Reviewed by -- Rich
M.
Book Review of -- Encounter:
A comedy about escaping your cubicle... wherever you are in the Universe by
Dermot Davis and H. Raven Rose
My overall star rating
--- 5
About the book:
Two extraterrestrials
transform the consciousness of a depressed male human and accidentally set up
earth and humanity for total annihilation.
Just how far would you
go to escape your cubicle?
Would you risk your
life and break Intergalactic Federation laws to do so?
N and his clone N2
work in cubicles on a space station run by the intergalactic corporation,
Zycorp. Along with other planetary interests, Zycorp holds the patent on human
DNA. Similar to the way that humans experiment on animals, Zycorp experiments
on humans... and has done so for a very long time.
There is an ongoing
dispute among many alien races concerning such experimentation and the overall
treatment of humans by their alien patent-registered owners. Whether humans
have an evolved consciousness or not is hotly debated, especially as Zycorp now
has plans to eradicate humanity entirely.
In an attempt to stave
off boredom, our two bumbling cublicle workers interfere with a human subject
(using a stolen technology that they don't understand). What they don't know is
that their actions have major repercussions—not just for Zycorp— but for the
entire galaxy and all life in the universe. You do not have to be a sci-fi fan
to enjoy this romp through the known universe and
beyond.
Book creation ratings:
Overall total -- 27
out of a possible 30
-- Story &
characters -- 9
-- Cover & title
-- 9
-- Editing &
formatting -- 9
* based on a 1-10
scale with: 1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10,
very good.*
The review --
Encounter, to me, is
actually a very political and sociological tale, without pushing it, like a
Jehovah's Witness at your front door. The simple message (at least to me) - A
little enlightenment goes a long way.
A true sci-fi comedy!
Genuinely funny, and it doesn't try to just copy Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy. It's an excellent combination of a bunch of different subgenres of
science fiction that the authors blend masterfully. It's also that rare beast
of an indie sci-fi novel that's well-written, has good characterization, and,
the biggie: Has been properly edited! Sci-fi, good editing, proper characters
... what's not to love?
The book leaves you
wanting more, but the style and flair of the book also makes you completely
satisfied. I'd be interested in seeing these characters again (N & N2), but
I don't need to, if you understand what I mean. It was a very filling story. I
think a lot of folks would enjoy this, even if they're not fans of the genre
per se. Everyone's been stuck in some type of cubicle somewhere along the lines
and would love to just do what they want to do with their jobs instead of their
actual jobs.
Reader Recommendations
Genre -- Science
Fiction, Comedy
Age recommendations --
Any ages
Sex content rating -- None.
Violence rating -- None.
** The author's links
**
Amazon
Amazon author page
websites
facebook
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