Customer Reviews

First Contract

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3 star:		(2)
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i am not a great fan of the sci-fi/fanatsy genre but i agreed to give this book a fair try when a friend gave me a copy. and withing moments of finishing it i was online looking for more books by the author. apart from being a great story, it is also a hilarious sendup of all sci-fi cliches about utopian alien civilizations who have transcended all selfish ambitions. these aliens do not say live long and prosper. rather, earth is just another market for them to download their goods and all they want in exchange is Jupiter. so most tech-industries on earth are facing bankruptcy since nothing they produce can possibly match the alien gizmos but the genius of johnson mukherji comes with an earth-saving solution. why not turn earth into the taiwan of the galalxy? make tacky stuff incredibly cheap and peddle it at the inflated galactic rate to the visitors? of course there is that little matter of the zdegs who not only control the walmart of the galaxy but also have a unique way of seizing the assets of defaulters. no it does not pretend to be great lit, but i could not wipe te goofy grin off my face for a long time after i finished the last page.

I definitely recommend it. Basically the idea isn't that the aliens come here to bring peace, knowledge and prosperity, (in spite of their marketing spiel) rather they put earth in its proper place in the galaxy - an incredibly backward planet, ready to be exploited. Compared to the galaxy, we are a third world ... um, world. How do you make a place for yourself in the galaxy in a situation like this? The analogy the author uses is that Earth must become a "Taiwan", using our incredibly cheap labour as our only viable asset. Well that, plus a bit of ingenuity.

Needless to say this isn't 'hard' science fiction. There are plenty of gaping holes in logic, not to mention physics. And there was a time or two when our hero's characterization was a bit off, though those could be explained as the difference between him being the narrator, and what he's really like. Finally, the second last sentence of the book is a bit sobering if you understand what he's getting at, but it leaves the book open to a good sequel. I hope he writes it!

For everyone who dreams of alien contact and how great it would be, there is "First Contract." Aliens arrive and the economy crashes almost overnight. A brilliant premise, executed well. He knows what he's talking about, too. You aren't just told that things went to pot. You see why, and you don't get bored in the process. A thoroughly enjoyable book. It made for great for reading at the beach.

I found the book quite entertaining. It started from a great premise, was well-paced, and the dialogue was hilarious. My one complaint was that the characterization was rather rushed, which bled the intended drama and tension out of parts of the plot. Still, a great story that I'd recommend without hesitation.

This is by far the least far-fetched SF novel I've read in a long time. It's got great ideas, great characters, excellent writing and even some action thrown in. When Aliens arrive, this is what we can look forward to. Wonderful products, extraterrestrial tourists, and a Dollar that ain't worth bupkis. Read it; you'll learn something and open your mind along the way.

First Contract is a well timed book. As I was reading it, whenever I started thinking, "This economic model is just too ridiculous," I was stopped short by the realization that it wasn't any more ridiculous than actual economic models of actual public companies on the actual US stock exchanges. And, while exaggerating to ridiculous proportions, it nevertheless made me think about globalization and "comparative economic advantage". That's more than I expect from most SF books, and especially from an over-the-top satire.

I do think the book could have used some editing. There are lots of consistency problems, especially if you keep track of the actual numbers that are used throughout the book. And some of the early chapters are neither especially humorous nor essential to the story. But, overall, it's a success.

In short, First Contract is the story of what happens to Earth when technologically advanced aliens arrive at Earth and economically obliterate human corporations with their superior technology. After all, who wants to buy a Ford or Tata when you can have a supersonic flying car for just a few thousand dollars? The protaganist, a technology CEO by the name of Johnson Mukerjii, sees his company fall apart when the aliens' superior technology and production methods show his company's stock in trade to be hopelessly obsolete. Mukerjii, along with more than half the United States, soon finds himself to be out of work and homeless, cast aside by the "worst financial crisis since the fall of Rome."

That historical analogy is just one of several that pop up throughout the book. Mukerjii and others wonder if Earth is following the Aztec example in the historical collision between the Spanish and that nation -- hopelessly out of date and forced to give up what few valuables it has in a vain hope of getting a leg up. Eventually, Mukerjii figures out a way to turn Earth into the Japan -- not the Aztec Empire -- of the galaxy, and the result is an incredibly interesting story.

For someone interested in science fiction, the story is a gold mine of ideas and techniques. Far too often, writers have their characters embarking on vast Galaxy-spanning quests in Earth-built spaceships with no thought to the economics that allow those ships to be built in the first place. It's always been a turn-off to me that writers fail to address such a basic requirement of human society, but I've always thought the subject of first-contact economics and sales was just too dry to address in a novel. Costikyan proves that wrong.

To tell his story, Costikyan almost ventures into antihero territory with his main character, CEO Johnson Mukerjii. Mukerjii is vain, has an ego a mile wide, and is insufferably arrogant. Costikyan always provides a reasoning behind Mukerjii's actions, however, and though I found myself disliking the character on a personal level, I didn't dislike his presentation of the character, nor did I think the character was evil. He shows the same fear of death, fear of failure, while brimming with a seemingly-misplaced confidence that almost made me wonder if Mukerjii was just a characture. Later, as he becomes more developed, that impression disappeared.

I can't say the same for his supporting cast, but that's likely only due to the fact that the story moves at a lightning pace that leaves no time for development. Still, what time is spent is used superbly, and even though the secondary characters are somewhat cardboard in places, not all of them are -- particularly Mukerjii's initially reluctant capital backer, who I'll leave you to discover for yourself.

My only problem is that despite being a CEO, Mukerjii seems to be everywhere during the initial first contact, inserted into events from the initial meeting to visiting the United Nations and meeting with the U.S. President -- with whom he seems to have a friendship. Because all this takes place in the first fifth of the book, it seems to come out of left field and is more sudden than the characterization allows. It seemed kind of a stretch until I got to know the character more.

But these minor faults pale in comparison to the rest of the book, which is magnificient. If you enjoy world-building or colonization novels, particularly science fiction ones, you'll love this book. It's not only a good story but should serve as an example to any aspiring writer who wants to put down a few words about humanity's first contact with an alien species.

There are two sterotypes of aliens-contact-earthlings: the aliens who want to eat us (War of the Worlds) and the alien who wants to be our friend (E.T.). This book introduces a third type: the aliens who just want to meet their monthly sales quota. Douglas Adams could have written their story, except that he's dead, and Greg Costikyan wrote it first. Humor all around, including many in-jokes for those in the high-tech industry, like the intergalactic trade show: "You want gravity for your booth? That will cost you extra, and it has to be installed by union workers...".

As a member of the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization (affiliated with YPO), I come into contact with people like the main character of this book all the time. It's a true and valid beating of the whole dot-com concept, and proves that businesses that actually sell something do much better. Truly excellent.

My only problem with it was what seemed like a mild latent antisemetism for about 10 pages. But maybe I'm reading into it too much.

Regardless, I've given it to all my business-owner friends and they've passed it around to theirs...

What happens when an advanced culture finds and "primitive" one and suddenly realises they can make a fortune from them through trade?

We've seen it many times in the past like when beads were traded to Indians for land rights etc. In this case it happens to the whole world when Aliens come to earth. They land on the white house lawn, according to script - then say "hi" to the US president and "where's the leader of the world?" and it's not the US president we are talking about, rather it's the UN. That is NOT in most save the world scripts.

This follows the story of Johnson Mukerjii's descent into poverty and his bounce back through the risk all or die approch to capitalism. Apparently a universal law. This book is funny and in many ways orginal. It shows the excesses of current economic theory and highlights how slim is the gap sometimes between the haves and have-nots.

A book that makes you laugh and think at the same time. Quite an achievment.