What do you think?
Rate this book
Not Alone #1
Not Alone
Aliens exist, the government knows, and Dan McCarthy just found the proof.
When Dan McCarthy stumbles upon a folder containing evidence of the conspiracy to end all conspiracies -- a top-level alien cover-up -- he leaks the files without a second thought.
The incredible truth revealed by Dan’s leak immediately captures the public’s imagination, but Dan’s relentless commitment to exposing the cover-up and forcing disclosure quickly earns him some enemies in high places.
For his whole life, Dan McCarthy has searched for a reason to believe. Now that he finally has one, he might soon wish he didn’t...
Not Alone is a standalone tale of contact and disclosure for the 21st century. [approx. 850 pages]
When Dan McCarthy stumbles upon a folder containing evidence of the conspiracy to end all conspiracies -- a top-level alien cover-up -- he leaks the files without a second thought.
The incredible truth revealed by Dan’s leak immediately captures the public’s imagination, but Dan’s relentless commitment to exposing the cover-up and forcing disclosure quickly earns him some enemies in high places.
For his whole life, Dan McCarthy has searched for a reason to believe. Now that he finally has one, he might soon wish he didn’t...
Not Alone is a standalone tale of contact and disclosure for the 21st century. [approx. 850 pages]
738 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2015
3,496 people are currently reading
4,000 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 692 reviews
July 27, 2017
You know what’s worse than watching cable news for hours on end? Reading a book in which the main character does nothing but watch cable news for hours on end.
You know what’s worse than a book in which the main character does nothing but watch cable news for hours on end? Reading a book in which the main character is presented as a truth seeker exposing a plot that has enormous implications for the entire human race, but in reality he’s a self-righteous and demanding little prick who is a huge hypocrite.
You know what’s worse than reading a book in which the main character is presented as a truth seeker exposing a plot that has enormous implications for the entire human race, but in reality he’s a self-righteous and demanding little prick who is a huge hypocrite? Reading a book that is supposed to be an interesting sci-fi story about the world finding out that the US government has been covering up the existence of aliens for decades, but it turns out to be a maddening slog filled with terrible writing and a plot so dull that it could stun an insomniac on meth into a deep sleep.
You know what’s worse than reading a book that is supposed to be an interesting sci-fi story about the world finding out that the government has been covering up the existence of aliens for decades, but it turns out to be a maddening slog filled with terrible writing and a plot so dull that it could stun an insomniac on meth into a deep sleep? Nothing. Nothing is worse than this book. And I’m including everything from getting socks on Christmas morning to cancer when I say that.
It starts out with a guy named Dan McCarthy literally bumping into a thief who just robbed the office of a man who runs a fictional US space agency. The thief drops a folder of documents before fleeing which Dan glances at and is stunned to find what he believes is proof that the government has been hiding proof of alien contact.
Dan just so happens to be a big believer in that very conspiracy theory so he takes the folder to a library where for a completely contrived reason he only has 20 minutes to examine it. Turns out that Dan doesn’t even need the full 20 to be sure that it’s all true so he immediately scans and leaks the file to the press. He tries to do it anonymously but fails miserably so Dan finds himself at the center of the controversy and media firestorm that follow. After that he goes on TV a couple of times, and he watches cable news for about 600 pages. Then some more stupid shit happens at the end.
The 20 minute thing really highlights everything that is wrong with this book. This guy spends less than a half-hour Googling some things and can’t even translate an important looking German letter in the file yet is 100% convinced that it’s true and immediately leaks it. That tells you exactly what kind of shithead Dan McCarthy is.
First off, the 20 minute thing is a completely arbitrary deadline. There’s no real reason that Dan couldn’t be patient and do more research on the documents. Secondly, there’s nothing in these documents or what Dan looks up that would remotely be considered credible evidence. Third, even if he had absolute proof that it was true Dan doesn’t stop for a moment to consider what releasing the file will mean for humanity. He’s completely blind to his obsession of proving that aliens exist and his bone deep conviction that the truth is all that matters.
At or least he cares about it as long as it suits him because Dan is a goddamn hypocrite of the highest order. Despite his contention that the truth is the most important thing he willingly doesn’t disclose a lot of things like a damning phone call made by the president of the United States to him later in the book just because he doesn’t want to deal with the media hassle it would bring him.
Think about that for a second. The guy who constantly gets on his high horse about the truth being everything does not disclose evidence he has of personal wrongdoing by the President of the United States just because it would inconvenience him. And that’s far from his worse hypocrisy in this book which I won’t get into because of spoilers, but let’s just say that for a character who leads a campaign with a rallying cry of “Truth! Truth! Now! Now! Now!” Dan McCarthy doesn’t have much of a problem with lying his ass off on a massive scale just so long as it makes things easier for him.
Plus, he’s just an asshole in general. Despite being a healthy adult he depends on his brother, a military contractor overseas, who has to hire a house cleaner and have meals ordered on-line delivered to Dan because he’s apparently incapable of sweeping a floor or feeding himself. He talks like a whiny teenager who constantly questions every single thing anyone says or requests of him. “Why do we have to do that?” “Why don’t they do it this way?” “What difference does that make?” “Why can’t you just fly me home from Europe in your private jet?” Yes, Dan literally demands that a rich guy who is already helping him out and flown him and his companions to Europe first class use his private plane to get him home immediately for no good reason other than they can’t get a commercial flight back the minute Dan decides he needs to leave.
In fact, Dan is so inflexible and demanding that I seriously thought for a while that the author was indicating that he might have a mild form of Asperger’s which would at least provide a valid excuse for him to behave this way. That got shot down with two other characters actually discuss this and it’s conclusively stated that Dan has seen doctors and does NOT suffer from any disorders like that. So again, he’s just an entitled asshole.
A lot of other problems come from Dan’s interactions with the media which is the major part of the book. We’re told that Dan hates all the attention, and he’s the victim of smear campaigns against his character. Despite this he’s so dedicated to the cause of getting the government to admit the truth (Or at least his version of the truth.) that he agrees to work with a PR consultant who starts booking him for appearances on various shows.
This is where things get really stupid because on one hand the book is trying to critique the modern media, but the author’s idea of journalism seems to be the equivalent of a certain orange skinned whiner who complains that anything he doesn’t like is fake news. In the world of this book there is apparently no serious journalism because Dan’s first appearance is on a show that is set up as being this world’s version of 60 Minutes yet the format is instead a panel show like Bill Maher with celebrities and hacks with political agendas on it. His subsequent appearances are on a show hosted by a famous UFO believer and he agrees to be hypnotized by another famous TV personality to see if he’s telling the truth.
I know we’re a civilization in decline, but I can’t think of a single nationally popular TV program that features conspiracy theorists and hypnotists as hosts. (YouTube doesn’t count. These are supposed to be well-known TV shows.) Dan is supposedly the guy who just leaked the most explosive news in human history and his credibility is in question. If he really wants to prove that he’s telling the truth wouldn’t it make more sense for him to sit down and do extensive interviews with real reporters? In this world apparently Trump got his wish because newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post don’t seem to exist anymore, and there’s not one serious mention of Dan doing anything but shitty cable news.
The problem is compounded by the author’s apparent belief that 'good' journalists don’t try to independently question, document or verify anything. Instead they just show up when the subject of a massive story tells them to and pretty much do what he asks.
One prime example of this is during Dan’s trip to Europe where he meets with the press, but his PR lady insists that he will only answer questions asked directly in English and not translated. She’s got a legitimate fear that a translation issue will cause problems, but maybe she should have told the reporters this BEFORE the press conference so they could send English speaking reporters. And it’s the height of arrogance to go to a foreign country, willingly attend a press conference where you’re pimping your own agenda, and then assert that you won’t answer questions translated from the native language. Again, this is presented as if it’s a reasonable request by Dan’s representative, and that the ‘good’ reporters immediately agree to this demand.
Another example of the glass house this book lives in while chucking stones comes from Dan watching a cable news show where they get one minor fact about him sort of wrong. Not entirely wrong, but there’s some context missing which leads to Dan bitterly complaining about the media not doing their research before rushing to air. So a guy who leaked a file saying that the government had been covering up the existence of aliens for decades after less than 20 GODDAMN MINUTES of research is complaining about the media not doing their due diligence, and it’s presented with absolutely no sense of irony or self-awareness. It’s the constant parade of crap like this that almost gave me a rage stroke.
All of this ends up being incredibly frustrating because there’s no real reasons that any of this couldn’t have been dealt with in rational ways. Why couldn’t Dan have the file for a couple of weeks and do research that would at least convince us that he’s thoroughly vetted it? Why couldn’t some of the endless pages of him dealing with the media include at least some encounters with real journalists who ask him tough but reasonable questions? Why must the world immediately treat Dan like an expert on aliens rather than just a guy who works at a coffee shop that bumbled onto something big? Why is Dan such a huge douchebag?
In addition to all this the writing itself is also excruciating. The author doesn’t believe in things like sub-text or a reader inferring anything. In fact, he apparently thinks readers are incapable of forming short term memories because of the way he repeats things to explain in the most simple and obvious way possible what’s going on.
Here’s an example:
"It’s not that simple,” Jan pleaded. “McCarthy has representation. He’s with XPR."
Richard raised his eyebrow at the surprising news that McCarthy had secured such powerful representation.
Notice that the author feels the need to tell us exactly why Richard raises his eyebrow. He didn’t just say, “Richard raised an eyebrow in surprise.” Or even simpler. “Richard raised an eyebrow.” Then the sentence repeats the same information conveyed in the previous one.
Here’s another about a character who (Big surprise.) has been watching the news.
“Not knowing what Thursday might bring she decided to call it a night and catch up on any developments in the morning.”
Think about what the author is telling us here. Rather than just say nothing is going on so she turns off the TV and goes to bed he feels like he must explain to us that the character doesn’t have the psychic ability to know what events the next day might bring so she’s going to get some rest in case something happens and then catch up any new developments tomorrow. Which is what every single one of us do every goddamn time we go to sleep. There's no reason whatsoever to stress to us that she is turning off the TV and going to bed at that point, and yet he feels the need to explain to us exactly why she's going to quit watching the news and go to sleep.
That’s the sneakily awful nature of this writing. It doesn’t seem that bad on the surface, and a few of these could slip by unnoticed but it’s literally like this for the entire book. Every action or decision, no matter how minor, has to be explained and analyzed in the most painfully obvious terms. It gets to be incredibly annoying after a while.
Like if I slammed my thumb in the car door this author would write it up like this:
“Kemper slammed the car door on his thumb. He had not meant to do it because previous experience had told him that slamming a car door on his thumb would be quite painful. It was an accident, and yet he had indeed slammed his thumb in the car door and it was quite painful. Kemper closely examined the thumb to see if had been broken when he slammed it in the car door, but it appeared to only be swollen and red because he had slammed it in the car door by mistake, not on purpose because he knew it would hurt to do so.”
And then the next morning:
“Kemper woke up and felt his thumb ache. He remembered that he slammed it in the car door the day before which had been very painful. It still hurt somewhat because he had slammed it in the car door, and he knew that he would have to be careful with it for some time. Because it hurt. Because he slammed in in the car door.”
OK, I admit I’m exaggerating. But not much.
I could go on and on about this. The supporting characters are all one-dimensional and don’t end up mattering a bit to the main story. It’s boring. You can see every plot twist coming a mile away. There’s a long bit about Dan doing TV ads that made me wish someone would set his hair on fire like Michael Jackson when he filmed that Pepsi commercial. The abomination of an ending alone would be worth another lengthy rant, but I’m not going to waste more time and energy on it.
Suffice it to say that there’s a lot of ways that this book might have been interesting and good. It could have been an exciting thriller about a guy who discovers a huge secret. It could have been a fascinating character study about what happens to an ordinary person who accidently finds himself thrust into a media spotlight. It could have been an insightful commentary about modern media driven culture. It could have been a great sci-fi story about humanity coming to terms with the existence of aliens.
Instead it tried to be all those stories and failed miserably at every single one of them.
You know what’s worse than a book in which the main character does nothing but watch cable news for hours on end? Reading a book in which the main character is presented as a truth seeker exposing a plot that has enormous implications for the entire human race, but in reality he’s a self-righteous and demanding little prick who is a huge hypocrite.
You know what’s worse than reading a book in which the main character is presented as a truth seeker exposing a plot that has enormous implications for the entire human race, but in reality he’s a self-righteous and demanding little prick who is a huge hypocrite? Reading a book that is supposed to be an interesting sci-fi story about the world finding out that the US government has been covering up the existence of aliens for decades, but it turns out to be a maddening slog filled with terrible writing and a plot so dull that it could stun an insomniac on meth into a deep sleep.
You know what’s worse than reading a book that is supposed to be an interesting sci-fi story about the world finding out that the government has been covering up the existence of aliens for decades, but it turns out to be a maddening slog filled with terrible writing and a plot so dull that it could stun an insomniac on meth into a deep sleep? Nothing. Nothing is worse than this book. And I’m including everything from getting socks on Christmas morning to cancer when I say that.
It starts out with a guy named Dan McCarthy literally bumping into a thief who just robbed the office of a man who runs a fictional US space agency. The thief drops a folder of documents before fleeing which Dan glances at and is stunned to find what he believes is proof that the government has been hiding proof of alien contact.
Dan just so happens to be a big believer in that very conspiracy theory so he takes the folder to a library where for a completely contrived reason he only has 20 minutes to examine it. Turns out that Dan doesn’t even need the full 20 to be sure that it’s all true so he immediately scans and leaks the file to the press. He tries to do it anonymously but fails miserably so Dan finds himself at the center of the controversy and media firestorm that follow. After that he goes on TV a couple of times, and he watches cable news for about 600 pages. Then some more stupid shit happens at the end.
The 20 minute thing really highlights everything that is wrong with this book. This guy spends less than a half-hour Googling some things and can’t even translate an important looking German letter in the file yet is 100% convinced that it’s true and immediately leaks it. That tells you exactly what kind of shithead Dan McCarthy is.
First off, the 20 minute thing is a completely arbitrary deadline. There’s no real reason that Dan couldn’t be patient and do more research on the documents. Secondly, there’s nothing in these documents or what Dan looks up that would remotely be considered credible evidence. Third, even if he had absolute proof that it was true Dan doesn’t stop for a moment to consider what releasing the file will mean for humanity. He’s completely blind to his obsession of proving that aliens exist and his bone deep conviction that the truth is all that matters.
At or least he cares about it as long as it suits him because Dan is a goddamn hypocrite of the highest order. Despite his contention that the truth is the most important thing he willingly doesn’t disclose a lot of things like a damning phone call made by the president of the United States to him later in the book just because he doesn’t want to deal with the media hassle it would bring him.
Think about that for a second. The guy who constantly gets on his high horse about the truth being everything does not disclose evidence he has of personal wrongdoing by the President of the United States just because it would inconvenience him. And that’s far from his worse hypocrisy in this book which I won’t get into because of spoilers, but let’s just say that for a character who leads a campaign with a rallying cry of “Truth! Truth! Now! Now! Now!” Dan McCarthy doesn’t have much of a problem with lying his ass off on a massive scale just so long as it makes things easier for him.
Plus, he’s just an asshole in general. Despite being a healthy adult he depends on his brother, a military contractor overseas, who has to hire a house cleaner and have meals ordered on-line delivered to Dan because he’s apparently incapable of sweeping a floor or feeding himself. He talks like a whiny teenager who constantly questions every single thing anyone says or requests of him. “Why do we have to do that?” “Why don’t they do it this way?” “What difference does that make?” “Why can’t you just fly me home from Europe in your private jet?” Yes, Dan literally demands that a rich guy who is already helping him out and flown him and his companions to Europe first class use his private plane to get him home immediately for no good reason other than they can’t get a commercial flight back the minute Dan decides he needs to leave.
In fact, Dan is so inflexible and demanding that I seriously thought for a while that the author was indicating that he might have a mild form of Asperger’s which would at least provide a valid excuse for him to behave this way. That got shot down with two other characters actually discuss this and it’s conclusively stated that Dan has seen doctors and does NOT suffer from any disorders like that. So again, he’s just an entitled asshole.
A lot of other problems come from Dan’s interactions with the media which is the major part of the book. We’re told that Dan hates all the attention, and he’s the victim of smear campaigns against his character. Despite this he’s so dedicated to the cause of getting the government to admit the truth (Or at least his version of the truth.) that he agrees to work with a PR consultant who starts booking him for appearances on various shows.
This is where things get really stupid because on one hand the book is trying to critique the modern media, but the author’s idea of journalism seems to be the equivalent of a certain orange skinned whiner who complains that anything he doesn’t like is fake news. In the world of this book there is apparently no serious journalism because Dan’s first appearance is on a show that is set up as being this world’s version of 60 Minutes yet the format is instead a panel show like Bill Maher with celebrities and hacks with political agendas on it. His subsequent appearances are on a show hosted by a famous UFO believer and he agrees to be hypnotized by another famous TV personality to see if he’s telling the truth.
I know we’re a civilization in decline, but I can’t think of a single nationally popular TV program that features conspiracy theorists and hypnotists as hosts. (YouTube doesn’t count. These are supposed to be well-known TV shows.) Dan is supposedly the guy who just leaked the most explosive news in human history and his credibility is in question. If he really wants to prove that he’s telling the truth wouldn’t it make more sense for him to sit down and do extensive interviews with real reporters? In this world apparently Trump got his wish because newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post don’t seem to exist anymore, and there’s not one serious mention of Dan doing anything but shitty cable news.
The problem is compounded by the author’s apparent belief that 'good' journalists don’t try to independently question, document or verify anything. Instead they just show up when the subject of a massive story tells them to and pretty much do what he asks.
One prime example of this is during Dan’s trip to Europe where he meets with the press, but his PR lady insists that he will only answer questions asked directly in English and not translated. She’s got a legitimate fear that a translation issue will cause problems, but maybe she should have told the reporters this BEFORE the press conference so they could send English speaking reporters. And it’s the height of arrogance to go to a foreign country, willingly attend a press conference where you’re pimping your own agenda, and then assert that you won’t answer questions translated from the native language. Again, this is presented as if it’s a reasonable request by Dan’s representative, and that the ‘good’ reporters immediately agree to this demand.
Another example of the glass house this book lives in while chucking stones comes from Dan watching a cable news show where they get one minor fact about him sort of wrong. Not entirely wrong, but there’s some context missing which leads to Dan bitterly complaining about the media not doing their research before rushing to air. So a guy who leaked a file saying that the government had been covering up the existence of aliens for decades after less than 20 GODDAMN MINUTES of research is complaining about the media not doing their due diligence, and it’s presented with absolutely no sense of irony or self-awareness. It’s the constant parade of crap like this that almost gave me a rage stroke.
All of this ends up being incredibly frustrating because there’s no real reasons that any of this couldn’t have been dealt with in rational ways. Why couldn’t Dan have the file for a couple of weeks and do research that would at least convince us that he’s thoroughly vetted it? Why couldn’t some of the endless pages of him dealing with the media include at least some encounters with real journalists who ask him tough but reasonable questions? Why must the world immediately treat Dan like an expert on aliens rather than just a guy who works at a coffee shop that bumbled onto something big? Why is Dan such a huge douchebag?
In addition to all this the writing itself is also excruciating. The author doesn’t believe in things like sub-text or a reader inferring anything. In fact, he apparently thinks readers are incapable of forming short term memories because of the way he repeats things to explain in the most simple and obvious way possible what’s going on.
Here’s an example:
"It’s not that simple,” Jan pleaded. “McCarthy has representation. He’s with XPR."
Richard raised his eyebrow at the surprising news that McCarthy had secured such powerful representation.
Notice that the author feels the need to tell us exactly why Richard raises his eyebrow. He didn’t just say, “Richard raised an eyebrow in surprise.” Or even simpler. “Richard raised an eyebrow.” Then the sentence repeats the same information conveyed in the previous one.
Here’s another about a character who (Big surprise.) has been watching the news.
“Not knowing what Thursday might bring she decided to call it a night and catch up on any developments in the morning.”
Think about what the author is telling us here. Rather than just say nothing is going on so she turns off the TV and goes to bed he feels like he must explain to us that the character doesn’t have the psychic ability to know what events the next day might bring so she’s going to get some rest in case something happens and then catch up any new developments tomorrow. Which is what every single one of us do every goddamn time we go to sleep. There's no reason whatsoever to stress to us that she is turning off the TV and going to bed at that point, and yet he feels the need to explain to us exactly why she's going to quit watching the news and go to sleep.
That’s the sneakily awful nature of this writing. It doesn’t seem that bad on the surface, and a few of these could slip by unnoticed but it’s literally like this for the entire book. Every action or decision, no matter how minor, has to be explained and analyzed in the most painfully obvious terms. It gets to be incredibly annoying after a while.
Like if I slammed my thumb in the car door this author would write it up like this:
“Kemper slammed the car door on his thumb. He had not meant to do it because previous experience had told him that slamming a car door on his thumb would be quite painful. It was an accident, and yet he had indeed slammed his thumb in the car door and it was quite painful. Kemper closely examined the thumb to see if had been broken when he slammed it in the car door, but it appeared to only be swollen and red because he had slammed it in the car door by mistake, not on purpose because he knew it would hurt to do so.”
And then the next morning:
“Kemper woke up and felt his thumb ache. He remembered that he slammed it in the car door the day before which had been very painful. It still hurt somewhat because he had slammed it in the car door, and he knew that he would have to be careful with it for some time. Because it hurt. Because he slammed in in the car door.”
OK, I admit I’m exaggerating. But not much.
I could go on and on about this. The supporting characters are all one-dimensional and don’t end up mattering a bit to the main story. It’s boring. You can see every plot twist coming a mile away. There’s a long bit about Dan doing TV ads that made me wish someone would set his hair on fire like Michael Jackson when he filmed that Pepsi commercial. The abomination of an ending alone would be worth another lengthy rant, but I’m not going to waste more time and energy on it.
Suffice it to say that there’s a lot of ways that this book might have been interesting and good. It could have been an exciting thriller about a guy who discovers a huge secret. It could have been a fascinating character study about what happens to an ordinary person who accidently finds himself thrust into a media spotlight. It could have been an insightful commentary about modern media driven culture. It could have been a great sci-fi story about humanity coming to terms with the existence of aliens.
Instead it tried to be all those stories and failed miserably at every single one of them.
May 18, 2020
Not Alone
By: Craig A. Falconer
This book follows what would happen if someone found a folder with proof that the government knows about aliens and his this fact from the public. It's well thought out in ever way and aspect!
Brilliant. My only complaint is that it's so long!
By: Craig A. Falconer
This book follows what would happen if someone found a folder with proof that the government knows about aliens and his this fact from the public. It's well thought out in ever way and aspect!
Brilliant. My only complaint is that it's so long!
August 14, 2016
This book could have been so much more, but to me it got bogged down with too much filler, especially concerning public relations/ TV media shenanigans. This book was way too long, at over 700 pages, and by the last 3rd of the book, I was just skipping pages trying to get to the pertinent parts. Finally, after all that build up, the ending was so anticlimactic, that I was disappointed.
Only a 2 star book for me.
Only a 2 star book for me.
March 8, 2017
++SPOILERS+
4 stars I really liked it, though some may not.
This is an extremely well written, well thought out book.
It is filled with politics, media, conspiracy theorists, lies, truths..but sadly no romance.
Well actually that was kinda what I was looking for, no romance, but here it felt like a little should have been added. I mean come on, a pretty PR woman hanging out with two good looking young men for 5 months..and one is an ex soldier... yet not a stich of even flirting? To me this was the only unrealistic part of a book that seemed to strive so hard on giving the reader a realistic view of what would happen if someone came upon a UFO cover up.
I can see why some reviewers didn't care for it though. There was a tremendous amount of details regarding politics and media that could have been shortened. It seemed like the plot took over the story most times and I just wanted more human emotion and feelings to be shown. Regardless, I personally liked the details and the complexity...it certainly gave me lots of "food for thought."
The characters although very well developed, seemed to be missing something...I think it's more of the emotional aspect I just mentioned. It also seemed that most of the book was of the characters reading emails, watching tv or checking their phones. Nothing really gave me the feeling of urgency or made me feel nervous that something bad was gonna happen. Even still, I did not skim or feel bored at any point.
It was a great book for me at this time. I needed something with no romance.
I did like that it felt like I was there with the characters, going through everything with them. A nice long journey, and I was a little sad when the book ended.
Overall, I would recommend and would definately consider reading more by this author.
And it was FREE!
4 stars I really liked it, though some may not.
This is an extremely well written, well thought out book.
It is filled with politics, media, conspiracy theorists, lies, truths..but sadly no romance.
Well actually that was kinda what I was looking for, no romance, but here it felt like a little should have been added. I mean come on, a pretty PR woman hanging out with two good looking young men for 5 months..and one is an ex soldier... yet not a stich of even flirting? To me this was the only unrealistic part of a book that seemed to strive so hard on giving the reader a realistic view of what would happen if someone came upon a UFO cover up.
I can see why some reviewers didn't care for it though. There was a tremendous amount of details regarding politics and media that could have been shortened. It seemed like the plot took over the story most times and I just wanted more human emotion and feelings to be shown. Regardless, I personally liked the details and the complexity...it certainly gave me lots of "food for thought."
The characters although very well developed, seemed to be missing something...I think it's more of the emotional aspect I just mentioned. It also seemed that most of the book was of the characters reading emails, watching tv or checking their phones. Nothing really gave me the feeling of urgency or made me feel nervous that something bad was gonna happen. Even still, I did not skim or feel bored at any point.
It was a great book for me at this time. I needed something with no romance.
I did like that it felt like I was there with the characters, going through everything with them. A nice long journey, and I was a little sad when the book ended.
Overall, I would recommend and would definately consider reading more by this author.
And it was FREE!
October 2, 2017
Desperately, this book needed a half-decent editor. It was way too long. Most of this book could be cut with no loss to the plot or character development. This is also a testament to how little character development exists in the book. I loathe the main protagonist, Dan. The book assures you that he has no mental disability or illness, but for a "normal" grown man to act, think, & speak the way he does is completely unbelievable. More times Dan's character is more of a child than an adult with agency. The book has too much exposition. It is extremely repetitive; the author clearly does not think a reader can keep important details in their head.
If you truly enjoy hard sci-fi or good writing, do not buy this book; do not waste your time reading this book. If you are new to this genre, there are much better books out there before wasting your time with this one.
If you truly enjoy hard sci-fi or good writing, do not buy this book; do not waste your time reading this book. If you are new to this genre, there are much better books out there before wasting your time with this one.
February 15, 2016
The first contact story I didn't know I needed
I cannot praise this book enough. I loved the first half with its realistic focus on the media angle. I loved it being long enough for more than a single nights reading. I loved the three dimensional characters. I loved that the author didnt cop out with the typical "contact is made in the last paragraph" ending you see so often. I loved that he avoided just about everything typical to these type of books. I loved the scope, not just a treasure-hunting romp.
I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Unlike many of these kindle published books I've read recently, there were very few problems in terms of editing or pacing. Maybe not an East of Eden or LOTR, but an extremely well crafted and important change of pace for sci-fi lovers like myself. I hope that this book will constitute a new trend in the genre.
I cannot praise this book enough. I loved the first half with its realistic focus on the media angle. I loved it being long enough for more than a single nights reading. I loved the three dimensional characters. I loved that the author didnt cop out with the typical "contact is made in the last paragraph" ending you see so often. I loved that he avoided just about everything typical to these type of books. I loved the scope, not just a treasure-hunting romp.
I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Unlike many of these kindle published books I've read recently, there were very few problems in terms of editing or pacing. Maybe not an East of Eden or LOTR, but an extremely well crafted and important change of pace for sci-fi lovers like myself. I hope that this book will constitute a new trend in the genre.
March 17, 2016
I tried to read this book but it was extremely frustrating. The writing style is just too simplistic for my liking. The hero's name is Dan, and as you read it's "Dan did this", "Dan did that", "Dan wondered about this", "Dan considered that".
Just look at the synopsis. Dan is mentioned by name four times in three paragraphs and that's nowhere near as often as you'll be subjected to his name in the book. You may come across the page where Dan is mentioned by name around 20 times, and if you do I hope you'll come to your senses and stop reading right there.
Just look at the synopsis. Dan is mentioned by name four times in three paragraphs and that's nowhere near as often as you'll be subjected to his name in the book. You may come across the page where Dan is mentioned by name around 20 times, and if you do I hope you'll come to your senses and stop reading right there.
August 30, 2017
4.5 Stars for Classic Science Fiction, New Point of View
I see a lot of reviewers complaining about the narrative's focus on PR. This is my response: before you pick up a 750-page book, you may want to read some summaries and reviews to, ya know, make sure the premise actually interests you. I only read a handful of reviews beforehand, and the emphasis on media and politics was readily apparent.
That emphasis is exactly what makes Not Alone an enthralling novel. I couldn't put the thing down! It was just so refreshing to read a different kind of alien novel - one which takes the reader behind the scenes of the corresponding government leaks and news broadcasts.
Then there's the big twist in the final third. Holy moly! Just when everything seems to settle down and the reader finds himself on the same page as the characters...BOOM! Everything ramps back up, and Falconer proves that he can excel in the traditional style, too.
My only complaint is the very ending. I would have been far more satisfied without the final two chapters, Nevertheless, any science-fiction readers that are interested in contemporary journalism and global politics will find this novel thoroughly enjoyable!
I see a lot of reviewers complaining about the narrative's focus on PR. This is my response: before you pick up a 750-page book, you may want to read some summaries and reviews to, ya know, make sure the premise actually interests you. I only read a handful of reviews beforehand, and the emphasis on media and politics was readily apparent.
That emphasis is exactly what makes Not Alone an enthralling novel. I couldn't put the thing down! It was just so refreshing to read a different kind of alien novel - one which takes the reader behind the scenes of the corresponding government leaks and news broadcasts.
Then there's the big twist in the final third. Holy moly! Just when everything seems to settle down and the reader finds himself on the same page as the characters...BOOM! Everything ramps back up, and Falconer proves that he can excel in the traditional style, too.
My only complaint is the very ending. I would have been far more satisfied without the final two chapters, Nevertheless, any science-fiction readers that are interested in contemporary journalism and global politics will find this novel thoroughly enjoyable!
September 10, 2016
There is perhaps a 100-200 page story here, but not 700+ pages worth. The first 60% of the story is very mechanical with nothing really interesting or surprising happening: just drawn out descriptions of mundane interviews, political grandstanding and PR maneuvering. There is no build up of mystery or attempt to understand or explain what is happening. It's not really sci-fi. The last 40% gets a bit more on-point, but also doesn't seem to fit together in the end. This could have really benefited from an editor. Overall the story gives the impression it's trying to feel like a grand epic, but instead comes off as an overdrawn story written for a middle-school reader.
I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by James Patrick Cronin. He does a great job portraying different voices and is in general a pleasure to listen to. However, he mispronounces many words, and this drives me crazy in an otherwise great performance. In particular, he pronounces acronyms incorrectly, e.g. spelling out each individual letter for NASA and SETI. No one pronounces NASA as N . A . S . A .! These are not even esoteric acronyms that most people've never heard of! This is doubly ironic given that the story actually includes a discussion between the characters about how organizations with three-letter acronyms tend to be spelled out, but once they reach four letters the general public tends to pronounce them as words.
I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by James Patrick Cronin. He does a great job portraying different voices and is in general a pleasure to listen to. However, he mispronounces many words, and this drives me crazy in an otherwise great performance. In particular, he pronounces acronyms incorrectly, e.g. spelling out each individual letter for NASA and SETI. No one pronounces NASA as N . A . S . A .! These are not even esoteric acronyms that most people've never heard of! This is doubly ironic given that the story actually includes a discussion between the characters about how organizations with three-letter acronyms tend to be spelled out, but once they reach four letters the general public tends to pronounce them as words.
March 12, 2016
Good ideas told blandly
There are a lot of exciting concepts here, and there are characters you care about (hating). But the writing is like the copy in Yellow Pages ads. Like "they thought about many interesting things." Not a real quote, but an example of what the uninvolving prose is like.
There are a lot of exciting concepts here, and there are characters you care about (hating). But the writing is like the copy in Yellow Pages ads. Like "they thought about many interesting things." Not a real quote, but an example of what the uninvolving prose is like.
July 11, 2016
Rarely do I not finish a book. I could not finish this one. Halfway through, I became bored. It's too long (740 pages!)
I'm sorry to the author for the low review, I dislike giving bad reviews to anyone. This book could have done with a big edit and the story itself could have been told in a quarter the time and it might have been a lot more interesting.
I'm sorry to the author for the low review, I dislike giving bad reviews to anyone. This book could have done with a big edit and the story itself could have been told in a quarter the time and it might have been a lot more interesting.
October 22, 2016
The main character (Dan) has no real agency. He made almost no decisions at all - when he did it was picking between two options presented to him by other characters (Emma and Clark). Once he picked an option, he would literally do whatever the other characters told him to do. All three of the main characters have no real flaws - it's like a story about Mary Poppins, James Bond, and a child going on a PR tour.
Dan doesn't even any goals as a person, other than hoping that other people would believe him. If Dan was actually a child, and the other two characters were his mom and dad, the whole book would have worked a lot more naturally.
Much of the dialog is inconsequential, and the author lets no sentence go. Characters will approach an entrance with a crowd around it, talk about how that's concerning, walk right through (nothing happens), then go find a guard to yell at them about how the crowd is there. The crowd has no point in the scene, and their successful entrance to the building built no character and had no further impact on the story.
There is also a lot of inner monologue that's repetitive or of no consequence to the story. And since the main character has no real goals or desires, it's all just a kind of bland reenforcement of the single plot element.
For big sections of the book, there is no actual conflict. The main character has accomplished his goal, and the story just keeps going. Nobody cares about our main crew anymore, and the book is just jumping around to any character that has been introduced previously. We're listening to private military conversations, international politics, but mostly just characters reacting to what other characters have said on TV.
Dan doesn't even any goals as a person, other than hoping that other people would believe him. If Dan was actually a child, and the other two characters were his mom and dad, the whole book would have worked a lot more naturally.
Much of the dialog is inconsequential, and the author lets no sentence go. Characters will approach an entrance with a crowd around it, talk about how that's concerning, walk right through (nothing happens), then go find a guard to yell at them about how the crowd is there. The crowd has no point in the scene, and their successful entrance to the building built no character and had no further impact on the story.
There is also a lot of inner monologue that's repetitive or of no consequence to the story. And since the main character has no real goals or desires, it's all just a kind of bland reenforcement of the single plot element.
For big sections of the book, there is no actual conflict. The main character has accomplished his goal, and the story just keeps going. Nobody cares about our main crew anymore, and the book is just jumping around to any character that has been introduced previously. We're listening to private military conversations, international politics, but mostly just characters reacting to what other characters have said on TV.
July 4, 2020
I thought of not starting anything, but then it wouldn't make sense with my written review.
I tried listening the audiobook while driving. After about an hour the story became interesting but not enough to allow me to want to continue it...
Also it was making my mind go a bit crazy in how the author really wanted us to know who they were focusing on.
For example: Dan looked at the folder, Dan watched the news, Dan picked up the folder, Dan does this/Dan does that...
This was from the beginning of part 1... not really the best way to introduce a character by explaining what they do or being too wordy. Once or twice in a paragraph isn't bad compared to about 5 - 9 times of mentions they name and then their actions... too irritating....
I tried listening the audiobook while driving. After about an hour the story became interesting but not enough to allow me to want to continue it...
Also it was making my mind go a bit crazy in how the author really wanted us to know who they were focusing on.
For example: Dan looked at the folder, Dan watched the news, Dan picked up the folder, Dan does this/Dan does that...
This was from the beginning of part 1... not really the best way to introduce a character by explaining what they do or being too wordy. Once or twice in a paragraph isn't bad compared to about 5 - 9 times of mentions they name and then their actions... too irritating....
June 26, 2018
I like reading and supporting indie authors, and I looked forward to this book. I even bought the sequel for my Kindle at the same time I bought this book. So, for my responses to the book:
The story's concept was great. It smacks of alien encounters and political chess playing on a worldwide level. It has a strong protaganist (actually, 2 or 3 of them...), who was likeable, even though I didn't feel that his character was very well developed. The story had some twists and turns, which could have made it interesting. But some of the problems really took away from the basic storyline.
First, the book was far too long. There was a LOT of filler in it. It often went on and on about news media, PR work, and the main characters in the book spent more than half their time watching news on TV, on their handheld apps, or Googling things having to do with what was on TV news. The fact is, the story was supposed to be about first contact with an alien race... certainly a STUPENDOUS discovery, no? But the book was really about what news people do. I don't know the percentage, but I'm guessing that 80 percent of the storyline had to do with news people, camera crews, giving interviews, watching interviews on TV, listening to interviews on the radio, and reading about the TV interviews in the paper the next day. Lots and lots of camera trucks, big screens, recording devices, and such. And I mean, LOTS AND LOTS of them.
It became a bit oppressive, this obsession with the news media and with the politicians who starred in it all. The writer could have deleted fully two thirds of the book and it would not have made much difference to the reader, except that it would have made for a much tighter, more enjoyable read. If you're a writer, and you want a good example of a published novel that should have gone through a lot more editing, this book is a must read.
I'm sorry to be a bearer of bad news. I don't normally critique books in this manner, but I felt that this was one of those whose author might benefit from honest advice. I'm not sure I'll read the sequel, but then... I've always been a glutton for punishment....
The story's concept was great. It smacks of alien encounters and political chess playing on a worldwide level. It has a strong protaganist (actually, 2 or 3 of them...), who was likeable, even though I didn't feel that his character was very well developed. The story had some twists and turns, which could have made it interesting. But some of the problems really took away from the basic storyline.
First, the book was far too long. There was a LOT of filler in it. It often went on and on about news media, PR work, and the main characters in the book spent more than half their time watching news on TV, on their handheld apps, or Googling things having to do with what was on TV news. The fact is, the story was supposed to be about first contact with an alien race... certainly a STUPENDOUS discovery, no? But the book was really about what news people do. I don't know the percentage, but I'm guessing that 80 percent of the storyline had to do with news people, camera crews, giving interviews, watching interviews on TV, listening to interviews on the radio, and reading about the TV interviews in the paper the next day. Lots and lots of camera trucks, big screens, recording devices, and such. And I mean, LOTS AND LOTS of them.
It became a bit oppressive, this obsession with the news media and with the politicians who starred in it all. The writer could have deleted fully two thirds of the book and it would not have made much difference to the reader, except that it would have made for a much tighter, more enjoyable read. If you're a writer, and you want a good example of a published novel that should have gone through a lot more editing, this book is a must read.
I'm sorry to be a bearer of bad news. I don't normally critique books in this manner, but I felt that this was one of those whose author might benefit from honest advice. I'm not sure I'll read the sequel, but then... I've always been a glutton for punishment....
October 23, 2016
I bought this book after reading the first line of the publisher's summary "Aliens exist, the government knows, and Dan McCarthy just found proof." I wasn't disappointed. Good characters. Unique story. Good pace.
Very little sci-fi here. The book is more about how the world reacts to the truth coming out about aliens.
Very little sci-fi here. The book is more about how the world reacts to the truth coming out about aliens.
March 11, 2016
Early effort, needs editing
Didn't get very far. Misspelled words, improbable logical leaps, stiff writing. Shows a lot of promise, able to vividly describe characters and scenes. I'll check some of this author's more recent work.
Didn't get very far. Misspelled words, improbable logical leaps, stiff writing. Shows a lot of promise, able to vividly describe characters and scenes. I'll check some of this author's more recent work.
April 11, 2021
I was skeptical about this book. The description indicated a political thriller with a sci fi bent. The reviews were positive but I don’t like political thrillers so, if I hadn’t been able to get it for free through my library, I never would have given it a go. Simply put this book was “hard to put down” great. Basically I enjoyed it in spite of not really wanting to.
It is a pretty long book and, listening to it, I thought I saw the ending coming until I checked my progress and saw I was only about half way done. I couldn’t imagine what the author had left to tell and then the story got better. NOTE THAT THE SECOND HALF OF THIS BOOK HAS ONE OF THE BEST TWISTS I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED.
As I was listening to the second half of this book and composing my review I was planning on starting with something like “A truly good book that would have been great if it was only half as long” and, while that is essentially true, I cannot think of single thing the author should have left out. So I decided saying that would have been akin to saying “Harry Potter would have been even better if J. K. Rowlings could really do magic".
I only had one issue with this book which, as much as it bugged me, only comes up at the very end. This issue is weird since it is central to the whole story but, at the same time, as it only comes up at the very end, it can also be readily ignored. This issue is also a SPOILER. So, seriously, if you haven’t read this book stop here. SEROIUSLY!!!
This book is really about Dan, Emma and Clark and what they go through because of the evidence of aliens that falls into Dan’s lap. Since this book is about Dan, Emma and Clark the fact that the aliens make no sense only comes up at end and can be readily ignored. But, in another sense, this book really is all about the aliens and the fact that they are revealed to make no sense at the end is kind of like a big middle finger to the reader.
If humans encountered aliens in real life then saying “they don’t make sense because they are alien” is legitimate. In a book it is tantamount to the author saying “I couldn’t be bothered to figure this stuff out”. Pretty much nothing about the aliens make sense:
1. Why, with their advanced technology couldn’t the aliens just make a call? The aliens apparently are required to interfere as little as possible and making a call is a lot less interference than magically putting Dan in a fugue state, giving him the ability to draw, and having Dan draw a map to where the aliens want to meet, not Dan but Emma, which bit of knowledge is also magically put into Dan's mind.
2. Why did the aliens speak to Dan’s mind when it was Emma’s help they wanted?
3. Why did the aliens prevent Clark from meeting them???? Is the alien’s advance technology unable to handle more than two visitors at a time???? It can’t be because it served no purpose because Dan was allowed to meet them but that served no purpose (for anyone other than the author).
4. Why did the aliens physically plug into both Dan and Emma’s minds? They already demonstrated an ability to communicate directly with human minds without a physical connection and, even if they couldn’t handle making a call, the aliens certainly should have been able to create an alien version of Google Translator to use.
5. Why do the aliens care about humans at all, let alone care about whether we launch a space station with on-board weapons???? (The aliens are so far advanced there’s nothing humans could do to them anyway.)
Basically the whole approach of the aliens makes no sense- they want to guide us without us knowing about it, but they are going to reveal themselves to four humans who they will then have to monitor for the rest of their lives?????
I can only assume the author couldn’t explain his own aliens so he just ignored these issues. I mean some things are so basic they transcend even alien culture. For intelligent aliens, who speak like we do (they spoke in front of Dan and Emma) to study us for decades without studying our communications is inconceivable. This book could have ended with Emma getting a call like: Yeah, hi, I know you’re not going to believe this but I’m one of the aliens you’ve been looking into. For proof I can put Dan into a fugue state and have him draw a picture of me or I can just start telling you all the things I couldn’t possibly know without technology so far in advance of yours it will look like magic to you. We need your help and, before you ask, we don’t need the tablet from the hoax aliens. Oddly enough our extremely advanced technology can make those from scratch so you should probably just go ahead and destroy the ones you have so they can never be exposed. No, what we need are ideas on how to fix this mess because, while we’ve studied humans for decades now, we can’t afford to screw this up and you are the best PR person on the planet . . . Oh, you want to know why we are acting the way we are? Okay, here it is . . .
Now that would have been a good ending.
It is a pretty long book and, listening to it, I thought I saw the ending coming until I checked my progress and saw I was only about half way done. I couldn’t imagine what the author had left to tell and then the story got better. NOTE THAT THE SECOND HALF OF THIS BOOK HAS ONE OF THE BEST TWISTS I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED.
As I was listening to the second half of this book and composing my review I was planning on starting with something like “A truly good book that would have been great if it was only half as long” and, while that is essentially true, I cannot think of single thing the author should have left out. So I decided saying that would have been akin to saying “Harry Potter would have been even better if J. K. Rowlings could really do magic".
I only had one issue with this book which, as much as it bugged me, only comes up at the very end. This issue is weird since it is central to the whole story but, at the same time, as it only comes up at the very end, it can also be readily ignored. This issue is also a SPOILER. So, seriously, if you haven’t read this book stop here. SEROIUSLY!!!
This book is really about Dan, Emma and Clark and what they go through because of the evidence of aliens that falls into Dan’s lap. Since this book is about Dan, Emma and Clark the fact that the aliens make no sense only comes up at end and can be readily ignored. But, in another sense, this book really is all about the aliens and the fact that they are revealed to make no sense at the end is kind of like a big middle finger to the reader.
If humans encountered aliens in real life then saying “they don’t make sense because they are alien” is legitimate. In a book it is tantamount to the author saying “I couldn’t be bothered to figure this stuff out”. Pretty much nothing about the aliens make sense:
1. Why, with their advanced technology couldn’t the aliens just make a call? The aliens apparently are required to interfere as little as possible and making a call is a lot less interference than magically putting Dan in a fugue state, giving him the ability to draw, and having Dan draw a map to where the aliens want to meet, not Dan but Emma, which bit of knowledge is also magically put into Dan's mind.
2. Why did the aliens speak to Dan’s mind when it was Emma’s help they wanted?
3. Why did the aliens prevent Clark from meeting them???? Is the alien’s advance technology unable to handle more than two visitors at a time???? It can’t be because it served no purpose because Dan was allowed to meet them but that served no purpose (for anyone other than the author).
4. Why did the aliens physically plug into both Dan and Emma’s minds? They already demonstrated an ability to communicate directly with human minds without a physical connection and, even if they couldn’t handle making a call, the aliens certainly should have been able to create an alien version of Google Translator to use.
5. Why do the aliens care about humans at all, let alone care about whether we launch a space station with on-board weapons???? (The aliens are so far advanced there’s nothing humans could do to them anyway.)
Basically the whole approach of the aliens makes no sense- they want to guide us without us knowing about it, but they are going to reveal themselves to four humans who they will then have to monitor for the rest of their lives?????
I can only assume the author couldn’t explain his own aliens so he just ignored these issues. I mean some things are so basic they transcend even alien culture. For intelligent aliens, who speak like we do (they spoke in front of Dan and Emma) to study us for decades without studying our communications is inconceivable. This book could have ended with Emma getting a call like: Yeah, hi, I know you’re not going to believe this but I’m one of the aliens you’ve been looking into. For proof I can put Dan into a fugue state and have him draw a picture of me or I can just start telling you all the things I couldn’t possibly know without technology so far in advance of yours it will look like magic to you. We need your help and, before you ask, we don’t need the tablet from the hoax aliens. Oddly enough our extremely advanced technology can make those from scratch so you should probably just go ahead and destroy the ones you have so they can never be exposed. No, what we need are ideas on how to fix this mess because, while we’ve studied humans for decades now, we can’t afford to screw this up and you are the best PR person on the planet . . . Oh, you want to know why we are acting the way we are? Okay, here it is . . .
Now that would have been a good ending.
March 26, 2020
Now this was a winner for me without question.
1. I loved and wanted to be friends with the three protagonists.
2. I found the pacing of the book on point.
3. The situation could have been overdone and Falcone thankfully used constraint.
4. Despite what’s going on in the world today this book was able to take me away from it, putting me in another place. That right there makes it a winner.
5. I love romance but there was no place for one in this story so far so Falconer didn’t add that element just because. Thankfully again.
6. The end of the book was not a cliffhanger. We know there’s going to be more there has to be but it ends in a satisfactory way.
This is why I read.
1. I loved and wanted to be friends with the three protagonists.
2. I found the pacing of the book on point.
3. The situation could have been overdone and Falcone thankfully used constraint.
4. Despite what’s going on in the world today this book was able to take me away from it, putting me in another place. That right there makes it a winner.
5. I love romance but there was no place for one in this story so far so Falconer didn’t add that element just because. Thankfully again.
6. The end of the book was not a cliffhanger. We know there’s going to be more there has to be but it ends in a satisfactory way.
This is why I read.
April 3, 2023
How can I best describe this book? It feels like a TV show, but not the good kind. Something like CSI or Designated Survivor. It is okay to watch, fun or cool at times, but never good. Sure it was easy entertainment, but yeah, that's about it.
The writing is there, it get the point across, but never resembles "art". The book also screams self-publishing. Apparently it is a market for this, based on the number of sequels. I was not a fan though.
The plot is fine, but the plottwist at the end is utterly stupid, and I am sure it gets retconned in one of the other books.
The writing is there, it get the point across, but never resembles "art". The book also screams self-publishing. Apparently it is a market for this, based on the number of sequels. I was not a fan though.
The plot is fine, but the plottwist at the end is utterly stupid, and I am sure it gets retconned in one of the other books.
September 16, 2023
Kopš agra vecuma Dens Makkartijs paskatoties debesīs un zvaigznēs, iztēlojoties, cik plašas distances pašam jāmēro uz Zemes, lai nokļūtu no punkta A uz punktu B, ir ticējis, ka citplanētiešiem tik lielā Visumā kaut kur ir jāpastāv. Diemžēl tēva solījums labākas ekonomikas apstākļos nopirkt teleskopu, kas ļautu kļūt par to, kas to atklāj, nekad tā arī nepiepildījās.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
November 2, 2018
Excellent novel. Very interesting plot and the author deals with the issue of Disclosure in an engaging and unique manner. The characters are likable and well written. Recommended.
February 15, 2016
If you are a fan of ‘Ancient Aliens’ on THC, then this is the book for you. Sort of. More of a low level thriller and conspiracy theory than alien invasion. The first contact may, or may not, have occurred after WWII and a small band of connivers have been keeping it secret until a botched robbery puts some incriminating documents in the hands of a hapless bike messenger—who promptly posts them on line. The blowback for this act seems to be logical. The bike messenger becomes famous and takes on a kick-ass PR person, world leaders take defensive stands, the media frenzies—as they are known to do—and the plot develops at a snail pace. There are some twists along the way and a major revelation towards the end.
I struggled with this—net because it isn’t interesting. I just could have used an editor to cut it down and develop a few more characters at the same time. A little like Faulkner, this author goes mindlessly off track, usually describing events that have nothing to do with…well, anything. Like: characters going for pizza, or shopping, or dallying at a rest stop on an urgent road trip. The story sticks with the bike messenger (who is also a barista) as the main character, which seems implausible until further alien discoveries tie in why this chump may or may not have been allowed to discover the original documents in the first place.
I try not to be among the bitch-mongers continually haranguing against all the e-book mistakes. But be aware: this self-published (I think) novel contains a *lot* of typos and wrong words substituted by autocorrect -- many, in the early chapters which might be a turn off to some readers. But stick with it. The novel is an easy entertaining read, and once you get used to shipping the filler parts, moves right along.
I struggled with this—net because it isn’t interesting. I just could have used an editor to cut it down and develop a few more characters at the same time. A little like Faulkner, this author goes mindlessly off track, usually describing events that have nothing to do with…well, anything. Like: characters going for pizza, or shopping, or dallying at a rest stop on an urgent road trip. The story sticks with the bike messenger (who is also a barista) as the main character, which seems implausible until further alien discoveries tie in why this chump may or may not have been allowed to discover the original documents in the first place.
I try not to be among the bitch-mongers continually haranguing against all the e-book mistakes. But be aware: this self-published (I think) novel contains a *lot* of typos and wrong words substituted by autocorrect -- many, in the early chapters which might be a turn off to some readers. But stick with it. The novel is an easy entertaining read, and once you get used to shipping the filler parts, moves right along.
September 14, 2016
I really like Dan (the main protagonist). He works in a bookstore, loves sci fi, reads a lot, and always does what he thinks is the right thing. A kind of person any sci fi enthusiast could admire. But, he's a regular guy and doesn't really know how to move about in the real world (unfortunately, the kind of person many sci fi enthusiast are also like!) and needs his brother and a PR specialist who see him for the special person he really is. All sci fi nerds who believe "the truth is out there" are going to identify with the main character and will see that there is a reward that await them for worshiping at the shrine of sci fi and science.
I listened to this one with my wife (much more entertaining then watching politics, sports or most TV shows for the both of us). A good story such as this one illustrates perfectly how the number of facts that which we become aware of there will always be more than one set of theories that can adequately explain the data. Absolute certainty is always fallible in the hands of a master story teller and with a narrator who makes the story come alive with images that seem more real than TV, I can fully recommend this audible book.
(I'm straying close to a spoiler, but within the story, the author is very explicit that there awaits a reward for the sci fi nerd. I'm being cryptic, but for those who read the story that is made explicit and that was a take away for me from the story).
I listened to this one with my wife (much more entertaining then watching politics, sports or most TV shows for the both of us). A good story such as this one illustrates perfectly how the number of facts that which we become aware of there will always be more than one set of theories that can adequately explain the data. Absolute certainty is always fallible in the hands of a master story teller and with a narrator who makes the story come alive with images that seem more real than TV, I can fully recommend this audible book.
(I'm straying close to a spoiler, but within the story, the author is very explicit that there awaits a reward for the sci fi nerd. I'm being cryptic, but for those who read the story that is made explicit and that was a take away for me from the story).
July 10, 2017
This was a book I couldn’t put down. A new telling of the old standard ‘First Encounter’ story. It takes place in the near future. Dan dwells in a small Colorado town and works in the local independent bookstore. He just happens to be at the right time and in the right place to collide with a thief running away from the local government agency, the IDA (Inter Space Defense Agency). The thief drops some folders and some gold bars. A scramble ensues, the thief grabs his dropped stuff and runs. Dan finds one folder left behind. In the folder he finds compelling evidence of a long standing UFO cover-up.
The book follows Dan’s attempt to anonymously leak the documents and the response from local to international as the leak progresses. It follows closely Dan, Emma -from a PR agency dispatched to milk as much money as possible from Dan’s fame, Clark - Dan’s ex-military brother, and Richard Walker the head of the IDA (who’s desk safe the gold bars and folders were stolen from). Mostly the story is about us and our politics more than it is about space invaders.
I found it a compelling read. Great characters. A fresh take on truth, falsehood, and UFO cover ups.
The book follows Dan’s attempt to anonymously leak the documents and the response from local to international as the leak progresses. It follows closely Dan, Emma -from a PR agency dispatched to milk as much money as possible from Dan’s fame, Clark - Dan’s ex-military brother, and Richard Walker the head of the IDA (who’s desk safe the gold bars and folders were stolen from). Mostly the story is about us and our politics more than it is about space invaders.
I found it a compelling read. Great characters. A fresh take on truth, falsehood, and UFO cover ups.
February 18, 2021
I delved into this story because I was searching for an X-Files style UFO cover-up tale. While Not Alone doesn't quite deliver that sort of flavor, it does in fact deliver its own special tone that I enjoyed.
And that's after I was prepared to stop liking it. Without revealing spoilers, I enjoyed the direction the story was going, but then became dismayed with a left turn it took. I was subjectively disappointed, but am glad I continued on because it veered in yet another direction, of which I thoroughly enjoyed. That goes to show the writing that Falconer displays here: great characters and a winding story with reveals along the way. I can certainly see where some people may not like it due to a LARGE amount of time spent on characters literally just watching the news, but beyond that I would say definitely give it a try.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
And that's after I was prepared to stop liking it. Without revealing spoilers, I enjoyed the direction the story was going, but then became dismayed with a left turn it took. I was subjectively disappointed, but am glad I continued on because it veered in yet another direction, of which I thoroughly enjoyed. That goes to show the writing that Falconer displays here: great characters and a winding story with reveals along the way. I can certainly see where some people may not like it due to a LARGE amount of time spent on characters literally just watching the news, but beyond that I would say definitely give it a try.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
July 8, 2017
Kudos to Craig, he has written a masterful book - IMHO. I can't recall reading a Sci-Fi story that quite so realistically portrayed individuals, situations and scenarios; entirely believable and convincing. Another adjective comes to mind - compelling! What's going to happen next - what's his/her motivation?
Why did I give it only four stars then? There is NO romance in the whole story! Come on - where's the growing relationship and affection between Emma and Dan; or even Emma and Clark? I've criticized stories for being overly concerned with characters slobbering over one another, but never for having no desires at all!
I liked it a lot, almost loved it. Wouldn't go over well in France ;-)
Why did I give it only four stars then? There is NO romance in the whole story! Come on - where's the growing relationship and affection between Emma and Dan; or even Emma and Clark? I've criticized stories for being overly concerned with characters slobbering over one another, but never for having no desires at all!
I liked it a lot, almost loved it. Wouldn't go over well in France ;-)
January 10, 2017
Seven stars!
If the best rating is five stars, this book is Seven! At this point I am still overwhelmed at the quality and intricate detail that is in this book. Dan McCarthy was so real, I already miss him. You will be immediately intrigued and constantly surprised at the events and actions of these characters . Hurry - get started reading this one!
If the best rating is five stars, this book is Seven! At this point I am still overwhelmed at the quality and intricate detail that is in this book. Dan McCarthy was so real, I already miss him. You will be immediately intrigued and constantly surprised at the events and actions of these characters . Hurry - get started reading this one!
April 1, 2017
This book had me racing thru it, till about the 60% point. Then politics, which in general I'm not a fan of, bogged down the storyline. If you decide to read this book, the story really improves around 80% mark and the fun returns. I totally recommend this book, but you will be getting a dose of politics with the fun.
October 7, 2016
Very good book regarding possible first contact with aliens. Lots of conspiracy is bound up in this book, along with a lot of lies. Have to keep an open mind through-out the entire book, but this is a very solid book.
Read
November 19, 2022US Uber Alles
Refused To Finish. Rating: minus 5
I think that the one star reviews might be useful. A Goodreads tech (rogue, of course)😊 blocked my seeing other reviews more than a year ago and masked the commenter ID's on my pages. 🤔
I had to close my pages to comments and remove all my lurkers, except one. Goodreads will not allow me to remove Dr Susan Hamilton (a Maths professor at University of Tennessee ?). 🤔 She posted nothing over two years after her friend request and has not responded to four requests that she unfriend me. 🤔 She may be fascinated but I am just not that interesting, really.🤗
It seems that if you write one brutally negative review of a "sorry salute to the January 6, 2021 hero", a Goodreads tech (rogue, of course) can suddenly decide that a member being a communist is a bad thing. Who knew.🤗
For fun, see my review of "Dark Horse", a nice first contact story by M Diener or Powers of the Earth (a sorry salute to the January 6, 2021 hero) and the comments by a Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710 (a Self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot).
To Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party. 🤗
I think that large gold transfers explain why US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and US Republican Party, for example) support Putin's Russia even after his threatening to launch nuclear weapons against their own country. It might also be "Come for the gold, stay for the fascism" syndrome. In any case.
Today Kherson! Tomorrow Crimea! GLORY TO UKRAINE !!! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
There is effectively no world building to speak of. There is no character with as much depth as an anime main character. There is no basic structure available for a story that might be believable or interesting. The developing theme is openly expressed.
US is very, very important and is the biggest, toughest country on the planet.
Europeans by existing, are a serious threat to the US position.
What about statement one?
Britain is the only good European country.
Britain is not really a European country?
Is the above a contradiction or is the writer's ignorance on display?
A president of the US being a woman is unfortunate but that is more or less acceptable.😀
Unfortunately she is cordial to foreign leaders, which makes her weak (?).
Does the writer remember that the US under Franklin D Roosevelt unashamedly conducted actual diplomacy? I doubt that he has heard of even Bretton Woods. I wonder whether the writer has read anything or seen a lecture or two that discusses geopolitics, political history or any history.
Does he or his audience think that the misogyny on which he bases his book's plot (?), is disguised by one sentence? Does a patronizing allowance that a woman, despite being a woman might be competent not register on the writer or audience as obvious, ridiculous and offensive? Unfortunately the answer is yes. Before challenging my answer, please look at the number of five star ratings. 🙂
The fawning Prime Minister of Britain is the good European leader. The Conservative Party leader is beset and besieged by forces preventing his destruction of the NHS. That is his one and only benevolent priority? That was and is an american precondition for a trade bill which is a little published fact.
Did it not occur that this portrayal might offend a British audience regardless of their party preferences?
The writer reduces the special Anglo-US relationship to this subordinate's groveling for approval. It has been more or less accurate for many decades, going back as far as the Suez campaign at least. It is still offensive. I was going to ask if the writer had seen even "Love Actually" and realized that he has never heard of the film.
All the above is found in the first 11% of the book and little more. I could not read futher.
I would love to see the writer try to write the scene of a Ukrainian soldier sitting in the ruins of a building in recently liberated Kherson, a light halo outlining his helmet with an AK on his lap. He puts a flute to his lips and begins to play a hopeful and haunting tune with his back to the incoming late morning sun shining through the broken wall. That is a real online video that is both sad and beautifully optimistic. 🙂
The writer can not because he would not recognize the value of a scene which conveys real emotion or attempts to convey the ephemeral life affirming joy that can be found in the midst of deadly combat. These US patriots do not realize that characters are representatives of real people, who have usually mixed emotional reactions to the events, in which the writer has placed them. 😎
It is not surprising to see such blind spots in the mind of an Ayn Rand addict or sad victim of "Objectivist" thought (?) overdose. These are often side effects of the dread disease "Ultranationalist Brain Freeze", also referred to as "White Nationalist and Fascist Magical Thinking". It is an indictment of society that there is little help available to these unfortunates. We should care, if only that this disease may very well be an epidemic in the making. 🤔
The characters barely register as people. One of the three news networks in the book is a major character and it is a thinly veiled Fox News. No surprise there. It was the strongest character In the book by that point and I would have dropped it then but I wondered where this was going. As if I did not know. Sometimes a train wreck is mesmerizing.
The Fox lookalike channel was given the title of "most watched" network in the US by the writer, which is the standard portrayal given by all similar US science fiction writers (and they are many).
US Goodreads members are supposed to keep politics out of their reviews according to some others 🤔 but their writers' politics can border on direct propaganda with no blowback. What a strange Russia like society, the US members seem to inhabit. Britain is racing to the bottom and may yet reach it first but America is still number one at the moment. 😀
The main (?) character is the oddest person. He believes that the government is hiding facts about an alien presence on earth and sets out to expose it, barely expecting consequences. Had he ever watched an episode of the twenty year old show "X-Files" or almost any film since about the US government from the last several decades, he could have written a better story.
Had he watched or read any news story about the years long saga of the US government's persecution of Julian Assange, he would have written a better story.
If the writer had seen any French or British films' portrayal of their governments' reaction to a citizen's attempt to expose their illegal or unethical actions, would his character be concerned about a rude reporter? Has he not read a British spy novel? Has he not at least, read reviews of "La Femme Nikita".
What a fantastical america, the writer imagines.
These first 11% of story obviously can only lead to contrived dangers, a comedy of errors and confirmed stock stereotypes for the character cast. This book may be somewhat enjoyable for a certain type of american reader or as a comedy/adventure about americans for other audiences. Otherwise there is no entertainment to be found in these pages.
The above is representative of the bulk of low end US science fiction. Poor prose, poor plotting, no real attempt at world building, no character work and a naked political stance as basis for the book are the standard. The underlying message is that the USA is the best and only altruistic country in the world. Yay!! 😂
Because the bulk of current low end US science fiction is so awful, I have begun to watch rather than read science fiction. All the streaming services seem to offer some science fiction stories, almost all of which are better written and all of which are more entertaining than the low end print. Netflix also includes a solid multinational selection for a treat.
I began searching YouTube for science fiction news and commentary over two years ago and found a large number of channels. As I browsed the other interest areas, I stumbled upon the book channels and it was look at first video. 😍😍😍
These are a varied group with different foci across the across the many elements of the world of books. The reader communities which they host are thoughtful, have varied tastes and interests but are enamored of all things bookish. They are the exact opposite to what constitutes the Goodreads experience. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
I discovered the educational video sites through advertisements on YouTube channels. I began with Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a yearly subscription. I was very satisfied and think that they are all worth a look.
As for Goodreads, please treat Goodreads as a potentially hostile site, just to be safe.😐
Some suggestions: Minimize information on your profile, beware of messages (exchange emails) and remove all lurkers (they can be vindictive and some staff are willing to get involved). End ominous music.🙂 Seriously, please protect yourself. 😊
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Honest Ads, Mrs Betty Bowers, Snappy Dragon, Then & Now, Democracy at Work, Owen Jones, Some More News, Tulia, Kings and Generals, Sarah Z, Military History Visualized, A Cup of Nicole, The Narrowboat Pirate.
Some of my favorite channels are.
Tara Mooknee, Karolina Zebrowska, Some More News, Owen Jones, Novara Media, Munecat, Cover in French, The Armchair Historian, Sarah Z, Tulia, The Narrowboat Pirate, Physics Girl, Between the Wars, The Irish Reader, Lady knight the Brave, Books and Lala, Abbie Emmons, Emmie, Tom Nicholas, Philosophy Tube, Jadyn Rylee, Alize, Adult Wednesday Addams, Alice Cappelle, Jessica Gagnon, France 24, Randy Rainbow, Double Down News, DW News, Chloe Stafler, Between the Lines, Austin McConnell, Noah Samsen, Swell Entertainment, Enby Reads, Linguoer Mechanic, Thirdworld Booknerd, Noelle Gallagher, The Great War, Kings and Generals, Sabine Hossenfelder, Patrick is a Navajo, Three Arrows, Second Thought, Half as Interesting, Linguoer Mechanic, With Olivia, The Shades of Orange, The Snake Charmer, The Narrowboat Chef, Bookslike Whoa, History Hit, Tibees, A Life of Lit, A Clockwork Reader, Emmie, The Juice Media, The Mindful Narrowboat, Odyssey, Storyworldling, Bookleo, Petrik Leo, Christy Anne Jones, Mythic Concepts, Pentatonix, Told in Stone, Ancient Americas, Elena Taber, Neringa Rekaslute, Melodie Rose, Lilly's expat life, Lindsey Stirling, Hailey in Bookland, Mrs Betty Bower, Railroad Street, What Vivi did next, Zoe Baker, Northern Narrowboaters, Camper Vibe, Practical Engineering, Sara'H, Sir Christopher Clark, SandRhoman History, 2 Steps from Hell, Books with Brittany, GK Reads, Richard Wolff, Prime of Midlife, Maximillien Robespierre, Daniel Rubin, Mala Armia Janosika, Celtica, Jill Bearup, Then and Now, Alt Shift X, Autumn's Boutique, Atun Shei, MWG Studios, BrandonF, Everyday Astronaut, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Art by Annamarie, Northern Narrowboaters, UA Courage, Kathy's Flog in France, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Between the Wars, Real Royalty (really, Patrick!), Eleanor Morton, Epimetheus, Crecganford, Ryan Chapman, The Plano Guys.
I wish you a sunny morning, a gorgeous afternoon, a pleasant evening, a wonderful night and may we all keep learning.
Hope and Courage together are the twin pillars of all strength.
Operations, Sisters of the Light
Refused To Finish. Rating: minus 5
I think that the one star reviews might be useful. A Goodreads tech (rogue, of course)😊 blocked my seeing other reviews more than a year ago and masked the commenter ID's on my pages. 🤔
I had to close my pages to comments and remove all my lurkers, except one. Goodreads will not allow me to remove Dr Susan Hamilton (a Maths professor at University of Tennessee ?). 🤔 She posted nothing over two years after her friend request and has not responded to four requests that she unfriend me. 🤔 She may be fascinated but I am just not that interesting, really.🤗
It seems that if you write one brutally negative review of a "sorry salute to the January 6, 2021 hero", a Goodreads tech (rogue, of course) can suddenly decide that a member being a communist is a bad thing. Who knew.🤗
For fun, see my review of "Dark Horse", a nice first contact story by M Diener or Powers of the Earth (a sorry salute to the January 6, 2021 hero) and the comments by a Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710 (a Self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot).
To Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party. 🤗
I think that large gold transfers explain why US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and US Republican Party, for example) support Putin's Russia even after his threatening to launch nuclear weapons against their own country. It might also be "Come for the gold, stay for the fascism" syndrome. In any case.
Today Kherson! Tomorrow Crimea! GLORY TO UKRAINE !!! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
There is effectively no world building to speak of. There is no character with as much depth as an anime main character. There is no basic structure available for a story that might be believable or interesting. The developing theme is openly expressed.
US is very, very important and is the biggest, toughest country on the planet.
Europeans by existing, are a serious threat to the US position.
What about statement one?
Britain is the only good European country.
Britain is not really a European country?
Is the above a contradiction or is the writer's ignorance on display?
A president of the US being a woman is unfortunate but that is more or less acceptable.😀
Unfortunately she is cordial to foreign leaders, which makes her weak (?).
Does the writer remember that the US under Franklin D Roosevelt unashamedly conducted actual diplomacy? I doubt that he has heard of even Bretton Woods. I wonder whether the writer has read anything or seen a lecture or two that discusses geopolitics, political history or any history.
Does he or his audience think that the misogyny on which he bases his book's plot (?), is disguised by one sentence? Does a patronizing allowance that a woman, despite being a woman might be competent not register on the writer or audience as obvious, ridiculous and offensive? Unfortunately the answer is yes. Before challenging my answer, please look at the number of five star ratings. 🙂
The fawning Prime Minister of Britain is the good European leader. The Conservative Party leader is beset and besieged by forces preventing his destruction of the NHS. That is his one and only benevolent priority? That was and is an american precondition for a trade bill which is a little published fact.
Did it not occur that this portrayal might offend a British audience regardless of their party preferences?
The writer reduces the special Anglo-US relationship to this subordinate's groveling for approval. It has been more or less accurate for many decades, going back as far as the Suez campaign at least. It is still offensive. I was going to ask if the writer had seen even "Love Actually" and realized that he has never heard of the film.
All the above is found in the first 11% of the book and little more. I could not read futher.
I would love to see the writer try to write the scene of a Ukrainian soldier sitting in the ruins of a building in recently liberated Kherson, a light halo outlining his helmet with an AK on his lap. He puts a flute to his lips and begins to play a hopeful and haunting tune with his back to the incoming late morning sun shining through the broken wall. That is a real online video that is both sad and beautifully optimistic. 🙂
The writer can not because he would not recognize the value of a scene which conveys real emotion or attempts to convey the ephemeral life affirming joy that can be found in the midst of deadly combat. These US patriots do not realize that characters are representatives of real people, who have usually mixed emotional reactions to the events, in which the writer has placed them. 😎
It is not surprising to see such blind spots in the mind of an Ayn Rand addict or sad victim of "Objectivist" thought (?) overdose. These are often side effects of the dread disease "Ultranationalist Brain Freeze", also referred to as "White Nationalist and Fascist Magical Thinking". It is an indictment of society that there is little help available to these unfortunates. We should care, if only that this disease may very well be an epidemic in the making. 🤔
The characters barely register as people. One of the three news networks in the book is a major character and it is a thinly veiled Fox News. No surprise there. It was the strongest character In the book by that point and I would have dropped it then but I wondered where this was going. As if I did not know. Sometimes a train wreck is mesmerizing.
The Fox lookalike channel was given the title of "most watched" network in the US by the writer, which is the standard portrayal given by all similar US science fiction writers (and they are many).
US Goodreads members are supposed to keep politics out of their reviews according to some others 🤔 but their writers' politics can border on direct propaganda with no blowback. What a strange Russia like society, the US members seem to inhabit. Britain is racing to the bottom and may yet reach it first but America is still number one at the moment. 😀
The main (?) character is the oddest person. He believes that the government is hiding facts about an alien presence on earth and sets out to expose it, barely expecting consequences. Had he ever watched an episode of the twenty year old show "X-Files" or almost any film since about the US government from the last several decades, he could have written a better story.
Had he watched or read any news story about the years long saga of the US government's persecution of Julian Assange, he would have written a better story.
If the writer had seen any French or British films' portrayal of their governments' reaction to a citizen's attempt to expose their illegal or unethical actions, would his character be concerned about a rude reporter? Has he not read a British spy novel? Has he not at least, read reviews of "La Femme Nikita".
What a fantastical america, the writer imagines.
These first 11% of story obviously can only lead to contrived dangers, a comedy of errors and confirmed stock stereotypes for the character cast. This book may be somewhat enjoyable for a certain type of american reader or as a comedy/adventure about americans for other audiences. Otherwise there is no entertainment to be found in these pages.
The above is representative of the bulk of low end US science fiction. Poor prose, poor plotting, no real attempt at world building, no character work and a naked political stance as basis for the book are the standard. The underlying message is that the USA is the best and only altruistic country in the world. Yay!! 😂
Because the bulk of current low end US science fiction is so awful, I have begun to watch rather than read science fiction. All the streaming services seem to offer some science fiction stories, almost all of which are better written and all of which are more entertaining than the low end print. Netflix also includes a solid multinational selection for a treat.
I began searching YouTube for science fiction news and commentary over two years ago and found a large number of channels. As I browsed the other interest areas, I stumbled upon the book channels and it was look at first video. 😍😍😍
These are a varied group with different foci across the across the many elements of the world of books. The reader communities which they host are thoughtful, have varied tastes and interests but are enamored of all things bookish. They are the exact opposite to what constitutes the Goodreads experience. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
I discovered the educational video sites through advertisements on YouTube channels. I began with Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a yearly subscription. I was very satisfied and think that they are all worth a look.
As for Goodreads, please treat Goodreads as a potentially hostile site, just to be safe.😐
Some suggestions: Minimize information on your profile, beware of messages (exchange emails) and remove all lurkers (they can be vindictive and some staff are willing to get involved). End ominous music.🙂 Seriously, please protect yourself. 😊
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Honest Ads, Mrs Betty Bowers, Snappy Dragon, Then & Now, Democracy at Work, Owen Jones, Some More News, Tulia, Kings and Generals, Sarah Z, Military History Visualized, A Cup of Nicole, The Narrowboat Pirate.
Some of my favorite channels are.
Tara Mooknee, Karolina Zebrowska, Some More News, Owen Jones, Novara Media, Munecat, Cover in French, The Armchair Historian, Sarah Z, Tulia, The Narrowboat Pirate, Physics Girl, Between the Wars, The Irish Reader, Lady knight the Brave, Books and Lala, Abbie Emmons, Emmie, Tom Nicholas, Philosophy Tube, Jadyn Rylee, Alize, Adult Wednesday Addams, Alice Cappelle, Jessica Gagnon, France 24, Randy Rainbow, Double Down News, DW News, Chloe Stafler, Between the Lines, Austin McConnell, Noah Samsen, Swell Entertainment, Enby Reads, Linguoer Mechanic, Thirdworld Booknerd, Noelle Gallagher, The Great War, Kings and Generals, Sabine Hossenfelder, Patrick is a Navajo, Three Arrows, Second Thought, Half as Interesting, Linguoer Mechanic, With Olivia, The Shades of Orange, The Snake Charmer, The Narrowboat Chef, Bookslike Whoa, History Hit, Tibees, A Life of Lit, A Clockwork Reader, Emmie, The Juice Media, The Mindful Narrowboat, Odyssey, Storyworldling, Bookleo, Petrik Leo, Christy Anne Jones, Mythic Concepts, Pentatonix, Told in Stone, Ancient Americas, Elena Taber, Neringa Rekaslute, Melodie Rose, Lilly's expat life, Lindsey Stirling, Hailey in Bookland, Mrs Betty Bower, Railroad Street, What Vivi did next, Zoe Baker, Northern Narrowboaters, Camper Vibe, Practical Engineering, Sara'H, Sir Christopher Clark, SandRhoman History, 2 Steps from Hell, Books with Brittany, GK Reads, Richard Wolff, Prime of Midlife, Maximillien Robespierre, Daniel Rubin, Mala Armia Janosika, Celtica, Jill Bearup, Then and Now, Alt Shift X, Autumn's Boutique, Atun Shei, MWG Studios, BrandonF, Everyday Astronaut, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Art by Annamarie, Northern Narrowboaters, UA Courage, Kathy's Flog in France, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Between the Wars, Real Royalty (really, Patrick!), Eleanor Morton, Epimetheus, Crecganford, Ryan Chapman, The Plano Guys.
I wish you a sunny morning, a gorgeous afternoon, a pleasant evening, a wonderful night and may we all keep learning.
Hope and Courage together are the twin pillars of all strength.
Operations, Sisters of the Light
Displaying 1 - 30 of 692 reviews