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Illegal Alien

by Robert J. Sawyer

Reviewed by Coral


When first contact is made, one of Frank Nobilio’s (Science Advisor to the US President) biggest concerns is that someone may try to kill one of the aliens. He wasn’t prepared for the alternate to be true. But when a human popular science TV host and part of the entourage that has surrounded the newly arrived Tosoks is found dead, Frank is suddenly faced with a case much larger than murder. International pressure wants the case to be dropped; local interests want the accused alien to face the death penalty if convicted. While he pleads his innocence, Frank must find a lawyer to defend the alien, while realizing that the truth of the case may not matter at all.

I found the story interesting, though I have problems with one of the main plot points of the book. I don’t believe that the LAPD would actually retain jurisdiction over the case nor do I believe that it would have gone forward as just a regular case. I think another group (maybe the FBI) would have taken over the case.

I had to keep reminding myself that the book was written over 10 years ago, especially in places where they talk about grainy home videos and video equipment private citizens used to film the ship. Nowadays it’s easier to picture a thousand cell phone pictures and videos of the alien space ship online within moments of its landing.

This is the third book of this author that I have read and I have the same problem with all of them. I find the concepts interesting but the execution lacking. I thought this book may be an exception as it seemed to be building towards a specific ending. And while, to a certain extent, that ending was present, the book all of a sudden included this kind of ridiculous alien-cliché ending (I don’t really know how to describe it without giving it away).

There are a couple more books by this author that I was interested in reading, none that I currently own, but I am not sure if I will pick them up if the pattern is an intriguing concept, decently explored, with a disappointing ending.

 

Grade: B