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Tal: A Conversation With an Alien

Anonymous. (Goodreads Author)

3.28 · Rating details · 138 ratings · 27 reviews

From the Publisher: The author of this book, who chooses to remain anonymous even to us, submitted this draft and we chose to publish it. The author writes of an encounter they had with a being called 'Tal' who looked human but claimed to be an alien. The author believes that this person was in fact an alien due to the content of their conversation and the events that lead ...more

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Kindle Edition, 148 pages

Published July 16th 2012 by Mworlds Publishing

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· 138 ratings · 27 reviews

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Nov 02, 2012 Dan Wahlquist rated it it was amazing

A great book challenges your perception of the world and this certainly qualifies. I consider this to be the long awaited sequel to Flatland. Claiming to be an actual conversation with an alien definitely limits the audience. I could not convince my daughter to read it (yet) even though she is quite interested in, and eager to discuss, quantum mechanics, multiple dimensions, and theories of time travel. Perhaps it is just a device used by the author to jar us a little bit to open our minds so th ...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Schelmy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: rerouted-some-o-my-neural-pathways

Cross Posted From Amazon:

"Now I am curious about things I didn't think to be curious about before. It makes me smile knowing that Looney Tunes sparked my interest in classical music (was my first exposure really) and this book, along with the Big Bang Theory on TBS, introduced me to physics and sparked my curiosity into exploring further...inside and out. :-D:-D:-D. Thank you. :-)"

I had to read this slow. (most of my stuff I gobble up in a night lololol) But this I would read bits each night bef ...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Truitti rated it really liked it

Highly thought provoking book. I enjoyed it so much. Highly philosophical. Gave me a brief insight into the possible dimensions that we don't tend to perceive in this bodily form. However, I think I will pass on drinking cherry juice. ...more

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May 10, 2013 John Patterson rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book in a first-reads giveaway.

This is the longest review I have written to date so I put a TLDR statement at the end.

Tal is a (view spoiler) conversation with an alien. The stated purpose of the book was that Tal's arguments would somehow give us a clearer understanding of the nature of the universe. It does no such thing.

He begins by arguing that although the scientific method has led to ...more

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Jul 28, 2013 Mark Balson rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: If you are curious about Quantum mechanics, psychology,

Recommended to Mark by: No one

Shelves: fiction, theology, science, psychology, philosophy

I first submitted a mildly negative review for this book. My problem was the book I read was rather poorly written on a technical basis. It had misspellings, problems with syntax and some rather tortured language. I found that I had gotten a very early copy and one that slipped through without a rigorous edit. I have since gotten a newer copy and there is enough difference to warrant a revised review. Hence my revised review follows:

This is one of my favorite authors. I have read many things by I first submitted a mildly negative review for this book. My problem was the book I read was rather poorly written on a technical basis. It had misspellings, problems with syntax and some rather tortured language. I found that I had gotten a very early copy and one that slipped through without a rigorous edit. I have since gotten a newer copy and there is enough difference to warrant a revised review. Hence my revised review follows:

This is one of my favorite authors. I have read many things by Anonymous. Beowulf, The Pearl, The Autobiography of a Flea, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Arabian Nights: Tales From 1001 Nights, even the Bible and The Quran, all by my favorite author, Anonymous. I think I like this one also.

Let's start with the story. It was not bad and it is even unique in some ways. The premise was very fresh. The content was also fresh. It involves a discussion between a man and an alien. Initially, it involves a discussion of how differences in perception frame how we view our world. All sentient creatures have a unique view of their world based on their senses of perception. This narrative goes through the nature of science, physics (The quantum type), physics (The Newtonian type), perception, philosophy, psychology and a schemer of religion.

The story shows an interesting perspective, it gives a context to discuss complex and at times controversial topics."TAL" developed the characters so that they were interesting and believable within the parameters of the story. The dialogue was constructed so that one idea blended into the next without the characters having to engage any unlikely antics to move the story line. That in itself is hard to do at all let alone well. There were essentially two characters and that spare cast of characters allowed a very concise dialectic without becoming polarized or argumentative. The author used some of the classic examples of illustrating hard to visualize concepts but with personal bent. I thought it worked.

The story was interesting, but I cannot say I agree with all of it or even understand all of it. But, if you follow physics, chemistry, cosmology, even as a layman you will recognize that the conversations in the "TAL" are the same ones in the various fields of science, philosophy, math, quantum mechanics and so forth. As an informed layman I believe I kept up well and found the information believable.

I have also looked at some of the other reviews. I understand if the story was not interesting. No story can be favored by everyone. I personally will never understand why people read 'Ulysses' let alone claim to enjoy it. But in at least one case a scathing review held the story to task for not adhering to the rigorous standards of scientific protocol. The story was scientifically invalid and provably so. It also used poorly constructed logical arguments for some of the philosophical arguments. Finally, the criticism is made that the author it did not clearly state that the book was fiction.

I on the other hand did not assume that the book was fact. If it had been then it should be judged as a non-fiction piece of work. But that is clearly not the case and fiction allows the author to adjust, modify hard and fast fact to advance a story. I would not expect the book to uphold every tenant of an academic piece of work. I was not disappointed by the story being fiction.

I very much liked this story and if there is another by this author I intend to read it.
...more

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May 11, 2013 Marilyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-book

If you don't have a math and/or science background, this book is not for you. I do not and thus am bogged down in scientific notions that I don't know are true or not. I do know that part of the enjoyment from this book must be to argue with the author whether they are possible or probable. I cannot do this.

Having said that, I must say I enjoyed the writer's style of story-telling. I hope he writes more books, but ones that I can intellectually understand. I will continue to read this book beca ...more

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Aug 17, 2014 Sahil rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. It presents complex scientific and philosophical ideas in a way which can be easily understood. The overall premise of the book is brilliant, I absolutely loved the book! It has plenty of thought-provoking discussions, which makes this a very interesting read.

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Aug 12, 2012 John Behnken rated it liked it

Shelves: philosophy

This was an interesting bit of philosophy which I particularly enjoyed.
Kind of a cross between Mindwalk and What the Bleep - with a liberal dose of Einstein thrown in.
I'm not convinced it's an actual account of an Alien visitation - but it's certainly worth the read.
Recommended. ...more

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Jun 03, 2013 Heather rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: give-a-way-win

An intresting read. Highly philosophical and heavy on the math and scientific fact. So a fair warning to those who like science fiction but not so much on science fact. Worth a re-read since much of it is a bit heavy.

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May 11, 2013 Kimberly Hortman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

What an interesting read:) It had a nice inscription from the author since it was a first-reads giveaway! I like the possibility that there is something out there and this book made it seem like a reality.

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May 27, 2020 jedioffsidetrap rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

Herm... So yes, first I bought the conceit that this an alien interview. That’s why I picked it up, totally on a whim. I’ve been reading about belief in conspiracies & how that works psycho-socially. I didn’t get far into this. The cherry juice thing was dumb, and the narrator’s demeanor implausible. So then right away into the cryptic philosophizing... I’m not opposed to that, and have interest in all the topics. It’s just dreadfully dull. The concept reminds me of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, whic ...more

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Aug 26, 2020 Anthony O'Connor rated it liked it

A for effort

Well written - but content not that great. I hope that if I get to talk to a 100,000 year old alien he doesn’t spend eighty percent of his time rehashing human-known high school level physics ( relativity and quantum theory) and a splash of neuroscience. The bit about him perceiving multi valued realities was a bit interesting. If he starts taking of observer created reality, consciousness and quantum mechanics I’ll know for sure he’s a fake because even us humans have known for at l ...more

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Apr 17, 2018 Patrick M rated it it was amazing

Enjoyable and thought provoking, Fiction that teaches

Although the story is fiction the examples and questions asked are excellent examples of though provoking logic tied to excellent examples to make a point of explain a concept. One of the most enjoyable recent reads I have had. Packed with so many details and information that a second read is definitely warranted. Entertainment with education a combination that cannot be beat.

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Oct 05, 2017 Steve rated it really liked it

Don't get hung up on the alien aspect. You'll miss the point.
This book is superb in insight and information for those seeking to better understand their world. Science and philosophy presented with skill and humor.
I found myself chuckling while reading about quantum physics. Imagine that.
Why the 4 rating? Cause some concepts were had to grasp and/over my head. I'll re-read this book so to hopefully better understand. ...more

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Jan 08, 2014 Alina rated it did not like it

Uh... nope,
If it opens an interest in people who haven't really delved into this type of science then GREAT! Hence forth, worthy of one star. For others who already know even the most basic of all things quantum you'll lose interest and time but may stick it out because, dammit you're not a quitter! Half assed attempt, any and whatever attempts were intended, over all IMO

AUTHOR MESSAGED ME DUE TO MY ONE STAR REVIEW

Hello Alina,

I am writing you because I noticed that you read the book and posted ...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Niffer rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, books-i-don-t-like

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. One of the things I enjoy about entering the giveaways is that I often enter things I'm wouldn't normally pick up at the library or a bookstore. Sometimes I find a real gem. Sometimes I do not.

After reading this book I am left wondering why the author bothered. I feel as though he was trying to make a point or to encourage the reader to reach a conclusion based on the conversations of the two characters in the book. Maybe I'm just dense ...more

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May 12, 2013 Read Ng rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, science-fiction

This was a GoodReads giveaway.

From the title I expected a story similar to K-Pak. In some respects it was, but it turned into a discussion of our expectations of current scientific theory. It is thought provoking. Many of the concepts you have seen in various sci-fi themed stories. It all takes place in a brief evening conversation. It reads just as fast. I recommend this story. It brings out the nerd in me. I will be re-reading this tale after a break, to get the most benefit from it.

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Sep 02, 2013 Duskwatcher2153 rated it really liked it

The pretense about a conversation with an alien seems unnecessary, but it is hard to interest the populace in a philosophical treatise! Touches on many modern physic concepts and popular experiments and attempts to place them in a meaningful framework.

Very thought provoking. But be warned, dense! Unless you keep somewhat abreast of current science, a lot of this will be lost. Worth the time if you love ideas.

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Jun 05, 2013 Angel rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I won this book in a first-reads giveaway.

First, let me say it was a very interesting read. Personally, the only way I could really get into the book and finish it was to look at it as a fictional conversation with an alien and to not take it so seriously. If you do take this book seriously there are a lot of holes and questionable arguments that the author presents the reader.

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May 04, 2013 Enid rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

First off, if you are not into science or math or consider yourself of slightly above average intelligence, this book is not for you. With that said, it is very thought provoking and an entertaining read.

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Jun 03, 2013 Maggie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Interesting perspective. Not one I would agree with and overall a bit of a dry read. Let's just say it did not convince me and leave it at that. Don't want any controversial arguments here.

*Won From Goodreads Giveaway* ...more

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