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Returning
Returning tells the story of an alien, exiled to Earth, trying first to survive in an unfamiliar world, and then to find a way to return to his own kind. In the process he learns as much about himself as he does about human kind.
The nature of the alien provides an opportunity for the reader to look at our world and ourselves with an external and unprejudiced perspective.
The nature of the alien provides an opportunity for the reader to look at our world and ourselves with an external and unprejudiced perspective.
245 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
10 people want to read
About the author
Pat Whitaker
15 books14 followersThree of my books, Returning, Mindset and Antithesis, have each been finalists in the Sir Julius Vogel Awards in the category of Best Adult Novel. These are the New Zealand Science Fiction awards.
The books I write are intended in the first instance to tell a good story and secondly "once the tale is told" to leave the reader with something to ponder. To this end, all my stories attempt to provide an original take on some commonly held belief, be it cultural, social or scientific.
Being a fan of both science fiction and classic murder mysteries, these tend to be common themes, with elements of both often combined in a single story.
As a person who likes to read a book in a single sitting, I limit each work to around forty-five or fifty thousand words. Unfashionable I know, but it's what I prefer.
Born in England in 1946, I moved to New Zealand with my parents and older brother at the age of four and, apart from five years in my late twenties spent traveling the globe, have lived here ever since. After a fairly rudimentary education, I found work as an Architectural Designer and this became a life-long occupation. I started writing late in 2006.
The books I write are intended in the first instance to tell a good story and secondly "once the tale is told" to leave the reader with something to ponder. To this end, all my stories attempt to provide an original take on some commonly held belief, be it cultural, social or scientific.
Being a fan of both science fiction and classic murder mysteries, these tend to be common themes, with elements of both often combined in a single story.
As a person who likes to read a book in a single sitting, I limit each work to around forty-five or fifty thousand words. Unfashionable I know, but it's what I prefer.
Born in England in 1946, I moved to New Zealand with my parents and older brother at the age of four and, apart from five years in my late twenties spent traveling the globe, have lived here ever since. After a fairly rudimentary education, I found work as an Architectural Designer and this became a life-long occupation. I started writing late in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 21, 2011
First of all, I simply love the cover! It depicts one of my favourite mammals, the wolf, and is very striking.
This is a well-written sci/fi story and a fast read. I finished it in one day. There isn't a lot of dialogue; most of the story is told through the perceptions and thoughts of the alien as he interacts with the humans on Earth, but it's still very interesting. I did become a little lost partway through the book when Mr. Whitaker goes into great detail about the technical aspects of the rocket, but that's because I'm not much of a technical/engineer-type person.
All in all, I enjoyed reading the book and will definitely read more of Mr. Whitaker's work in the future.
This is a well-written sci/fi story and a fast read. I finished it in one day. There isn't a lot of dialogue; most of the story is told through the perceptions and thoughts of the alien as he interacts with the humans on Earth, but it's still very interesting. I did become a little lost partway through the book when Mr. Whitaker goes into great detail about the technical aspects of the rocket, but that's because I'm not much of a technical/engineer-type person.
All in all, I enjoyed reading the book and will definitely read more of Mr. Whitaker's work in the future.
May 5, 2014
Perspective.
That's what this story has, and lots of it. This is one of the - very rare - books that I've read and felt like my perception on things is... insufficient?
Whitaker does an excellent job of taking us by the hand, leading us through a journey of our world, our people, our conflicts, and our motivations. It's a story about humanity, and about being human.
Without wanting to give too much away, the ending of the book was ... right.
That's what this story has, and lots of it. This is one of the - very rare - books that I've read and felt like my perception on things is... insufficient?
Whitaker does an excellent job of taking us by the hand, leading us through a journey of our world, our people, our conflicts, and our motivations. It's a story about humanity, and about being human.
Without wanting to give too much away, the ending of the book was ... right.
January 7, 2010
I enjoyed this book, though I got bogged down a bit in the middle, with all of the political manipulation in the German ranks. The ending was surprisingly sweet. I would have liked a little more background about the alien culture I think, just to satisfy my curiosity. We never did find out,for example, what a culture like that would have considered a crime heinous enough for exile.
February 18, 2012
I have really enjoyed reading the book. Found that the perspective and narrative are quite engaging . Being Russian the setting did really strike a cord. Would recommend it to anyone interested in Sci-Fi. A short delightful read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews