What do you think?
Rate this book
At First Contact: Three Stories of Nontraditional Love
The Fantastical Romances You've Been Craving
------
Hugo Finalist Janice L. Newman presents a touching trio of romances in a speculative vein. From the edge of space, to the shadows of the paranormal, to the marvels of the mystic:
At First Contact: A germaphobe and an android are assigned a mission to survey a planet together. Will they discover new life or a new love?
Ghosted: Leo is searching for the soul that used to haunt his grandmother's house. Did Will ghost him?
A Touch of Magic: What if love could alter the fabric of existence? A fraught romance between two teachers just might be helped along by a touch of magic.
------
Hugo Finalist Janice L. Newman presents a touching trio of romances in a speculative vein. From the edge of space, to the shadows of the paranormal, to the marvels of the mystic:
At First Contact: A germaphobe and an android are assigned a mission to survey a planet together. Will they discover new life or a new love?
Ghosted: Leo is searching for the soul that used to haunt his grandmother's house. Did Will ghost him?
A Touch of Magic: What if love could alter the fabric of existence? A fraught romance between two teachers just might be helped along by a touch of magic.
174 pages, Paperback
Published November 30, 2021
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 8, 2023
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
This book is a collection of three very sweet stories about love in all its forms. About people who think that, for whatever reason — be it physical disability, a crippling discomfort with touching and being touched, or severe agoraphobia — they aren’t worthy of being loved. People who close themselves off and decide to accept loneliness, only to be shown, through empathy and friendship, that someone out there knows they deserve so much more.
The writing in these stories is so easy to read that I whipped through this book without realizing it and, while I think each story ended well, I wanted more. It’s not so much that I wanted more from the stories, which were very well told, feeling absolutely complete when they ended, or the characters, who had their arcs and found their happiness, but from the author. Newman has a deft hand for short stories, and I really hope to be able to read more of their work.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
This book is a collection of three very sweet stories about love in all its forms. About people who think that, for whatever reason — be it physical disability, a crippling discomfort with touching and being touched, or severe agoraphobia — they aren’t worthy of being loved. People who close themselves off and decide to accept loneliness, only to be shown, through empathy and friendship, that someone out there knows they deserve so much more.
The writing in these stories is so easy to read that I whipped through this book without realizing it and, while I think each story ended well, I wanted more. It’s not so much that I wanted more from the stories, which were very well told, feeling absolutely complete when they ended, or the characters, who had their arcs and found their happiness, but from the author. Newman has a deft hand for short stories, and I really hope to be able to read more of their work.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
January 8, 2022
I love fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal romance, so I knew I was in for something good when Journey Press offered me an eARC of At First Contact to read.
This book contains three stories, and each story is in a different genre (how cool is that!)
The first, At First Contact, sits under Science Fiction, and not only does it have one of the cutest romances I have ever read, but it’s also got a fantastic science fiction plot to get stuck into as well. It’s all about discovery, discovery for the characters of a new (and unconventional) love, but also discovery in the more literal sense. These characters are explorers travelling into space to visit a distant world, and the plot was a great throwback to classic sci-fi exploration stories. It’s full of wonder and imagination, but also full of lots of exciting and tense scenes that kept me gripped too. However, the characters really bring this story into the modern era, one of the main characters is neurodiverse, the other a fully AI android, which made for a really unique and interesting relationship (and some fantastic writing!)
The second story in this book, Ghosted, is paranormal and one of the most unique and interesting love stories that I have ever experienced. It’s got twists and turns as you would never expect, and it’s full of mystery and intrigue, which kept me hooked! This book is about Leo, a young man who is searching for the ghost that used to haunt his grandmother’s house and other than to say that this book has LGBTQ+ rep, I can’t really do much more without spoiling the brilliant mystery that is weaved through this story!
The third book, A Touch of Magic, is also LGBTQ+ with a romance between two male teachers. This book is set in the fantasy genre, but it really is just a touch of magic in a world we would all find recognisable. The magic system in this book is fascinating and very believable, it’s something you could imagine existing in our everyday life. This story, again, was so different from the others, yet Janice’s writing really shone through. There was a huge moment towards the end of the tale that really caught me off-guard, and as with all of the other stories in this collection, I loved the resolution at the end. Plus I felt very personally represented in this story which was wonderful, one of the characters in this book is both short and has a chronic illness (like me!)
SUMMARY
Each story in this collection is so different from the next, but Janice’s masterful writing really helps to pull them all together, and you can go into each story expecting a romance that will blow all of your expectations. These stories are thrilling, exciting and beautiful, and each romance focuses on deep connections and friendship. With a little sprinkle of magic and wonder, this collection is unique, imaginative and diverse and I absolutely love the fact that it doesn’t conform to traditions.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
This book contains three stories, and each story is in a different genre (how cool is that!)
The first, At First Contact, sits under Science Fiction, and not only does it have one of the cutest romances I have ever read, but it’s also got a fantastic science fiction plot to get stuck into as well. It’s all about discovery, discovery for the characters of a new (and unconventional) love, but also discovery in the more literal sense. These characters are explorers travelling into space to visit a distant world, and the plot was a great throwback to classic sci-fi exploration stories. It’s full of wonder and imagination, but also full of lots of exciting and tense scenes that kept me gripped too. However, the characters really bring this story into the modern era, one of the main characters is neurodiverse, the other a fully AI android, which made for a really unique and interesting relationship (and some fantastic writing!)
The second story in this book, Ghosted, is paranormal and one of the most unique and interesting love stories that I have ever experienced. It’s got twists and turns as you would never expect, and it’s full of mystery and intrigue, which kept me hooked! This book is about Leo, a young man who is searching for the ghost that used to haunt his grandmother’s house and other than to say that this book has LGBTQ+ rep, I can’t really do much more without spoiling the brilliant mystery that is weaved through this story!
The third book, A Touch of Magic, is also LGBTQ+ with a romance between two male teachers. This book is set in the fantasy genre, but it really is just a touch of magic in a world we would all find recognisable. The magic system in this book is fascinating and very believable, it’s something you could imagine existing in our everyday life. This story, again, was so different from the others, yet Janice’s writing really shone through. There was a huge moment towards the end of the tale that really caught me off-guard, and as with all of the other stories in this collection, I loved the resolution at the end. Plus I felt very personally represented in this story which was wonderful, one of the characters in this book is both short and has a chronic illness (like me!)
SUMMARY
Each story in this collection is so different from the next, but Janice’s masterful writing really helps to pull them all together, and you can go into each story expecting a romance that will blow all of your expectations. These stories are thrilling, exciting and beautiful, and each romance focuses on deep connections and friendship. With a little sprinkle of magic and wonder, this collection is unique, imaginative and diverse and I absolutely love the fact that it doesn’t conform to traditions.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
November 15, 2021
I am a sucker for romance, and to have three tales across a number of genres (hard SF, paranormal, modern fantasy) was just icing on the cake.
I don't have a favorite story; they are all excellent in their own way. For genre, I enjoyed the first one (First Contact) since it's a really good science fiction story as well as a great piece about loving someone for their essence. For the romantic aspects, I really enjoyed the Ghosted, the second story. It's the most unusual couple I've ever seen in print! The last story, A Touch of Magic, is just really neat, and also very sweet.
If you like unusual characters, happy endings, and beautifully realized worlds, At First Contact must be on your Christmas/Valentine's list!
I don't have a favorite story; they are all excellent in their own way. For genre, I enjoyed the first one (First Contact) since it's a really good science fiction story as well as a great piece about loving someone for their essence. For the romantic aspects, I really enjoyed the Ghosted, the second story. It's the most unusual couple I've ever seen in print! The last story, A Touch of Magic, is just really neat, and also very sweet.
If you like unusual characters, happy endings, and beautifully realized worlds, At First Contact must be on your Christmas/Valentine's list!
July 21, 2023
I have to give this four stars only because 5 stars is reserved for very special books. I LOVED these stories! All of the characters are lovable and the plots are amaizing despite being so short.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews