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Startoucher
After 3.8 billion years, the alien creators of life on Earth return to evaluate the results of their experiment. One species is found to be an extreme danger to itself and others – Humanity. Evidence for the continuation of the species hangs by a thread.
Jake Connolly, talented up and coming LA lawyer, has a hidden psychic side long suppressed. When a series of intense visionary experiences threaten to derail his life, he is dragged unwillingly towards mysterious events deep in the Mojave Desert. What he discovers there changes him forever, and will affect the lives of everyone on the planet.
As the world watches its destiny unfold, humanity is forced to fight for its survival in a Galactic court and justify its existence to far superior beings.
A mystical, innovative, and intelligent novel that asks the biggest questions of all.
Where are we from…where are we going...how much have we truly evolved?…
Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B079QTKPML here.
Jake Connolly, talented up and coming LA lawyer, has a hidden psychic side long suppressed. When a series of intense visionary experiences threaten to derail his life, he is dragged unwillingly towards mysterious events deep in the Mojave Desert. What he discovers there changes him forever, and will affect the lives of everyone on the planet.
As the world watches its destiny unfold, humanity is forced to fight for its survival in a Galactic court and justify its existence to far superior beings.
A mystical, innovative, and intelligent novel that asks the biggest questions of all.
Where are we from…where are we going...how much have we truly evolved?…
Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B079QTKPML here.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 30, 2018
72 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 9, 2018
"Startoucher" is an eloquent and gripping story that is asking timeless questions yet in a voice that captures the very spirit of our turbulent times. I was a bit worried at first about reading a sci-fi novel since in the past I rarely indulged in this genre. The moment I started reading the book, all my concerns were quickly forgotten.
The story begins in LA and ends in a place far, far away. The interesting thing for me is that the scenes set in a familiar setting of modern day LA seem a lot more dream-like, hazy and distant while the more cosmic, visionary scenes achieve a visceral sense of clarity and eerie cohesion that gave me goosebumps. It reminded me of how little I actually perceive with a daily awareness and how much more there is going on under the hood of reality.
One of my favourite aspects of the story setting is how alien technology is not constructed from wires & metal but rather grown from organic matter that adapts itself to the surrounding world. A lot like the the bravest dreams of the current generation of machine learning and artificial intelligence researchers. Just without the toxic venture capital, inflamed egos, and the self-aggrandizing narrative of the Silicon Valley.
A world where technology is not yet grown is where the story begins. It's the world as we know it. However, "Startoucher" gave me a chance to take a peek into a possible world that is beyond already known words and options. It can still be achieved by us, humanity, but only if we manage to survive the current rebellious teenage phase and repair the relationship with our mother -- the planet Earth. In the book the outcome is uncertain yet it leaves humanity with a bit more than a glimmer of hope.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a well-written story with a deeply caring message for the planet and all of humanity.
P.S. If you're like me and watch a lot of Netflix then you may find it helpful to relate to this book as The OA meets Stranger Things.
Salud!
The story begins in LA and ends in a place far, far away. The interesting thing for me is that the scenes set in a familiar setting of modern day LA seem a lot more dream-like, hazy and distant while the more cosmic, visionary scenes achieve a visceral sense of clarity and eerie cohesion that gave me goosebumps. It reminded me of how little I actually perceive with a daily awareness and how much more there is going on under the hood of reality.
One of my favourite aspects of the story setting is how alien technology is not constructed from wires & metal but rather grown from organic matter that adapts itself to the surrounding world. A lot like the the bravest dreams of the current generation of machine learning and artificial intelligence researchers. Just without the toxic venture capital, inflamed egos, and the self-aggrandizing narrative of the Silicon Valley.
A world where technology is not yet grown is where the story begins. It's the world as we know it. However, "Startoucher" gave me a chance to take a peek into a possible world that is beyond already known words and options. It can still be achieved by us, humanity, but only if we manage to survive the current rebellious teenage phase and repair the relationship with our mother -- the planet Earth. In the book the outcome is uncertain yet it leaves humanity with a bit more than a glimmer of hope.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a well-written story with a deeply caring message for the planet and all of humanity.
P.S. If you're like me and watch a lot of Netflix then you may find it helpful to relate to this book as The OA meets Stranger Things.
Salud!
March 28, 2018
I did a final proofread on Startoucher, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as I worked on it. I found the story to be engaging and well-written, an intriguing and thought-provoking take on the origins of humanity and where it's headed. You can't help but wonder...just what would alien life think of humans and what we have done with Earth?
The story put a modern take on a Twilight Zone-ish (or The Day the Earth Stood Still) type sci-fi feel, which I liked. I felt that the characters were realistic as they struggled with their unexplainable connection to each other and to something beyond themselves. Overall, I felt that it was a good sci-fi fiction read and I look forward to more from Mr. Odle.
The story put a modern take on a Twilight Zone-ish (or The Day the Earth Stood Still) type sci-fi feel, which I liked. I felt that the characters were realistic as they struggled with their unexplainable connection to each other and to something beyond themselves. Overall, I felt that it was a good sci-fi fiction read and I look forward to more from Mr. Odle.
March 18, 2018
This is a sort of "new age" science fiction book. The basic story follows Jake, who is an LA lawyer, but he keeps getting visions of something out in the Mojave desert. He also get blinding headaches. Eventually he goes out to the desert, crqashes his car, and wakes up in an alien space ship to find the aliens are sponsible for humanity, and they have come to judge their work. Effectively, it is an alien court case, with humanity on trial. No more, because that would spoil.
I found it very difficult to empathise with Jake for the first quarter. As a consequence of these headaches, he jumps up and runs out of a very important meeting at the law firm, then later, on his first date with Sarah, he suddenly jumps up half-way through a meal and runs. I can see why he left, because if he is likely to throw up, going somewhere else is desirable, but surely some sort of explanation would come from most people. Second, the others present do not do anything. At the law meeting, would not one of the partners excuse himself and chase after Jake to find out what was wrong? At this part of the story Odle has not really gone much beyond the scene sketch, and in my opinion, he would have been better to have forgotten the headaches (they are not critical to the story) and written a different start. The trial was essentially a polemic about what is wrong with humanity. In general, I hate these sort of polemics, but because this was really required for the plot, it had to be there, and I found the way Odle presented it to be very well done. It actually read well and as I say, I usually hate this sort of thing. So well done, Odle. I cannot discuss the finish, for obvious reasons. To summarise, the start is a bit rough, it gets a lot better, and as this is a first book, I think it is worth encouraging Odle.
I found it very difficult to empathise with Jake for the first quarter. As a consequence of these headaches, he jumps up and runs out of a very important meeting at the law firm, then later, on his first date with Sarah, he suddenly jumps up half-way through a meal and runs. I can see why he left, because if he is likely to throw up, going somewhere else is desirable, but surely some sort of explanation would come from most people. Second, the others present do not do anything. At the law meeting, would not one of the partners excuse himself and chase after Jake to find out what was wrong? At this part of the story Odle has not really gone much beyond the scene sketch, and in my opinion, he would have been better to have forgotten the headaches (they are not critical to the story) and written a different start. The trial was essentially a polemic about what is wrong with humanity. In general, I hate these sort of polemics, but because this was really required for the plot, it had to be there, and I found the way Odle presented it to be very well done. It actually read well and as I say, I usually hate this sort of thing. So well done, Odle. I cannot discuss the finish, for obvious reasons. To summarise, the start is a bit rough, it gets a lot better, and as this is a first book, I think it is worth encouraging Odle.
February 20, 2019
I love the premise for this book. Earth was terraformed 3.8 billion years ago by highly advanced, intelligent aliens. The "man experiment" was started a few hundred thousand years ago. The experimenting aliens have returned now that man is on the brink of reaching for the stars to assess the success of their experiment. They don't like what they see. Man could pose a serious threat to galactic civilization. Odle shares with us a tantalizing glimpse of some of these civilizations. I hope he runs with this in future books. Anyway, a trial ensues, and protagonist Jake, hotshot L.A. lawyer, is on the defense team for us all. Only it's not a trial by jury. The decision for man's fate is to be decided by The Judge.
What a great premise for a book! In fact, it's such a great premise that when I first read about it, I felt there was no way this idea could be done justice. Surely Odle was going to use this as a platform to preach against man's many shortcomings. The book was bound to devolve into New Age, politically correct (meaning liberal) platitude. Odle telling us what materialistic, nasty, consumer, polluter killers we all are. Right?
Thankfully, this was kept to a minimum. Instead, Odle offers us a very realistic, in-character treatment of how people, including the U.S. military, and even the current president, would react in the face of this threat. I'm not going to say any more because I don't want to spoil anything--it's too good a story with lots of surprises. I'll just say that Odle was up to the challenge he gave himself by this far-reaching premise. The book never disappoints.
Its only flaws are first book writer flaws. Odle has a sense of humor, I can tell, but it's severely restrained in this book. As he gains more confidence, I expect he'll let it out to play more. The dialog is also usually too on point, another first-time writer flaw. I know Odle is going to make improvements in this area in subsequent work because I saw his potential to write snappy dialog in one part of the book when Jake first met a co-worker and was cleverly seducing her to bed with some great lines, but then just left her in the lurch. This is the sophisticated dialog Odle can attain that will give him five stars if he reaches for it more often in his next work.
My other slight nitpick is that I didn't find the main romance, the way it began between the two protagonists, all that convincing. "Why do you want to give this Jake jerk the time of day, Sarah? Especially after he unceremoniously dumped you after which he stayed incommunicado for days leaving you to think who knows what?"
"Don't ask me! I have to love him. It's in the script." Fortunately, their relationship seems more realistic and less fabricated as the book goes on.
I think Odle has enormous potential to make it big as a science fiction writer and enjoy a long career doing just that if he decides he wants to. This book alone won't do it for him though, which is a shame because it might have been good enough to had it been better marketed. The author in his afterword conveys pride in the book's cover. Actually, it works against him. The cover says nothing meaningful about the story. A cover depicting six military jets attacking a grounded spaceship, or a line-up of twelve people in tubes, one looking suspiciously like Trump, now either one of those covers would have helped the book sell! This book cover is not only boringly bichromatic, but it makes the book look like it's going to be some kind of gobbledygook New Age book. The author's biography portrays him as some kind of guru shaman in a third world Amazon pisspot waxing on about the virtues of ascetic living, reading tarot cards, and passing out advice based on astrology of all things. This doesn't help, and that's not the authorial voice I just read. Worse yet, one early reviewer said publicly at the beginning of his review that the book was New Age, which is completely false. I think that reviewer based his comment superficially on the cover, the author bio, and his expectations, not on what was actually written in the book.
There is nothing New Age about the story itself, for which I am grateful. A typical science fiction audience is hard-headed, fact-minded people who like science, the tangible, the here and now, not a lot of Eastern mysticism, auras, halos, and Buddhist philosophy to contemplate. We'd be reading Tolkien if that were the case. Happily, Odle writes his book to the first group, not the second, not that you can tell by that cover and author bio. The market for the first group is huge, the second not so much. I would have put this book down by page twenty or so if the book were truly New Age. I have read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values. Those are hours I can never reclaim.
I will definitely be looking for Odle to come out with a second book. He's an up and comer. I'd even happily pay for the privilege of reading it this time.
What a great premise for a book! In fact, it's such a great premise that when I first read about it, I felt there was no way this idea could be done justice. Surely Odle was going to use this as a platform to preach against man's many shortcomings. The book was bound to devolve into New Age, politically correct (meaning liberal) platitude. Odle telling us what materialistic, nasty, consumer, polluter killers we all are. Right?
Thankfully, this was kept to a minimum. Instead, Odle offers us a very realistic, in-character treatment of how people, including the U.S. military, and even the current president, would react in the face of this threat. I'm not going to say any more because I don't want to spoil anything--it's too good a story with lots of surprises. I'll just say that Odle was up to the challenge he gave himself by this far-reaching premise. The book never disappoints.
Its only flaws are first book writer flaws. Odle has a sense of humor, I can tell, but it's severely restrained in this book. As he gains more confidence, I expect he'll let it out to play more. The dialog is also usually too on point, another first-time writer flaw. I know Odle is going to make improvements in this area in subsequent work because I saw his potential to write snappy dialog in one part of the book when Jake first met a co-worker and was cleverly seducing her to bed with some great lines, but then just left her in the lurch. This is the sophisticated dialog Odle can attain that will give him five stars if he reaches for it more often in his next work.
My other slight nitpick is that I didn't find the main romance, the way it began between the two protagonists, all that convincing. "Why do you want to give this Jake jerk the time of day, Sarah? Especially after he unceremoniously dumped you after which he stayed incommunicado for days leaving you to think who knows what?"
"Don't ask me! I have to love him. It's in the script." Fortunately, their relationship seems more realistic and less fabricated as the book goes on.
I think Odle has enormous potential to make it big as a science fiction writer and enjoy a long career doing just that if he decides he wants to. This book alone won't do it for him though, which is a shame because it might have been good enough to had it been better marketed. The author in his afterword conveys pride in the book's cover. Actually, it works against him. The cover says nothing meaningful about the story. A cover depicting six military jets attacking a grounded spaceship, or a line-up of twelve people in tubes, one looking suspiciously like Trump, now either one of those covers would have helped the book sell! This book cover is not only boringly bichromatic, but it makes the book look like it's going to be some kind of gobbledygook New Age book. The author's biography portrays him as some kind of guru shaman in a third world Amazon pisspot waxing on about the virtues of ascetic living, reading tarot cards, and passing out advice based on astrology of all things. This doesn't help, and that's not the authorial voice I just read. Worse yet, one early reviewer said publicly at the beginning of his review that the book was New Age, which is completely false. I think that reviewer based his comment superficially on the cover, the author bio, and his expectations, not on what was actually written in the book.
There is nothing New Age about the story itself, for which I am grateful. A typical science fiction audience is hard-headed, fact-minded people who like science, the tangible, the here and now, not a lot of Eastern mysticism, auras, halos, and Buddhist philosophy to contemplate. We'd be reading Tolkien if that were the case. Happily, Odle writes his book to the first group, not the second, not that you can tell by that cover and author bio. The market for the first group is huge, the second not so much. I would have put this book down by page twenty or so if the book were truly New Age. I have read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values. Those are hours I can never reclaim.
I will definitely be looking for Odle to come out with a second book. He's an up and comer. I'd even happily pay for the privilege of reading it this time.
May 9, 2018
I like science fiction. Something about aliens, space crafts, and the human race fascinates me. I would like to think that if aliens decided to come to Earth, there would be no mass riots or calls to shoot them down. But I am a realist. I know that people, as a whole, do not deal with things like that rationally. There would be mass riots. The leaders of all the countries would try to blow it out of the sky. When I got the request to review StarToucher, I did think that it would be one of those types of books. Even after I read the blurb. But, I was surprised. StarToucher is nothing that I thought it would be.
StarToucher’s storyline was original and a fresh look at how humanity began. I liked the fact that humanity began as an experiment and was monitored by aliens for centuries. I liked that the aliens found that humanity was an extreme danger to themselves and others in the galaxy. So the creators (I likened them to scientists) have a trial to see if humanity should be erased or allowed to continue.
The author did a great job of showcasing everything that is going on in the modern-day. He showed that humanity was doing so much harm to the Earth that its creators had to jump in to stop it. I loved it!!
The main character of StarToucher is a lawyer, Jake Connolly. I didn’t like him at first. He came across as cocky and way too sure of himself. As all lawyers do. When his visions started bothering him to the point he took a forced vacation, I started to see a different Jake. By the time he met Sarah and Genesis, he was almost there with the character transformation. By the time he was on the ship, he was transformed. I loved it. I love seeing a character change, for the better, in a book.
I thought that the author chose an eclectic group of people to represent the Earth. The President of the United States, the President of China, The Pope, a physicist, a philosopher, a shaman, a teenaged activist and a mother. A broad spectrum and each lived up to their stereotypes. I had to laugh because the President kept getting choked by the alien truth device. Typical politicians. Too bad there wasn’t one in real life…lol.
I am going to admit that I was surprised by the verdict and by what the aliens were going to do. I thought it was going to go the other way. I was also shocked by Jake, Sarah, and Genesis’s roles in that decision.
There is a twist in the plot towards the end. With what happened and what was revealed, I am hoping that there will be a book 2!!!
What I liked about StarToucher:
A) original storyline
B) great job of showcasing present-day issues
C) The eclectic group of people chosen to represent Earth
What I disliked about StarToucher:
A) POTUS. He couldn’t stop lying to aliens
B) Genesis. They blew the lid off of what was happening
C) Jake’s visions. My head hurt reading about them
I would give StarToucher an Older Teen rating. There are sexual situations but they are very vague. There is violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.
There are no trigger warnings for StarToucher.
I would recommend StarToucher to family and friends. This is a book that I would reread.
I would like to thank the publisher for allowing me to read and review StarToucher.
All opinions stated in this review of StarToucher are mine.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
StarToucher’s storyline was original and a fresh look at how humanity began. I liked the fact that humanity began as an experiment and was monitored by aliens for centuries. I liked that the aliens found that humanity was an extreme danger to themselves and others in the galaxy. So the creators (I likened them to scientists) have a trial to see if humanity should be erased or allowed to continue.
The author did a great job of showcasing everything that is going on in the modern-day. He showed that humanity was doing so much harm to the Earth that its creators had to jump in to stop it. I loved it!!
The main character of StarToucher is a lawyer, Jake Connolly. I didn’t like him at first. He came across as cocky and way too sure of himself. As all lawyers do. When his visions started bothering him to the point he took a forced vacation, I started to see a different Jake. By the time he met Sarah and Genesis, he was almost there with the character transformation. By the time he was on the ship, he was transformed. I loved it. I love seeing a character change, for the better, in a book.
I thought that the author chose an eclectic group of people to represent the Earth. The President of the United States, the President of China, The Pope, a physicist, a philosopher, a shaman, a teenaged activist and a mother. A broad spectrum and each lived up to their stereotypes. I had to laugh because the President kept getting choked by the alien truth device. Typical politicians. Too bad there wasn’t one in real life…lol.
I am going to admit that I was surprised by the verdict and by what the aliens were going to do. I thought it was going to go the other way. I was also shocked by Jake, Sarah, and Genesis’s roles in that decision.
There is a twist in the plot towards the end. With what happened and what was revealed, I am hoping that there will be a book 2!!!
What I liked about StarToucher:
A) original storyline
B) great job of showcasing present-day issues
C) The eclectic group of people chosen to represent Earth
What I disliked about StarToucher:
A) POTUS. He couldn’t stop lying to aliens
B) Genesis. They blew the lid off of what was happening
C) Jake’s visions. My head hurt reading about them
I would give StarToucher an Older Teen rating. There are sexual situations but they are very vague. There is violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.
There are no trigger warnings for StarToucher.
I would recommend StarToucher to family and friends. This is a book that I would reread.
I would like to thank the publisher for allowing me to read and review StarToucher.
All opinions stated in this review of StarToucher are mine.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
May 19, 2018
While I found it slow to start, it helped us get to know the main character, Jake. So every time he felt pain in his neck, I couldn't help but hope he'd be alright. The problem for me is that I chose that book to read about the aliens and they took a little bit to come into play. (Not that long mind you, but when you are anxious, it always feels longer.)
Since the alien part is about a trial to debate if the human race is worth living or if it needs to be annihilated, of course you can expect politics to be involved. If you absolutely don't want that in your read, then skip the book, but if you love aliens as much as I do, you'll be missing a great story.
I loved the story, love the characters, but one can see it's one of the first book from the author (at least, it feels like it). My pet peeve was the word 'could' used too often. He 'could' see. He 'could' feel'. He 'could' sense etc. I know it was done not to risk breaking the POV but in many instances, the story might have been better served skipping it. He sensed, he felt, he saw. In the latter case, the author should just have described what he saw. Anyway, it didn't bug me enough to stop reading and I wanted to discover what would happen making the book was hard to put down.
I'd recommend to alien lovers.
Since the alien part is about a trial to debate if the human race is worth living or if it needs to be annihilated, of course you can expect politics to be involved. If you absolutely don't want that in your read, then skip the book, but if you love aliens as much as I do, you'll be missing a great story.
I loved the story, love the characters, but one can see it's one of the first book from the author (at least, it feels like it). My pet peeve was the word 'could' used too often. He 'could' see. He 'could' feel'. He 'could' sense etc. I know it was done not to risk breaking the POV but in many instances, the story might have been better served skipping it. He sensed, he felt, he saw. In the latter case, the author should just have described what he saw. Anyway, it didn't bug me enough to stop reading and I wanted to discover what would happen making the book was hard to put down.
I'd recommend to alien lovers.
May 7, 2018
First I must say that I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book. This was a good read and really well edited. I believe this was his first fiction novel and he's done a great job. Easy to read and almost believable, and I gave an honest review. I enjoyed reading it and I think. If you like this genre, that you will also!
March 30, 2018
Extraordinary, especially for a first book. The ideas are awesome, the concept is wow, the characters are deep. I am just dying to know if there is a book 2??
May 24, 2018
What would you do if you knew the fate of humanity rested on a handful of witnesses being judged by a supreme being?
Or you find out that mankind had been a science experience by supreme beings from the beginning?
Maybe you had been chosen for something from out of this world, you are plagued with visions and mind shattering pain from a teen that he suppressed and now has returned with a vengeance.
These are the questions that Jake has the answers to, will humanity survive the trial or will all of mankind we wiped from existence with only 2 remaining human Jake and his new love Sarah
Jake being a lawyer finding the system being used for the trail is not fair to set out to balance the score with his no found friends
The author has some their research on conspiracy theories and aliens visiting the earth over the deceased. You have it all, the believers and the skeptics and of course the typical military response to aliens visiting the Earth destroy them but in the process those that called the shots watched as the world did to the consequences of their actions as the world watched on.
This was truly an entertaining book that kept you wanting to know more and what the outcome would be.
t is riveting and sitting on the edge of your seat sci-fi kind of stuff, anyone a lover of aliens must get this book, it is worth its read, or even just a lover of Sci-fi, this book deserves to be on anyone's bookshelf.
Many of the theories within the pages of this book have been foretold by seers and psychics for many years that there is a great change and this author has done his homework and presented these stories if you will in a believable approach that mankind as a whole can accept for now, but if we look through the history of Science fiction does eventually become our reality, so will there be a time like the author has written where mankind will be judged
Final sentence to sum this tale up is
“Can One Save Humanity”
Or you find out that mankind had been a science experience by supreme beings from the beginning?
Maybe you had been chosen for something from out of this world, you are plagued with visions and mind shattering pain from a teen that he suppressed and now has returned with a vengeance.
These are the questions that Jake has the answers to, will humanity survive the trial or will all of mankind we wiped from existence with only 2 remaining human Jake and his new love Sarah
Jake being a lawyer finding the system being used for the trail is not fair to set out to balance the score with his no found friends
The author has some their research on conspiracy theories and aliens visiting the earth over the deceased. You have it all, the believers and the skeptics and of course the typical military response to aliens visiting the Earth destroy them but in the process those that called the shots watched as the world did to the consequences of their actions as the world watched on.
This was truly an entertaining book that kept you wanting to know more and what the outcome would be.
t is riveting and sitting on the edge of your seat sci-fi kind of stuff, anyone a lover of aliens must get this book, it is worth its read, or even just a lover of Sci-fi, this book deserves to be on anyone's bookshelf.
Many of the theories within the pages of this book have been foretold by seers and psychics for many years that there is a great change and this author has done his homework and presented these stories if you will in a believable approach that mankind as a whole can accept for now, but if we look through the history of Science fiction does eventually become our reality, so will there be a time like the author has written where mankind will be judged
Final sentence to sum this tale up is
“Can One Save Humanity”
March 26, 2018
Publishing Date: February 2018
Publisher: Startoucher
ISBN:9781520605623
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 2.8/5
Publisher’s Description: After 3.8 billion years, the alien creators of life on Earth return to evaluate the results of their experiment. One species is found to be an extreme danger to itself and others – Humanity. Evidence for the continuation of the species hangs by a thread.
Review: This started out kinda ho-hum. The characters are followed around their daily lives and subsequently never reach any sort of depth. Jake is not very interesting what with being a karate super lawyer and that an alluring artist suddenly is emotionally attached to him after one date. Sarah cries and paints pictures of him, wondering where he is and questions herself about his disappearance. Yech. But never fear, Jake has the hot’s for her too, and quite possibly is his choice for a breeding animal should humanity be found wanting.
So as this novel skips over the building of characters that skitter about an over done story line (aliens judging humans/Close Encounters of the Third Kind), we find ourselves in the midst of a tribunal run by higher beings that behave polemically. Kinda weird that this ongoing condemnation did not take on a more “elevated” form of discernment that reflected the wisdom of beings billions of years old.
What is really weird, is that I liked the writing style and found myself enjoying the flow of the written word. This was put together in a way that lends itself to being heard, even though the content (characters, story line, plot) was not as polished. The aliens and their tech was a creative representation of what we expect with some interesting turns added. I still enjoyed myself and that speaks volumes.
Check out my other reviews, HERE
Publisher: Startoucher
ISBN:9781520605623
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 2.8/5
Publisher’s Description: After 3.8 billion years, the alien creators of life on Earth return to evaluate the results of their experiment. One species is found to be an extreme danger to itself and others – Humanity. Evidence for the continuation of the species hangs by a thread.
Review: This started out kinda ho-hum. The characters are followed around their daily lives and subsequently never reach any sort of depth. Jake is not very interesting what with being a karate super lawyer and that an alluring artist suddenly is emotionally attached to him after one date. Sarah cries and paints pictures of him, wondering where he is and questions herself about his disappearance. Yech. But never fear, Jake has the hot’s for her too, and quite possibly is his choice for a breeding animal should humanity be found wanting.
So as this novel skips over the building of characters that skitter about an over done story line (aliens judging humans/Close Encounters of the Third Kind), we find ourselves in the midst of a tribunal run by higher beings that behave polemically. Kinda weird that this ongoing condemnation did not take on a more “elevated” form of discernment that reflected the wisdom of beings billions of years old.
What is really weird, is that I liked the writing style and found myself enjoying the flow of the written word. This was put together in a way that lends itself to being heard, even though the content (characters, story line, plot) was not as polished. The aliens and their tech was a creative representation of what we expect with some interesting turns added. I still enjoyed myself and that speaks volumes.
Check out my other reviews, HERE
April 24, 2018
Jake Connolly is a lawyer in LA. Things seem to be going well for him except when he starts getting visions and headaches. He finds himself drawn to the Mojave Desert. There he blacks out and finds himself in an alien spaceship. It seems these aliens are responsible for the population of the Earth but they have found one species destructive to the rest, humans. Jake is going to have to plead a case about why humans should not be destroyed.
Jake is not a character that I was really fond of. He just bothered me and I had no confidence in him and the others that were abducted to plead for humanities case. The more I read, the more I did warm up to him and I did have some hope that humanity might be spared. And when you really think about it, why should we be spared?
I really enjoyed the aliens and their technology. I liked how CJ Odle came up with a plant based technology instead of the typical metal technology. Now some of the things with the aliens felt a little cliché but I can over look that when looking at the big picture.
I really enjoyed this story. It is a wonderful first book from CJ Odle and he did a great job with it. It is supposed to be the first in a trilogy and I’m curious at where CJ Odle is going to go from here. I admit that this could easily have been a standalone book. But it is one that I definitely say that you should check out if you like scifi.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Jake is not a character that I was really fond of. He just bothered me and I had no confidence in him and the others that were abducted to plead for humanities case. The more I read, the more I did warm up to him and I did have some hope that humanity might be spared. And when you really think about it, why should we be spared?
I really enjoyed the aliens and their technology. I liked how CJ Odle came up with a plant based technology instead of the typical metal technology. Now some of the things with the aliens felt a little cliché but I can over look that when looking at the big picture.
I really enjoyed this story. It is a wonderful first book from CJ Odle and he did a great job with it. It is supposed to be the first in a trilogy and I’m curious at where CJ Odle is going to go from here. I admit that this could easily have been a standalone book. But it is one that I definitely say that you should check out if you like scifi.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
June 4, 2018
When we start the book Jake is a hotshot lawyer in LA who works hard at many things - his job, his fitness, and suppressing his psychic abilities. He grew up with them and learned the easiest thing - if uncomfortable - was to just fight the visions until they stopped occurring. Now that he is an adult and has his successes in life they have returned. They get so disruptive of his life that he is forced to take a vacation from work and what better way to spend his time but trying to figure out what these visions are. What ends up happening is Jake becoming a different person. The way he gets there is so interesting for the reader to follow but I don’t want to spoil anything so you’ll have to pick up the book yourself if you want to know more.
One of the best thing about the science fiction genre is that there are so many ways you could take something to fit into this category. It also gives a chance for authors to showcase just how creative they can be. The brief synopsis on this was enough to draw me in. Once I started reading I grew even more interested in wanting to know what was going on. I think the book touches on a new - at least to me - view of aliens and their technology. The story was a bit slow to start but I think it really helped us to understand Jake as a character at the beginning of the book so we could better see how he grows as a character by the end of the book. Overall I give it 4 stars - it leaves me wanting to know more, what happens next.
**4 Stars - I was offered a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
One of the best thing about the science fiction genre is that there are so many ways you could take something to fit into this category. It also gives a chance for authors to showcase just how creative they can be. The brief synopsis on this was enough to draw me in. Once I started reading I grew even more interested in wanting to know what was going on. I think the book touches on a new - at least to me - view of aliens and their technology. The story was a bit slow to start but I think it really helped us to understand Jake as a character at the beginning of the book so we could better see how he grows as a character by the end of the book. Overall I give it 4 stars - it leaves me wanting to know more, what happens next.
**4 Stars - I was offered a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2019
Startoucher is a novel on science fiction as well as fantasy lists and finds itself on one called... cyberpunk. Is that a designated genre now? I'm going to have to look that one up...
So Jake is a slick L.A. attorney who has no business in the Mojave Desert but that's exactly where he finds himself, drawn by his repressed psychic abilities. From there we find out that Earth and humanity as we know it is a big alien experiment and Judgment Day is coming. Now imagine that scenario as real life. Yeah, we're in trouble, yo! So we're all going to be cosmically adjudicated and that is one heck of a set up for a science fiction book, right? Abso-friggin-lutely!
Startoucher is unique in everything from alien technology to metaphysical origins. Characters are perfect right down to the alien beings. The only thing I found myself disappointed in was the ending. I know every author wants a lead in to another book which leads to a best selling series but perhaps not every story should go there. There is something to be said for stand alones.
So Jake is a slick L.A. attorney who has no business in the Mojave Desert but that's exactly where he finds himself, drawn by his repressed psychic abilities. From there we find out that Earth and humanity as we know it is a big alien experiment and Judgment Day is coming. Now imagine that scenario as real life. Yeah, we're in trouble, yo! So we're all going to be cosmically adjudicated and that is one heck of a set up for a science fiction book, right? Abso-friggin-lutely!
Startoucher is unique in everything from alien technology to metaphysical origins. Characters are perfect right down to the alien beings. The only thing I found myself disappointed in was the ending. I know every author wants a lead in to another book which leads to a best selling series but perhaps not every story should go there. There is something to be said for stand alones.
June 11, 2018
Interesting and somewhat unique storyline
StarToucher by C J Odie is and interesting science-fiction/fantasy novel. The story starts out really slow, I almost gave up on it to be completely honest but I stick it out and ended up being pleasantly surprised. The story follows Jake Connolly who is an LA lawyer, with a psychic ability he has yet to learn how to decipher. Jake finds himself heading to the Mojave Desert for reasons he can’t comprehend. Upon arrival Jake wrecks his vehicle and ends up in an alien space craft where he finds out that the aliens who created the human race are now trying to decide whether or not to annihilate them. The book is actually quite interesting and provides a solid “moral of the story”, on how messed up the world is and we basically have a chance to choose what we do with our time here. Overall I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys alien or doomsday type storylines.
StarToucher by C J Odie is and interesting science-fiction/fantasy novel. The story starts out really slow, I almost gave up on it to be completely honest but I stick it out and ended up being pleasantly surprised. The story follows Jake Connolly who is an LA lawyer, with a psychic ability he has yet to learn how to decipher. Jake finds himself heading to the Mojave Desert for reasons he can’t comprehend. Upon arrival Jake wrecks his vehicle and ends up in an alien space craft where he finds out that the aliens who created the human race are now trying to decide whether or not to annihilate them. The book is actually quite interesting and provides a solid “moral of the story”, on how messed up the world is and we basically have a chance to choose what we do with our time here. Overall I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys alien or doomsday type storylines.
March 28, 2018
Will we survive?
Startoucher by C. L. Odle tells the story of Jake, a lawyer with repressed psychic abilities. He travels to the Mojave Desert where an Alien council to is deciding the fate of the humanity.
I wasn't sure how I would like this book, but I liked the concept. It was well written and kept me reading from beginning to end. I liked that tbe aliens used technology not made out of metal, but a plant like renewable substance, that was a different touch. There are many people from the President of the USA to the Pope who are abducted by the aliens to defend humanity in this court of Alien beings.
I would recommend this book to fans of science fiction.
I would like to thank the author and publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
Startoucher by C. L. Odle tells the story of Jake, a lawyer with repressed psychic abilities. He travels to the Mojave Desert where an Alien council to is deciding the fate of the humanity.
I wasn't sure how I would like this book, but I liked the concept. It was well written and kept me reading from beginning to end. I liked that tbe aliens used technology not made out of metal, but a plant like renewable substance, that was a different touch. There are many people from the President of the USA to the Pope who are abducted by the aliens to defend humanity in this court of Alien beings.
I would recommend this book to fans of science fiction.
I would like to thank the author and publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
March 15, 2018
Startoucher was an incredible take on the human existence. The story-line was impressive and I really enjoyed it. Jake is an attorney who is afflicted by some psychic abilities. His visions and psychic whatnots become much stronger, and he is forced to give in to them in the hopes that they will go away once addressed. What he finds is quite the shock. Earth and humanity are headed for a rude awakening and will face judgement by the superior beings that find that humanity is destructive- not only to other elements but to ourselves. We will surpass judgement day? This is a great sci-fi book and I don't even care for sci-fi! I recommend it, but warning, the ending was not what I expected.
May 14, 2018
Review: STARTOUCHER by C. J. Idle
Corporate attorney Jake Connolly has a flair for law and the determination to charge to the top. Just appointed partner, he is suddenly stricken by debilitating headaches and bizarre visions, relating to the Mojave Desert and also to space travel. Smooth and cunning Jake doesn't seem a prototype of visionary thinking, but, long unremembered, he had numerous predictive psychic experiences in childhood. Jake is poised to discover that he is humanity's only hope for survival. The alien intelligences that founded life on this planet are ready to reevaluate; and when they come calling, their decision is likely to be final.
Corporate attorney Jake Connolly has a flair for law and the determination to charge to the top. Just appointed partner, he is suddenly stricken by debilitating headaches and bizarre visions, relating to the Mojave Desert and also to space travel. Smooth and cunning Jake doesn't seem a prototype of visionary thinking, but, long unremembered, he had numerous predictive psychic experiences in childhood. Jake is poised to discover that he is humanity's only hope for survival. The alien intelligences that founded life on this planet are ready to reevaluate; and when they come calling, their decision is likely to be final.
April 1, 2018
I am usually not drawn to sci-fi novels but was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review. From the first few pages, the book struck me as deeply timely and relevant for this day and age. The underlying idea that humanity was created by an alien civilization as an experiment in self-governance and what it means to co-create an ethical life, evokes a new, potentially very valuable world view at this time in human evolution. In terms of our cosmology, we first developed a geocentric view that earth is the center of the universe, later on we recognized that the earth revolves around the sun (heliocentric view). We may now have to accept that we are party of an even larger, way more complex planetary system which gives us increased context for our origin, responsibility and destiny. C.J. Odle's book masterfully captures this auspicious and unique moment in human development and artfully raises many poignant questions that concern us all.
April 19, 2018
This was one of those rare books that left you feeling something
As I read the book, I found myself cheering then crying. (Mentally of course or our family would commit me. ) Jake and Sarah had to grow and learn and by doing so, they taught the 'superior' alien a thing or two. This is one of the few books that I would recommend to our children and almost insist that our grandchildren read it. I believe in a supreme being and this didn't shake that belief but instead enhanced it. Good does exist yet everywhere you go, man tries to be bigger.
As I read the book, I found myself cheering then crying. (Mentally of course or our family would commit me. ) Jake and Sarah had to grow and learn and by doing so, they taught the 'superior' alien a thing or two. This is one of the few books that I would recommend to our children and almost insist that our grandchildren read it. I believe in a supreme being and this didn't shake that belief but instead enhanced it. Good does exist yet everywhere you go, man tries to be bigger.
June 28, 2018
A good ride.
A good ride awaits those who are interested in what it is like to see and speak to an alien being. I looked forward to each chapter as it unfolded. My only dislike of this story is that the author seems to forget that the main character is very intelligent but doesn't give him the credit he deserves. Also there are words missing here and there and for those of us who speak English it is very annoying when a sentence doesn't make sense. Perhaps the author needs a better proofreader.
A good ride awaits those who are interested in what it is like to see and speak to an alien being. I looked forward to each chapter as it unfolded. My only dislike of this story is that the author seems to forget that the main character is very intelligent but doesn't give him the credit he deserves. Also there are words missing here and there and for those of us who speak English it is very annoying when a sentence doesn't make sense. Perhaps the author needs a better proofreader.
July 16, 2018
Are you ready to be completely taken away to another world? If so, this is the book for you. CJ Odle does an amazing job of creating a vivid image in the readers head of the scenery and world in general. This in turn helps the characters and the conflict seem even more real as a reader.
I thought this was a great fantasy that really encompasses so many different aspects of the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre. There was adventure and mystery laced throughout as well, which I enjoyed.
Writing style was easy to follow along with and helped me keep flipping pages steadily til the end.
I thought this was a great fantasy that really encompasses so many different aspects of the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre. There was adventure and mystery laced throughout as well, which I enjoyed.
Writing style was easy to follow along with and helped me keep flipping pages steadily til the end.
March 23, 2018
If I had not read the synopsis I would have put this book down much earlier. As it was I managed to get through to chapter nine and the long awaited arrival of aliens to the story It wasn't worth the wait. Once they started to describe themselves with names from human astronomy, Sirius and the like, I knew there was no hope for the story. If you want a lawyer to be the hero then this is the book for you.
April 2, 2018
This book is cosmic sci-fi with some mind-blowing on the side.
Earth's alien creators come back to judge humanity, and surprisingly, no one in the book gives them sweet tea and red velvet cake. Then humanity would pass with flying colors, but the book would be about a page and a half.
The star of the story is just some ordinary dude, and his point of view grounds the cosmic goings-on. This one is a well-done story that's aspirational and hopeful.
Earth's alien creators come back to judge humanity, and surprisingly, no one in the book gives them sweet tea and red velvet cake. Then humanity would pass with flying colors, but the book would be about a page and a half.
The star of the story is just some ordinary dude, and his point of view grounds the cosmic goings-on. This one is a well-done story that's aspirational and hopeful.
July 31, 2018
I’m a sci-fi junkie so I’ve read a lot of stories in the genre and I’m very pleasantly surprised that this novel was able to set itself apart from the genre. There are parts you expect from a good sci-fi that Odle really manages to deliver and then there are new aspects I wasn’t expecting. I loved the fact that it was a smart novel. It was very well thought out and you could tell the author put quite a bit into the writing.
July 29, 2018
This was such a vivid world created by CJ Odle. I loved the imagery and descriptions used to captivate the reader.
It is a lot to learn about the world he has created, and extremely easy to find yourself immersed in.
A engaging and easy flowing plot that has plenty of surprises and unexpected moments laced throughout.
A solid Sci-Fi Debut!
It is a lot to learn about the world he has created, and extremely easy to find yourself immersed in.
A engaging and easy flowing plot that has plenty of surprises and unexpected moments laced throughout.
A solid Sci-Fi Debut!
May 6, 2020
Reminiscent of the best of scl-fl’s Golden Age
Hard to put down, but had to: supper needed to be started, and a full bladder needed tending to! Story moves along at a comfortable pace, characters are people you’d be comfortable having over for dinner, action is pretty much non-stop and at times even a bit of a rush. I found StarToucher to be a very satisfying read.
Hard to put down, but had to: supper needed to be started, and a full bladder needed tending to! Story moves along at a comfortable pace, characters are people you’d be comfortable having over for dinner, action is pretty much non-stop and at times even a bit of a rush. I found StarToucher to be a very satisfying read.
April 8, 2018
I liked this book, it was a different take on the theme of first contact. It kept my interest throughout. The characters were believable, but it also had a surrealness that I think was a nice touch. This was the authors first novel , and I hope more books are in the works.
May 1, 2018
Intriguing Premise
This was an enjoyable novel that kept me interested until the very end. It was well written and fast paced with unique characters. It’s unique plot was one I truly enjoyed.
This was an enjoyable novel that kept me interested until the very end. It was well written and fast paced with unique characters. It’s unique plot was one I truly enjoyed.
April 3, 2018
Interesting theme
I enjoyed the theme and the concepts. In parts of the book there was too much unnecessary material which got in the way of the line of action.
I enjoyed the theme and the concepts. In parts of the book there was too much unnecessary material which got in the way of the line of action.
April 18, 2018
Good story, nice Word picturrs
Enjoyed the plotline, and the good character development. More about Marina and Gemini would be enjoyable. Keep up the good work
Enjoyed the plotline, and the good character development. More about Marina and Gemini would be enjoyable. Keep up the good work
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