The Emissary

A First Contact Novel

De: Michael J. Edwards

Narrado por: Alison Ewing

It wasn't the aliens she had to worry about; it was the humans.

A troubled young woman is recruited by a race of ancient alien explorers to be their emissary to save the human race from extinction. The problem is that not everyone believes the world is doomed, and not everyone trusts the aliens' motives. Holly Burton will have to overcome opposition from world leaders, attacks by religious zealots, assassination attempts, intractable bureaucracies, and her own fears and doubts if she is to save the human race, not just from the coming apocalypse, but from itself.

She will have to become a very different person to lead a remnant of humanity into space and become the architect of a new civilization. The question is: Can she use the extraordinary knowledge and abilities given to her without losing her own humanity in the process?

©2021 Michael J. Edwards (P)2022 Tantor

Would make a great movie

Fantastic sci-fi! Thought provoking to say the least. The author makes a pretty enlightening point about the amount of time it takes for Earth beings to travel in order to interact with what's out there in the vast universe. Hollywood always makes it out to be immediate and it's not. What a novel portrayal of what, no matter how grandiose, could be out there.

A great story, I can't wait to listen to more

I am eager to listen to more story's from the author, I enjoyed the performance of the storyteller as well.

good especially for audible plus

Fast paced and entertaining. if not one I'd choose to spend a credit on.

I read some negative reviews before listening. The book seems to have triggered a few people: woke antichristian bias, blah blah blah. I don't think those reviews should discourage anyone considering listening. The behavior and rhetoric of those characters is actually understated compared to what we can find any given day just turning on the news.

First Contact Intersects the New World Order

On a future Earth where America is an autocratic christian theocracy, the impending destruction of the planet is denied and saving humanity is left in the hands of a multidimensional alien and a hard partying professor. The difficulties that surround saving humanity in such an environment are explored thoroughly from geopolitical, technology and human perspectives and I found it to be a “can’t stop” listen.

Interesting Set Up

Some Spoilers

I genuinely liked this story's set up and most of the execution. I hope this is the first of a series as the ending has potential for much more.

The main flaw was in the motivations of the main villains. The author chose to trot out the white supremacist cliche to provide the impetus for the antagonists' actions. Does the author perhaps believe in this or just pandering to some audience? A much more believable motivation and something that would have made for a story on a firmer foundation would be the simple fact that the arks could only save a very few people leaving behind billions to die. That fact would incentivize lots of rich powerful people of all races to attempt to gain control of the only hope for survival. As it stands we are to believe that billions of Asians, Africans, and lots of white people would passively and nobly wait for their fiery ends.

Unfortunately most SF written is trapped within the political and ideological controversies of its time and the authors can't resist 'axe grinding' on any number of issues. Within a few years the story's impact is weakened by this sort of dating, and within a decade or two most are regarded as quaint. The best SF rises above this context even though there will always be traces betraying when and where it was written, and the story and characters retain the ability to entertain and say something meaningful.

Great story!

I really liked this book. The narrator was great. The only thing I didn’t like was the misogynistic view of the lead character. Why is it okay for men to sleep around and not for women? Just annoying. But beside that, I loved the book. I hope there is a second.

Best book I’ve read in a while!

I listen to 1-3 audiobooks a week and this makes it to my top 5 this year. I don’t see anywhere that it was a bestseller. IT SHOULD BE! Love it love it! Please release book 2.

Unique plot

The plot was unique and the narrator did a good job. I'll read / listen to other books by the author.

Really, very good.

What a pleasant surprise. Good pacing and characters. Flubbed what constitutes early humans. But otherwise good.

Thought provoking sci-fi

Imperfect characters, uncertain outcomes, ethical dilemmas, wrapped in an end of the world scenario. Is there hope for the human race? All the elements of great sci-fi!