Ship's Log

The Alliance #1

by Lawrence P. White

Coming Soon, The Alliance Series on audio through Audible.com!!! Read by Rueben Corbett, Ship's Log will be available in September 2019. The other two books will follow in 30 or 60-day intervals. Ship's The An’ a star-faring civilization so peaceful it does not even have a military. The a star-faring civilization that shoots on sight and refuses to communicate with anyone. Scouts from both civilizations encounter each other in the skies over Earth. Greg Hamilton, a retired special operations soldier who is minding his own business, stumbles into the detritus of that She struggled for each word. “No . . . hospital.” He reached a hand out and caressed her cheek. “Of course you’re going to a hospital. I’ll be as easy on you as I can, but we can’t delay.” Visibly gathering strength from somewhere, she lifted blue eyes to look directly into his own. She spoke slowly and clearly, “I . . . am . . . not . . . of . . . this . . . Earth.” Though he knows nothing about aliens nor space travel, Greg knows first-hand the ugliness of war. Rather than fight a war, he chooses to end a war. To begin the process, he has to keep an injured An’Atee pilot, the sole survivor of the encounter, alive long enough to get her back to her own doctors. If he plays his cards right though, saving her might include a ride into space.

Genres: Science Fiction, Audiobook

195 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2019

Reviews

[Red Tide]

Not worth finishing and I didn't. Rating: minus 12 on a scale of minus 15 to plus 5.

I am rewriting my reviews to a general pattern and making them more intelligible since originally they were intended for an audience of one. It is tedious sometimes but I have other uses for them, so as time permits, I carry on.


Before starting, I must visit the YouTube. This is made possible by Doctor Who/Without Reward, Red Glasgow, Welcome to Ukraine, NCMI, Combat Veteran News, The Second Story, Language Jones, More Perfect Union, Renee Yoxon, Ms Modeller, Rogue Hobbies, NS Miniverse, Queen Penguin, IMY2, Ammy Robinson, ATP Geopolitics, Anka Daily News, Cinzia Dubois, The Military Show, Dwarkesh Clips, Yanis Varoufakis,

Ship Happens, Central Crossing, Delamer, The Gaze, Nordic Perspective, CBC News, Caitlin Doughty, Off Grid Grandpa, Harry Sisson, Wallaby Boomerangs Channel, Pike and Shot Channel, Samantha Lux, North of Maga, Barry's Economics, Colin R McGuinness, Faun, Patty Gurdy, First to Eleven, Elvira Bary, The Thinking Atheist, Mysteries of Mythology, Beyond Military, Cappy Army,

Cleo Abrams, Jeenie Weenie, Star 17, Kat Abughazaleh, Jezebel Vibes, Feral Historian, JimmyTheGiant, Sally's Economics, Science Fiction with Damien Walter, SchizoKitzo, Eva Schubert, Anne Applebaum, Naughty Nana DUZ, Karen Puzzles, KamSandwich, Legendary Tactics, Moan Inc, Modelling Misadventures, Dr Becky, Kopke613, Channel 100 News with Evie, Mercury StarDust, Lukas Arnold, Farm to Taber, Fiorwestcoast,

What's Going on with Shipping, LuckyBlackCat, The Bands of HM Royal Marines, Indie Fantasy Club, Ashley Barron, Fundie Fridays, The Military Show, Takanao Tanaka, Atun Shei Films, ScaredKetchup, Oceanliner Designs, Zilla Blitz, Dropkick Murphys, Brian Lee Durfee, Hawk's Podcasts, Reese Waters, Grace McGuire, Sarah Elizabeth Hyde, Brio Shorts, Throne of Pages, Fran Blanche, V Birchwood, Just in Time Worldbuilding.


I saw an idiot who whilst insulting an essayist whom I mention, complain to her that I list other trans creators. The Snowflake (cowardly, cruel, self-important US baby-man) no longer surprises. A trigger warning then.

The channels which I list include the news presenter, architect, queer, Kenyan, marine biologist, paleontologist, cis, miniatures painter, WOC, culture critic, intersex, redhaired, socialist, military boardgamer, trans, neurodivergent, lumber yard worker, Bahamian, bi, theoretical physicist, farmer, cosplayer, asexual, tall, boat restorer, pensioner, chess player, engineer, het, mathematician, book reviewer, physically challenged, modeller, lesbian, artist, German, literary critic, geologist and other creators known as Women.

Almost as dangerous to the limited reference group are the film maker, chemist, musician, Irish, boater, boardgame historian, other BIPOC, zoologist, archaeologist, wood worker, tailor, fashion historian, Tatar, short, RPG player, other neurodivergent, boater, anthropologist, anarchist, philosopher, astrophysicist, futurist, writer, Vietnamese, military analyst, naval historian and other creators known (outside the US) as Human Beings.

Should the voices be not stilled, seek emergency pastoral counselling and/or repeat several times daily "I shall not shag a flag today" and/or seek the nearest Mahayana temple.

My feelings of overwhelm reliving in a small way my interactions with the emotionally stunted, encourage me to remember the Ukrainian infantryman POW. His captors in true orc style filmed him with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, as he spoke his last words "Slava Ukraini" before being murdered on film by Russian captors. That was one of tens of thousands documented Russian war crimes.

At time of the original, Goodreads blocked my view of any other review of a reviewed book. I suggest a scan of likes and dislikes the book generated. For myself, I failed to see the point of the book.

The worldbuilding in Amazon Unlimited science fiction titles is most often thin, if it can be said to exist at all. No solid background, no context for character interaction, no structure upon which to hang a plot, no big question posed or interesting future suggested and the rest. This book is not the exception.

The book was impossible to finish. I can only repeat my original reaction, my having no memory of the book. The prose elevated the characters temporarily, promised serviceable story and the alien presence in the solar system seemed interesting.

The two major characters were engaging for a short time, then the energy fizzled. Had it been a film, I would have blamed lack of chemistry.

The technology of any of the races involved seemed uneven. There combat capability was baffling.

Humanity's military tech, strength and organization at least, should have been understandable and well described. They were not. The two alien species were incomprehensible and their approach to war seemed strangely ineffective and pointless.

The technological differences between all three species should have made combat more interesting but it was not well used in the story.

There was no clear purpose for either alien faction and no explanation put forward for the the presence of the aliens in the solar system. There was some apparent connection between them and Earth but it hadn't been introduced at the moment when I abandoned the book.

The dialogue seemed flat and useless. The alien combat was also made pointless and any relationships were left feeling forced and empty. More could be said but few of these books are worth the effort.

Amazon's loan collection hides a few gems beneath a mountain of the barely mediocre and the plain godawful. After trying more than 1200 titles over four years, I think that Unlimited accurately reflect current low end US science fiction. I go to the streaming services for more satisfying, always passable and sometimes very good science fiction, rather than slog through bad prose.


Another stepaway have been earned. This next is courtesy of Doctor Who/Cruel or Cowardly, Lorebrary, Canadian WW2 Tales, Hannah Fry, The Sydney morning Herald & The Age, Graham Scheper, Planet D, Channel 100 News with Evie, The Lore Labyrinth, Pleasant Peasant Media, Turn Left, No Justice, Finding Fae, Ashley Ottesen, Gabi's Vintage, Elly from Africa, Danielle Murphy,

For Ukraine -JaxVellex, The Amazing Lucas, Harry Sisson, Canada Next, Upon Reflection, Monday to Monday, Let's Turnitupworld, A Brush with Bekah, The Norse Witch, Alison Talks Books, Player's Aid, Miniature Adventures, Tabletop Minions, Revolutionary Communist Party Of America, Valrak Gaming, Tom Nicholas, House of El, Underthedesknews, Silicon Curtain, Luke Sherlock, Storm of Steel Wargaming,

Valhalla Drums, Peachy Tips, Jenny Tian, Refashioned Hippie, Luminal Space, Michelle McDaniel, Council of Geeks, NYTN, Jolly Good Ginger, Political Punk, Aussie Barbie Margie, Jason Jay Smart, CoachD, Offizier Amira, Global Updates with Sosan, The Confession Dial, Millennium 7, Adelaide Beeman-White, What's Going on in Shipping, OJAW, Portable Orange, Annamarie Forcino, Sam's Trains, Tod Maffin, Maky Abugu,

Kathy's Flog in France, Astrid Lundberg, Military Norway, Amie's Literary Empire, Feral Historian, Nikki Osbourne, Owen Jones, Emilie's Literary Corner, Science Fiction with Damien Walter, Mystik Manor, Ian Gubeli, Central Crossing, Important Naval History, Wick Galloway, Prime of Midlife, Parkrose Permaculture, Cindy's Villa, Pinsent Tailoring, Bernadette Banner, Glory to Ukraine, Fiorwestcoast.


About two years ago, I tried YouTube for science fiction channels and discovered a variety of dedicated channels that I hadn't suspected existed. Of all the interest areas, the most pleasant surprise were the book channels. 😍 They cover everything the bibliophile could desire, from every literary taste through library overhauls. The reader communities were a revelation. The readers are sane, cosmopolitan and thoughtful. They are everything the Goodreads experience is not.

Consider treating the site as hostile.😐

Goodreads discourse does not exist. As example, I wrote a short negative review of a badly written book, Powers of the Earth by Travis Corcoran. This was two to three years past, the reaction to which ended my interest in any Unlimited title, caused me to finally end my Unlimited sub and justified my caution as regards this site.

That book was the heroic tale of a rich twat enlisting the military in overthrow of the US government in order that he not pay taxes. It was obviously "Atlas Shrugged" set on the moon. It had originally been blurbed as akin to a Heinlein classic.

My personal communist judgement was that it and many similarly themed titles were dangerous, unhealthy and now prophetic.

Travis and six fellow patriots were outraged. They spent nearly a year demanding a response to pathetic, unhinged comments. No mention of the book's merits was made. There were however a slew of instructional comments such as the existialist core of Neitsche' s work, my lack of intelligence, the narcissism evidenced by my refusal to engage, the many merits of slavery historical and present, interesting views of women readers in science fiction and more.

I had entertained hope of a new possible solution to the Fermi Paradox being offered but was disappointed. The layers of irony were painful to me and unrecognised by them.

The final comment was delivered by Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr. He grandly declared after referencing the contents of ny last message exchange with a Goodreads friend that They had "won" (?).

I discovered that They apparently had with a slew of allies launched a flood of vicious sexual, racial and similar comments against every female creator I mentioned.

Though They failed to charm the astrophysicist, boater, pensioner, paleontologist or other creators, They did successfully increase the globe's overabundance of ugliness. In addition to which They delivered a splendid self-portrait of the Snowflake (attention starved, poorly educated US man-child) to a multinational audience.

This must be a Victory. Goodreads is truly is a wonder. If shocked by Their behaviour, there are BookTubers to direct the reader to more useful and saner reader sites.


This last was made possible by Doctor Who/Without Reward, Alice in Wonderland. The Kavernacle, Munecat, Claus Kellerman POV, Christina Talks, UNFTR Media, Golden Salt, US Agenda Channel, Kate Schott, Private Eye News, Stephan's History of the World, Late Science, Indie Fantasy Club, Zilla Blitz, Ms Modeller, Man cave Models, Signal Economic, Candlelit Tales, Patty Gurdy, Caitlin Doughty, MeMyDogsandBooks,

Feminist Cat Lady Spinster, Brigitte Empire, Tachyon Pulse Podcast Reese Waters, Boardgame Bollocks, Dungeons and Discourse, Britta Bohler, KamSandwich, Emma Thorne, Your True Shelf, Cappy Army, Justin Taylor, Preston Stewart, Wes O'Donnell, Miniature Landscape Hobbies, History for Gamers, Guard the Leaf, House of El, Elvira Bary, Tod's Workshop, Chess Tactics, History of Everything,

NCMI, Anne Applebaum, Cardboard Commander, The Onion, Josh Johnson, The Daily Soak, Ukraine:The Latest, Alex Fleev, Capital Lumber Log Yard, Aid Thompsin, Chloe Daniels, Lisandra Vazquez, polyMATHY, Today I learned Science, Sabine Hossenfelder, Vibewithmommy, Knitting Cult Lady, Sprue Goo, Alexis Dahl, Ivor Cummins, Portable Orange, Lyla Mev, Depressed Russian, NFKRZ, Amy Shira Teitel, Icky Streams, Chill Goblin, FAFO,

Anti-Social Studies, Katii, Hasan Minhaj, Yanis Varoufakis, Democratic Penguin Republic, JohnTheDuncan, Unlearning Economics, Ukraine Today, Autistic Jenny, Cult College, Maky Abugu, Fit Danielle Reads, No Justice, Mercado Media, Vibewithmommy, LetterKenny, Gary's Economics, Gingers are Black, Leeanne Morgan.


Ominous music begins. 😊 The comment gangs are a feature of Goodreads. They serve not members but a consensus of the permissible judgement. They seem fairly thick on the ground. Their antics go beyond the nasty comment to the doxxing, stalking, threatening and hacking attempt and more.

Amazon have to my knowledge never acknowledged incidents, disciplined mental members, punished writers involved or dismissed employees who enable either.

Unfortunately most BookTubers are unaware or deny the reality. They are small businesses but bow to a corporation today is to present their pre-approved scripts tomorrow.

My experience is simply one example of the lengths to which these thugs feel entitled. My limited message history was given over to these madlads. There followed a request from Pine Gap Centre that Australian Security interrogate the one friend whom I occasionally messaged. The attempt at my history failed, though two outraged customers were created.

Only after we began sharing that bizarre incident did Amazon exhibit the slightest concern. No message to me or my friend but suddenly my page format and options were returned to normal, all Lurkers whom I hadn't been Allowed to remove were disappeared, Kindle service interruptions ceased and other harassment ended. A message was sent me that Kindle would no longer support Goodreads and the icon was removed. That was not as reassuring as some manager imagined.

Fit Danielle Reads had an interesting response to her double billing complaint. Amazon did not acknowledge Their error, blocked her access to her ebooks, sought an alternate payment source and other. Amex was not impressed and customer service was dismissive, then offensive to this years long customer.

Reads with Rachel received her first threatening comment from a Goodreads member, I suspect. It was that she "should die". This after Goodreads deleted her review criticising a title's problematic portrayals, having declared her review "hate speech". An interesting definition of hate then, US federal policy now.

A seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for the long harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded millions and the ex-employee had been the Chief of EBay Global Security or some such. Things to consider regarding any US Data firm.

Several suggestions for a safer experience on this site. Remove all personal information from profile and the messaging app. Remove all Lurkers, those friends who never post. They are likely monitors for gangs or employee dummies, not admirers.

Given the Goodreads penchant for Altering customer pages, the screenshot of the ugly, odd and threatening are invaluable. For Goodreads these should suffice.

Kindle are another matter. Do Not Use Files, calendar, Contacts or Email. Amazon employees read customer email with no permission or notice. Make of that what you will.

Do Not purchase Kindle ebooks, as you own only your device not downloads, which may be blocked or deleted at Amazon's whim. There are BooKTubers to direct the reader to alternative vendors of ebooks and tablets. They may also suggest alternatives to ebook purchase.

All Silk searches should of course, be innocuous and non-critical.

A number of members are nutcases, employees rabid, the remaining are blissfully and determinedly unaware. They are for the most part US patriots. Ominous music ends. 😊

Be Safe. May we all find Good Reading. 🤗

Some of my favourite channels.
NCMI, Russian Media Monitor, Art by Annamarie, Double Down News, Some More News, Novara Media, Camper Vibe, Chloe Stafler, The Armchair Historian, Boat Time, Northern Narrowboaters, Cruising the Cut, Honest Government Ads,

Swell Entertainment, Lindsey Stirling, Between the Lines, Lady of the Library, Renegade Cut, France 24, Alice Cappelle, Jessica Gagnon, DW News, A Different Bias, Sabine Hossenfelder, Mythic Concepts, Olly Richards, Dan Davis History, Quinn's Ideas, With Olivia,

Venom Geek Media, Natasha's Adventures, Lilly's life, Jessie Gender, Maiorianus, Jack Edwards, Traveling K, Karolina Zebrowska, Jill Bearup, Sarah Z, Prime of Midlife, Patrick is a Navajo, Books with Chloe, Clockwork Reader, Noelle Gallagher,

The Irish Reader, TIKHistory, Elena Taber, Lily Alexandre, Three Arrows, Chris Animations, Rowan J Coleman, The Carpenter's Daughter, Linguoer Mechanic, What Vivi did next, Caucasian Sword Dance, Spacedock, The Armchair Historian, Brandon Fisichella, The Templin Institute,

The Perimeter Institute, Kings and Generals, Dr Becky, Casual Navigation, Ship Happens, Told in Stone, Euronews, Books and Quills, Prime of Midlife, Brittany the Bibliophile, Zoe Baker, Lucy Thomas, Tibees, Lindsay Ellis, Garron, Professor James Ker-Lindsay, Bernadette Banner.

I wish you a wonderful morning, a gorgeous afternoon, a splendid evening, a superb night and may we all keep learning.

Hope is not a sprint but a marathon.
Von Paulus at Stalingrad

[N.]

As if perfect medicine would make the world uninhabitable due to overpopulation. That's crap! Look at Germany, look at other 1st world countries that have a declining population.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An LPW. SYGY. Novel (SL/TAB - 1)

LPW. has penned a "First Contact " , where, when and how. Three simple questions before you observe the fight between two aircraft, which are definitely spacecraft, is who is going to win. As you watch the spacecraft,8 that resembles the old SR-71, tumble thru the air and crash into the lake below you. You land your seaplane. To assist any survivals. You find and locate a survivor. She is a human. This i s an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant read.

I found this whole looking for a change from my usual authors and series. A good story well told, I'm looking forward to reading the whole series.😀

[Phil Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

Started out pretty well, then deteriorated as the main character and his brother in law actually acted mentally ill. The alien races were quite understandable to me but were not to the above characters.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this book could probably have been half as long as it was. I haven’t read this author before, and the writing isn’t bad, but he spends way to much time writing about stuff that should be done and over with.

Ok, so, two alien spacecraft are fighting over some remote area of Canada. Our main character, Greg Hamilton, is piloting his float plane in the area headed for a camping site near a lake. He’s going to meet with his sister and her husband for a week of remote camping. But, then he sees this “dogfight” going on and tries to figure who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy. He goes through this great dissertation on what each of the spaceships are doing trying to determine who the aggressor is and who’s just trying to get away. Here the writer chooses to make a story out of what should be one more reported UFO incident. Instead of just flying low and out of sight of either spaceship, Greg decides to try and help one of the combatants. He notices that when he keys his plane’s radio, it attracts one of the spaceships although nether actually fire on his small craft. So, he keys his mike once more and distracts the Harbok spaceship which allows the other ship to finally send in a death blow and the Harbok ship blows up.

The other spaceship comes along side him and no matter how he turns, it stays right on his side. Then it begins to fall behind. He believes it is also damaged and before long it crashes in the forest about a half mile from a small lake. Greg lands his plane on the lake and hikes to the crash site. He can’t believe how huge the spaceship is nor can he immediately find a way into it. He doesn’t know if it’s occupied or if all the crew were killed in the crash.

After messing around for a while, he does find an invisible lever/button that releases an opening into the ship. Greg can’t believe he’s actually going to board an alien space craft. But, he does and is surprised to find one single occupant who is badly burned. She’s still alive, but barely. Greg tries to tell her that he’s going to get her to a hospital, but she does speak English, to his surprise, and tells him, no hospital since she’s not of this Earth!

And now here where a lot of useless dialogue starts. Greg isn’t sure if he should be helping this alien. Even though she’s obviously helpless and in pain, he questions whether he should get involved. The Harbok, who she shot down, will obviously come looking for their missing ship and try to find who did the deed. They probably won’t appreciate that he’s helping here survive. He agonizes over this issue for about a chapter or two and that’s a comparatively short period considering what happens later.

Greg finally decides he’ll help this alien, who he later finds out is call, “Arlynn”. She tells him to get some medication from her ships stores and spay it on her burns. He does that and it seems to greatly ease her pains. She also shows him how to get a floating gurney operating so he can get her to his float plane. He then takes off to meet with this sister and husband to try and see if they can help this alien lady and what they should do next.

So now you have three humans and an alien in a remote part of the Canadian wilderness. For the next umpteen chapters, the three humans begin to agonize over whether to help this alien or not. They’re afraid what it might mean to the entire human race if they chose the wrong side of this war. It is a stupid waist of writing, because they have already chosen due to the fact they are helping her. She’s getting rest, food and water and getting better each day, but she still needs to get back to another hidden ship and then leave Earth to get back to her people at their base-ship.

I kept telling myself as I was reading several chapters, the author really needs to just get on with the story! There’s way too much philosophizing about what could happen instead of concentrating on what needs to happen. They need to get this alien to her other ship and help her leave Earth, simple as that. Yet, it winds up that Greg has to go with her and pilot her starship while being attacked by the Harbok. Oh, and this alien’s starship, is pretty dumb in that it doesn’t even have an AI capable of taking to its occupants.

The second book is already out so I’m going to read it, but I sure hope the next one doesn’t have to analyze everything in detail before something happens.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good story

This is a book sort of found by accident. Was looking to re-read another series by this author when I discovered that not only had he continued his original series,but had created a new one as well. So, a happy coincidence brings me to the end of book one, about to hop into book two.

Having not read any reviews about this book before I began it, I will speculate that some people may think this was sort of a cliffhanger. Since the author did that on his first book, and quickly added an excerpt from his second due to readers outrage, pretty sure that isn’t his intention here. This ended in a manner where the MC has laid out his story for those that follow, and left the reader with a sense of wanting to hope for what comes next. That is MY take, and if I’m completely wrong, I will likely edit this review, and be very upset... ;-(

Now, I’m going to find out if I’m wrong. Wish me luck!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borders on a 5-Star Rating (but, not quite)

This is definitely a different SciFi story, and that is why I wasn’t 100% sold on how good the book is. The initial human-related aspects of the story were an OK foundation. The subsequent encounters with UFOs were a bit believable — except for the fighting and piloting skills required to survive — THOSE took a leap of faith to more truly believe. The human and sibling interactions that followed through the middle of the book involved a lot of give-and-take, but were at least plausible. I was even willing to accept the last chapters of the book as fitting in with the rest of the story — EXCEPT — the author gave a cliff-hanger ending, that forces you to move into Book #2 of the trilogy (rather than having a clean ending, then moving into the next Book).

[D. Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not awful

Nor narrative than dialog than action, though the action does pick up in the last four chapters or so. Still, the story could be stronger.
I can't stay that I like Arlynn. She's pretty bossy. I can't imagine why the Harbok would hide out on Earth. Perhaps that question gets answered in later books.
Three stars because the characterizations are rather flat and there are a couple of minor punctuation (forgetting the open quotation marks) and one (that I remember) word error--week that should be weak. A couple of places that White repeats himself verbatim.
I'll give the next in the series a try and see if it's worth continuing.

[Melissa Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out interesting with an alien space battle and a 40 something ex military man in a sea plane. From there it slowed way down. The peace loving aliens that think Earth people are barbaric killers, the ongoing debate on whether or not we should choose sides on the alien conflict and then find out both aliens on Earth are actually killers even though they can't stand the thought of loss of any life is irritating. The dialogue is boring and I quickly got tired of the beautiful alien woman's attitude. Will not be finishing the other books in the series.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read and followed similar plot lines of other SF titles we have all read. The characters were well-developed, but there was one heck of a lot of conversation and philosophical discussions that could have been edited out without taking anything away from the story. I picked this up with my Kindle Unlimited subscription vs. the regular price of $2.99, and certainly received more than $2.99 worth of entertainment value. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Chris Ehlers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great study of first contact

After having read the chosen series I thought I would never see a better one. Larry proved me wrong. Whereas most first contact books focus on the actions each side takes, Larry focuses on their natures and how that drives their actions. He delves deeply into the psychological make up of both sides and how they each use their nature to achieve a desirable outcome for all concerned. In these actions we see the best (peacemaker) and worst (warrior) of our own natures and, through his words, how we might focus on the best parts of human nature. He doesn't tell you which is better. Instead he leaves it to the reader to figure that out on their own. Our Congress could benefit from reading this. Maybe it would help them learn how to join together in achieving a better outcome. Thanks Larry I needed this.

[Louise Pass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contact

Good story handled with depth, characters that, even with mysteries, are more then cardboard cut outs of hero's and villains. Much of the "science" falls into the mystery category but the premise makes that work. I intend to read the next one you should probably they them both.

[Steven Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok...ish

Not really my style. Took far too long to get to the action. Character interactions were very wooden and I thought unrealistic. I'm kind of a tech geek so I really dont like it when all the explanations you get are "trust me earthlings are too stupid to comprehend this". This book just didn't appeal to me.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but slow

I like the story but found it slow to materialize. Standard stuff as in alien stranded on earth and needs help. Not a problem but Not new. I enjoyed the characters and the alienness of the other cultures but felt the philosophical debates a bit overplayed. Still i will try number 2 and see where this goes.

[Denzil Ernstzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start.

I loved the introduction this book is setting up for the series. We are such a reactive people that it takes som3 really great writing to highlight our many flaws. This book does that and more. I am so lookin* forward to getting start3d on the next book in this series.

[Thomas James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cliffhanger

Great story of a hopeless situation. BUT, how often in Earth's history has a superior force been beaten back by a dedicated union of rebels? Quite a few. Now let's see if that holds true in space!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid read

I avoided this book because i did not like ending of voice of chosen. But this is a good 3 book read. Solid beginning middle and ending. May have to reread chosen series. I see it is 5 books now.

[Bill Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

Well worth reading. Nice approach to the subject of first contact. Great character development. Looking forward to more. Can't wait to see how rescue and recovery goes. That's what I used to do. Thanks again for the great read.

[Roh Bawt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get too far into this one... It.. It just struck me as bad. Not sure at the moment how to describe the issues without getting mildly spoilery and honestly the book didnt seem worth the effort anyway.

[Tom Kolodziej · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read!

I will admit I like a good story where the good guy gets the girl in the end. While he hasn't quite got the girl, I believe he will. Lots of action. I highly recommend this book.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading just as enjoyable

I read this series several years ago after reading the Spirit of Empire series. The latest book #6 in the Spirit of Empire series has just come out and I finished it. I decided to reread this series. It was as enjoyable as the 1st time.

[jamie keenan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

This was a long boring civics / ethics discussion in junior high. Tries to be 50's 60's sci fi but isn't tight enough for today. It's too soft and slow.

[Dale (Aus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different to what I expected.

Liked the beginning and the end thirds of this but found the centre third dragged a little. Obviously more to the story moving forward.

[Billie Winterholer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facinating

I won't go into too much until three next book of this series is downloaded. And it's not downloading fast enough

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

A perfect mix of action and thought. The characters were engaging and easy with which to empathize. I plan on reading the other books in the series!

[Marko Rinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little bit too easy first contact handling and little bit too much irrelevancies but I still want to read next book in series.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

How about a sequel.?

Good book. Lousy ending .
You should not write a book with no ending. Nnnnnnnnnn nnmmmm mmmm.m...m.nnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnn

[Jason Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

UFOs getting a ride.

I want to go out there se new things eat new foods... antigrav would be nice to have access to also.

[chester loyd gulley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't lay it down

Exciting from the first page to the last. Looking forward to the next chapter. I'll have to watch for other titles by him