This feels like the rough first draft of what could be a terrific book - at least from the first 10% that I read. The plot is interesting, the main characters have the potential to be engaging, and above all I love the way this 'first contact' story toggles between the point of view of one earthling and one alien, as they are experiencing the same moment. But the characters feel like cartoon teenagers, the world building is thin, the astronauts are drastically un-astronaut-like, and the science is either nonexistent or at an elementary level, even for me with my weak science background. In contrast, I just finished "The Martian", which did an incredible job of making the physics and chemistry of space exploration readable to me (though not entirely understandable) but didn't get in the way of a great story. I think Redling has tremendous potential - it comes through much better in Flowertown than in this book though. An excellent premise very poorly realized. Everything about the plot was unrealistic and idiotic. A so-called language expert that could manage no more than infantile baby talk with the aliens - baby talk which grated on my soul as the book progressed. A crew that was utterly unsympathetic to the alien's culture despite being hand picked from the whole of Earth's population to be the opposite. To a nerdy alien nobody who managed to direct the show with the aliens in a xenophobic dictatorial society. I could go on forever. This book was terrible.
What do You think about Damocles (2013)?
A grown up SyFy story, an interesting take on alien encounter, a real page turner.
—Justice
Nice first contact story where the "Urthers" are the invaders.
—Martin
Good book. A very interesting twist on "alien invasion".
—tonton
