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Apothecary

First Contact, Standalone

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Apothecary

By: Peter Cawdron
Narrated by: Nick Cracknell
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About this listen

In 1558, during the reign of Bloody Queen Mary, Earth is visited by extraterrestrials who initiate first contact.

Their mission is to gather samples of life on Earth and observe but not interact with humanity. After witnessing a brutal execution, their patience is tested beyond breaking point...

First Contact is a series of standalone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life.

Includes a special note from the author.

©2023 Peter Cawdron (P)2023 Podium Audio First Contact Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Fiction
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The Apothecary surprised me. It begins more quietly—and more traditionally—than I expected, but then it veers into something far stranger and richer. What unfolds is a layered mix of science fiction, history, and philosophical questions about power, knowledge, ignorance and moral responsibility..

Not just sci-fi - larger then one expects

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I liked the premise of the book and who knows what has happened before our time. the characters were beleiveable as was the plot. would have loved to explore the aftermath a bit more but very Good nonetheless.

really interesting

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Really enjoyed this book. Believable characters in good settings. Becoming favourite author in genre, book by book.

Another great one

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Another superbly original entry in Peter Cawdron’s First Contact (stand alone) series of books. The setting of ancient London really puts a fantastic spin on the whole first contact idea. As always the book is beautifully written with some wonderful characters. The historical accuracy has obviously been well researched, even something like “are you well” instead of are you ok really sets the scene. Highly recommended.

A top quality book from a top quality author.

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This could have been an enjoyable listen but it's pretty flawed. First half is entertaining and colourful, despite some glaring historical errors (e.g. Mary I was not Scottish, that's Mary Queen of Scots, a different person), and some of the dialogue uses words that are very modern.

The second half, however, seems to have been shoved on to add duration at the cost of storyline. Julia - whose character has tons of promise - is just discarded abruptly. Given the presence of the evil Bishop Blaine, it's ironic that most of the second half consists of a drawn out lecture on how humanity doesn't value what should be valued. The author never uses one word when a thousand could be crammed in, and again, the ending is abrupt and renders the whole thing meaningless.

I also would note that the author's recorded piece at the end of the story is entirely unlistenable, mostly because he can't (ironically) say the word "Apothecary" - after he said "apocethary" for the nth time, I switched off.

First half great, second half incredibly tedious

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