I have read many
alien-encounter and sci-fi books; this one is definitely a different
combination.
It explores more
on the integration process itself, a delightful read when readers get to see
the development. Every time I thought the book had reached its peak, it
continued on and revealed more things that many popular stories refuse to go or
merely scratch the surface.
The plot follows
Sean, an ordinary person who leads an almost mind-numbingly boring life, at
least to him. He has a security job and seems to have a knack for finding
extraordinary things at work, things that seem ordinary until they aren't,
though not everyone takes him seriously. I can't help but think that the author
purposely pokes fun at the conspiracy theorists out there, one of the more
ridiculous ones: birds aren't real.
I like the slow
burn. It's not actually a slow burn because the story moves fast in real time,
but it is patient in getting readers there, especially for Sean's
'relationship' with this being, someone readers already know because we are
privileged to her point of view as well.
It's an
interesting approach, and as the story goes on, it gets even more complex, and
we learn about more identical aliens on a mission. From there, the story goes
even wilder, and it explores many things that happen in our real world,
thought-provoking and intriguing issues that have been plaguing the world
forever.
I have read
multiple books from this author, and he never ceases to amaze me with his
creativity and thought-provoking books. This time, it feels more
character-based, which adds more to the story. The world-building details are
convincing, although I had to pause on one detail that caught my attention too
much because it's been driving me nuts in other popular shows: the idea that
humans don't use 100% of our brains. This is a myth that has been going on
forever, and there was even a whole movie based on this. Scientific experiments
have proven that this is not true. While I don't have much other knowledge
mentioned in this book, and I tend to believe the author, this put a bit of
damp to question them. The good thing is, although this is an important basis
for the alien technology and species, it doesn't affect the overall story as
much and is barely mentioned beyond a few sentences and some implications.
For those who seek a thought-provoking
alien encounter story, this might be the one for you.
4.5 out of 5
