Perhaps this will be the science fiction novel that will end any negative attitude you may have toward that genre, since this has equal elements of adventure, romance, mystery, and enough room for thought and speculation for any reader. In short, this novel is all we hope for from science fiction— plenty of cool science, thought about humanity’s evolution and possible ways first contact could play out, and how psychologically unprepared we are for such an event; plus, a really good story that drives along at top speed to a satisfying conclusion (keeping in mind this appears to be the first of a series, so we are left hanging a bit.) Let’s dive in to this.

The year is 2007, its the post-9/11 Bush administration in America, and Cora Sabino is just an average recent college drop-out in a temp job (who’s already having a really bad day) when the second meteor strikes earth near her home in southern California. Cora’s father is a rogue journalist turned government leaker, similar to Edward Snowden, living somewhere overseas and leaking government information about a 40-year record of our government in contact with, and holding a group of alien beings. As a result, the CIA looks closely at Cora and her family for signs of attempting contact, or actual collusion with her father, Nils Ortega. Cora only thinks of him as selfishly abandoning the family, seeking personal celebrity and glory. So isn’t it ironic that she makes contact with the most recently arriving alien, and he chooses her to be his means of communication and negotiation with humanity. While implanting the nano-device for communication via her ear into her brain, and installing his version of a GPS chip in her neck were done involuntarily, ultimately Cora finds herself a very willing partner with the alien, ably assisting his interactions with our government.

This novel is filled to the brim with Easter eggs, but unlike another such novel (Ready Player One comes to mind), these references and connections lend greater meaning to the story. For example, the author names Cora after the Greek god Persephone, also known as Kore or Cora (meaning maiden)— Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of vegetation and agriculture, was kidnapped by Hades, god of the underworld, and forced to live there half the year, and return to the surface half the year (thereby explaining the seasons.) Not unlike her abduction by the alien, and being forced to live with one foot in each culture and psychology? The more you spy these connections, the more depth and satisfaction the reading experience brings.

The aliens, called amygdalines, are thus far named by the government for symbols; hence our alien protagonist is dubbed Ampersand (symbol for linking separate ideas?) The relationship he develops with Cora explores all the limits and assumptions humans may have about other sentient beings— how do they think and communicate; are we fellow persons to each other, or means to an end, tools, or food, or barriers; do we even share enough common perspective to be able to understand one another at all? Are empathy and kindness conditional, or common to all sentient beings? Ampersand and Cora manage to deal with these issues, and many more, developing perhaps the least likely romance you’ll ever read. Most good sci fi uses humans encounters with aliens as a way of studying our own relationships with each other— what better way to understand our own relationship foibles and strengths than to see how we relate to the “other”— it betrays all of this. The author is very clever in her conceptualization of the amygdalines’ physiology, psychology, capabilities, and back story; not cliche, easy to understand, and very interesting. Avoid all Internet fan art until you complete the novel, so you can develop your own visual images. The author creates video essays on YouTube, so she is a cinematic writer.

Ellis explores societal structures through Ampersand and Cora’s discussions and false assumptions about each other and the interactions they witness between themselves and their own kind. She also explores the nature of language, both how it is used, as well as how our brains develop and prune, limit, and contextualize what we perceive, making communication with those of very different experiences difficult. Could communication with aliens be almost impossible, due to vastly different experiences, hence divergent brain development? You can see how this book explores many different themes, while never becoming a boring lecture.

I hope this book brings in readers who normally avoid science fiction, since there is so much interesting going on here, wrapped up in a good, entertaining story. I encourage you to give it a try.