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A Guide to First Contact
You can never be sure that your writing is up to the mark. Early on I experimented with plot structure � you know the sort of thing, parallel threads, multiple points of view, written on different levels� all in one project. After three years it had reached a logical end; I decided to bring it to a close.
The result: A Guide to First Contact, is a literary experiment. It deconstructs narratives from the future, present and past. These, although seemingly unrelated, drip feed the larger design that links them together. Gradually a grand mosaic is built up revealing the links between the protagonist and the various other entities populating this work. The machinations of human and alien take shape. Although there are clues, the protagonist remains an enigma.
This edition will eventually be withdrawn and reissued in a different form under my other id in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ (real name). I intend it to be two separate novels: The Fécunda and The Xenocotrix.
Brent has a problem. He doesn’t fit. The woman he fancies heads up a research team. They’re busy looking into genetics; the history of man. But the story doesn’t start there; it begins long, long ago; in the Late Pleistocene; just when aliens were planning the next phase in Earth’s development.
Back in the present day, Brent’s long-time buddy, Watcher, bails him out again. Brent’s got a degree in haplessness � from the College of Life. The thing is, Watcher’s into stuff like conspiracies. Be careful Brent or you’ll be sucked in and when you’re spat out, you’ll be hung out to dry.
Forty years later, the West has collapsed and the apocalypse is in full swing. What happened? Earth was contacted by aliens triggering a rapture effect. No one has worked out what to do with the undying flesh of the undead. Xenogens � genetic plagues in all but name � are currently raging out of control. Catch one and you degenerate into a dangerous, sub-human brute. Most cities are abandoned as unsafe; they’re known as former urban areas. The problem with dangerous, sub-human brutes is they’re xenogen carriers. Former Urban Area One (former New York) is crawling with them. Triste prowls its streets. There’s always work for a mercenary
Watch out Triste; something wicked is coming.
The thing is, heroes never listen. Triste meets Shoe. Shoe’s on the run. They stumble upon an abandoned research lab. They find old records � of life before the apocalypse; but will they work out what went wrong? Do they want to? Shoe has got dark secrets; she knows more about xenogens than she lets on. There are other things she can’t tell Triste.
Hot alien women, philosophical musing and a universe with Lovecraftian themes are added for ballast. This is my first novel.
The result: A Guide to First Contact, is a literary experiment. It deconstructs narratives from the future, present and past. These, although seemingly unrelated, drip feed the larger design that links them together. Gradually a grand mosaic is built up revealing the links between the protagonist and the various other entities populating this work. The machinations of human and alien take shape. Although there are clues, the protagonist remains an enigma.
This edition will eventually be withdrawn and reissued in a different form under my other id in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ (real name). I intend it to be two separate novels: The Fécunda and The Xenocotrix.
Brent has a problem. He doesn’t fit. The woman he fancies heads up a research team. They’re busy looking into genetics; the history of man. But the story doesn’t start there; it begins long, long ago; in the Late Pleistocene; just when aliens were planning the next phase in Earth’s development.
Back in the present day, Brent’s long-time buddy, Watcher, bails him out again. Brent’s got a degree in haplessness � from the College of Life. The thing is, Watcher’s into stuff like conspiracies. Be careful Brent or you’ll be sucked in and when you’re spat out, you’ll be hung out to dry.
Forty years later, the West has collapsed and the apocalypse is in full swing. What happened? Earth was contacted by aliens triggering a rapture effect. No one has worked out what to do with the undying flesh of the undead. Xenogens � genetic plagues in all but name � are currently raging out of control. Catch one and you degenerate into a dangerous, sub-human brute. Most cities are abandoned as unsafe; they’re known as former urban areas. The problem with dangerous, sub-human brutes is they’re xenogen carriers. Former Urban Area One (former New York) is crawling with them. Triste prowls its streets. There’s always work for a mercenary
Watch out Triste; something wicked is coming.
The thing is, heroes never listen. Triste meets Shoe. Shoe’s on the run. They stumble upon an abandoned research lab. They find old records � of life before the apocalypse; but will they work out what went wrong? Do they want to? Shoe has got dark secrets; she knows more about xenogens than she lets on. There are other things she can’t tell Triste.
Hot alien women, philosophical musing and a universe with Lovecraftian themes are added for ballast. This is my first novel.
584 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2013
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Shelved as 'partial'
February 6, 2015I gave this a shot, but found it too heady and philosphical for my taste.
Probably best for readers who like to be challenged and don't require immediate interest. (I am willing to read a good portion of a book before making a judgement, but I admit I only like to be challenged *a little*. As I read for fun and relaxation, beyond that is more than I like. Yup, I am mentally lazy.)
It has a poetic flow to it that some might like. The beginning is... ethereal I suppose? Then it transitions into something a little more direct but still more enigmatic than straightforward. I suggest trying a sample first.
Probably best for readers who like to be challenged and don't require immediate interest. (I am willing to read a good portion of a book before making a judgement, but I admit I only like to be challenged *a little*. As I read for fun and relaxation, beyond that is more than I like. Yup, I am mentally lazy.)
It has a poetic flow to it that some might like. The beginning is... ethereal I suppose? Then it transitions into something a little more direct but still more enigmatic than straightforward. I suggest trying a sample first.
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December 21, 2014What did I think?
(As the author) It met my objective which, I have to say, wouldn't have been possible without the good work of my editor, , who is a member of SfEP - the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Where does it fit, genre wise?
It's post-apocalyptic with present day thriller, science & evolution & God, and flashes of space opera. My editor likened it to The Road.
The post-apocalyptic settings show all levels of life, from the menace of everyday life in the former urban areas, to the protected life in the enclaves. These are joined by pastoral scenes, interspersed with the mindless violence that hides in the hearts of all.
The present day narratives are laced together and take us from the here and now, up the point where everything falls apart.
Is any of the above, spoiler?
It's a multi-layered, multiple storyline epic. I'd need to say a whole lot more to spoil that.
(As the author) It met my objective which, I have to say, wouldn't have been possible without the good work of my editor, , who is a member of SfEP - the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Where does it fit, genre wise?
It's post-apocalyptic with present day thriller, science & evolution & God, and flashes of space opera. My editor likened it to The Road.
The post-apocalyptic settings show all levels of life, from the menace of everyday life in the former urban areas, to the protected life in the enclaves. These are joined by pastoral scenes, interspersed with the mindless violence that hides in the hearts of all.
The present day narratives are laced together and take us from the here and now, up the point where everything falls apart.
Is any of the above, spoiler?
It's a multi-layered, multiple storyline epic. I'd need to say a whole lot more to spoil that.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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