First Contact

by Frank Tayell

If first contact took place today, how would the world react?

For the alien towani, Earth is a holy site where their Last Prophecy will be fulfilled. They will do anything to protect the planet. Protecting humanity is an optional extra.

In 1888, fleeing starvation in Ireland, Sean found work as a guide to the Whitechapel slums for the publisher of grisly penny dreadfuls. Not even the most lurid of those tales was as outlandish as his encounter with visitors from another world. When they take him back to their homeworld, first contact with a human will change their society forever.

By 2020, there is a permanent, but secret, non-terrestrial presence on Earth. Negotiating our planet’s membership in the alien federation, and concealing its existence, is the responsibility of the UN. When the pandemic begins, Earth enters lockdown, and our solar system is quarantined.

While technically not a prisoner, Serene is no more able to leave the tunnels below the alien embassy in Germany than any of her human cousins locked down above ground. Keeping busy with janitorial work, one day blurs into the next until she stumbles onto an alien smuggling ring. What begins as a hunt for a thief transporting sacred Earth artefacts off-world leads to a two-thousand-year-old mystery that threatens to bring war to the entire galaxy.

By the summer of 2022, Harold Goodwin needs a holiday. As camping is all his bookseller’s salary can afford, he opts for a ramble through the countryside that inspired the novels he so loves. Whether by chance or prophecy, a poor choice of campsite thrusts him into the middle of an alien plot to make Earth the next proxy-battleground in a century-old war.

Brawl of the Worlds is a light-hearted tale of intergalactic war and planet-shaping prophecies. As booksellers rise, and empires fall, the hidden history of the galaxy will be revealed. Based on real events.

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2022

About the author

Author of post-apocalyptic and near-future science fiction, with a focus on democracies struggling against dystopia.

For more information, or to join the mailing list, please visit; www.FrankTayell.com, facebook.com/FrankTayell, or facebook.com/TheEvacuation

Reviews

[Chris Amies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable character-driven sf involving the "Earth was contacted by a galactic civilisation but we forgot about it" variety of first contact. Rolled along in a very readable way. The 'contacted' characters being nonplussed but not clueless, which makes a change, and the alien empire while 'vigorous' are far from evil or even incomprehensible. I also have Book 2 and will be reading this.
Also focusses in part on a believable Ireland, which was good. And a certain lost-race who are as we have long suspected not as lost as we first believed.

[K M Egan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected

I read this book because of other post apocalyptic novels I have enjoyed by this author, however this book was a bit disappointing, maybe because it was very different but also because I didn't get some of the humour that at time seemed out of place

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not to my liking, just didn’t catch my attention or interest.

[Andy Binnie-Ritchie]

Very enjoyable

Loved it
I look forward to the next instalment.
Thought provoking work. How would we deal with being the holy land.

[Stuart Sear · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to like about this book you have Aliens,Humour, Violence and a good plot more please.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as interesting as the author's other main series - Surviving the Evacuation. May go on to read the rest but don't have a burning urge to get there yet

[mike smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

pointless?

At first very interesting. The very political.
I skipped pages in hopes I’d find reading to be interesting.
I did want to like the book.