In 1558, during the reign of Bloody 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 stand-alone novels that explore humanity’s first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they’re all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.
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13 reviews for Apothecary (First Contact)
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Apothecary
Graeme Buckley –
First Contact is a frequent trope of SF, in this novel Peter Cawdron gives a refreshing slant, with relatable characters, rich texture of both Tudor England and an unsettling view of our current situation. The starting point is a only slightly literate (but highly intelligent) teenager during the reign of Mary Tudor. It is an age of intolerant politico/religious bigotry, with the usual suspects, their contemporary equivalents equally terrified of the ‘ignorant masses’ thinking for themselves, forever trying to cower others with phantasms conjured from their own fears. The viewpoint character and his very wise, albeit blind (girlfriend isn’t quite the right word, but neither is companion) are about to be burnt alive at the stake, but are rescued by alien observers (who are bending their own rules) because of compassion. As the writer observes, smart isn’t being proud of what you know, it’s recognising how much you’ve yet to learn, ignorance is the result of ignoring this simple fact. The aliens have perhaps the best reason for looking at Earth, they seek knowledge, not to hoard as power but to freely share with an unseen interstellar community.
The aliens are using a sub light but high speed drive, hence time dilation happens big time, like 500 years or so. So, returned to Earth, what how does someone who last saw London in 1558 react to London of 2023? In some ways I was reminded of ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still, based on Harry Bates’Farewell to the Master’, an alien’s view of our current society. There are some very telling observations on social media from another viewpoint character, but again I was reminded of Samuel Johnson’s observation, ‘What can they know of London, that only London know?’. To someone who grew up in Tudor England our current society could seem magical (tap water, sanitation, smart phones, Arthur C. Clarke, ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic), yet our Tudor time traveller is aware that it is simply the knowledge of how to do things. Here in NZ we had a similar story, unlike the Aztecs who confused the Spanish invaders with gods, the Māori of Aotearoa simply decided that the pale people in the big canoes were just people who’d learnt how to do new things. The political response to the time traveler being returned is classic, and all too believable. A very good story, well told, now going to work my way through his other variations on the theme – literature as jazz perhaps.
Purple Prose –
The first half of this book is interesting and nicely written. The second half is amateurish and heavy handed, with unnecessary politics thrown in. Seems the author couldn’t maintain his focus for the entire novel. Either that or someone else wrote the second half.
uwe ulmer –
wie immer ist auch dieser Roman von Peter Cawdron für mich Weltklasse. Es geht immer um den Erstkontakt, aber immer aus ganz unterschiedlichen Sichtweisen. Letztendlich schreibt er viel philosophisches und soziologisches und gerade das finde ich sehr interessant und regt mich jedesmal zum Nachdenken an.
Thanks Peter for your incredible power of vision and clarity of recognizing our world.
Karl_ –
My personal take on this unusual book is that the author uses the theme of First Contact to point the reader towards the path of self discovery. An interesting approach.
R. Hinkie –
A UFO drops a citizen of London from 1599 in contemporary London. Very intriguing SFI idea. No evil aliens, just how would we react? What observations would the character have? I have the Kindle, but I am now ordering the print copy to be able to share the profound analysis of our society today as observed by the medieval character trying to make sense of our society today. “We are smart,” he says, but so ignorant” He talks about how we can’t tell what truth is or the why behind so much information. The fear, the typical, but pathetic response of governments and the public is illustrative, but Cawdron’s language is quote worthy again and again. It’s powerful lessons without preaching. The story will intrigue and engage you, guaranteed. “Hate is the legacy of cruelty from a coward” Literally one of the best books of the year for me. I wish it had a follow-up. But his First Contact Series is individual books. All good.
Avijit –
The deliberations on the advancement of humanity, devoid of an equal improvement on morality, was very insightful. The characters were nicely portrayed and the storyline was good.
A five rating seems inadequate.
DaveS –
Peter Cawdron’s mind must work in more dimensions than we poor mortals can use as once again he explores another way in which first contact can, (or in this case) has already, happened.
His characters are very well drawn and Peter conjures up atmospheres so realistic you can almost smell the odure and burning fagots.
He also has a good feeling for how the human mind works. His characters motivations are fully understandable and their actions are in line with those motivations (whether a bloodthirsty bishop, scheming polition or curious – possibly android – extraterrestrial), creating a logical flowing storyline that is eminently absorbing. I for one couldn’t put the down till I got to the last page.
Thoroughly recommended.
imaloserdude –
Yes, I just caught up in real time! Apothecary became my 25th book I read in this “First Contact” series by Peter Cawdron. I’ve been telling my friends that this is the series to read this series. What a spell-binding book, and such a likable character! I’ve read all of these books on my Kindle Paperwhite for free since I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, making my monthly fee so worth it. Super easy! Cawdron does such a fantastic job of making me like the main characters, often drawing upon recent events to add more realism to each story. Each character seems down to earth or just like they would be in real life. You don’t have to make logical leaps with any of his characters or the action in these stories. Well researched. Yes, I read the Afterward every single time, because there are such interesting bits in there. Not only does Cawdron give me a peek into his mind and the research he did before writing the book, but he also explains why knowledge is important and facts matter and knowing what you are talking about, or writing about, matters. And a book like this one shows me just how fragile we are, and how nuts (as a species), letting us look inside the mind of an alien visiting us and marveling at how we treat each other and how we focus on our appetites instead of what is healthy for us. Yes, aliens would be very disappointed. They’d get back in their spaceships and go elsewhere. At this point, after finishing all 25 published books so far, I feel that aliens would think we are not all that evolved. While we’ve gained technical sophistication (e.g., toilets), we still are so violent and selfish and short-sighted as a species…all of us. Not one country has moved forward. No one. But of course, it is the story I love, and I have loved all of them so far. It seems that I fall in love with the main character (or characters, Julia) every single time. And yes, I cried on the past few pages of this, as…oh, I can’t tell you. Read the book. No spoilers here. I can’t wait until Ghost comes out in a week. And hopefully, Cawdron has more ideas for how aliens might show up and react to us puny humans, LOL, because I eagerly, eagerly, eagerly await more. Excellent book! Great series!
Fiona –
Such a beautiful story, descriptive, evocative and tells it how it needs to be. I enjoyed every word written, if only it were so simple.
Amazon Customer –
Weaving both science and historical fiction into a novel about medieval England is both fascinating and entertaining. If you haven’t read any of Peter Cawdron’s books yet, get started! You can trust that the author has done his research, always reviewed at the conclusion of each work. I truly enjoy reading his many social and scientific insights related to different first contact scenarios.
Bruce C. Ross –
Peter Cawdron writes with a style often approaching poetry, and portrays fascinating characters using such precise prose that they come to life in your mind’s eye, true in form and multicolored; this fascinating story is one of his best yet. Somehow he has managed to spin a story spanning the 16th and 21st Centuries in the most believable manner, and along the way gives some insight for how the sightless “see” our world and how those with unimpaired vision misinterpret what their eyes are trying to tell them. This is a story well worth reading for pure pleasure, capped by an undeniable truth in the final pages. Kudos, once again, Mr. Cawdron.
Rick Nancy –
It’s quite a trip to get around the elbow to the point, but the author uses “ Anthony” to make many valid points. Our science progesses; our abuse of power remains unchanged. Whether it’s a church or a government, the weak are dominated by the rich and powerful. A modern morality tale, this book inspires me to read more in the series.
Beth Hammond –
This book made me think differently. It was intriguing, and I wanted to read it in one sitting. I enjoyed it very much.