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Illegal Alien

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 552 ratings · 40 reviews

When a disabled spaceship enters the Earth's atmosphere, seven members of the Tosok race are welcomed by the world with open arms. But when a human scientist is found murdered, all evidence points to one of the Tosoks. For the first time, an alien must be put on trial before humans in a court of law -- and there's far more at stake than accounting for one human life...

Paperback, 304 pages

Published January 1st 1999 by Ace (first published December 1997)

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Jul 19, 2010 Ben Babcock rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-library, 2010-read, canadian-author, not-my-cup-of-tea, science-fiction, thriller, 2010-worst10

In Illegal Alien, Robert J. Sawyer manages to convince me that aliens from Alpha Centauri have come to Earth and need our help repairing their spaceship. He fails to convince me that the California District Attorney could try one of those aliens for first degree murder.

Sawyer recognizes the improbability of such an event, because he doesn't even try to justify it. The president mumbles something about the federal government not being able to interfere with the case because the state has jurisdic...more

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Aug 15, 2012 La_mariane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

My thoughts :
This novel is clearly sci-fi : first contact with aliens, can you get something more obviously sci-fi? And yet, it is more an exploration (and a critique) of the US justice system. The outsider points of view helps, because the lawyer has to explain everything to his alien client, Hask. It shows the unfair aspects of the justice system, even if, in the end, Sawyer's message is not entirely pessimistic : we finally learn the truth about Clete's death. I really liked this aspect of th...more My thoughts :
This novel is clearly sci-fi : first contact with aliens, can you get something more obviously sci-fi? And yet, it is more an exploration (and a critique) of the US justice system. The outsider points of view helps, because the lawyer has to explain everything to his alien client, Hask. It shows the unfair aspects of the justice system, even if, in the end, Sawyer's message is not entirely pessimistic : we finally learn the truth about Clete's death. I really liked this aspect of the book : the idea that there is more than meets the eye in a particular situation, that you have to ask questions and look for the truth (even if lawyers and the DA are not concerned by the truth, more by strategies, jury choices, ...).
The end of the novel is honestly not the best : I felt like the author used an alien ex machina to tie his plot, but then, the real point of the plot is the trial, not the sci-fi aspect, so I can forgive it.
This novel also introduces an important theme, even if it's not original : religion, science and how people can live with those two "forces". More specifically, the theory of evolution has a large part in the later developments of the plot, and Sawyer clearly take a side : he shows how ridiculous it is for people to believe religious arguments/ideas when there are facts that contradict them. For the record, I totally agree with Sawyer : anyone who argues against the theory of evolution because it's not what the Bible teaches us need a serious reality check.

Verdict?
Illegal Alien is a good novel, but don't read it thinking you'll find advetures and traditionnal sci-fi themes. It explores US society and points out what could be improved in the Justice system. I found the trial engrossing, and the three main characters (the lawyer Rice, Frank Nobilio who is the White House representant among the aliens, and Hask) quite well developped. The other characters were fonctions in the storyline. I think this book is a good read for somone who is looking for an unusual sci-fi novel, or for someone who is discovering the genre but doesn't want to read a space-opera or a post-apocaliptic dystopia.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Bradley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, science-fiction

Originally published in 1997, Robert J. Sawyer's novelIllegal Alientells the tale of Earth's first contact with an alien species. Inspired (at least in part) by the O.J. Simpson trial, Sawyer weaves a story of intrigue, while layering in courtroom drama in a book that bucks the typical science-fiction expectations, and keeps readers engaged until the very last word.

Synopsis for Illegal Alien :

When a disabled spaceship enters Earth’s atmosphere, seven members of the advanced Tosok race are welcome

...more Originally published in 1997, Robert J. Sawyer's novel Illegal Alien tells the tale of Earth's first contact with an alien species. Inspired (at least in part) by the O.J. Simpson trial, Sawyer weaves a story of intrigue, while layering in courtroom drama in a book that bucks the typical science-fiction expectations, and keeps readers engaged until the very last word.

Synopsis for Illegal Alien :

When a disabled spaceship enters Earth’s atmosphere, seven members of the advanced Tosok race are welcomed by the world. Then a popular scientist is murdered, and all evidence points to one of the Tosoks. Now, an alien is tried in a court of law-and there may be far more at stake than accounting for one human life.

It’s hard to find anything initially wrong with Sawyer’s work in Illegal Alien. Indeed, it immediately grabs the reader, and is a page-turner in every conceivable way. Though not exactly what one would expect, based on the synopsis, the courtroom scenes are well written, and show a deep and accurate knowledge of legal proceedings. Though preceding it by several years, Illegal Alien is in many ways similar to Sawyer’s Mindscan , in style, if not in substance; that novel, too, revolved deeply around courtroom proceedings.

The characters introduced in the novel are both memorable, and intriguing. The Tosok race in particular is an interesting species, though Sawyer reveals precious little about their culture, beyond a few sentences that fill in a bit. It's hard to imagine any alien encounter that doesn't involve countless hours of question-and-answer sessions with everything from scientists, to mathematicians, to theologists. Not just the aliens are memorable, however, as the human characters are as well. In particular, Clete Calhoun, the celebrity scientist seems to jump off the page, and endear himself with readers. Each of the Tosok characters are presented fairly uniquely, and therefore lend further credence to the world-building that Sawyer has done in the novel.

Though the story intially begins with the introduction of the Tosok's, and the events surrounding their appearance on Earth, the story quickly--and dramatically--takes a turn. A human is murdered, and all clues implicate a Tosok. From here out, the story revolves almost exclusively around the courtroom and legal procedures that take place in the prosecution of the alien. It's interesting to see how humanity deals with the implications the trial will have both on the current, and future relations that Humans and Tosoks will have with each other. Unfortunately, because the novel takes so much time delving into the justice procedures, it does tend to drag a bit from time to time--not in a way that will prevent users from continuing to read, but in the way that seems to avoid the subjects that readers may be most interested in; just when the conversation starts going down a road that will actually reveal some interesting details about the Tosok race, an objection, or cut-off answer leaves the reader hanging. Also frustrating is the lack of exploration of the knowledge about the local stellar neighborhood that the Tosoks may be able to provide.

Illegal Alien is an interesting story of first-contact, and depicts a believable, intrinsically different species, obviously evolved from different life-forms. In many ways, it's exactly what one would expect of a first-contact scenario. This book's page-turning pace, and fascinating subject matter will keep readers well-entertained.(less)

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Aug 16, 2011 Michael Hirsch rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I just finished reading "Illegal Alien" by Robert J. Sawyer. It is another first contact story. The aliens come to earth needing help to fix their spacecraft. They are willing to trade technical knowledge for the help. Everything is going well until a human scientist is brutally murdered and am alien is the prime suspect.

I enjoyed reading this book, but found it a little dissatisfying. As with some other books by Sawyer, he relied a bit too much on having some rule or law of physics, or somethin...more

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Dec 31, 2012 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

I really liked “Illegal Alien.” It was written at the time of the O.J. Simpson murder trial and Sawyer cannot resist mentioning it throughout the book. This is fine, as it allows the author some flexibility of plot and pacing: an old lawyer who has won his share of cases, Mr. Dale Rice, a black man who knew Martin Luther King, Jr. and at 70+ years young gets the chance of a century – to defend an alien accused of the murder of Calhoun, a PBS news/astronomer who was the first to step aboard an al...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Dodie Reed rated it 4 of 5 stars

"When a disabled spaceship enters the Earth's atmosphere, fear is quickly replaced with awe. Seven members of the incredibly advanced Tosok race are welcomed by the world within open arms and the people of Earth put their best face forward, Then a popular scientist is found murdered. All evidence points to one of the Tosoks, For the first time, an alien is tried before humans in a court of law. And in the unprecedented trial, where two cultures clash there may be far more at stake than accountin...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Brian MacPherson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very different book to go through, a genre that is rarely touched on: scifi legal drama. As such, it may not be everyone's cup of tea...

Still, his writing style is engaging, his material (scientific, as well as legal) seems as well researched as with any of his books, and his storyline creates a positive direction that gives you some nice variety from the post-apocalypses, cyberpunks, and other cliches of the genre. While it's difficult to believe anyone would attempt to prosecute a v...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Sean Randall rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought this was a short story, and was pleasantly surprised to find a full-blown novel waiting for me instead. Courtroom drama has never quite been my thing, but this was sedate and quiet enough that I enjoyed it, despite the overwhelmingly stentorian black message and the by now standard promulgation of canadian superiority.I thought this was a short story, and was pleasantly surprised to find a full-blown novel waiting for me instead. Courtroom drama has never quite been my thing, but this...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Jenny J rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, read-in-2013

A First Contact situation between Earth and the alien Tosoks turns sour when one of the Tosoks is charged with murder and tried in a human court of law. What follows is an interesting courtroom drama and some pretty good science fiction.

This book was originally published in the '90s, and it shows, with MANY references to the O.J. Simpson trial. And some of the emphasis on racial issues seemed a bit out of place. But the book was entertaining, and the aliens well-developed. A light, quick read, a...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

On a little bit of a Robert Sawyer binge and re-read this over the past week. Nice, tightly written courtroom drama with well constructed aliens involved. Would have loved a bit more character development (I don't think we hear that one of the main character's has a daughter until more than 3/4 through the book) but the "whodunnit" aspect keeps the story moving at a nice pace and makes for a compelling read.

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Jun 08, 2013 Devin Partlow rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Trial of the Centauri!

Again this book had me glued to it. More Robert J. Sawyer genius. You can tell that the author really did his homework on this. Its a scifi/crime-mystery novel so be prepared for mind-blowing suspense. And finally, like always, this book and its characters are very believable

I could have done without the epilogue, so I gave it 5 stars instead of 5.5 ;)

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Sep 19, 2011 Charles Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really got sucked into this book. It's a great combination of first contact with aliens, mystery and courtroom thriller. I zoomed through it. The central science is speculation on different body types/plans that aliens might have. There is a bit on cultural and religious differences between intelligent species, too. All in all a good read.

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Aug 05, 2011 Larry Ratcliffe added it

Another great Sawyer book. I thought it fell short on some of the interaction between the aliens and humans that would surely take place in reality in regards to questioning the aliens of their homeworld, science, religion, and motives.....but a great mystery nonetheless. The ending was a great surprise.

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Feb 27, 2013 Christian rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think I'm about ready to give up on Sawyer, although its possible that Ive just chosen poorly. If John Grisham tried to write a science fiction novel this is probably what you would get. While the idea of an alien courtroom drama is somewhat intriguing the novel spends most of its time trying to be a metaphor for the OJ Simpson Trials. Which would be okay if the author didn't feel a need to have every character say "Hey, this reminds me of the Simpson trials". There are some interesting ideas...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Too much verbatim courtroom dialog from a typical criminal trial detracts from the overall quality of this book, which has a good premise. Written shortly after the O.J. Simpson trial, it contains many name-dropping references to the principals in that case, making the story obviously dated.

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Feb 19, 2012 kvon rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club, librarybook

I didn't finish the whole book. I read the beginning, through the murder and up to the trial, then skipped to the ending. The others in my book group liked it well enough. I went into it with prior dislike of Sawyer's work (Rollover and Hominids). I couldn't suspend my disbelief that on a first contact we would arrest an alien, instead of sequestering then away from civilians until we knew that they understood our laws. And although there were aggressively ethnic characters, the default was stil...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Judi Moore rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a curiosity - written at the end of the last century (doesn't that still sound weird??) it is very Fifties/pulp-ish in its approach. An amalgamation of hardish SF and crime it's a clever book which I read in a few days, keen to know whodunnit and why.

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Feb 17, 2011 Alaina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy, mystery, re-read

This book is definitely not Sawyer at his best. The working title (and the summary, for that matter) might as well be "The O.J. Simpson Trial With Aliens". And it was about as compelling as I remember watching the Simpson trial to be (with the caveat that I was pretty young at the time).

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May 18, 2012 Steven rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I enjoyed the premise of a first contact and the reason for the aliens to explore the universe. The aliens themselves were interesting biologically and socially.
I did not enjoy the stupidity of Earth governments and legal systems.

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Nov 24, 2010 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book I've read by Sawyer and I was not even close to being disappointed. He has a gifted imagination and I appreciate sci-fi novels that are credible and not projected too far into the future.

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Sep 26, 2010 Gretchen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The best of the Robert Sawyer books. A fascinating look at the legal system and how it would respond to a trial of an actually alien. How to address the jury of "peers"?

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Jul 25, 2010 Hapzydeco rated it 3 of 5 stars

A celebrity trial where aliens are the focus. Numerous references to O.J. Simpson tend to bog down the plot, but Sawyer pulls off the mystery by inserting a twist at the end.

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Dec 04, 2008 Judy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

Very cool story about aliens who come to earth. One of them is arrested and put on trial for murder. Sawyer creates a thoroughly credible scenario and outcome.

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Jan 30, 2012 Ninamarie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Better than expected...if you can suffer through the first 6 chapters, the rest is worth it. A cross between John Grisham and Larry Niven!

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Jul 19, 2011 Tina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: tried-to-read

I struggled with this earlier Sawyer work (I love his later works)and just could not get into the plot enough to continue reading.

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Jan 14, 2010 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought it was a page turner. Was hoping for lots of science but got lots of legal trials. Good ending. Almost a mystery book.

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Dec 13, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, science-fiction

Sawyer creates some of the best aliens, and this book is no exception. But what really sets this book apart is the premise: how would we handle the first time time an alien was suspected of murder? And how would the alien understand our mores and legal procedures? Sawyer builds a most enjoyable story around these questions.

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Nov 30, 2009 Simon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, sf

It's the OJ Simpson trial! But with an extraterrestrial! This will never get dated!

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Oct 31, 2012 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting combination...a first-contact story with a built-in courtroom drama!

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May 19, 2013 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recently re read this and loved it as much as the first time. 95 out of 100.

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About Robert J. Sawyer

Robert J. Sawyer is one of Canada's best known and most successful science fiction writers. He is the only Canadian (and one of only 7 writers in the world) to have won all three of the top international awards for science fiction: the 1995 Nebula Award for The Terminal Experiment, the 2003 Hugo Award for Hominids, and the 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Mindscan.
Robert Sawyer grew up in...more Robert J. Sawyer is one of Canada's best known and most successful science fiction writers. He is the only Canadian (and one of only 7 writers in the world) to have won all three of the top international awards for science fiction: the 1995 Nebula Award for The Terminal Experiment, the 2003 Hugo Award for Hominids, and the 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Mindscan.
Robert Sawyer grew up in Toronto, the son of two university professors. He credits two of his favourite shows from the late 1960s and early 1970s, Search and Star Trek, with teaching him some of the fundamentals of the science-fiction craft. Sawyer was obsessed with outer space from a young age, and he vividly remembers watching the televised Apollo missions. He claims to have watched the 1968 classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey 25 times. He began writing science fiction in a high school club, which he co-founded, NASFA (Northview Academy Association of Science Fiction Addicts). Sawyer graduated in 1982 from the Radio and Television Arts Program at Ryerson University, where he later worked as an instructor.

Sawyer's first published book, Golden Fleece (1989), is an adaptation of short stories that had previously appeared in the science-fiction magazine Amazing Stories. This book won the Aurora Award for the best Canadian science-fiction novel in English. In the early 1990s Sawyer went on to publish his inventive Quintaglio Ascension trilogy, about a world of intelligent dinosaurs. His 1995 award winning The Terminal Experiment confirmed his place as a major international science-fiction writer.

A prolific writer, Sawyer has published more than 10 novels, plus two trilogies. Reviewers praise Sawyer for his concise prose, which has been compared to that of the science-fiction master Isaac Asimov. Like many science fiction-writers, Sawyer welcomes the opportunities his chosen genre provides for exploring ideas. The first book of his Neanderthal Parallax trilogy, Hominids (2002), is set in a near-future society, in which a quantum computing experiment brings a Neanderthal scientist from a parallel Earth to ours. His 2006 Mindscan explores the possibility of transferring human consciousness into a mechanical body, and the ensuing ethical, legal, and societal ramifications.

A passionate advocate for science fiction, Sawyer teaches creative writing and appears frequently in the media to discuss his genre. He prefers the label "philosophical fiction," and in no way sees himself as a predictor of the future. His mission statement for his writing is "To combine the intimately human with the grandly cosmic."

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