The Contact Episode One

The author is ignorant of basic science, in this case Kepler's Second Law of Planetary Motion. The larger the size of the orbit, the slower the speed of the planet in the orbit, and vice-versa. In the Prologue, the author has this backwards. If you're going to write "science" fiction, at a minimum, you must get the science right.

The story kept my interest, and of course ended on a cliffhanger. It seemed to capture reality. Good characters,a possible romantic interest, and a seemingly friendly extraterrestrial ship. But this is not a book. I will try finding the complete book.

Was A little disappointed,was expecting a little more of the ending to be more interesting.But like the title said the future books or episodes will be longer,Don"t know if I would want to pay foe every book Bering as short as it was.Still a good read for me...

Well I had high hopes based on the average reviews but gotta dis this one. I gave it 2 stars and not only one because the author was kind enough to post what amounts to an extended sample as a free "episode one", saving me the indignity of actually paying for more of this, even at just a buck and a half a pop. So kudos for that. But the thing reads like a screenplay for one of those unwatchable made-for-the-scifi-channel movies, usually starring the talentless Baldwin brother (not Alec , you know the one, bio-dome Baldwin). Pretentious smug characters, old overdone plot.
This is just uninteresting on any level, sci fi or not ..

-d

This novel is full of plodding dull dead prose. Are we in the nineteen fifties or the 22nd century as described? The characters are flat grey dull drones. Describing inane thoughts and ambitions in extended irrelevant asides.

This book has no energy. The story has potential, but is told in a slow and ponderous way. Sci Fi should be fun ... or interesting ... or exciting ... or mysterious ... or something. This book is just boring. It did not hold my attention.

I couldn't finish this book. The author's tone and style were very difficult to follow. The language seems unnatural and not the way that people typically converse. I really wanted to like it because the cover art is great and the blurb sounds exciting, but I just couldn't get into the story.

After reading "The Contact: Episode 1" I will say that this is potentially a good story with an interesting plot. The one-star rating is because of the author's inflated opinion of the worth of his effort. Splitting this book into four "episodes" and charging the same price for each one (with the exception of the first, which is free) as most new authors charge for an entire novel is, to me, devious and unwarranted. "The Contact", in its entirety, costs more than books by established authors such as Robinson and Clarke. Mr. Sartison needs to be patient, finish an entire novel before publishing, and charge a price acceptable for a new, unproven author. I won't be reading the rest of "The Contact", or any of his works, until he does; I don't like being manipulated and cheated.

If you like detail you will like this book. I enjoy the subject as well as the attempt to be real but a little to much detail for me. I found it really slowed the story. Maybe the set up in this episode will pay off in the subsequent books.

This was a quick read. It felt a bit like a draft of a book by one of the better known names of sci fi... Well, an early draft. I liked the premise but the plethora of technical details were distracting at best. Much of the dialogue was stilted and more than a bit wooden. But, I liked how the author stayed within the realm of hard sci fi. I wish the book had been a bit longer, rather than just the 'taster' I was able to read.

I have no idea how this could have received so many 4 star reviews. The prolog is barely even written in English, and the first page is terrible. Maybe it picks up after that, but I didn't get that far.

Even free, this book is a waste of money.

I'd say don't bother reading this first book & go to book 2 it has to be more developed in the plot than this book was!

I can't believe the whole book is devoted to the slow response all the characters have to the unknown object entering our Solar system.

It's a big waste of time reading this I hope book 2 is better plotted out.

“The Contact: Episode One,” written by Albert Sartison, is a phenomenal book that sucks you into a world that opens your imagination. The story is fast-paced, exciting and written in a way that allows readers to get lost exploring the exciting unknowns of the Solar System. The two main characters, Steve and Clive, are passionate about outer space and better understanding what lies beyond planet Earth. For someone with little background in science but a keen interest in sci-fi reading and adventure, this book was absolutely perfect for me. It opened up my mind to just the right amount information to really be able to follow the plotline and enjoy the read.
The novel is based on the story of two advanced science students, Steve and Clive, who focus their studies on topics such as the Solar System and outer space. They are extremely intelligent and knowledgeable in their field of study. Near the beginning of the novel, Steve informs Clive that he saw a foreign object in outer space that had curious characteristics and was following a very unusual trajectory. This is particularly concerning to the two students given that technology was recently discovered that allows humans to manipulate or change the orbit of celestial bodies, an advancement recently proven through a test phase with Mercury. Steve and Clive immediately begin to investigate with the help of their connections in the world of science and the school’s high-tech equipment. Concerned with what they find, the two young men contact the Dean of their faculty. What happens next is exciting and nerve-wracking.
I enjoyed that this book was not only interesting in terms of content, but it is also highly intellectual and detailed. It really shows readers why the world of science is fascinating, letting its audience take a moment to pause and remember to think outside the box. The novel also does a beautiful job of showcasing the remarkable work that researchers do, facing the unknown every single day while learning about and attempting to explain the things that mankind has yet to truly understand. While the book is fictional, the character’s dedication and thirst for information is mind-boggling and feels real throughout the entire story. Sartison does an excellent job of making the entire plot feel authentic and as though it is a reality, causing his readers to react with feelings of anxiety and excitement. Each page is filled with incredible ideas regarding scientific discovery and surreal concepts.
However, like every single piece of writing, there were a few small things that could be improved upon. In terms of areas for improvement, there were a couple of parts in the book where typos and small grammatical errors were present. However, they were very minor infractions that did not distract from the story or plotline. There were also a couple parts that I found slightly difficult to follow, even though they likely served as excellent pieces of science fiction writing for more seasoned readers of the genre.
Overall, I would definitely recommend the book “The Contact: Episode One” for any readers who enjoy a good sci-fi read or those who just generally enjoy reading about exciting and often unfamiliar topics such as outer space. The book’s characters are a pleasure to be on a journey with and the plotline really takes you on a ride. I can’t wait to see what Sartison comes up with for the second part to this series. This book was a great read, full of interesting ideas and thought-provoking concepts. I will definitely be reading more of Sartison’s work in the future.

High concept, realistic sci-fi (which I'm assuming; as some have said in other reviews, the tech talk sounds good enough to be real so let's go with it) that deals with the issues surrounding several aspects of first contact. It could've used a trim, I think and a clearer idea of the characters. If you know what your characters are going to do and where that leads in the bigger picture, then layer those actions and spread out how they engage the reader. Make it suspenseful. Too often I thought something was important and it turned out it wasn't. I thought they were red herrings to lead me down another road and it turns out, no, it was just an attempt at 'realism'. Real people spend time doing inconsequential things, so why not these guys? If it was a device, it was misplaced though I feel it was merely a misguided attempt to sell that realism. I get that and it goes with the themes of the book but for something so thought-out and researched, I would think characterization, or at least a clear sense of motivation, would've made the list somewhere. All in all though, despite the heaviness of some of the narration, it does move relatively briskly, as the ideas presented are engaging ones. Worth a look for devotees of hard sci-fi and certainly of alien contact.

The Contact: Episode One is a well-written fast pace book. I personally have always loved a good sci-fi novel and I was not disappointed. The plot was imaginative and still intellectual which kept me interested from cover to cover. The Contact had the perfect amount of mystery and suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat. The ending was very abrupt, ending in a cliff-hanger and left me eager for the next episode. I can’t wait!

Though fictional, this book portrays great character development that feels real-life through the entire read. Fairly easy read yet it's not something you can just breeze through which is a great thing! Gives you time to invest and truly understand the plot that leaves you anxious for the next chapter the entire way. This book will also make you think as the sci-fi interactions seem not too distant at times.
As being a philosophy student as well as a lover of astronomy, i personally enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to the next one!

I read the preview. I have read science fiction before this and intend to continue doing so until I die. Apparently this is classed as sci-fi because it has spaceships and uses words such as "orbit."

Ok, so, another in the hoary line of "intruder from beyond" enters with a whole stage full of hand-waving scientific-sounding effects - none based on or extrapolated from any known science, generally considered to be one of the essential elements of sci-fi.

We're treated to a casual moving of Mercury through magical means, with no thought given to what effects its changed orbit will have on the rest of the planets, for instance. Though the change seems to take but a short time, the orbital period of ISS would tend to preclude getting much useful observation from it; observations from Moon and the leading, trailing, and inner Lagrange points or similar places spotted beforehand, yes, OK. (Let's be clear about this: we have the means to oh-by-the-way move the mass of a planet in a few hours but can't move a few hundred kilos of passenger and baggage except by laboriously clunking about in runty little ships that we can't even keep track of. Somebody has some explaining to do.

A tourist ship goes missing behind Saturn and is casually written off? I can't buy that, not without some background on how much society has changed to allow for such a lack of curiosity or concern.

Anyone who, hangover to boot, can so easily dispense with coffee merely because it tastes bad does not know the need for caffeine - known otherwise as WD-40 for the brain. For the guy to leave at quitting time in the midst of what thus far is the central mystery is plausible only if one understands, forgives, and can get past the notion that science is indeed a large enough field to include such cheerfully incurious idiots.

Maybe Sartison has something here; if so, I'd love to see it; I'd like to read something that grabs my interest with a new twist or idea and tells a good tale. For me that would have to include a framework of at least self-consistent plausibility which so far is not on offer. While his take on academia seems spot on, the rest needs work. No offense, either, but he really, truly, needs to spend time and effort, perhaps in conjunction with a writer's workshop, on learning how to write. He also needs to find an editor to act as coach, mentor, and English teacher.

Please understand, _I want to read this story_, but if and only if there is a story to read. Of course I could have missed the whole idea - that it's meant to be bad, to be farce or camp or whatever. Hmm, thinking back on the preview, that would explain much. It's got to be a send-up and I was too dense to see it from the go. Brilliant. Fooled me good, you did. Okay then, disregard, carry on, cheer-o.