I always enjoy the science lesson at the end of each book.
Looking forward to the next entry.
Each story in this long and enjoyable series has been unique with its own take on first contact.
A fascinating and gripping tale that doesn't involve aliens until well into the book. I couldn't put it down.
I always enjoy the science lesson at the end of each book.
Looking forward to the next entry.
April 3, 2026
I was there.
I found Entropy to be so realistic that I spent the better part of 2 days stranded in the Amazon rainforest. I got to know giant slugs and spiders larger than my hand. I enjoyed the plot and the message the book held. I will be reading more from Peter Cawdron. I appreciated the enormous research that went into Entrophy.
I found Entropy to be so realistic that I spent the better part of 2 days stranded in the Amazon rainforest. I got to know giant slugs and spiders larger than my hand. I enjoyed the plot and the message the book held. I will be reading more from Peter Cawdron. I appreciated the enormous research that went into Entrophy.
April 9, 2026
Like many of Peter's works, I found this hard to put down. For all that the aliens have much less of a presence than in some of his other stories, they were no less impactful. I can't say it was up there in my top 2 or 3 of his, but it was still a great read - The Hunt chapter in particular gripped me, even without any alien influence.
April 16, 2026
Another great read.
Did a lot of guessing on this one to see if I could predict the ending. Close, but no cigar! I love Peter's books because he always keeps me guessing and usually has a great ending that I did not fully expect, even though a few times, I was at least close. Going to leave now and go find another of his very well written stories! Thanks, Pete!!
Did a lot of guessing on this one to see if I could predict the ending. Close, but no cigar! I love Peter's books because he always keeps me guessing and usually has a great ending that I did not fully expect, even though a few times, I was at least close. Going to leave now and go find another of his very well written stories! Thanks, Pete!!
March 26, 2026
Not this author’s best work
This is not a page-turner. A reader can skip the first hundred pages easily. Cheap philosophy masquerading as fiction. The next hundred pages also dragged along with little reward. Only the last fifty or so pages reminded me of his earlier work.
This is not a page-turner. A reader can skip the first hundred pages easily. Cheap philosophy masquerading as fiction. The next hundred pages also dragged along with little reward. Only the last fifty or so pages reminded me of his earlier work.
March 31, 2026
If Only
Humanity needs all the help it can get until we wake up and pull together for ourselves and also to save this beautiful Earth. Another thought provoking First Contact from Peter C.
Humanity needs all the help it can get until we wake up and pull together for ourselves and also to save this beautiful Earth. Another thought provoking First Contact from Peter C.
April 2, 2026
Excellent!
As always, Peter remains my favourite author. He doesn’t write the sort of rubbish you can read everywhere; he creates thoughtful, thought-provoking, poignant commentary on humanity itself. The man is a master.
As always, Peter remains my favourite author. He doesn’t write the sort of rubbish you can read everywhere; he creates thoughtful, thought-provoking, poignant commentary on humanity itself. The man is a master.
April 19, 2026
Cawdron Does It Again!
This one is a profoundly important story with a teaching of deep wisdom. There is a stunning portrayal of character, including the character of the extreme jungle and the clash of cultures. I look forward to reading this one again!
This one is a profoundly important story with a teaching of deep wisdom. There is a stunning portrayal of character, including the character of the extreme jungle and the clash of cultures. I look forward to reading this one again!
May 7, 2026
Political Views
Love the first contact series but don't appreciate references to political views in my sci-first stories or by musicians I enjoy...getting away from that is part of the reason I read and listen to music. Another good book though...
Love the first contact series but don't appreciate references to political views in my sci-first stories or by musicians I enjoy...getting away from that is part of the reason I read and listen to music. Another good book though...
May 10, 2026
Wonderful story
I love how Cawdron incorporates political references throughout his stories. His perspectives on different issues relevant to today's issues are so point on, in addition to great plots. One of the best SF authors of our time.
I love how Cawdron incorporates political references throughout his stories. His perspectives on different issues relevant to today's issues are so point on, in addition to great plots. One of the best SF authors of our time.
June 2, 2026
Fabulous modern take for humanity....
Fantastic read, everyone should read this, as a soul educator and cleanser. It grabs the reader straight away, and like Alice you venture down this tale of reality.....
Fantastic read, everyone should read this, as a soul educator and cleanser. It grabs the reader straight away, and like Alice you venture down this tale of reality.....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews