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Eleven Days
A mysterious object crests the Sun during a total solar eclipse.
Cryptic radio-frequency noise jams TVs and radios worldwide.
Sinister alien artifacts inexplicably appear in the capitals of the world’s powers.
Paralyzed with fear, society begins to crumble.
Former NASA scientist Jasmine Evans is the first to spot the object, the first to sound the alarm. Recalled to investigate the mystery, her team makes a critical discovery.
But nothing is what it appears to be.
Buckle your seat belts and get ready for the ride, as the fate of humanity will be determined over the next Eleven Days.
Cryptic radio-frequency noise jams TVs and radios worldwide.
Sinister alien artifacts inexplicably appear in the capitals of the world’s powers.
Paralyzed with fear, society begins to crumble.
Former NASA scientist Jasmine Evans is the first to spot the object, the first to sound the alarm. Recalled to investigate the mystery, her team makes a critical discovery.
But nothing is what it appears to be.
Buckle your seat belts and get ready for the ride, as the fate of humanity will be determined over the next Eleven Days.
- GenresScience FictionAliens
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2022
483 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
D. Ward Cornell
23 books51 followersD. Ward Cornell lives on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. His career as an engineer, consultant, and entrepreneur has taken him all over the world. Many of those places and elements of those cultures are featured in his writing.
Although still dabbling in those fields, his passion now is bring stories to life.
Although still dabbling in those fields, his passion now is bring stories to life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
February 19, 2023
So. Much. Potential. Aliens suddenly appear on domestic soil and around the world via potentially deadly obelisks that materialize in what are eventually disclosed to be high-value, carefully chosen locales. These structures destroy almost all who dare to touch them, though there are eventually a “chosen few” with whom the aliens decide to communicate. These space voyagers send, via the obelisks, encoded messages to those deigned to receive them. The messages are then hurriedly disseminated to the best minds on the planet for review and analysis when the decoding reveals information that is beyond terrifying and could spell the end of the human race. As I said—what potential!
Unfortunately, that potential was lost somewhere around the 60% mark. It was then that the story descended on a downward spiral that was obscure, dark and confusing. The intersecting(ish) plot lines eventually reached into dozens of different directions that were at times seemingly unrelated. It would have taken far more time to try to ascertain author’s intent than the book warranted. In the end, I felt as if I cared more about the outcome than the author, which ruined any investment and engagement. Two stars for effort.
Unfortunately, that potential was lost somewhere around the 60% mark. It was then that the story descended on a downward spiral that was obscure, dark and confusing. The intersecting(ish) plot lines eventually reached into dozens of different directions that were at times seemingly unrelated. It would have taken far more time to try to ascertain author’s intent than the book warranted. In the end, I felt as if I cared more about the outcome than the author, which ruined any investment and engagement. Two stars for effort.
January 7, 2023
Enigmatic
This is a first contact story, and it is probably better written than the author intended. Having read the story then read the author's take on what he intended to portray, I'm of the mind that it didn't go that way. We have the Sacrivan who claim to be coming to rescue us as opposed to the Capculcu who are the mean, nasty aliens we need to be rescued from. We never meet the Capculcu, and our understanding of their motivation is one sided. We also discover that the Sacrivan are duplicitous, and are motivated by the acquisition of territory. Whatever the reality really is, we are led down a path designed by the Sacrivan toward accomplishment of their goals to the exclusion of the Capculcu. There are rewards for following this path, but we don't learn in this story what the detriments are. There is a hint of a form of slavery, but of a beneficial nature. I feel the story is very much incomplete although the author contends it is a stand alone. It is only a stand alone story if one is wearing rose colored glasses. The story reads well, and is intriguing, but it feels very incomplete to me. I have one question of the author who claims to be an engineer. How is it that the approach of the alien ship at 70% the speed of light takes several weeks to make its arrival from the sun when the sunlight takes only 8 minutes. This seemed a glaring inconsistency when I started reading this book.
This is a first contact story, and it is probably better written than the author intended. Having read the story then read the author's take on what he intended to portray, I'm of the mind that it didn't go that way. We have the Sacrivan who claim to be coming to rescue us as opposed to the Capculcu who are the mean, nasty aliens we need to be rescued from. We never meet the Capculcu, and our understanding of their motivation is one sided. We also discover that the Sacrivan are duplicitous, and are motivated by the acquisition of territory. Whatever the reality really is, we are led down a path designed by the Sacrivan toward accomplishment of their goals to the exclusion of the Capculcu. There are rewards for following this path, but we don't learn in this story what the detriments are. There is a hint of a form of slavery, but of a beneficial nature. I feel the story is very much incomplete although the author contends it is a stand alone. It is only a stand alone story if one is wearing rose colored glasses. The story reads well, and is intriguing, but it feels very incomplete to me. I have one question of the author who claims to be an engineer. How is it that the approach of the alien ship at 70% the speed of light takes several weeks to make its arrival from the sun when the sunlight takes only 8 minutes. This seemed a glaring inconsistency when I started reading this book.
September 20, 2022
Weak story line
First the way it was written (too many characters introduced with names,that made it hard to file without a score card) .Then there were many inconsistencies and some ridiculous dialogue, then there was another side story that I skipped since it had nothing to do with the main story line and I am not sure why it was there.. I will not go through the inconsistencies as not to spoil it if you chose to read it, but IMO if your IS is higher than 100 ,you will not enjoy is ,it was all I could do finish it,simply out of curiosity.
First the way it was written (too many characters introduced with names,that made it hard to file without a score card) .Then there were many inconsistencies and some ridiculous dialogue, then there was another side story that I skipped since it had nothing to do with the main story line and I am not sure why it was there.. I will not go through the inconsistencies as not to spoil it if you chose to read it, but IMO if your IS is higher than 100 ,you will not enjoy is ,it was all I could do finish it,simply out of curiosity.
November 29, 2022
The buildup as to what was going on was some of the most interesting part of the story. There were a lot of characters at first and it was often a challenge to keep them straight. The inclusion of a "psychic" was a bit odd. Do I think society would unravel when it became clear there were aliens? Yah, but I also think the world leaders would react much better than in this book and not be so stereotypic of their individual societies as portrayed. I'm also not sure why most everyone was willing to believe the main alien was telling the truth? In the end, we did not fare so well as might have been hoped. The editing was OK, but there were a few issues. For one, the Glock does not have a manual safety. For another "Speed is the change in position over a given time interval."-nope. Speed is a scalar value and not a vector. The statement a few pages later is correct "Velocity is a change in position over a given time interval." Overall, the reactions of the characters seemed to kind of dull down and the ending was a little less than satisfying.
December 31, 2022
Solid, but not great books
Warning Spoilers:
The author does a great job of telling the story of first spotting the ship through first contact. Lots of great suspense. I liked his use of the Teacher who is a former NASA employee to first spot the ship near the sun. He actually makes the discovery of the Langauge and the attempts to communicate very interesting to read. There are a couple of characters, here, that just go no where. It’s kind of why bother?
At this point in the book, the science stops and the fantasy begins. It tuns out the Aliens are trying to build a cage to keep us in. Why, I have no idea. And they clearly have the technological capability to build it without human consent, but instead they use deception to obtain consent. Again, why create the rouse? Lastly, the Emessary , Ping, has the opportunity to develop as a character and just doesn’t. After being surprised by the Alien’s plans, he just goes along with them, apparently being bought off by sex and immortality.
The last third of the book left me feeling unfulfilled.
Warning Spoilers:
The author does a great job of telling the story of first spotting the ship through first contact. Lots of great suspense. I liked his use of the Teacher who is a former NASA employee to first spot the ship near the sun. He actually makes the discovery of the Langauge and the attempts to communicate very interesting to read. There are a couple of characters, here, that just go no where. It’s kind of why bother?
At this point in the book, the science stops and the fantasy begins. It tuns out the Aliens are trying to build a cage to keep us in. Why, I have no idea. And they clearly have the technological capability to build it without human consent, but instead they use deception to obtain consent. Again, why create the rouse? Lastly, the Emessary , Ping, has the opportunity to develop as a character and just doesn’t. After being surprised by the Alien’s plans, he just goes along with them, apparently being bought off by sex and immortality.
The last third of the book left me feeling unfulfilled.
January 16, 2023
This was an enjoyable read. I struggled a little as he introduced large number of characters - I often feel overwhelmed by that but not in this case. Authors like Neal Stephenson will often bring all of the characters together at the end, but this did not happen in this book, nor does it need to. The overall narrative moved at a very enjoyable pace splitting between all the different characters in a way that worked for a good narrative flow.
As a first contact story, I appreciated the thoughtfulness of the idea of a human emissary to serve as a go-between for the aliens who are barely described or fleshed out in this story because they didn't need to be. He also suggests that the aliens would prefer to have had an entire generation to familiarize humans with their presence which is also a great concept.
As someone who has been reading science fiction for over 50 years, I realize that there were a lot of stereotypical SF characters and tropes but I gave the author a lot of latitude because the narrative flowed very nicely and there were some hidden gems in there.
As a first contact story, I appreciated the thoughtfulness of the idea of a human emissary to serve as a go-between for the aliens who are barely described or fleshed out in this story because they didn't need to be. He also suggests that the aliens would prefer to have had an entire generation to familiarize humans with their presence which is also a great concept.
As someone who has been reading science fiction for over 50 years, I realize that there were a lot of stereotypical SF characters and tropes but I gave the author a lot of latitude because the narrative flowed very nicely and there were some hidden gems in there.
February 22, 2023
The Davy/Goliath story is refurbed at least three times in this story.
-- High school student Samantha gets the drop on her PhD science teacher. Nice catch, girl!
-- Lowly soldier, who was dissed by a smart-aleck scientist, becomes the Chosen One.
-- Last, my personal favorite, a new assistant at NASA points out a few things to his boss:
“Speed is the change in position over a given time interval.”
Ha ha! I kinda think a JPL scientist would know that. Wink wink!
“Deceleration is a change in velocity.”
Those pesky kids! Sneaking around studying Newton!
The boss, a senior scientist, reflects more than once that he has been “outclassed.”
Stop! Stop!! It tickles!
Could it be that the author is subconsciously describing himself against the world? “I'm not a great author yet, but you'll see! You gonna eat my dust!”
The world may never know.
-- High school student Samantha gets the drop on her PhD science teacher. Nice catch, girl!
-- Lowly soldier, who was dissed by a smart-aleck scientist, becomes the Chosen One.
-- Last, my personal favorite, a new assistant at NASA points out a few things to his boss:
“Speed is the change in position over a given time interval.”
Ha ha! I kinda think a JPL scientist would know that. Wink wink!
“Deceleration is a change in velocity.”
Those pesky kids! Sneaking around studying Newton!
The boss, a senior scientist, reflects more than once that he has been “outclassed.”
Stop! Stop!! It tickles!
Could it be that the author is subconsciously describing himself against the world? “I'm not a great author yet, but you'll see! You gonna eat my dust!”
The world may never know.
May 8, 2023
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
I'm a sucker for a good first-contact story, unfortunately, this was not it. There wasn't much new ground here, with the story feeling like something cobbled together from existing books/movies. We have the looting/rioting from the general population, the "prepper" with his hidden cabin, the angry Russian and Chinese military, hidden aliens at Groom Lake, and of course, the science teacher brought to NASA because she was the first to see the ship.
The obelisks and a few other things were a bit novel, but the overall story lacked imagination, suspense, and action. It just sort of reported on what was happening.
There are so many better options to read for a first-contact book, so...
Skip it!
I'm a sucker for a good first-contact story, unfortunately, this was not it. There wasn't much new ground here, with the story feeling like something cobbled together from existing books/movies. We have the looting/rioting from the general population, the "prepper" with his hidden cabin, the angry Russian and Chinese military, hidden aliens at Groom Lake, and of course, the science teacher brought to NASA because she was the first to see the ship.
The obelisks and a few other things were a bit novel, but the overall story lacked imagination, suspense, and action. It just sort of reported on what was happening.
There are so many better options to read for a first-contact book, so...
Skip it!
January 1, 2023
every known cliche
I finished this book and actually enjoyed it, even though it had every known cliché and stereotype known!. They were the good Americans, the bad Chinese, and Russians, there was area 51, brilliant with mysterious aliens. There was also good guys and bad guys and good aliens and bad aliens. It was, of course, rioting in the streets.
I thought at times if this book was a parody on science fiction, but finally concluded that the author actually was writing a serious book.
All in all, it held my interest, so if you want to read this book, just relax your common sense and read it.
I finished this book and actually enjoyed it, even though it had every known cliché and stereotype known!. They were the good Americans, the bad Chinese, and Russians, there was area 51, brilliant with mysterious aliens. There was also good guys and bad guys and good aliens and bad aliens. It was, of course, rioting in the streets.
I thought at times if this book was a parody on science fiction, but finally concluded that the author actually was writing a serious book.
All in all, it held my interest, so if you want to read this book, just relax your common sense and read it.
September 1, 2024
This book was reasonably well written and offered a somewhat original plot but seemed to slow down dramatically in the second half. The reason for this became apparent at the "end." Although advertised as a single novel, it is not. At the last page of the story with numerous loose ends, the reader is shown the author's second book (in what is now a series) called "Into the Change." To me, this is a bait and switch as I would have to purchase yet another book in what may or may not be the conclusion of this story. Two stars for an okay plot but only that many for what is a disappointing non-ending.
November 5, 2022
An Interesting twist on first contact..
I enjoyed the story and was intrigued by the gradual revealing of the aliens plans. It seems "nothing is as it seems" applies here. So many questions arise.
What is the truth here?
Who is the real enemy?
What is really the plan for Earth?
Are we really so gullible? Or so quick to violence?
I hope there is a sequel to this book to tie up the loose ends and questions.
I've read other books by the author and liked them and I've been reading science fiction for over sixty years. That's a lot of books.
I enjoyed the story and was intrigued by the gradual revealing of the aliens plans. It seems "nothing is as it seems" applies here. So many questions arise.
What is the truth here?
Who is the real enemy?
What is really the plan for Earth?
Are we really so gullible? Or so quick to violence?
I hope there is a sequel to this book to tie up the loose ends and questions.
I've read other books by the author and liked them and I've been reading science fiction for over sixty years. That's a lot of books.
December 20, 2022
Took me to a hopeful future
This is an intricately stitched story of a hopeful conceivable future. I am sure I am not alone in the overwhelming sensation that our world, it's society, it's ravage of nature, the increasing obsessive addiction most (especially younger) people have to things digital, is plunging to a climactic (and climatic) explosive end. This novel puts some kind of meaning and hope for our progeny, albeit in a sentient but inorganic future. Who's to say if the illusion is perfect that it is not indeed reality. Enjoy. Hope the next chapter comes soon!!!!
This is an intricately stitched story of a hopeful conceivable future. I am sure I am not alone in the overwhelming sensation that our world, it's society, it's ravage of nature, the increasing obsessive addiction most (especially younger) people have to things digital, is plunging to a climactic (and climatic) explosive end. This novel puts some kind of meaning and hope for our progeny, albeit in a sentient but inorganic future. Who's to say if the illusion is perfect that it is not indeed reality. Enjoy. Hope the next chapter comes soon!!!!
October 25, 2022
Good, Solid sf Novel 0f first contact and consequences.
I enjoyed reading this book though found it slow going .at times, the chatacters never gelled into distinct people for me but the Byzantine. Plot held my interest enough to Jeep reading to the end, so three stars seems about right.
I enjoyed reading this book though found it slow going .at times, the chatacters never gelled into distinct people for me but the Byzantine. Plot held my interest enough to Jeep reading to the end, so three stars seems about right.
December 3, 2022
Interesting first contact scenario. Weak character development. Dialog was stilted and did not give much insight into the characters' motivations and emotions. Clichéd references to military and government organizations. Still, even with these weaknesses, the story was a fun read. Just had to suspend way more of my disbelief than usual.
March 16, 2023
Meh, Needed more science
There isn't much character development or interesting scientific theory involved in the story line. Sort of a fast pace "he said this, then she did this." I might pick up one of his other books to see if I just picked one of his weaker stories as my fist read.
There isn't much character development or interesting scientific theory involved in the story line. Sort of a fast pace "he said this, then she did this." I might pick up one of his other books to see if I just picked one of his weaker stories as my fist read.
April 29, 2023
Page turning first contact story
I really enjoyed this story. I found it to be an easy read with some very gripping chapters. While the ending wasn't bad, there was something. That seemed rushed and not as complete as the first 3/4 of the book. Definitely seems like a setup for another book.
I really enjoyed this story. I found it to be an easy read with some very gripping chapters. While the ending wasn't bad, there was something. That seemed rushed and not as complete as the first 3/4 of the book. Definitely seems like a setup for another book.
January 28, 2024
Entertaining story of aliens coming to Earth
Eleven Days is a very entertaining tale of alien invasion that throws the people of Earth into a panic and yet the title accurately reflects the length of time that passes. Interesting characters and a twisting plot. Well worth reading, but I was left wanting to know more!
Eleven Days is a very entertaining tale of alien invasion that throws the people of Earth into a panic and yet the title accurately reflects the length of time that passes. Interesting characters and a twisting plot. Well worth reading, but I was left wanting to know more!
October 28, 2022
Great story
I thought that this would be another invasion tale were the earth is nearly destroyed in the fight with the aliens! Surprise! It was a totally different take on the genera! I recommend you read it!
I thought that this would be another invasion tale were the earth is nearly destroyed in the fight with the aliens! Surprise! It was a totally different take on the genera! I recommend you read it!
October 31, 2022
An interesting story full of people I would love to meet!
I found the global scene changes a bit overwhelming. The story line does engage one quickly. Wanted a more complete description of the aliens. Hopefully there will be a next book.
I found the global scene changes a bit overwhelming. The story line does engage one quickly. Wanted a more complete description of the aliens. Hopefully there will be a next book.
December 12, 2022
Interesting premise
Decent characters and aliens but a weak ending. Not much science development either but a good enough story to hold my interest right through to the end. I didn't have to skip around like I have some of the other books I have read recently.
Decent characters and aliens but a weak ending. Not much science development either but a good enough story to hold my interest right through to the end. I didn't have to skip around like I have some of the other books I have read recently.
December 29, 2022
Good read
Fast moving. Timing well choreographed. To a seasoned sci-fi reader it was a welcome change of pace. Introduced a number of concepts within one book and spun a good tale. Glad I read it.
Fast moving. Timing well choreographed. To a seasoned sci-fi reader it was a welcome change of pace. Introduced a number of concepts within one book and spun a good tale. Glad I read it.
January 26, 2023
Superbly written
Fast pace, logical, scientific but easily understandable. If something like this happened for real, I would hope we would have people with skills and sensibility to take on this task. The author keeps your interest at every turn. Good book.
Fast pace, logical, scientific but easily understandable. If something like this happened for real, I would hope we would have people with skills and sensibility to take on this task. The author keeps your interest at every turn. Good book.
January 26, 2023
Could have been better
It has great potential, but the story never really builds any solid momentum. The Clara storyline just seems to be superfluous. I’m assuming that this is a part of a series and hopefully the storytelling gets better.
It has great potential, but the story never really builds any solid momentum. The Clara storyline just seems to be superfluous. I’m assuming that this is a part of a series and hopefully the storytelling gets better.
February 20, 2023
Awesome read
Loved this book. The story pulled me in and kept my attention all the way through. The characters were well written. This is science fiction at its best. D. Ward Cornell is a new author for me. I will definitely be reading more of his books.
Loved this book. The story pulled me in and kept my attention all the way through. The characters were well written. This is science fiction at its best. D. Ward Cornell is a new author for me. I will definitely be reading more of his books.
March 22, 2023
Eleven days
It ended too abruptly. A quick read, but just o.k. would I buy it again? Yeah I think so. The ending left too much in the air. Probably another book. I wouldn't buy it.
It ended too abruptly. A quick read, but just o.k. would I buy it again? Yeah I think so. The ending left too much in the air. Probably another book. I wouldn't buy it.
March 29, 2023
A pleasant p
I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book slowly got me involved in the story. Not at all obvious in its plot movement, and it kept me guessing as to where things were going. I liked it a lot.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book slowly got me involved in the story. Not at all obvious in its plot movement, and it kept me guessing as to where things were going. I liked it a lot.
May 1, 2023
Captivating but with one critical fault
This book was very entertaining, but it would not be fair without mentioning it’s one critical fault. Early in the book one character says they enjoy french fries from In-N-Out. This is a heinous lie and impossible even in a fictional book.
This book was very entertaining, but it would not be fair without mentioning it’s one critical fault. Early in the book one character says they enjoy french fries from In-N-Out. This is a heinous lie and impossible even in a fictional book.
May 28, 2023
abrupt ending but a great story
This was a great story with a unique angle on alien invasion. My only criticism is that the ending was very abrupt. It felt like the editors just said ok - “it’s long enough now, just end it”
This was a great story with a unique angle on alien invasion. My only criticism is that the ending was very abrupt. It felt like the editors just said ok - “it’s long enough now, just end it”
July 16, 2023
Eleven Days was a remarkable tale!
Great story and I thoroughly enjoyed the different location plots that tied together. I hope Mayor Ping Lee does an amazing job! Earth will be safe awhile longer!
Great story and I thoroughly enjoyed the different location plots that tied together. I hope Mayor Ping Lee does an amazing job! Earth will be safe awhile longer!
September 6, 2023
Enjoyable
It started a little slow for me but picked up steam quickly. I literally could not
down and can't wait for the sequel.
Very well written and excellent character building. Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Manon D
It started a little slow for me but picked up steam quickly. I literally could not
down and can't wait for the sequel.
Very well written and excellent character building. Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Manon D
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews