Probe

by Edward M. Lerner

Is this the greatest discovery of all time â ¦ or the biggest hoax?

Bob Hanson, the chief scientist of a major aerospace corporation, has made an incredible a wrecked alien spacecraft adrift in the Asteroid Belt. The evidence is compellingâ video images from the Prospector space probe he himself had created. The military enthusiastically embraces an investigation of the extraterrestrials, remarkably indifferent to the inconsistencies that begin to appear.

Undeterred, Hanson keeps digging â ¦ and finds much more than he had ever bargained for. Soon on the lam, he, and everyone to whom he turns, is hunted. Before long only one conclusion remains unassailableâ that his mysterious opponents play for keeps.

Are aliens manipulating events on Earth? Did unscrupulous corporate executives invent the aliens in search of giga-buck government contracts? Has the Pentagon fabricated an alien menace for its own purposes?

Or is the truth something really unimaginable?

Genres: Science Fiction

314 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

About the author

I'm a physicist and computer scientist (among other things). After thirty years in industry, working at every level from individual technical contributor to senior vice president, I now write full-time. Mostly I write science fiction and techno-thrillers, now and again throwing in a straight science or technology article.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best, but it seems to be the author's first book & it did a lot of things very well. The computer stuff, especially given this was published in 1991, was very good. I really appreciate that. There were a few really good twists, too. One was a bit of a cheat The AIs were too human-like in their early introduction which he used to make the revelation that much more shocking. Felt like cheating to me. Still, there was a lot of action & a good plot. He shows a lot of promise, so I'm going to read some more of his books.

[Gary Allen, PhD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to par with Crichton but a good yarn none the less. The technology is dated but still shows forward thinking on the part of the author. Some of the character behavior don't seem to fit the role. For instance the FBI agents were more like gangster hitmen with badges than law enforcement officers. In any case there were some good twists in the plot. This makes for a good airplane book.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were several gaps in the story where I had to puzzle out what was going on, but I believe this was Mr. Lerner's freshman novel so that can be forgiven. I read Small Miracles some time ago and absolutely loved it. Will definitely be reading more of his work.

[Amit Samuel Jelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a second-hand store and decided to buy it. It felt like all of the themes from Ender’s saga (Orson Scott Card) compressed into one book plus a manic pixie dream girl. I did enjoy it though. The characterization was decent and the pacing was very good, especially towards the end. Overall I liked the plot. I did realize the big plot twist about a page before it actually happened but if anything I think this is a good thing, it means the whole thing makes sense. A nice, short sci-fi book. Not anything I haven’t seen before but a fun read if you like the genre.

[Hardijs · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked it much - Taking into account the year it was written.
Must look into author's outher books.

[Rene' Feuerlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this as an Audiobook. It was good, although for me not good enough to wanting to listen to or read it again.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soso first contact novel. The characters were flat, the plot was cool. To me the chase was full. When they are finally revealed it is the last two pages of the story.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good wee story, a technothriller for the thinking man/woman. As Edward Lerner was a scientist and researcher it shows in his writing. Doesn't dumb it down which is refreshing