141 pages
First Contact Science Fiction/Action and Adventure Fiction
Having read book 3 in this series (Divided States of America), I was open to read and review this fourth book when invited by the author.
The story is the continuation of a time-travelling group, involving another world in a distant galaxy and the interaction of the inhabitants there with a small number of Earth dwellers. But it is more than just a science fiction adventure, good as that element is in story terms. The author uses the medium to explore and analyse the politics of 21st century USA, concentrating on the many negative aspects of President Trump’s leadership in terms of Covid-19 and the ongoing racial issues.
Whilst the story contains certain technical solutions to some problems, it focuses on the way the US has become a deeply divided society during this period. There is much to admire here.
As is often the case with self-published books, there are editing issues, but I’ve come to expect these and tend to skip over them, even while reading as a writer. The problem is not restricted to self-published novels, but occurs across the board, including some works published by established big publishing houses, unfortunately.
The story, however, and the characters depicted, are enough to encourage the reader to carry on. There is insufficient science to put off those with no love for the genre, but enough to satisfy all but those scifi buffs who accept only the ‘hard’ stuff. A worthy read.
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy the author sent me.
This book was clearly written before the recent election, and the author includes a lengthy, impassioned plea to American voters to go out there and place their votes to prevent Trump engaging in a second, even more destructive reign. Had I realised this when I first received the book, I would have read it more swiftly, so I could place this review before the event, since I agree with Aithal’s analysis of the current situation in the States. One can only hope some portion of the Republican camp will still be persuaded of the utter indifference of Trump to the welfare of the population and will change allegiance, though I suspect that prospect lies mostly in the realms of hope and dreams.
[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]
Stuart Aken 
I am having a hard time accepting that the U.S. that I knew had taken such a nearly fatal hit! The need to curb the blatant greed of the corporations is sickening. But I see a light at the end of the tunnel in the faces of our younger generation. I have hope!
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With you all the way regarding hope in the younger generation, Brenda. Mind you, they’re going to have to cope with a lot of problems due to the deteriorating climate we have gifted them. In UK, they also have to contend with increased further education fees (it was free when I was a young man), and fast rising retirement ages. I feel for them.
Corporate greed is responsible for so many of our current problems, of course.
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You are so right about your assessment, especially when you said, ‘I see a light at the end of the tunnel.’ I wrote a similar article (under a different penname) here – https://medium.com/@indiawasone/pandemic-politics-5035926bb9c0.
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Many people see Trump as their path to power, so it seems to me that they don’t care that he’s a total narcissist (probably a sociopath), as long as they get to ride his coattails. I used to live in US and was rather astonished at the emphasis on winning and making money at the expense of everything else; it’s built into the culture.
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Got it in one, Lynette. It’s a disease that’s spreading all over the world, at terrible cost to society and the environment.
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Sadly, capitalism has turned into greed.
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I agree, Aithal. Unregulated capitalism is a curse. It creates desires for things people don’t really need, abuses resources, and produces vast amounts of waste.
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Sadly, capitalism has turned into greed. Many ‘successful’ folks seem to be taking the wrong path, and unfortunately, they have many gullible followers.
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I agree, AuthorAithal. Improperly regulated capitalism has turned us from reasonable customers to unthinking consumers. We inhabit a finite world with limited resources, but capitalism inspires an attitude of ‘eat all you can’, which is no longer curbed by laws aimed at preserving diminishing resources and protecting the environment. Cash is king. In fact, for many, money has become their God. And they worship this uncaring deity with all the fervour of the extremist adherents to many religions. All to the detriment of the planet.
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Exactly my feelings. As I’ve stated in my first book, …There are those who look at the scientific proof. And there are those who reject it, infuriating many. They tend to lean more
towards religious beliefs. And then there are the political puppets
whose strings are pulled by a few greedy who want to advance their
cause at any cost. Any cost! May it be harming the environment (thus
affecting the future generation) by the policies they want to
implement. However, the policies they want to enact are limited to
their own country. They have absolutely no jurisdiction over other
countries…
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You’re right, Aithal. And these lunatics who promote their own philosophies and policies seem unaware that they will have serious impacts outside their own lands. The whole world is subject to the effects of these greedy, self-serving, short-term thinkers.
My current WIP, which I’m hoping to have published early next year also deals with these issues within an adventure romance.
Good luck with your books.
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