Book Reviews

Book Blurb

It might take the arrival of an alien being to remind an isolated man what it means to be human.

 

With a stressful job, his boss breathing down his neck for profitable results, and an estranged wife and daughter, scientist Kurt Lomax doesn’t think life can get much harder. Until a nonbinary extraterrestrial with an otherworldly beauty, captivating elegance, and a wicked sense of humor inconveniently shows up at his apartment.

 

Vardam watched the destruction of their own world, and they don’t want to see the same thing happen on Earth. They are lonely, and feelings soon develop between them and the supposedly straight scientist—feelings Kurt reciprocates, much to his confusion.

 

The arrival of cheery interpreter Tom Soames—whose Goth appearance belies a gentle heart—is like a ray of sunshine in the somber lab. He acts as matchmaker for man and tentacled extraterrestrial, unwittingly instigating a national crisis when the news breaks out.

 

But will a misunderstanding ruin Kurt and Vardam’s chances for happiness together—along with the hope for peace between humanity and the Var?

 

 

First edition published by DSP Publications, August 2018.

 

Book Review

Aliens and their way of looking at things are an interesting, and as it turns out in this book, essential way to determine what being human is all about. There are several themes that are seamlessly woven together and range from the consequences of a drive for fame and success to an extinction-level new disease coming from a mutated cure for an existing one to the effect of first contact from an alien race on human society. Add a slice of time travel and a budding romance with surprising effects, and you have quite the adventure! With fascinating characters, several of whom tell parts of the story, and more than one twist and turn, even the occasional scientific error barely diminished my enjoyment.

Kurt is a super-intelligent scientist with more psychological and social issues than is healthy, and he has dedicated his life to curing MRSA. While he is all about the science and becoming an internally renowned success, his bosses at the pharmaceutical company he works at are all about the profit. In a very realistic scenario of greed versus survival, Kurt has to decide what is the right thing to do – not just for himself, but for the entire planet. He has a hard road to travel from where he starts, to learning about compassion and the importance of loyalty and friendship, to finally understanding what love means.

Vardam is an intriguing alien, with a truly different mindset. They are nonbinary, which causes some initial confusion to the humans they interact with, but as I discovered more about their background and culture, it made absolute sense to me. Vardam is not treated well, pretty much like you’d expect humans to treat an alien who has unknown abilities, motives, and might just be a lot more powerful than they seem. Vardam loves learning about humans but struggles with some of the concepts the scientists and other employees try to teach them. Vardam definitely have their own agenda, and I never doubted its benevolence.

Tom, the sign language interpreter whom the scientists bring onboard so they can communicate with Vardam, is a very special guy. He plays a major role in Vardam – human interactions and I loved that he gets his own romance with a studly medical doctor. Other secondary characters add a lot of color as well, and the end result is a pretty amazing science fiction story.

If you like science fiction with interesting aliens and some very imaginative interspecies activities, if you think it is not too late to save humankind from its own stupidity, and if you’re looking for an entertaining, thought-provoking read with a surprising ending, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It’s set only about a decade into our future, so it feels scarily possible – and I have to say I like that.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 482 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	22-March-2020
Price	$4.99 ebook, $11.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Euphoria-Jayne-Lockwood-ebook/dp/B0868B3T4Y