Xenophobia

De: Peter Cawdron

Narrado por: Holly Linden, J. T. Johnson

Xenophobia is set in Malawi, Africa, with US soldiers acting as peacekeepers to stop a civil war erupting. When an alien spacecraft arrives in orbit, America is thrown into turmoil and US troops are withdrawn from hotspots around the globe to provide support at home. Malawi descends into chaos. Xenophobia follows a band of US Rangers that stay behind to get doctors and patients from an outlying field hospital to safety. When hundreds of alien spacecraft begin flying overhead, the dynamics of war take on an entirely new dimension.

©2013 Peter Cawdron (P)2014 Peter Cawdron

First audiobook with sound effects... Not bad

Overall the storyline was good. This is the first audiobook that I have purchased with sound effects. It contributed to the book immensely. I can't wait to find more books produced this way.

A true exploration of fear, fear of what is within

I started to wonder what xenophobia is, here is what I found out: intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. I never knew that this phobia had a name, and I know several people who could be categorized here. Mix in the alien landing and I am ready for some intense cultural war. Especially by the look of the extraterrestrials on the cover, airborne jellyfish, are those ships or the creatures themselves?

Cawdron starts off by introducing us to the cast of characters in the little military team and the civilians that round it out. By far my favorite was Elvis, no not the musical superstar, but a man who insists on talking like the one you just thought of, hilarious and not annoying at all. Just so happens that he is our male protagonist and I could listen to more stories about him. Then there is our female protagonist, Bower, a civilian doctor who stays behind with the military so she can care for the patients. Then all hell starts to break loose.

An alien craft is detected 6 months before it arrives to earth, they took their sweet time. Much political drama ensues, as you would expect, but it was done from the perspective of the soldiers. Never a full story transmitted to them. Now I don't want to give too much away here. Let me just say that this was one of the most thought provoking first contact stories that I have ever listened to. Full of great gritty action, dripping with suspense and plot twists coming from left field. I never knew what was going to happen, every time I tried to guess I was wrong. A true exploration of fear, fear of what is within us, and fear of others. I am now a fan of Cawdron and need to listen to more of his work.

Audiobook submitted for review by the author.

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THOUGHT PROVOKING AND EXTREMELY ENTERTAINING

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I absolutely would recommend this audiobook to a friend. Why? ***FULL DISCLOSURE*** I'm J.T. Johnson, the male narrator of the book. Aside from my personal involvement (and I get no royalty whatsoever) I truly enjoyed this project. It was such an amazing story that at its surface felt like the first truly "realistic" depiction of how humanity would actually deal with a NON-malevolent alien visitor.

What other book might you compare Xenophobia to and why?

In my not too humble opinion, it's right up there with some of the thought provoking works of Isaac Asimov, perhaps not in truly "sci-fi" (that is techie) content but in the way the characters are (through circumstances) asked to examine themselves and in so doing we find ourselves asked the same questions.

Which scene was your favorite?

Okay my favorite to perform was the scene that has been chosen as the SAMPLE scene. However my favorite from the story itself as a reader/listener was in chapter 5, "Hotel Kasungu" when the UN reporter deals with his own internal issues when faced with the alien ship for the first time.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The trial at the end. I don't want to spoil it so I won't say more than that but there was a lot of intense internal questions when faced with the personal indictment that happens there.

Any additional comments?

Buy this audiobook, not because I was involved (because while I have the original audio files I felt compelled to support this project and purchase it) but because it is a compelling, detail rich landscape of characters and places that dig deep into the heart of what makes us human. It pulls that out and not only do we see some harsh realities but also some truly beautiful insights into our own id.

extremely MEH with a great performance

I really like and appreciate when a story is 'performed' versus just read aloud. I do like just read aloud as well. this was a great job of performing the book. They story on the other hand...(spoilers follow)

Extremely bland scifi. Felt like it was 'science for dummies'. If you are technical and science minded (or a big time scifi fan), this story is borderline insulting in how everything is explained way too much. Maybe good as scifi 'lite'. If you've ever enjoyed Pournelle and Niven, you'll be bored by this. The main female character is just annoying and hardly believable in the setting. Maybe just a little too idealistic and the author makes no attempt to hide his effort to shove his agenda down the readers throat. Saves me the trouble of reading more Cawdon for sure.

I knew Peter Cawdron would pull through...

I've had this book in my wish list for ages so I jumped on the book when Audible put it on sale! As I generally enjoy Peter Cawdron's work and I love first contact stories!
But unfortunately I wasn't quite as enthralled as I expected to be! At first I didn't strongly identify with Dr Elizabeth Bower, and for me I thought that the beginning was slow, not that there wasn't action. Elizabeth was traveling through a war torn Africa nation, to get to a safe zone. But slow because I wanted aliens! And I wanted 'em now! I slogged on and OMG when Aliens finally happened, did I talk about not being engaged? ...it was bedtime, and I spent a sleepless night, worrying about Elizabeth and her buddy Elvis! (Thanks Peter Cawdron. 😆) But yes the rest of the story was perfect!
Although both narrators were new to me, they were perfect and carried me through the beginning...
So if you like first contact stories this might be right for you. I, myself was reminded of Rocky from Project Hail Mary and of all things Robert Heinlein book Have Spacesuit Will Travel...

Struggled to finish this book.

The narration ruined this story for me. I tried to keep an open mind for something different and failed. The narrator's version of a southern accent was unsuccessful and offensive. I cannot recommend the audible dramatization of the book.

Here's the deal: Just get it and you will love it!

What did you love best about Xenophobia?

Hands down, I fell in love with Stella. So much so, I had to recreate her in a crocheted toy, which the author's daughter is now 'mum' to. I loved everything about this story and how the author really took me away to a place where people really worked together and tried to work with a new alien force coming to this world. That force was as hard to work with as we would be---but given some leeway, problems got solved. I especially loved, the "Red light, green light" verbal cues given to Stella (one of the aliens). It was amazing to read of 'her' transference wanting to help and, in turn, wanting to TEACH.

What other book might you compare Xenophobia to and why?

I have nothing to compare this book to. The excellent writing, characters, plot, twists and turns all stand on their own like no other I have read.

What does Holly Linden and J. T. Johnson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Editorial and technical help.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I absolutely had an extreme reaction to this book. It made me go through several emotions with the most connection (least of which you would expect) with the alien, Stella. Peter Cawdron 'kept the distance' of an alien species but made 'her' so lovable, you couldn't help but empathize with this other life that was 'visiting' Earth. Instead of making this other 'race', if you will, scary and destructive, you're glued to your chair reading about how, "hello...guess what? You're idiots. We've been watching how you've been handling things....poorly." It was a great twist on "god." Who IS watching? Who judges? This book brings these questions to the forefront.

Any additional comments?

I was really sorry when the story ended. That rarely happens with me because I can predict what happens next. Not here. Not with Peter Cawdron writing. Once you've read Xenophobia, you'll know not to try to 'write ahead of the author'. Peter's already several steps ahead of you and put in forks in the road you had no idea were coming up.

A wonderful, different alien book

Xenophobia
By: Peter Cawdron
Narrated by: Holly Linden, J. T. Johnson
I almost forgot how wonderfully thrilling Cawdron's books are! The first part of the book had me terrified of the realistic action of rebel forces fighting against doctors and civilian populations in Africa. Then there is the added threat of an Alien ship. What will the idiots on Earth do or are the Aliens dangerous. Then part of the group the book is following is caught by nasty rebels that has trapped an Alien in a basement and that is where they plan to dump the doctor and soldiers. Wow! I am so rattled by then....but that's when it gets better! Yep,...Cawdron keeps the story getting better and better! What an amazing story!
The narrator's were awesome! There were two of them, a male and female. Absolutely wonderful! This is going in my favorite file! Recommend to anyone who loves science fiction or wants a different take on aliens.

Amazing Book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a first contact story that actually makes sense.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the fact that this was not an evil alien story, that is so prevalent in this genre.

Have you listened to any of Holly Linden and J. T. Johnson ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile a lot! :)

Any additional comments?

This was a very rewarding read/listen.

Makes one think about what we are doing to our planet.

I liked the story line and the characters hiw they vote together. Reminds me of when the earth stood still.