Humans, Gods, and Hybrids: Child 19
How many first contact stories have there been, when Earth is finally visited by extraterrestrials and humanity meets aliens for the first time? Yes, many, many stories, but none of them are quite like Humans, Gods, and Hybrids, and we get to see this right from the start in Episode 1: Child 19, in the opening pages from the point of view of the aliens coming to Earth, only these are not your alien garden variety “little green men” with long faces and big dark eyes; these aliens . . . well, they happen to look just like us.
The book begins from the viewpoint of Kellan, our protagonist, and a member of his alien species he cares deeply for, Tendra. They are two of many alien-human hybrids traveling to Earth to go live with the humans. They are known as Alien Travelers by the Earthlings. They have no memory of their past, their history, and are both quite nervous and excited about beginning this new venture in their lives. From their birth on the ship they have learned of human ways, studying various media and educating themselves in everything human. Kellan is the son of the leader of the Alien Travelers, Ringbak Arr, who has been working with US President Umani to make their arrival as easy and seamless as possible. Their ship was spotted four years ago and the time since has been a period of negotiation and preparation. And now it is time. Only, Kellan doesn’t want to go where he’s expected to; he wants to run away with Tendra and get lost on the planet. They hatch a plan to do exactly this but are thwarted by immigration, and instead find themselves separated and dumped in completely different places on Earth. Then begins their long and hard journey to reunite.
Then there is the subplot of Agent Kate Pierce, who is part of the newly formed Reattachment and Protection Agency. Their main goal is to find and keep children safe, especially the alien-human hybrids who are easily lost in this world. Then there are the terrorist Alien Traveler groups who hate humans, and the Anti-Trav humans who hate the aliens. It is a complex melting pot that makes the story anything but predictable and leaves the reader hooked to finding out what will happen next. Similarities to the X-Files cannot be denied, and it’s almost as if this story continues some of those story-lines begun in the popular show. It also turns the alien story on its head, being from the Alien Travelers’ point of view and how they are seen by humans and hated. There are many emotions and societal realities similar to our own that lead the reader to question and think. It is a story that goes beyond sci-fi thriller to become something more.
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Star Count | 4.5/5 |
Format | eBook |
Page Count | 289 pages |
Publisher | The Strange Story Co. |
Publish Date | 2020-Oct-01 |
ISBN | 9780578764955 |
Bookshop.org | Buy this Book |
Issue | December 2020 |
Category | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
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