Jasper T. Scott Imagines the Worst Scenario
Alien encounters and the idea of life beyond our planet have become rooted so profoundly in our imagination, there are now entire fields (let's leave debates as to their legitimacy aside) dedicated to studying the phenomenon. There are plenty of possible scenarios as to what our first contact with outsiders would look like, and in his novel Arrival, the first in The Kyron Invasion series, Jasper T. Scott looks at just about the worst possible one.
If we do end up with aliens coming to visit us on Earth, then it is reasonable to suppose they would possess far superior technology to ours. While we can't predict with one hundred percent certainty what would happen in this situation, we only need to look at ourselves and our own history to make a compelling and educated guess: we would likely be colonized by force, if not outright exterminated.
The story opens in the year 2150, where Chris Randall, father and husband, loses his job as a bodyguard, and is facing the terrifying prospect of unemployment. He picks up his wife Bree from her shift at the casino and breaks the bad news to her. Things seem like they couldn't possibly get much worse in such a short time span, but naturally, they do.
Only a few moments later loud cracks of thunder across the sky startle them, but no lightning is to be seen anywhere. Flaming debris begin to rain down from a sky, heralding the apparition of a giant and ominous mass, setting course straight for LA. Unfortunately for everyone below, the mass appears to be something far more advanced than puny earthling starships, defying gravity like child's play.
It doesn't take long for Chris and Bree to realize they are facing something much worse than the unemployment line: an alien invasion without even a word of warning. The Randalls pack their things and pick up the kids, trying to get away from the safety in search of safety... an impossible task, as they're soon going to find out.
No Holding Back in Arrival
Naturally, the topic of alien invasions isn't a new phenomenon, having been discussed and examined for decades upon decades, with many more to come (at least, until we actually get invaded). While I'm not going to start claiming Arrival only brings original ideas to the table, I do feel confident in saying Jasper T. Scott adds a bit of his own unique style to them, in my opinion succeeding in making them feel fresh rather than stale.
Any book concerning itself with the topic at hand ought to be primarily examined for its depiction of the invasion, and the author certainly doesn't hold back in this novel. It proceeds at a breakneck speed, causing seemingly irreparable damage the extent of which is quite difficult to determine.
To be a little more precise, the book covers a period of only four days, and nearly every minute is spent contending with the invasion. From flaming debris to the conversion of human subjects into something completely different, Jasper Scott subjects his characters to a wide range of atrocities they are naturally ill-equipped to deal with.
The author's descriptions are extremely evocative and breathtaking, a testament to the many years he obviously spent trying to master his craft. Every single scene is easy to imagine, to the point where it felt to me like the story was unfolding before my very eyes without any obvious effort on my part. In my opinion, this is the mark of a truly skilled and practiced writer who understands his audience as well as the purpose of his own work.
Needless to say, with this being only the first book in the series, the alien invasion is far from being dealt with by the end of it. As a matter of fact, things only seem to be getting worse, with rays of hope being far and few in-between. Instead, the principal focus of our journey is on the Randalls flight to safety, as well as another family also stuck in the same mess.
Survivors of the Contact
The Randalls aren't simply a vehicle which we ride to take a look at how the invasion is going through the eyes of those on ground zero. Each member of the family has obviously been thoroughly-imagined by the author, from the minute details of their appearances to their smallest quirks and idiosyncrasies which give them a recognizable uniqueness.
While I can't exactly guarantee you'll get particularly attached to any of them, there are plenty of opportunities for the reader to form a closer connection with both the best and worst of what they have to offer. They are far from perfect and prone to mistakes, but they nevertheless stick to their core principles and values, attempting to preserve their dignity and humanity in an impossible situation.
It seems to me like in Arrival the author decided to focus on the ramifications of the first days of the invasion more than anything else, demonstrating the kinds of effects it can have on regular people, just like our Randalls.
As they desperately try to flee as far as possible and find safety, they come across many other people on their journey whose wants and intentions range from being good Samaritans to vile demons. We get to see how they deal with the situation in their own ways, how their immediate needs reshape them into forms they never thought they could adopt.
In addition to all of this, we also get to see glimpses here and there of the larger, overarching story taking place in the background, the one concerned with explaining the invasion and ultimately repelling it. There are more than enough twists and turns to keep you from feeling comfortable, and I think this extra layer is just what this novel needed to elevate it from interesting to captivating.
The Final Verdict
Arrival by Jasper T. Scott is an excellent work of science-fiction in all regards, and even if it is dealing with a well-known topic, it still has plenty of its own ideas to share in memorable ways. The invasion is depicted about as clearly and vividly as can be, the story is fast, exciting, full of twists and populated by well-defined and relatable characters.
If you're looking for a new science-fiction series to sink your teeth into and are partial to alien invasion stories, then I'm confident you'll have get a lot of pleasure from this book, and perhaps the author's other works as well.
 | Jasper T. ScottPersonal site Jasper T. Scott is an American author who specializes in the field of science-fiction, having already written over twenty novels in the genre and having sold over a million books. Some of his more famous works include First Encounter, Dark Space (the first in the series by the same name), The Invisible War and Frozen Earth. |
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