Second Contact

by Mike Resnick

An adventure tale of humankind's first encounter with aliens offers a commentary on the ruthlessness of war and the callousness that crushes the human spirit

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Mystery

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Michael "Mike" Diamond Resnick, better known by his published name Mike Resnick, was a popular and prolific American science fiction author. He is, according to Locus, the all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He was the winner of five Hugos, a Nebula, and other major awards in the United States, France, Spain, Japan, Croatia and Poland. and has been short-listed for major awards in England, Italy and Australia. He was the author of 68 novels, over 250 stories, and 2 screenplays, and was the editor of 41 anthologies. His work has been translated into 25 languages. He was the Guest of Honor at the 2012 Worldcon and can be found online as @ResnickMike on Twitter or at www.mikeresnick.com.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I am a big Mike Resnick fan. This one, while a decent book, is my least favorite of his novelsl. It is still a pretty good read, but he has certainly done much better and this one is not very memorable.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun! The back cover description intrigued me, and I've generally enjoyed what little of Mike Resnick's work I've read, so I gave it a try. Major Max Becker has his leave cancelled so he can act as defense in a court martial. His client, Commander Wilbur Jennings, in full view of plenty of witnesses, shot and killed two crewmen aboard the rocketship he was commanding. Becker is expected to have Jennings plead temporary insanity, and media interest will fade. There's just one problem: Jennings insists that the killing was justified, that the two men were alien spies ... I like the concept of crossing a legal thriller with SF. In execution, this feels very Hitchcockian. It quickly becomes apparent that someone is trying to kill Becker because of what he knows, but he doesn't know what it is that he knows. Although this was published in 1990, it feels older, not in a bad way or anything, just kind of like some Sci Fi take on North By Northwest or something. The front cover is deceptive. All action in this book takes place on Earth. Space travel is referenced, but none of it happens on camera. The computer tech is a bit dated. This is set in 2037 or so, if memory serves, but everyone is relying on modems and disks and dialup connections. Well, it was published in 1990 after all. The ending is oddly anticlimactic. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was apparently more exciting than what I got. It's not a bad ending or anything; it just lacks a certain oomph. I did like the characters, particularly Jaimie Nchobe, a computer hacker associate of Becker's. She and he make a great team. All in all, not a bad little book. Yes, the tech is dated, but don't let that spoil your enjoyment.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing. A lawyer-military science fiction. Resnick somehow manages to totally miss the nature of bureaucracy amd the military and still write a passable story. The copyright says 1990 but the society says 1950.

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only knew Mike Resnick from his introductions he has written for other authors. With the general bonhomie exhibited in his preface to a David Gerrold collection, I felt I should try to read one of his books.

I was not disappointed.

Though more of a techno-thriller with a little SF, this was still a fun read and it looks like he has some far more interesting stuff in his catalogue than this.

Resnick is very much a kindred spirit of Gerrold's. I think I will be reading some more of him in the future.

[Michael Pryor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, competent, unexceptional

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read A lot of Mike Resnick--both novels and short stories. This one was actually the second book of his that I read, dating back to 1990. I decided to give it a second read, as I remember enjoying it very much as a unique Grisham-type lawyer thriller combined with a science fiction story set in the near future. Our hero is military lawyer Max Becker, who is called upon to defend a commander of a spaceship who murdered a couple of his crew members. It should be an open-and-shut case for Becker, as the commander insists that the crewmen he killed were actually aliens. Becker believes he can get the space commander off due to insanity. But as Becker investigates, he begins to wonder...Upon my reread, I thought the idea of aliens shouldn't have been so far-fetched, as a "first contact" with mysterious aliens had already been made--so a "second contact" could be plausible. I give this only *** which means I was much less impressed by the book upon my second reading of it. However, I continue to be greatly interested in stories relating to contact(s) with aliens-- and what it would mean for the people of this planet Earth.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many books by Mike Resnick and for the most part enjoyed them very much. That being said this book, Second Contact, isn't one of his best works. It's not terrible but I found it a bit predictable with a weak plot. This one is about a starship captain, Commander Wilbur H. Jennings, who kills two of his crew because he thinks they are aliens. He doesn't discuss it with anyone on his crew first and after killing them he turns over command of his ship to his second officer and they return to Earth where he is to be put on trial. He is assigned an attorney named Major Max Becker. Major Becker is pressured to get his client to plead temporary insanity but he refuses. As Major Becker tries to prepare his defense of Commander Jennings he finds witnesses disappearing and with the help of a computer hacker friend he discoverers a cover up and is soon on the run with the military trying to kill him. The story could have been more exciting but instead it plods along to a predictable ending. Read this one only if you are a hard core Mike Resnick fan. Certainly read his other books because they are much better than this one.

[Ken Selvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have listened to 10 or more Resnick books, and this is the worst of them. It was written nearly 30 years ago, before the web, smart phones, and wi-fi, but even then, one could imagine in 2065 the human race would have advanced to something a little more sophisticated than 7,000 baud modems, DVD9, hardwired video phones, 'very advanced computers', and stereos that go up to 11. I made that last one up, but it wouldn't be out of character, given the gobbledygook Resnick tried to pass off as technobabble. I made it to chapter 22 before realizing it wouldn't get any better, because if it could have been better, it would have already done it. There was an absolutely ridiculous verbal dialog with a computer that really opened my eyes. I don't even know why it was classified as science fiction. Presumably there are some aliens in the end, but I'm throwing in the towel.

[Chaz Wyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resnick writes well and clearly. Sadly this was rather predictable, dull and unexciting. It is short but could have been much shorter. Chapters 14 to 17 could have been compressed by avoiding useless detail. And There are other lengths of packing. Naive understanding of computers combined with a not credible, though predicted, ending left me with a meh. Feels like a massively extended, and would have been great, short story.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the science-fiction setting this is basically a conspiracy thriller set in 2065, where the captain of a spaceship is charged with the murder of two crewmen whom he claims are aliens. A military lawyer and a young female computer expert investigate in a cleverly-resolved story, heavy on the clichés and with little technological change from today but still an easy read.

[Darren Hawkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read this book quite a few times since purchasing back in the late 80's early 90's.
More of a mystery sci-fi than full on sci-fi.
IMO could have done with a few more pages or a prequal/follow up. Would make a passable tv movie? Of course with technology updates as we have far passed all noted technology apart from the starships?

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A near-perfect blend of X-Files style science fiction, cyberpunk, and courtroom drama. Resnick writes well, and the characters are believable in their settings. What more could ANY mystery or science fiction buff ask?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a mystery than SF

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

I selected this book as a quick read, safe in the knowledge that most things by Mike Resnick I enjoy. I didn't know anything about the book, read no reviews or even a synopsis, and embarked on what I was assuming would be a quick journey and a rewarding story. I also assumed that the story fitted into Resnick's wonderful "Birthright" universe, but it doesn't, it's a completely stand alone novel. It has a quick storyline that isn't really all that sci-fi, other than it takes place in the near future and there is a large element of computer hacking goings on. I loved the general plot and the premise of alien contact and also liked the Grisham-style lawyer saga that is the vehicle for the storyline. The stand out of the book for me would have to be Jaimie, a very likeable criminal computer hacker who resolves to help the main character Max Becker on his quest for truth. What I believe let the story down was the way the the action meandered around a bit too much with describing exactly how the protagonists carry out their various acts of skulduggery. I got somewhat bored more than once and found myself losing concentration. As well, the technological details in this book are very dated, right back in the '80s with dial-up modems and such things, but it was written back then so it would've been rather cool at the time I imagine. The plot is reasonably deep and Resnick does a fine job of weaving it all together into an easily-read tapestry of words where the author confirms again to me that he is one of the best storytellers that I've read of any genre. This book is far from his top work, but it's fun I don't regret reading it one bit, but it wasn't all that rewarding like I'd hoped for at the beginning.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Contact by Mike Resnick has a fascinating premise: A space captain on trial for murdering his own crewmen because he believed they were aliens. After that's set up, the rest of the novel reads more like a contemporary political thriller than science fiction, as Becker, the officer assigned to defend the Captain, runs into dead ends with disappearing witnesses. Pursuing every lead with the help of a computer whiz, Becker incurs the wrath of a conspiracy that seems to involve aliens, like something you'd see on the X-Files or The Invaders. The computer technology described probably seemed futuristic when this was written, but seems ordinary now, though the story is still set about 50 years in the future from now. The suspense kept the pages turning. In the end everything is explained and mostly wrapped up.

[Annabeth Leong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turning SF legal thriller. A lot of great plot twists and moral complexity. I loved the skilled hacker character.

Of particular note is how well the book holds up -- despite having been written in 1990, the technology does not feel dated. There are vidphones, which currently seem unlikely to me, but otherwise Resnick manages to be specific without inserting details that sound silly to the modern reader (with one forgivable exception regarding modem speeds).

Portrays a strong sense of puzzle-solving and collaboration.

[Chris Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up a few weeks ago when I discovered I had forgotten to bring my book with me to work to read during lunch.

Since it fit into my current reading-through-the-alphabet scheme, and it was an interesting read, I decided to continue.

The last time I read a Mike Resnick book was in 1997, so its been awhile.

Not sure I could read another, great ideas, but just don't like his style as much anymore. Found the situations too contrived, the protagonist too "lucky", his partner in crime too good at what she does.

May be the end of Resnick for me.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a slightly-future world where we have interstellar travel but still use dial-up (ah, 1990 is the copyright date!) Our main character is a glib, competent military lawyer set to defend a spaceship captain who shot two of his crew dead - claiming they were in fact aliens. He quickly teams up with a glib, competent computer hacker and the two of them unravel the alien conspiracy amid one-liners and payphone conversations.
Pulp. nom nom.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good action-adventure/political-intrigue novel, re-examining the classic science fiction trope of alien contact. It's an intelligent look at what-comes-next after stories like Murray Leinster's classic "First Contact." It's a quick, fun read.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

January 20, 2002

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's The Pelican Brief meets They Live. Awesome.

[Bracicot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent. If you wish Grisham were writing about aliens and spaceships this is for you.

[Peter Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite books. Max Becker's witty sarcasm is perfect and the plot is fast paced all the way to the end. A truly captivating read.