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A Guide to First Contact
A Guide to First Contact CURRENTLY BEING COPY-EDITED
The year is 2062. Most of the West has collapsed; all that remains of the former United States is the Petit États, centered over New England. Outside of there, civilization survives only in enclaves. A new and mysterious power controls what's left of the world - the mandat culturel. It came into being when the Earth was first contacted by aliens and it controls access to advanced technology.
First contact causes chaos, as it would. But then, an epidemic sweeps the planet. No-one knows where it originates from; the aliens blame human authorities and the planet is quarantined. Its symptoms are an incurable degenerative illness which turns victims into savage sub-human brutes.
Wahchinksapa, a former intelligence officer, heads up a confederation of Sioux peoples. He jockeys to keep his people from the control of the mandat culturel.
Into this mix comes Triste. Triste is a bounty hunter and has all the latest ordnance. His contracts take him to the former urban areas and give him leeway to do pretty much as he wants. When the cities were abandoned a lot of loot was left behind....
Contains
...sex and violence and multiple story lines.
Most of the action occurs in a future America (where else?). The events leading up first contact are also explored. These form parallel narratives set in the present day.
So what is A Guide to First Contact?
Is it a textbook?
No certainly not. The title is a play on the disaster that unfolds, following first contact.
Here's some teasers:
First Contact.
What would it mean?
Rapture? Chaos? World Peace? The end of our kind? All these things and more?
Read it and discover:
...a Star Being set to watch over our out-of-the-way planet: a vast and powerful entity with an agenda.
...two intelligence agents, one sexy and ruthless, the other a bit of a bumbler, who get caught up in intrigues that culminate in the collapse of Western civilization.
...a gang, whose influence stretches far beyond their base in the ruins of New York, yet they have an uneasy coexistence with a clandestine alien facility in the heart of Manhattan.
Much of Guide is straight adventure, but it can also be read on different levels. Not every character is in every chapter. Bearing in mind that readers like to see where each tale goes, the Kindle edition contains a Story Arc section (with relevant links) so readers can track main character appearances and follow particular story lines.
This Kindle edition was prepared for Goodreads readers.
The year is 2062. Most of the West has collapsed; all that remains of the former United States is the Petit États, centered over New England. Outside of there, civilization survives only in enclaves. A new and mysterious power controls what's left of the world - the mandat culturel. It came into being when the Earth was first contacted by aliens and it controls access to advanced technology.
First contact causes chaos, as it would. But then, an epidemic sweeps the planet. No-one knows where it originates from; the aliens blame human authorities and the planet is quarantined. Its symptoms are an incurable degenerative illness which turns victims into savage sub-human brutes.
Wahchinksapa, a former intelligence officer, heads up a confederation of Sioux peoples. He jockeys to keep his people from the control of the mandat culturel.
Into this mix comes Triste. Triste is a bounty hunter and has all the latest ordnance. His contracts take him to the former urban areas and give him leeway to do pretty much as he wants. When the cities were abandoned a lot of loot was left behind....
Contains
...sex and violence and multiple story lines.
Most of the action occurs in a future America (where else?). The events leading up first contact are also explored. These form parallel narratives set in the present day.
So what is A Guide to First Contact?
Is it a textbook?
No certainly not. The title is a play on the disaster that unfolds, following first contact.
Here's some teasers:
First Contact.
What would it mean?
Rapture? Chaos? World Peace? The end of our kind? All these things and more?
Read it and discover:
...a Star Being set to watch over our out-of-the-way planet: a vast and powerful entity with an agenda.
...two intelligence agents, one sexy and ruthless, the other a bit of a bumbler, who get caught up in intrigues that culminate in the collapse of Western civilization.
...a gang, whose influence stretches far beyond their base in the ruins of New York, yet they have an uneasy coexistence with a clandestine alien facility in the heart of Manhattan.
Much of Guide is straight adventure, but it can also be read on different levels. Not every character is in every chapter. Bearing in mind that readers like to see where each tale goes, the Kindle edition contains a Story Arc section (with relevant links) so readers can track main character appearances and follow particular story lines.
This Kindle edition was prepared for Goodreads readers.
584 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2013
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
partial
February 6, 2015I gave this a shot, but found it too heady and philosphical for my taste.
Probably best for readers who like to be challenged and don't require immediate interest. (I am willing to read a good portion of a book before making a judgement, but I admit I only like to be challenged *a little*. As I read for fun and relaxation, beyond that is more than I like. Yup, I am mentally lazy.)
It has a poetic flow to it that some might like. The beginning is... ethereal I suppose? Then it transitions into something a little more direct but still more enigmatic than straightforward. I suggest trying a sample first.
Probably best for readers who like to be challenged and don't require immediate interest. (I am willing to read a good portion of a book before making a judgement, but I admit I only like to be challenged *a little*. As I read for fun and relaxation, beyond that is more than I like. Yup, I am mentally lazy.)
It has a poetic flow to it that some might like. The beginning is... ethereal I suppose? Then it transitions into something a little more direct but still more enigmatic than straightforward. I suggest trying a sample first.
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December 21, 2014What did I think?
(As the author) It met my objective which, I have to say, wouldn't have been possible without the good work of my editor, Stephen Cashmore, who is a member of SfEP - the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Where does it fit, genre wise?
It's post-apocalyptic with present day thriller, science & evolution & God, and flashes of space opera. My editor likened it to The Road.
The post-apocalyptic settings show all levels of life, from the menace of everyday life in the former urban areas, to the protected life in the enclaves. These are joined by pastoral scenes, interspersed with the mindless violence that hides in the hearts of all.
The present day narratives are laced together and take us from the here and now, up the point where everything falls apart.
Is any of the above, spoiler?
It's a multi-layered, multiple storyline epic. I'd need to say a whole lot more to spoil that.
(As the author) It met my objective which, I have to say, wouldn't have been possible without the good work of my editor, Stephen Cashmore, who is a member of SfEP - the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Where does it fit, genre wise?
It's post-apocalyptic with present day thriller, science & evolution & God, and flashes of space opera. My editor likened it to The Road.
The post-apocalyptic settings show all levels of life, from the menace of everyday life in the former urban areas, to the protected life in the enclaves. These are joined by pastoral scenes, interspersed with the mindless violence that hides in the hearts of all.
The present day narratives are laced together and take us from the here and now, up the point where everything falls apart.
Is any of the above, spoiler?
It's a multi-layered, multiple storyline epic. I'd need to say a whole lot more to spoil that.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews