Staff Pick
It's a tall order, setting out to write a satire chock full of aliens as an homage to Kurt Vonnegut, but Evan Mandery pulls it off brilliantly in First Contact. It's a zany narrative full of pop references, Woody Allen tributes, and hilarious asides by the author, all made funnier by Mandery's deadpan delivery. But under all its perfect wackiness is some very timely, important stuff about politics, love, and the future of life on our planet. And Bundt cakes. Recommended By Gigi L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In the bestselling and rightfully cult-inspiring tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams comes First Contact—an hysterically funny satire about Presidential politics and intergalactic misunderstanding. This smart and biting novel by Evan Mandery—an author equally well-versed in the lives of the U.S. presidents, existential philosophy, and the Simpsons—offers much food for intellectual thought along with an all-you-can-eat buffet of laughs, as it chronicles the first close encounters between earthlings and a vastly superior extraterrestrial race from Rigel-Rigel. As the subtitle of First Contact so presciently informs us, “Its Later than You Think.”
Review
“What a hilarious ride—the übersurreal meets The Daily Show.” Tim Dorsey, author of Nuclear Jellyfish
Review
"Mandery's digression-filled narrative, covering topics ranging from Woody Allen's early comedies to Rigelian Bundt cake, spoofs contemporary popular culture while telling an irresistibly good story." Booklist
Review
"Mandery's allegorical portraits of people, governments, life on other planets, and philosophy range from amusing to laugh-out-loud funny." Library Journal
Review
"Very funny....Mandery's gleefully chaotic narrative packs just the right punch as he weaves in heady inter-galactic topics of censorship, physics, and, yes, the PTA." G. Xavier Robillard, author of Captain Freedom
Review
"First Contact was love at first sight! What a hilarious ride — the uber surreal meets The Daily Show. I'm now staring at the cosmic calendar waiting for Mandery's next contact." Tim Dorsey, author of Nuclear Jellyfish
Synopsis
What a hilarious ride the ubersurreal meets The Daily Show. Tim Dorsey, author of Nuclear JellyfishIn the bestselling and rightfully cult-inspiring tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams comes First Contact an hysterically funny satire about Presidential politics and intergalactic misunderstanding. This smart and biting novel by Evan Mandery an author equally well-versed in the lives of the U.S. presidents, existential philosophy, and the Simpsons offers much food for intellectual thought along with an all-you-can-eat buffet of laughs, as it chronicles the first close encounters between earthlings and a vastly superior extraterrestrial race from Rigel-Rigel. As the subtitle of First Contact so presciently informs us, It s Later than You Think. "
Synopsis
"What a hilarious ride--the ubersurreal meets
The Daily Show."
--Tim Dorsey, author of
Nuclear Jellyfish
In the bestselling and rightfully cult-inspiring tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams comes
First Contact--an hysterically funny satire about Presidential politics and intergalactic misunderstanding. This smart and biting novel by Evan Mandery--an author equally well-versed in the lives of the U.S. presidents, existential philosophy, and the Simpsons--offers much food for intellectual thought along with an all-you-can-eat buffet of laughs, as it chronicles the first close encounters between earthlings and a
vastly superior extraterrestrial race from Rigel-Rigel. As the subtitle of
First Contact so presciently informs us, "It's Later than You Think."
Synopsis
"What a hilarious ride--the bersurreal meets The Daily Show." -- Tim Dorsey, author of Nuclear Jellyfish
In the bestselling and rightfully cult-inspiring tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams comes First Contact --an hysterically funny satire about Presidential politics and intergalactic misunderstanding. This smart and biting novel by Evan Mandery--an author equally well-versed in the lives of the U.S. presidents, existential philosophy, and the Simpsons--offers much food for intellectual thought along with an all-you-can-eat buffet of laughs, as it chronicles the first close encounters between earthlings and a vastly superior extraterrestrial race from Rigel-Rigel. As the subtitle of First Contact so presciently informs us, "It's Later than You Think."
Synopsis
A satirical joyride in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams, First Contact introduces us to the hyper-intelligent Rigelians, who admire Woody Allen movies and Bundt cake, and who urge the people of Earth to mend their ways to avoid destruction of their planet. But the president of the United States, a God-fearing, science-doubting fitness fanatic, is skeptical of the evidence presented to him and sets in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of his young attaché, an alien scam artist, several raccoons, and a scientist who has predicted the end of the universe. Parrot sketch excluded.
About the Author
Evan Mandery is a graduate of Harvard Law School, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, and the author of two works of non-fiction and a small press novel, Dreaming of Gwen Stefani.