Narrator Laurence Bouvard absolutely destroyed this book. She is okay when simply reading but she tries to do voices with dialog.

well. Steven Erikson is a brilliant writer of epic fantasy i have loved and followed for years. this sf novel about human nature and how to fix it, within a framework of first contact, is something very different. it's a parable, a broadside, an encomium, a diatribe. i'm all for original narratives about first contact (so many of which are all too standard), so this shakes up the form, and i'm largely onboard with the politics of the world as he describes it, so i've got considerable sympathy for the argument. but the practical application of the argument in the world, within this book, that part seems to me pretty shaky, and short on details. that's just not the part that interests him, and it shows. and it made me think about how much more Iain M. Banks does in his Culture books with more or less the same set of premises. ( )

Probably my favorite book this year. ( )

Rejoice: a knife to the heart
I haven’t read any science fiction for years and I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
It starts in Victoria, British Columbia where science fiction writer Samantha August is abducted on a busy street by extra terrestrials. At the same time, Exclusion Zones begin to appear around the world, except in the USA, China, Russia which are considered to be aggressors. These force fields are part of the Intervention by an ET called Adam who has a two month dialogue with Samantha explaining the reasons for the intervention in order to clean up the planet, restore human dignity and peace and to prepare the planet Mars for human colonization.
Many characters pop in and out including corrupt industrialists, media moguls, arms dealers, drug addicts, refugees, political and religious leaders while the Exclusion zones reduce pollution, armed conflicts, homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence etc.
The intervention provides the tools for humanity to change the current world to one of peace if leaders choose to the right path forward. Samantha August becomes the spokesperson and delivers an address to the United Nations explaining the intervention and the opportunity to improve lives. ( )

Excellent story and great new environmental ideas...mixed in with alien first contact! A bit slow in parts. ( )