Title: Contact
Series: A New World #1
Author: M.D. Neu
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: January 21, 2019
Heat Level: N/A
Pairing: N/A
Length: 255 pages
Genre: Sci-Fi
Synopsis:
On the cusp of the greatest announcement humankind has ever witnessed, Todd's personal world is thrown into turmoil when his estranged brother shows up on his front porch with news of ships heading for Earth's orbit. The ships are holding the Nentraee, a humanoid race who have come to Earth in need of help after fleeing the destruction of their homeworld. How will one man bridge the gap for both the Humans and Nentraee, amongst mistrust, terrorist attacks, and personal loss? Will this be the start of a new age of man or will bigotry and miscommunication bring this small world to its knees and final end?
My Review:
I'm very selective on the Sci-Fi books I pick up. I seem to be the kind of Sci-Fi fan that prefers to watch the spectacle rather than imagine the hosts of interstellar travel, new planets, and new alien species. But every now and then you get a book that is an easy chew, tender, full of flavor and a delight to eat. Believe me when I say there are a lot of intriguing intergalactic tales out there that look appetizing, but by the time you've gone through a few chapters, you're forced into learning a new language - either the dialect and customs of alien races or the mumbo-jumbo of technological terms and associated math of space travel. In other words, that meal is chewy. Some like that kind of story.
Not my bag of tea, as they say.
This novel is not that chewy meal. Not in the least. This is a scrumptious, perfectly prepared fare, full of flavour, cooked with passion and served with ambiance.
Why? It took me a while to figure that out. Now, fair warning, there is a Glossary of Terms in the back of this book - damn - there's that alien language I have to learn, and yet...it wasn't necessary (although the creativity in that Glossary! Damn.). The way Neu has interspersed new terms and alien customs was seamless. I easily picked it up, caught the intended meaning without ever having to look at that Glossary. I was able to rip through this book without missing a beat. Cheers! And well done. That's not an easy feat to accomplish, and hence one of many reasons why I loved this tale. It was accessible.
The story revolved around Todd. Todd is your every man. We all know Todd. Hell, most of us ARE Todd. But if not, then we all know a Todd, and you can relate to that. Yeah, yeah, he happens to be gay (which, YAY!!!! for diversity in Sci-Fi leading characters!), but Todd has a spouse, a pet, a job, a house with chores that must be done, friends, and family whom he loves and hates at the same time...it's like Neu was telling me my own damn life story.
And then Aliens arrive on earth.
Wait...WHAT? Panic! Run around the streets with complete abandon while throwing your arms around like that tortured blow-up airbag we all see at used car lots.
Nice bit of writing was accomplished in describing the strife and tension created in between the knowledge that Aliens were coming, and the actual reveal of their existence. Panic, chaos, disorder, disbelief, and other general human crappiness was doled out in perfect snippets. Personally, I'm just waiting for this day to come, and I hope to see it before I die. Optimistic I know, but I have this small hope that if we are forced as a species to suddenly come together and realize that we are not the only thing in this universe, perhaps we'd smarten up and behaved better. To think we currently discriminate against each other because we look different, or because we love different, or because we believe in different things/ideas/philosophies - isn't that stupid? Can't we do better than that?
And that's exactly the thrust of this book, and told from not just the Human perspective, but also from the Alien's outlook on us! How intriguing to note that an Alien race might have the same or similar issue in confronting us as we would of them. To think we would have to judiciously decide how our actions would be perceived: rageful, passionate, caring, welcoming, or war-like?
How do two strangers meet, and become friends? How do we find commonality between two species?
Neu has created a story that describes our present world and translated it into an easy read that left me pondering the state of our current situation. If Humans and Nentraee can meet in the middle and make things work, why can't we do the same in our society of today? Rest assured the road to that middle-ground wasn't easy in Neu's tale, and there are Humans that behave just as I would have expected - with hate and violence. Just like in our world. But the hope remains that we can, and will do better.
Accessible. Realistic. Relational, and totally believable.
The next book, Conviction, A New World #2 comes out in a couple of weeks. Guaranteed I'll be reading that as fast as I can get my paws on it.
P.S., Todd's brother is a jerk and I still don't buy his apology.
Rating:
Available:
Meet the Author:
M.D. Neu is an LGBTQA Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he's always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D.Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.
Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man, he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.
When M.D. Neu isn't writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric, his husband of eighteen plus years.
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