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Al Macy
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Contact Us: A Jake Corby Sci-Fi Thriller (Jake Corby Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Al Macy (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 725 ratings
See all formats and editions
Special, First-In-Series Price!

On May 22, 2018, every person on Earth sneezes. Simultaneously.

Hours later, an alien spacecraft appears over New York City and broadcasts a dire message of impending doom. The future of the human race will depend on the whims of a solitary extraterrestrial who appears in the form of Walter Cronkite. Yes, that's right, Walter Cronkite, the deceased news anchor!

Ex-FBI troubleshooter Jake Corby has faked his death and dropped out of sight, living like a hermit in a small town. But the president is convinced Corby's still alive. He wants Jake, with his unique problem-solving skills, added to the team that will try to defeat the strange but powerful alien. Jake needs to overcome his introvert tendencies if he's going to help save the planet.

The alien has some nasty surprises for the residents of Earth, and the race is on to figure out his true motives and the meaning of the sneeze event--before it's too late.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Jake Corby Series
  2. Print length
    289 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    March 24, 2015
  6. File size
    2471 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

From Allison Maruska, Author of the Bestseller The Fourth Descendant:

I truly enjoyed the story from every perspective. As the challenges mount and the danger increases, the characters react in different and believable ways. Even the alien has a distinct personality, adding additional flavor to the already engaging tale. Macy has masterfully weaved together the characters and plot into a satisfying adventure you won't want to put down.

From Cy Wyss, Author of Dimorphic:

I liked Contact Us a lot. From about 10% I couldn't put it down. You'll find there's a lot here. At points it reads like a dystopian fantasy. At other points, like a straight-up thriller. Yet Macy ties everything together well. The pace is good---fast, but not too frenetic. The characters are well drawn, but not to the point of slowing down the story. Jake Corby himself is a man with a past, and a sympathetic figure from the start. It kept me awake at night, just what you want from a good story.

From Readers' Favorite (Scott Skipper,Reviewer):

Every time Contact Us veers into the absurd, Al Macy pulls it back to the straight and narrow. He strikes the right blend between the silly and the sensible. The story rotates among subplots showing how individuals cope with the disaster of[Spoiler Removed] and how world leaders strategize ways to defend the planet. Great minds and pragmatists are thrust into desperate roles as two threats, one overtly and insanely hostile and the other aloof but menacing, push the human race to the brink of destruction.Contact Us is a multi-faceted tale well worth a read.

From the Author

Here is one of my favorite fan emails,apparently from someone who bought Contact Us from Amazon.Outerpsace:

Greetings,

We here on BubbleOne enjoyed reading your Amazon Kindle, but didn't encounter her in the story, though she would have fit right in, we believe. Please consider adding her in your up-and-comings because she could provide love-interest competition and enhanced flavourableness to reading experiences of beings such as we, who are ideal market force for increased production volume and enhanced status size for you.

We have sent a copy of your excellent otherwise literature to our space-rovering neighbors, who also are lacking in excitement possibilities. We hope you will not be displeased by this undertaking of ours and we will sent you a percentage of saleable recuperations. Please advise in what format you want these. We offer many potentials.

Yours, most sincere beings, also likeable,

Prothus IV, for itself and others on craft which themselves are not advanced totally in Englishableness

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00V73HKOI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Digital Services (March 24, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 24, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2471 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 725 ratings

About the author

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Al Macy

Al Macy

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Al Macy writes because he has stories to tell. In school he was the class clown and always the first volunteer for show and tell. His teachers would say, “Al has a lot of imagination.” Then they'd roll their eyes.

But he put his storytelling on the back burner until he retired and wrote a blog about his efforts to improve his piano sight-reading. That's when his love of storytelling burbled up to the surface, along with quirky words like “burble.”

He had even more fun writing his second book, but was bummed by nonfiction's need to stick to “the truth” (yucko). From then on it was fiction all the way, with a good dose of his science background burbling to the surface.

Macy's top priority is compelling story lines with satisfying plot twists, but he never neglects character development. No, wait … his top priority is quirkiness, then compelling story lines, then character development. No, wait …

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
725 global ratings
This was a fun read. I never knew from one minute to ...
4 Stars
This was a fun read. I never knew from one minute to ...
This was a fun read.I never knew from one minute to the next, exactly what to expect.I think that my favorite character had to be the grandmother who had to run a whole town. I had never seen a character like her before except in the movie Fargo
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Top reviews from the United States

Charles A. Miess
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and fun to read
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
My enjoyment of this story was enhanced by the clear images in my mind created by well-crafted narration and dialogue. I seldom had to read a sentence more than once to get the meaning. That being said, I would occasionally re-read a particularly good sentence to enjoy the cadence, syntax, or humor.

I like the characters Macy has created. Jake Corby, the protagonist, is introverted and self-deprecating, yet he is outspoken and courageous. He occasionally comes off as slightly sexist and then redeems himself by laughing at his own egotism when bested by a woman. I found it easy to relate to him. And, of course, there is a love affair woven into the plot. The romance proceeds slowly and haltingly as Jake and Charli (both seemingly shy when it comes to intimate relationships) decide whether they are right for each other. Eventually though . . . . . . . . . well, I’ll let you read it yourself. Suffice it to say that we are spared the tawdriness of a series of one night stands, but the details of their eventual coupling struck me as a bit too explicit.

The story takes place during the current era and much of it is based on modern day science. In some respects it is almost like a brief refresher course on the structure of the universe, astrophysics, and current computer technology—not to mention a smattering of biology and nanotechnology. The advanced science and fantasy stuff comes from the alien encounters. None of it, however, requires a science or math degree to get the general idea.

Contact Us is a precursor to Macy’s follow-on thriller The Universe Next Door. Although the latter provides enough background material to be read independently, you will probably enjoy it more if you read Contact Us first. I highly recommend either book.
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Mia
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun with aliens
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
Al Macy is a funny guy. I've read him before, even betaread him. It's the sort of thing you have to be in the mood for and today I thought why not. Why not read a quirky alien invasion story. The thing about Macy's writing is that quirk is the main ingredient, so you have to really be ok with that sort of thing, The narrative constantly walks the thin line between charmingly funny and ludicrously inane, although for the most part manages to stay on the right (former) side of things, occasionally bogged down by techie info, but not overwhelmingly so. Jack Corby is a guy to save the world, though he's hung up his superhero tights and retired, he is dragged in once the alien in form of Walter Cronkite appears and starts dictating his rules. Jack Corby will go all the way, even as far as sticking his noggin up the alien's ass, to save the world, that's dedication, although he does take time to start a new romance and rediscover his zest for life, all but gone after a tragedy took his wife and unborn child away. So it's a quick, silly, entertaining read. Pretty much as expected.
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Doug Nordman
5.0 out of 5 stars Hugely entertaining thrill ride!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
I've read Al's Internet commentary for a decade, and I tremendously enjoyed his non-fiction "Drive, Ride, Repeat". Now he's boosting his skills with a promising start to a fascinating series. At least I hope it's a series!

His novel addresses the perpetual sci-fi controversy: what if the aliens find us, and they aren't friendly? Within Al's first six chapters he introduces a slew of interesting characters, produces not one but two alien vessels, and kills off 80% of the world's population. Humanity's prospects go downhill from there.

As the protagonists deal with their new alien overlord, they realize that something just isn't quite right about "him". They're also given the blueprints to create fascinating alien tech devices, but no user manuals. They can build them (sort of) but they're not sure what to do with them. This confusion turns out to be an important aspect of the alien's behavior.

I love Al's sense of humor, and in this book it takes some very dark and twisted turns. The alien's true form is even more quirky than its Walter Cronkite avatar. One of my favorite White House characters was killed in a comical scene, yet it turned out to be a pivotal plot point. A protagonist makes a snarky comment with horrifying consequences-- but it offers another important clue to the alien's agenda.

Fan's of Al's Internet posts (and readers of his "Drive" book) will recognize some facets of his personal life in this novel's scenes. But I'm not sure whether there's a personal connection with the alien or Jake Corby.

This is a unique first-contact story, and it's also Al's first book with dialogue. That's a tough leap for any author, but he pulls it off with an entertaining tale. You should buy this book just to enjoy another ride.
4 people found this helpful
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roblee59
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed the book but thought it became a bit predictable and caused it to get boring especially after Cronkite took Jake. The action could have been so much better but lost its "steam"which took away from the climax. I do think it was a good read and would definitely read more of Al`s books with the hope that the climax leads into the next book in the series. Good read
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JimFoxy
4.0 out of 5 stars SciFi With Humor
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2015
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A funny Sci-fi read that provides a couple of evening of entertainment. I enjoyed the book, and would like to read more by this author. I have to say that the really unusual and clever beginning (everyone in the world sneezing at once) seemed to have been largely wasted. The author could have done a lot more with it. Also, early in the story most of the earth's population is destroyed, which seems to make everything that happened after that to be a bit of an anticlimax. Even worse, the most terrible event in human history was treated with an almost casual, attitude. The main characters seemed to say "Oh, my! That was bad. What else is new?" It just did not come across as believable. Real humans would react more strongly than that!
Speaking of characters, Jake Corby and Charli seemed to me to be well-drawn, but don't expect any growth or development. What you see at the beginning is what you get. In the final analysis, it is the humor and plot twists that keep the reader's interest. So this is not great literature, and it does have weaknesses, but it is still a fun read.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

K-Nut
5.0 out of 5 stars funny different and imaginative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2023
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Finally someone who wrote a sci fi without resorting tothe standard plot and weary tropes. What a relief ! Read it!
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Kcorb
5.0 out of 5 stars What a crazy book. I loved it.
Reviewed in Canada on May 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
I do not read science fiction, but something about the storyline seemed intriguing, everyone on earth sneezes at once! The characters were fun, the bad alien Cronkite was nuts. The good alien described themselves as nice, something like Canadians without the hockey thing, had me laughing, and the hero and heroine fall in love and get married, just like it happens in the movies. The plot is well developed, and you never know what is going to happen next, or how the good guys will ever work ot all out. It is a hard book to put down. I am a new fan of Al Macy. Thanks for writing such an enjoyable book, you have sucked me off the bottom of geo-political thrillers to a great imaginative read.
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Richard
3.0 out of 5 stars Just glad I didn't spend any money on it
Reviewed in Australia on June 18, 2018
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I found it mediocre and not likely to follow up on any other books. Just glad I didn't spend any money on it.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars More words
Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
Mostly good clean fun😁 enjoyed characters and the action recommend you try it too...stupid review wants more words so here they are
One person found this helpful
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HappyBunny
4.0 out of 5 stars Something different and worth reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book was a free download (yes, I'm a cheapskate!) but having read it I would quite happily pay 99p for it. Not my usual genre but I read it in 2 days, which for me means it kept me both enthralled and entertained.
Imagine, if you will, Jack Reacher meets Star Trek The Motion Picture and you'll have an idea of how this gets going. It's smart, witty and may end up being how we get contact by ET.
One person found this helpful
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