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I was searching for a different sort of writing. Being a fan of imaginative storylines with dystopian sci-fi edges, like Doris Lessing, Margaret Atwood, Huxley, Vonnegut, I was desperately sick of stories where the usual, predictable romantic, family pap would eventually take precedence, and your brain never got to leave the mundane, everyday, pointless concerns that I think good literature should take you beyond - to some place 'else'. This book was a pleasant surprise I found through my recommendations. Nicely written, flows really well, no annoying inconsistencies, things you can see coming a mile off, or implausible characters and engages with important ideas by following the 'what ifs' sort of thinking, which I really enjoy. I looked forward to reading it every night and have moved on to his other books. I highly recommend it.
Simply the best... Read in a long while. Thankyou Craig Falconer. I read this book twice since first publication. I enjoyed it as much the second time as the first. Now, I am about to reads Craig's sequel. If its half as good as Not Alone 1, then I'm in for a real treat. Thanks again Craig.
Absolutely loved this book. Getting to know the characters, following along the believable story, feeling sympathy for Dan as the different things happened. And thank you for writing a long story, that enables the reader to really get involved.
I both read and listened to this novel and enjoyed the dual experience. My title may sound a bit odd but I felt the narrative was hurtling toward a conclusion and suffered a little from the speed of it all. There was also a sense of the clique. Politicians are a necessary evil (nothing new there). The hero Dan is a goody-two-shoes (a saying from my past) and the plot, though a little convoluted, predictable. Having said that I got to the end feeling seasonably satisfied though felt strongly that Dan should have had at least one 'snog'. Just saying.
This book is believable in the sense that if humans did make contact with another race, you could imagine that this is just how governments would handle the situation. In fact the details of the deceit and spin-doctoring behind the scene explain a lot of what goes on today in other cases.
. . . i can give a book no bigger praise than "every day i look forward to getting back to reading it". Seriously, it engages, interests, and agrees with all of my seven hundred and fourty seven split personalities.
I'd genuinely like to thank the author for sitting down day after day, night after night tap tap tapping out all these words that i find most enjoyable.
This is a truly engaging series - and I love Sci Fi books that fully engage you with alien characters. If you want a book that gives you a bit of everything and as I said is truly engaging then this is the book for you - it starts out a bit slowly but keep with it and it builds up and each book in the series just gets better and better. I highly recommend this series.
What a great read. I cannot recommend this book more highly enough. Even if you don't want to believe in aliens the storyline is enjoyable with plenty of human interest stuff. I even think my wife will enjoy this one and she hates Scifi.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2018
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Craig Falconer has come up with an interesting SF idea, with some good plot twists. But, oh dear, he needs to cut out half the words in this book and the follow-up book too. Most people reading this book will have better attention-spans than a Scottish midge, so will not need constant reiterations of past plot events, characters and situations. This makes the book a real plod to get through. I found myself speeding past many paragraphs and still not losing any part of the core story. Craig needs a good editor, but there's a spark of creativity here that can only improve with experience. Remember Craig, it's not the number of words you write that makes a good SF novel, as Iain M. Banks proved many times.
Some sci-fi novels are totally focused on alien worlds, alien beings, but the best sci-fi reflects human frailties and values. This book is concerned less with the aliens who might be observing our planet but with the human reactions to that possibility, and it is thought-provoking throughout. In particular, Mr Falconer describes how politicians and the media are prepared to manipulate the public in order to maximise their power bases.
Contrasting with this world of cynicism, our hero demonstrates honesty and integrity as he seeks the truth to share with the world. But sometimes, of course, truth is more subjective than we would like to think.
The book is perhaps over-long, and a bit clunky in places, but an entertaining read with plot twists that are mostly unpredictable.
... I've become a believer all over again, and while reading parts of this felt both the frustrations of secrets we may never know and the excitement about those we might! A great read, and some of the shorter snap shot chapters helped break up the necessarily longer narrative sections, like grabbing a breather. I enjoyed the characters and how they developed, with some cleverly not quite changing their spots... All in all it kept me really hooked and am really looking forward to diving into Second Contact. Thanks for all the hard work!
1.0 out of 5 starsInteresting story idea, terribly written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2017
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Like a number of other reviewers, I'm amazed at the number of 5-star reviews this book has received. There's an interesting idea at the heart of this book, but it's awfully written. The characters are one-dimensional, the narrative is devoid of any tension and the dialogue is laughable at times. It almost reads as if written by a child. Very disappointing.
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat story, difficult to put it down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2018
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Normally when I get to put my feet up at the end of the day,, I watch catch up TV to unwind, but not this week. This week I was drawn in to Dan's world and his struggle to get the truth out there. I have to confess that on more than one occasion I caught myself thinking, "there's not a lot of science fiction in here" and you know what? I dismissed the thought every, time because it mattered not a jot. The story is great regardless.
I really liked the characters, even the ones I didn't like, if you know what I mean and I loved Emma. She, Dan and Clark are now firm favourites. I also liked the way that just when you thought you could see where the story was going, a plot twist, or two, would leave me wondering what just happened and what on earth was going to happen next.
I discovered the second book last night. I'm looking forward to settling down with that, probably starting tonight. TV can wait!