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First Cause
A week after a battery of worldwide explosions, journalist Adam Grey wakes up in the hospital. He pieces together the events leading to his injury, involving a woman named Angela. Confronted with the truth behind the attacks, they--along with the world at large--are forced to reconsider conventional assumptions about human nature and possibility.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
19 people want to read
About the author
Paul West
4 books20 followersPaul West was born and raised in New York City; he currently resides in Harlem, where he has lived for much of his life. After graduating from NYU with a B.A. in History, he worked in the education and nonprofit world for many years before switching lanes and working in advertising and then fashion.
First Cause was conceived as a screenplay idea in the early 1990s, when West was still an undergraduate; he shelved the project for nearly a decade, and began work again in 1999. Paul West is a sports enthusiast, a student of people, a lover of music, a voracious reader and a fervent believer in human possibility.
Paul is also a writer for Through The Fence Baseball, primarily covering the NL East and New York Mets, and a recurring guest on Fox Sports Radio. To follow Paul's Through The Fence articles, go to http://throughthefencebaseball.com/au... and for Paul's other sports writing, visit PDub's Sports Hub at http://pdubssportshub.wordpress.com/
To follow Paul on Twitter, go to https://twitter.com/firstcausenyc
First Cause was conceived as a screenplay idea in the early 1990s, when West was still an undergraduate; he shelved the project for nearly a decade, and began work again in 1999. Paul West is a sports enthusiast, a student of people, a lover of music, a voracious reader and a fervent believer in human possibility.
Paul is also a writer for Through The Fence Baseball, primarily covering the NL East and New York Mets, and a recurring guest on Fox Sports Radio. To follow Paul's Through The Fence articles, go to http://throughthefencebaseball.com/au... and for Paul's other sports writing, visit PDub's Sports Hub at http://pdubssportshub.wordpress.com/
To follow Paul on Twitter, go to https://twitter.com/firstcausenyc
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 15, 2010
To begin with, I received this book as a contest prize from Goodreads First Reads. I had no idea what it was about, nor did I look it up anywhere. I didn’t even look for any reviews (which I normally do before I read a book).
With an explosive beginning, this book kept my attention to the end. At first, I thought it would be a book about the United States being attacked by Islamic terrorists (since that is what everyone has on their minds). However, my beliefs were dispelled a short time into the book when it was revealed that an offshoot of humanity was attempting to gain a foothold and return their populace to Earth.
As we discover from Angela, there is a colony of humans known as the Luceri on one of the moons of a neighboring planet they named Lucero. They left Earth in the 1930’s to escape the conditions at the time. She is a part of an advance “defense force” sent to Earth to begin the process of their return. The Luceri believe they can bring peace to the world and advance humankind.
The Luceri “terranauts” as the defense force is called, sets events into motion that test the morals and ethics of people around the world. Explosions that rocked every major city on the planet within a few days of each other had the peoples of the world blaming each other for attacking.
The United States government is decimated and run by a “cabinet” chosen to work with the provisional President. Martial law is declared to help calm everyone down. Unfortunately, there are those in the group who have their own agendas.
Angela decides to help against her own people and becomes prey for the other Luceri on Earth. She manages to stay hidden for a time with Adam (who helped her understand that there is more to humanity than she was taught). The two are captured by rogue members of the government who try to pump information out of them. Thankfully, Adam, through his contacts, had already been it contact with the President and informed him of what was going on. When the President discovered Adam and Angela were being held against their will, he ordered them released.
The book could be considered a corollary to life here in the real world. A nation is attacked on their own soil (think September 11). Members within the government attempt to curtail civil rights and gain power for themselves. The public is kept in the dark about what Is really happening. The Luceri could very well have been from the same terrorist organization that attacked the United States in 2001. It’s not as if they were truly aliens. They were human.
In all, First Cause is a well written, thought provoking book (although it did end with the fates of everyone up in the air). It’s an exciting read for anyone whether they enjoy science fiction or not. If not for the fact of the Luceri being an advanced offshoot of humanity who left the planet, this really would not read as a science fiction novel. It does not contain any far-fetched technology or a lot of technobabble. It’s a book anyone can read and enjoy.
I look forward to Mr. West’s next book.
With an explosive beginning, this book kept my attention to the end. At first, I thought it would be a book about the United States being attacked by Islamic terrorists (since that is what everyone has on their minds). However, my beliefs were dispelled a short time into the book when it was revealed that an offshoot of humanity was attempting to gain a foothold and return their populace to Earth.
As we discover from Angela, there is a colony of humans known as the Luceri on one of the moons of a neighboring planet they named Lucero. They left Earth in the 1930’s to escape the conditions at the time. She is a part of an advance “defense force” sent to Earth to begin the process of their return. The Luceri believe they can bring peace to the world and advance humankind.
The Luceri “terranauts” as the defense force is called, sets events into motion that test the morals and ethics of people around the world. Explosions that rocked every major city on the planet within a few days of each other had the peoples of the world blaming each other for attacking.
The United States government is decimated and run by a “cabinet” chosen to work with the provisional President. Martial law is declared to help calm everyone down. Unfortunately, there are those in the group who have their own agendas.
Angela decides to help against her own people and becomes prey for the other Luceri on Earth. She manages to stay hidden for a time with Adam (who helped her understand that there is more to humanity than she was taught). The two are captured by rogue members of the government who try to pump information out of them. Thankfully, Adam, through his contacts, had already been it contact with the President and informed him of what was going on. When the President discovered Adam and Angela were being held against their will, he ordered them released.
The book could be considered a corollary to life here in the real world. A nation is attacked on their own soil (think September 11). Members within the government attempt to curtail civil rights and gain power for themselves. The public is kept in the dark about what Is really happening. The Luceri could very well have been from the same terrorist organization that attacked the United States in 2001. It’s not as if they were truly aliens. They were human.
In all, First Cause is a well written, thought provoking book (although it did end with the fates of everyone up in the air). It’s an exciting read for anyone whether they enjoy science fiction or not. If not for the fact of the Luceri being an advanced offshoot of humanity who left the planet, this really would not read as a science fiction novel. It does not contain any far-fetched technology or a lot of technobabble. It’s a book anyone can read and enjoy.
I look forward to Mr. West’s next book.
December 11, 2011
The second chapter of West's novel opens with a quotation: "It requires a very unusual mind to undertake an analysis of the obvious." The unusual mind, here, is the author's; the analysis of the obvious is what he undertakes in his debut novel, with extraordinary results.
This quote strikes at the heart of the premise of First Cause. The premise is, in a sense, obvious. Life as we know it is coming to an end; an alien species appears hellbent on our destruction; and our fate depends on the strength and intellect of a handful of people. The genre is essentially science fiction, and the novel embraces all of the best that science fiction has to offer. It's exciting, and it's engrossing. On its surface, it's a page-turner. It deftly jumps between decades and protagonists, with a careful continuity unusual for an author's first work. At first blush, it's a thriller, and an unobservant reader could fly through the novel and finish satisfied and entertained.
At its core, however, First Cause is much more than a sci-fi thriller, and its goal is not merely to entertain. The "obvious" themes of any great work of fiction are present here as an expression of the human experience: mortality, love, good and evil, hope and futility, the search for greater meaning in our existence. In requiring us to examine these themes, we, as readers, undertake our own analyses of the obvious. We're left to consider how our civilization evolved to its current state, and whether there is any hope for us, as a human society, without some greater intervention. The novel asks us to question what it means to be human, and explore the spectrum of our capabilities- our capability to create beauty, freedom, and fairness, and our capability to destroy ourselves when we focus only on our differences. An analysis of the obvious becomes, through the characters and themes of the novel, a refreshly introspective exploration of the human condition.
It is not an easy task to create a thrilling, page-turning adventure that explores all of these themes, all while constructing a cast of genuine characters that endear themselves to the reader as the book progresses. West's ability to construct such a novel is, indeed, the mark of an unusual mind. I highly recommend this book.
This quote strikes at the heart of the premise of First Cause. The premise is, in a sense, obvious. Life as we know it is coming to an end; an alien species appears hellbent on our destruction; and our fate depends on the strength and intellect of a handful of people. The genre is essentially science fiction, and the novel embraces all of the best that science fiction has to offer. It's exciting, and it's engrossing. On its surface, it's a page-turner. It deftly jumps between decades and protagonists, with a careful continuity unusual for an author's first work. At first blush, it's a thriller, and an unobservant reader could fly through the novel and finish satisfied and entertained.
At its core, however, First Cause is much more than a sci-fi thriller, and its goal is not merely to entertain. The "obvious" themes of any great work of fiction are present here as an expression of the human experience: mortality, love, good and evil, hope and futility, the search for greater meaning in our existence. In requiring us to examine these themes, we, as readers, undertake our own analyses of the obvious. We're left to consider how our civilization evolved to its current state, and whether there is any hope for us, as a human society, without some greater intervention. The novel asks us to question what it means to be human, and explore the spectrum of our capabilities- our capability to create beauty, freedom, and fairness, and our capability to destroy ourselves when we focus only on our differences. An analysis of the obvious becomes, through the characters and themes of the novel, a refreshly introspective exploration of the human condition.
It is not an easy task to create a thrilling, page-turning adventure that explores all of these themes, all while constructing a cast of genuine characters that endear themselves to the reader as the book progresses. West's ability to construct such a novel is, indeed, the mark of an unusual mind. I highly recommend this book.
April 13, 2012
First Cause is a complex web of a story.
With his debut novel, Paul West has managed to find a way to subtly weave a tale about the human condition and human possibilities into a rich tapestry. As much a social commentary as it is a sucker punch to the gut, First Cause is the ideal gift for unsuspecting readers.
Let that not dissuade, however, for West has succeeded in his mission: entertain the reader first, then deliver with a left hook. Yes, it will undoubtedly hurt at first, but the pain will be a welcome relief to the numb, dumbed down zombie that sat reading the book before. Once that first blow has been delivered it then becomes much easier for the reader to look further into the woven web and deeper into the philosophy that West has presented. Upon first reading, the subtlety of it might pass the readers eyes, but on second look what is presented to the reader is something that should be ingrained into every fiber of the human being, encoded into DNA and allowed to find its way into the world, to multiply and come to fruition.
Although West has managed to do all of this and more, the vehicle with which he has decided to do it will, to some readers, come off a bit clunky in spots. First Cause begins with the reader thrust into the middle of the action, unsure and as confused as the characters in the first handful of pages. From there the story begins to build and unfold with the help of multiple flashbacks; fragments of memory that read as though they were pieced together hastily. Something that might make it hard to follow for most readers.
Overall, First Cause might not be every readers cup of tea. This is a thinking man's book, and something that should not be ignored. If readers enjoy intellegent writing that will make them think, then there should not be any hesitancy in acquiring a copy of Paul West's thought provoking debut. Any future titles by West should not be ignored; knowledge that readers who finish First Cause will be rewarded with. First Cause is a valiant first effort.
With his debut novel, Paul West has managed to find a way to subtly weave a tale about the human condition and human possibilities into a rich tapestry. As much a social commentary as it is a sucker punch to the gut, First Cause is the ideal gift for unsuspecting readers.
Let that not dissuade, however, for West has succeeded in his mission: entertain the reader first, then deliver with a left hook. Yes, it will undoubtedly hurt at first, but the pain will be a welcome relief to the numb, dumbed down zombie that sat reading the book before. Once that first blow has been delivered it then becomes much easier for the reader to look further into the woven web and deeper into the philosophy that West has presented. Upon first reading, the subtlety of it might pass the readers eyes, but on second look what is presented to the reader is something that should be ingrained into every fiber of the human being, encoded into DNA and allowed to find its way into the world, to multiply and come to fruition.
Although West has managed to do all of this and more, the vehicle with which he has decided to do it will, to some readers, come off a bit clunky in spots. First Cause begins with the reader thrust into the middle of the action, unsure and as confused as the characters in the first handful of pages. From there the story begins to build and unfold with the help of multiple flashbacks; fragments of memory that read as though they were pieced together hastily. Something that might make it hard to follow for most readers.
Overall, First Cause might not be every readers cup of tea. This is a thinking man's book, and something that should not be ignored. If readers enjoy intellegent writing that will make them think, then there should not be any hesitancy in acquiring a copy of Paul West's thought provoking debut. Any future titles by West should not be ignored; knowledge that readers who finish First Cause will be rewarded with. First Cause is a valiant first effort.
March 8, 2010
I really enjoyed reading First Cause for several reasons. First of all, I like the way that it was told in flash-back sequences in the beginning to keep it interesting but ends up in real time about half way through to keep it from getting too confusing. Also, it is a book that is fairly realistic and relate-able as far as happenings on Earth but the introduction of humans that have been removed from Earth and live with out many negatives of our society gives the story a nice twist and makes the reader think outside the box and, "what if..."
Now I have to admit, I was slightly skeptical at first because I am not usually a sci-fi reader and the mention of these "terranauts" seemed a little bit out there but PLEASE NOTE: I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!
The way Paul West explores human nature and uses his terranaut characters to view the world from an outsiders point of view, which I think is spot on, is genius. The way his terranaut characters talk about terrestrials (humans on earth) is something that we all know to be true but tend to overlook or we too often reserve those negative opinions for other humans, races, ethnicities, etc... but never admit that we possess the same qualities ourselves.
I found this book to be truly enlightening and thought-provoking, not because he came up with anything new and unheard of necessarily,but rather because he brilliantly brought to light something that is right in front of our noses yet most people rarely take a second to realize it's there.
My only disappointment was that it ended and I wanted the story to continue however I realize giving a total resolution of all of the conflicts would be like solving all of the world problems. However, I still hope there is a sequel to come some day.
Now I have to admit, I was slightly skeptical at first because I am not usually a sci-fi reader and the mention of these "terranauts" seemed a little bit out there but PLEASE NOTE: I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!
The way Paul West explores human nature and uses his terranaut characters to view the world from an outsiders point of view, which I think is spot on, is genius. The way his terranaut characters talk about terrestrials (humans on earth) is something that we all know to be true but tend to overlook or we too often reserve those negative opinions for other humans, races, ethnicities, etc... but never admit that we possess the same qualities ourselves.
I found this book to be truly enlightening and thought-provoking, not because he came up with anything new and unheard of necessarily,but rather because he brilliantly brought to light something that is right in front of our noses yet most people rarely take a second to realize it's there.
My only disappointment was that it ended and I wanted the story to continue however I realize giving a total resolution of all of the conflicts would be like solving all of the world problems. However, I still hope there is a sequel to come some day.
September 21, 2014
First off I want to say that I really enjoyed this book, yes there were a few things that I didn't like, but overall I really did enjoy reading it. Paul West, did an amazing job taking a subject like this one and creating a great story out of it.
First Cause did take me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down at all. I just had to finish it and stayed up pretty late doing so. This book is a very well planned and thought out story, filled with a great plot and characters. I will say at some parts I was a bit lost, but I really did enjoy how the author took past flashbacks and mixed them in with the present day of the characters life.
I can't wait to see where author, Paul West takes the second story in this series, he pretty much left it wide open to take off in the next one. I really do hope he starts from right where he left off.
First Cause is a great book and I would recommend it to a lot of my friends that like these kind of books.
I really want to say this book is very different from everything else I've read and I think that's the main reason that I really liked it!
First Cause did take me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down at all. I just had to finish it and stayed up pretty late doing so. This book is a very well planned and thought out story, filled with a great plot and characters. I will say at some parts I was a bit lost, but I really did enjoy how the author took past flashbacks and mixed them in with the present day of the characters life.
I can't wait to see where author, Paul West takes the second story in this series, he pretty much left it wide open to take off in the next one. I really do hope he starts from right where he left off.
First Cause is a great book and I would recommend it to a lot of my friends that like these kind of books.
I really want to say this book is very different from everything else I've read and I think that's the main reason that I really liked it!
April 2, 2013
What do you get when you combine social/political commentary with a dash of science fiction? You get Paul West’s first novel First Cause.
The story is a compelling mix of the modern day world with a futuristic twist. The characters come across as believable. They show all the human flaws in stark relief. It wakes up the mind to the differences in our own modern day philosophies and politics without being preachy. I frequently found myself nodding in agreement with some of the commentary as if it were happening in the current days political atmosphere...... http://alexxmomcatsgatewaybookblog.bl... to read more
The story is a compelling mix of the modern day world with a futuristic twist. The characters come across as believable. They show all the human flaws in stark relief. It wakes up the mind to the differences in our own modern day philosophies and politics without being preachy. I frequently found myself nodding in agreement with some of the commentary as if it were happening in the current days political atmosphere...... http://alexxmomcatsgatewaybookblog.bl... to read more
June 11, 2012
A got a digital copy from author Paul West.
A thoughtful debut novel with a SCIFI touch.
First Cause is a thoughtful, intelligent written debut novel with thriller elements and a scifi touch.
Stay away if you look for an straightforward action packed thriller with alien invasion.
Read my full review over at Edi's Book Lighthouse.
A thoughtful debut novel with a SCIFI touch.
First Cause is a thoughtful, intelligent written debut novel with thriller elements and a scifi touch.
Stay away if you look for an straightforward action packed thriller with alien invasion.
Read my full review over at Edi's Book Lighthouse.
April 13, 2012
I won this book on first reads and the authore wrote me a special note and signed it for me! For that reason alone this book holds a special place in my heart.
I love the new cover... about human possibility indeed!
***I won this during the early days of my goodreads and don;t know why I haven't posted anything.***
I love the new cover... about human possibility indeed!
***I won this during the early days of my goodreads and don;t know why I haven't posted anything.***
July 19, 2010
I received this book through Good Reads. After reading the back blurb, I was surprised by the actual plot of the book. It wasn't what I was expecting or what I'm used to reading.
It is well written however. The characters seemed well developed and the story flowed really well. I would definitely recommend it to someone I know enjoys this genre of books.
It is well written however. The characters seemed well developed and the story flowed really well. I would definitely recommend it to someone I know enjoys this genre of books.
January 26, 2010
Paul West is a brilliant and thoughtful writer and I enjoyed First Cause to the last page... still waiting for the sequel.
January 24, 2012
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
It's extremely rare that I will bump up the score of a book here at CCLaP merely for its earnestness, the proverbial "A for effort" that I usually feel is just not deserved; but today is one of the few cases where I'm going to do exactly that, in that I found myself with a lot of respect for what author Paul West is trying to accomplish here, even if he mostly fails in these goals. A sprawling sci-fi epic that has a great New Agey conceit at its core -- that throughout history, a growing proportion of humanity has quietly come to realize the secrets to the next step of evolution, and that this group actually managed to invent space travel in the early 1900s, quietly shuttling off millions of believers to a nearby moon during the World Wars when they wouldn't be missed -- our tale takes place roughly a hundred years later, when some of the advanced quasi-humans decide to touch base again with their Earth relatives, with certain members of this group wanting to see if humans are enlightened enough yet to voluntarily join them, and certain others simply wanting to take the Earth over by force for their own purposes, the resulting chaos being a way to examine the current state of human morality Terence-Malick-style.
But that unfortunately turns out to be the biggest problem with First Cause, that West is not prepared to make the kinds of grandly fascinating statements about humanity that makes a story like this work; his conclusions are instead simply a series of easy cliches, delivered by a collection of sometimes badly cartoonishly cardboard characters, the melodrama so high at points that I kept waiting for a man in a top hat and long mustache to tie a blonde to some railroad tracks and then start singing about how she must pay the rent. Now combine this with way too much of a reliance on expository writing, so that it's more like reading a Wikipedia entry about the events that took place instead of just reading about the events taking place, and you're left with a book that I would normally give a thumbs-down to; but like I said, today I'm adding a bit to the score for sheer earnestness, with West currently having an ambition that's bigger than his writing skills, but with that certainly being better than the opposite situation. It takes quite a bit of forgiveness, but perhaps you'll enjoy First Cause as well for what it's aiming to be, maybe a little more than for what it actually is, and will encourage West to keep at it and turn in the better future work I'm sure he has in him.
Out of 10: 7.0
It's extremely rare that I will bump up the score of a book here at CCLaP merely for its earnestness, the proverbial "A for effort" that I usually feel is just not deserved; but today is one of the few cases where I'm going to do exactly that, in that I found myself with a lot of respect for what author Paul West is trying to accomplish here, even if he mostly fails in these goals. A sprawling sci-fi epic that has a great New Agey conceit at its core -- that throughout history, a growing proportion of humanity has quietly come to realize the secrets to the next step of evolution, and that this group actually managed to invent space travel in the early 1900s, quietly shuttling off millions of believers to a nearby moon during the World Wars when they wouldn't be missed -- our tale takes place roughly a hundred years later, when some of the advanced quasi-humans decide to touch base again with their Earth relatives, with certain members of this group wanting to see if humans are enlightened enough yet to voluntarily join them, and certain others simply wanting to take the Earth over by force for their own purposes, the resulting chaos being a way to examine the current state of human morality Terence-Malick-style.
But that unfortunately turns out to be the biggest problem with First Cause, that West is not prepared to make the kinds of grandly fascinating statements about humanity that makes a story like this work; his conclusions are instead simply a series of easy cliches, delivered by a collection of sometimes badly cartoonishly cardboard characters, the melodrama so high at points that I kept waiting for a man in a top hat and long mustache to tie a blonde to some railroad tracks and then start singing about how she must pay the rent. Now combine this with way too much of a reliance on expository writing, so that it's more like reading a Wikipedia entry about the events that took place instead of just reading about the events taking place, and you're left with a book that I would normally give a thumbs-down to; but like I said, today I'm adding a bit to the score for sheer earnestness, with West currently having an ambition that's bigger than his writing skills, but with that certainly being better than the opposite situation. It takes quite a bit of forgiveness, but perhaps you'll enjoy First Cause as well for what it's aiming to be, maybe a little more than for what it actually is, and will encourage West to keep at it and turn in the better future work I'm sure he has in him.
Out of 10: 7.0
February 12, 2010
I received a copy of this through Goodreads First Reads. And now after finishing it, my first thought is that the description of this book needs a serious update and editing. This book is not at all what I was expecting. Why was there no mention of the terranauts and the terrestials in the description? Or the "human" aliens? Or the Luceri from outer space, which is actually a dome on a moon of the planet Jupiter? Nothing in the description even hints at the major details of this story.
Plus, this story was just all over the place, and none of it ever really came together. Characters (both human and alien) and scenes just pop up with no explanation, and then disappear with no follow up. The initial explosions are unbelievable (3 truck bombs hitting 3 separate locations kill The President, Vice President, the Cabinet, 74 Senators, and 32 Members of Congress?) The explanation of the Luceri and how they left the earth was not believable. And how did they build their dome and entire society in such a short time? And there was really no details about how they were now coming back and forth. Was nobody noticing? And they were so advanced, yet the only way they communicated now was with 2-way radios, which they could leave behind to drop off the radar?
The author seems to have a lot of interesting ideas floating around in his head, but unfortunately they just don't come together into a cohesive story.
Plus, this story was just all over the place, and none of it ever really came together. Characters (both human and alien) and scenes just pop up with no explanation, and then disappear with no follow up. The initial explosions are unbelievable (3 truck bombs hitting 3 separate locations kill The President, Vice President, the Cabinet, 74 Senators, and 32 Members of Congress?) The explanation of the Luceri and how they left the earth was not believable. And how did they build their dome and entire society in such a short time? And there was really no details about how they were now coming back and forth. Was nobody noticing? And they were so advanced, yet the only way they communicated now was with 2-way radios, which they could leave behind to drop off the radar?
The author seems to have a lot of interesting ideas floating around in his head, but unfortunately they just don't come together into a cohesive story.
March 13, 2010
This is another book that I won on Goodreads. It was not what I was expecting from the title nor the description, yet and interesting read. It took a little bit to get into the story line and plot, yet was easy to pick up and keep reading. In some regards, it took a little too long to get into the action section of the story line, yet once there, the action did not build up as much as I would have liked. Would be intesting to see where the author takes a sequel.
March 10, 2011
It took me a little while to get into 'First Cause', but once I did, the plot was okay, though slightly far-fetched. The book did provoke thinking about generalities of the human race, cause and effect and had well-rounded, interesting characters. The author, Paul West, managed to intertwine three different groups of people very well in order to tell his story. All in all an interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews