Vincent

by Jonathan G. Meyer

James Thompson is having a bad year. In the beginning, he celebrated twenty five years of marriage with twenty three years at a good job and a home he built for retirement. By the end of this fateful year at fifty-four years of age, he is divorced, broke, unemployed, and homeless. He lives in his truck, showers at a cheap gym, and eats the bargain meals at fast food places, if he is lucky. Fortunately, his luck is about to change. He is being watched and evaluated by an alien entity for participation in a crucial mission. A quest that originated on another world with the capability of destroying ours.

On a remote Caribbean island, far from the eyes of the world, a battle will be waged. A small group of ordinary people fight to prevent the destruction of our planet, from a device meant to be the savior of another. Used on Earth, in a methodical way, the alien machine will cause irreversible harm.

Four unlikely heroes: a homeless man, a museum guide, a refugee, and an alien spacecraft will battle against the powerful forces of money, politics, and nature. If the ship's recruits fail the mission, two worlds will face unnecessary hardship. and an accelerated loss of life. The future of both worlds rests in their hands.

Genres: Science Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2017

About the author

Jonathan G. Meyer is a mid-western author born and raised in the St. Louis area. He is a retired electrician with a passion for Science Fiction. Much of his life has been consumed with machinery and electronics. Now with more time to pursue his true interests, he is writing the stories he imagined for years.

Reviews

[Lisa Omstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't do spoilers, so let me just say that this is an innovative journey of well-written science fiction merged with a host of true-to-life misfortunes. Vincent is fabulous in his AI role and Jim was my hands-down favorite character. Hopefully the author is busy at work on a sequel:)

[Jay Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice fun book

This book has a fun storyline as well as interesting characters. I recommend it as being both fun and intriguing without it being too simple

[Clemency · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not read much Science Fiction. I don't know why because, whenever I delve into the genre, I really quite enjoy it. I love watching Sci-fi films and, when I read any book, I enjoy watching it as a movie in my head. I'm sure most people do this with a good book.

I enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the subtle humour, the development of the spaceship as a character, and how we were introduced to the main protagonist. I like that the hero was introduced as a man who became homeless. Not enough heroes begin their journey as vulnerable in this way. Yes, many characters go through vulnerable stages but it was pleasantly refreshing to see a homeless man as a main character. These social statements should be made more in literature. Inspired idea, author!

As I said, the humour was done well. It was consistent but secondary. It didn't take over the book as sometimes happens. Most of the humour was centred around the spaceship's inexperience of mankind. I enjoyed that the spaceship was a main character. It was an unusual but clever line in the story.

I felt, however, that not enough was done to develop all the characters. I wanted to learn more about them - why they thought how they did, and how did they deal with difficult situations in their cool and calm way? Some development and explanation would have been very welcome. That being said, I appreciated that this story wasn't a 700 page epic as often happens with Science Fiction!

Well, I'm off to find some more Science Fiction books I might enjoy. Thanks, Jonathan G Meyer, for encouraging me to read more books in your genre.

[Michael Thal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Electrician Jim Thompson has nothing to live for. At 54 his wife has left him after 25 years of marriage. She took the home and retirement savings. He got booted from his job due to the Great Recession. Now homeless and living out of his truck, Jim’s future seems very bleak.

Then one day, after rummaging though a dumpster in a back ally, Jim discovers a small silver drone. It appears to be a toy quadcopter with a shiny silver skin without the propellers. He thinks this excellently crafted drone could be worth a lot of money, so he figures out a way to transport the heavy craft back to his truck. Once there, a blue light from the drone envelops him, reduces his size to that of a mouse, and a door to the ship swings open and a ladder extends.

This was Jim’s introduction to Vincent, the AI (artificial intelligence) on the starship. It seems that Vincent needs Jim to find an object that is not only important for the survival of his planet, but for the survival of Earth.

Thus begins Jonathan G. Meyer’s science fiction novel, Vincent that is set in St. Louis, Missouri and a remote Caribbean island. Meyer takes on many social issues including homelessness, immigration, divorce, social media, and climate change in a novel that is fast-paced with exciting plot shifts that will keep readers guessing until the dramatic conclusion.

[Sarah1983 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't say this is one I'd have picked up if it wasn't for the fact I loved his Al Clarke series as I'm really not into artificial intelligence, spaceships or anything like that in general. But yeah, loved the other series he wrote so I thought I'd give this one a try too.

I found the dialogue a bit stilted and forced in parts but that's about the only real issue I had with the book. The characters just didn't really talk like normal people at times. I'd like to say I found the plot a bit unbelievable but I'm not sure I can when I routinely read things involving elves, dragons, magic etc. Surely those things should be far more unbelievable? I really enjoyed this book either way. I liked the characters, I liked the way the story moved along for the most part. I'm not sure I'd have so willingly suspended belief about an alien space craft as people in this did though.

I will be reading the next in this series. Hoping we learn more about Vincent and where he comes from in future books. We've only had some very vague hints so far.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end of this great story, the author says that if bad reviews are given, he will learn from them. I'm sorry to say I can't tell him what to learn, but delighted to say I thought the story was five stars. Beginning with a man, Jim Thompson, who is down on his luck, the author takes readers on a journey into the unknown. Jim finds what he thinks is a drone that was thrown away, what he discovers will take him into the realm of scifi and joined by an artificial intelligence named Vincent and a new friend, Claire, the author takes readers on a journey that reminds me of a Steven Spielberg adventure. Well done.

[Jennie Akeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Great Story

I read this story in one sitting. It is simply Marvelous!!
Characters well played. Just enough tension to keep you hooked till the end of story line. I highly recommend this book. I know you will Enjoy.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally great!

I really enjoyed reading this. It ranked up there with the author's other books, All Clark. I was thoroughly hooked. Glad I got it.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not high adventure but a good story

Interesting chartets. Gets into the story quickly. Action and new ideas to keep things moving along. A fast fun book.

[William Wiand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revue

I have always enjoyed reading AT books,especially Isac asamov.This book is one of the best I have ever read. Keep them coming.

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible:I loved it!A new twist on alien invasion.A man down on his luck finds a benefactor with a plan to save two worlds.John McLoughlin was a bit stiff,but a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

[Juliette744 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story, I could very well become a limited series. Quite entertaining, original and a total feel good vibe.

[Charles Remington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Thompson is having a hard time. His wife unexpectedly announced that she wanted a divorce and his employers made him redundant shortly after. Vincent, by Jonathan G. Meyer, tells how Jim, failing to find alternative employment and with the few savings he had long gone, has been reduced to living in his truck and scavenging dumpsters for food and anything he can use or sell. It is on one such scavenging excursion that he comes across what he thinks is a discarded drone. Believing that it must have some value, he takes it back to his truck, no easy feat as it is quite heavy, only to find the drone is in fact a miniature star ship. Not only that, but it also has the ability to shrink people and things quite dramatically so they can fit inside. And so begins a series of adventures which will find Jim robbing a local stationer of a small pair of scissors, and the St Louis Art Museum of a much more important, unidentified artefact. In the process, he makes the acquaintance of an attractive and sympathetic woman who is destined to play a major role in his future. Slowly, an astounding story unfolds which will involve Jim in a desperate attempt to save both planet Earth and the star ship’s own home planet. But there are forces ranged against them, powerful forces with their own agendas. As the action moves from St Louis to a remote Caribbean island, Jim’s mission becomes increasingly perilous. And when a violent storm hits, can they even survive, let alone prevail?

Vincent by Jonathan G. Meyer is classic American science fiction. It reminded me of the type of tale often aired on programmes like the Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits. The story is well-structured and the narrative moves along at a brisk pace gripping one’s attention throughout. The characters are solid and lucidly drawn by an author well-versed in his craft, although I must admit the ship’s AI came across as a little stilted in its dialogue. Mr Meyer has created a fine addition to the sci-fi genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and do not hesitate to recommend it.

[Tom Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Thompson is living in the back of his pickup truck under a bridge. At 54 years old, he was married for 25 years, with a good job, a home he had built. Then his world came crashing down when his wife asked for divorce, and she took the house in the settlement. Rummaging through trash in an alley for things he might be able to sell, one day he finds what he thinks is someone’s toy drone, a small silver disk. Dragging it back to his pickup, he is suddenly bathed in a strange blue light and shrinks to the size of a mouse. The portal in the silver disc opens and he’s drawn inside. The disc is a flying saucer, and an AI named Vincent explains that he was responsible for bringing a highly destructive weapon to Earth, and must retrieve it and return it to his own world, Senara. However, being a machine Vincent needs a human to do its fetching. The previous human turned out to be an ex senator named Jack Smith who wants the weapon for himself, and has hired mercenaries to help him. Smith has half the machine hidden away on an island, but needs the second part, a key. Vincent needs Jim to obtain the key for him, then attack the island stronghold of Jack Smith and retrieve the other part of the machine. Jim needs a helper, and along comes Claire Haversham, a widow about his own age.

I loved this story. The writing is smooth, and reads fast, and the characters come alive. There is action from the beginning through the end when a hurricane hits the island as Vincent, Jim and Claire are attempting to steal the part being held by Jack Smith. The island is basically swept away as the winds destroy everything on the island, and Jack Smith captures the little team in his below ground shelter where he holds the alien weapon. Just on the brink of saving two worlds, Senara and Earth, it looks like our heroes have failed. Can help come from another source in time to save them? Highly recommended to SF and Adventure fans.

[Shadallark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for my own memory and might not help you decide if you want to read this book.

It might just be the stage in my life I am at that caused the characters to resonate with me. For part of the book I kept picturing Claire in her twenties for some reason.

Overall the book was an enjoyable light read. The story progressed at a reasonable pace while still developing the characters and plot so we cared about what happens next.

The characters made mistakes at times which made them feel realistic rather than too perfect or too unintelligent. The relationships felt like they developed organically rather than being forced or contrived.

[J.M. Northup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

I enjoyed this story. It was original and interesting with likable characters. However, it was poorly edited.

The author wove a fun tale, but there were flaws that frequently pulled me from the text. Inconsistent tense, missing punctuation, and some detail errors were only a few of the editing issues. Thankfully, the plot and characters kept me reading.

I'm mixed on this book. If you're looking for an entertaining sci-fi story, this is a good suggestion. Just know it's a bit rough around the edges.

[Vicky Whedbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new author for me and I was pleasantly surprised with this book! It was very interesting and kept my attention throughout!

The characters were diverse and you either loved or hated them. They were introduced at a pace that enabled you to keep track of who was who.

You weren't left with a cliffhanger, though there could easily be a sequel to pick up where this book left off, that could be equally engaging.

Whether you are a science fiction fan or not I think you will definitely enjoy this book! It's well written!

[Rebecca Wolff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inventive

I liked the story idea of a small spacecraft you need to shrink to fit into. The story as great though probably younger readers than myself. The only downside was that there were a lot of typos. They weren't so bad that they distracted from the plot but nonetheless noticable.

[Martyn Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vincent, an unusual alien AI visitor to Earth

This romp into SF was easy to read, but the plot was a bit thin in places. I think Jonathan Meyer missed an opportunity to make Jack Smith more devious and unscrupulous than portrayed - he was captured far too easily !
The book would be great for an early teens audience.

[Rhane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique take on the alien friend story

I was pleased and surprised by many aspects of this story. I love the idea that two people have their lives enriched with new experiences while getting to be agents of change.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd recommend this as a great book for older children, I loved the originality of it and perhaps the not so subtle message that you can't trust politicians.
It's a shame that there are several glaring grammatical errors but it doesn't detract from the story.

[David Kinzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book. The plot is interesting, and his descriptions of the alien ship are entertaining. However, two things could be improved: the dialogue is stilted (for example, no one uses contractions), and there are quite a few misspellings.

[Scott Groff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As the author states, this book is written as an homage to earlier sci-fi, where the action is somewhat unbelievable but fun.