Jerry S

First contact with extraterrestrial entities is a staple of science fiction literature and cinema. Among the best are Carl Sagan's novel, Contact, made later into a popular Jodie Foster movie. The author of this new first contact story has significant professional scientific and writing experience. This is a story with a decidedly Native American twist. The real focus may be the Spiro Mounds in east central Oklahoma. Spiro Mounds lies in a bend of the Arkansas River, a site dating from the 9th to 15th centuries, and is considered among the most important Native American archeological sites in the United States. One of the four protagonists in the novel is Jim Hardgray, a Cherokee Nation citizen striving to re-build a family relationship with an estranged daughter. The other three are government officials of real interest. The novel's story line revolves around the astronomical discovery of a large object which has passed near the two Voyager space probes in the Heliopause and appears to be heading toward Earth with an expected impact in Oklahoma. The impact does occur with some horrific effect. The novel, however, remains a story of Cherokee heritage mixed with a plausible scientific description of forthcoming first contact with the alien extraterrestrial object. This reviewer highly recommends this novel and expects to read more of the author's work.