Samyann
This is a very long story, 23 hours of listening in the unabridged audiobook format. Given the length, you need a voice pleasant to hear and James Patrick Cronin does a terrific job. Pacing, tempo, male and female voices, etc., overall production very well done. Not Alone is a SciFi novel and released in August of 2016 by Audible Studios. Not Alone is a character driven story, albeit few main characters – which is nice listening. No need for struggling to keep track of who-is-who, and thanks to the excellent narration, no problems with who-is-speaking-to-who.
Dan McCarthy, while riding his bike on a delivery, collides with a robber who drops an envelope containing definitive proof of a government cover-up. Human knowledge of aliens, i.e., we are Not Alone, has been a fact since 1938. A letter in his find documents several spheres that are located across the world, spheres containing information about when the aliens plan to return to earth – ergo, the hunt is on!
151 out of 159 chapters of the book are devoted to Dan McCarthy’s efforts to be believed, verification of his find, his battle for exposing the truth, political ramifications, global impact, and sorting out individual and governmental agendas. The story is a fairly realistic representation of what may happen, from mass suicides to riots and bank runs. What do the spheres tell humanity? Is this an eviction notice? Are the aliens a threat or friendly? At the very end of the book, you’ll find out if aliens really exist – or not – no spoilers – but you must read to the last chapter.
Don’t expect pages and pages of clicking knees, little green men, bloody conflict, or laser weapons – not that type of story. Not Alone is a tale of ‘first contact’ dominated with the author’s interpretation of how all of us earthlings would react. The actual event itself is anticlimactic.
A bit long, but listenable and thought provoking. Overall, Not Alone is recommended for the conspiracy buff or SciFi fan.
