Review - First Contact by Evan Mandery

First Contact or It's Later Than You Think (parrot sketch excluded) by Evan Mandery
Publisher: Harper Collins 2010
Paperback 267 pages




When it comes to books, I'm a fairly passionate person. I love them, cry over them and obviously covet them. I will readily admit that whenever I read an exceptionally good book I will push that book on all of my friends, family and, considering my profession, complete strangers. And when I say push I mean that I will buy copies of the book and start handing them out to people I know, or have a library copy at hand on the reference desk to put into some unsuspecting persons hand if they dare come within reaching distance. I have been known to carry in my purse used paperback copies of books by Kurt Vonnegut to hand out to random people I meet. In other words, books are my crack and I'm the most dedicated and persistent crack dealer you could ever imagine.

I mention all of this because when I finished reading First Contact by Evan Mandery I immediately started devising a scheme to get this book into every one I know hands. This book is so smart, funny and unbelievably imaginative and entertaining that I will admit that I fell in love with it. It promised a great deal: the back cover of the book claims that it will be "a satirical joyride in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams". I mean really; that is quite a tall order to live up to. Even with that, Mandery failed to disappoint. From the very first page this book had me in hysterics, but this isn't just some pointless satire; Mandery adds the sort of look on the state of humanity and philosophy that one comes to expect from... Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. It takes a talented author to pull off such a tall order and Mandery is an exceptionally talented one.

The book is about Earth's first contact with an alien species. The current president of the United States is a George Bush like character and immediately assumes that the peace loving aliens are "pains in the ass". As the US decides to declare war on this vastly superior race, the president's aide is falling in love, the alien ambassador's wife is having troubles with the PTA and an insurance schemer is searching for a new world to scheme... namely the Earth! The final conclusion of the book is a little rushed and the story may wander at places, but for his sophomore book Mandery has proven himself to be able to craft a truly intelligent and humorous novel that both entertains and enlightens.