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What Readers are saying about: The Alien Who Woke Earth
‘A child’s unremarkable act of rebellion launches an extraordinary series of events in Remi DeWitt’s novella The Alien Who Woke Earth, a story that incorporates elements of science fiction, horror and political commentary in a brisk package.
‘Devon is unhappy with the present she’s received from her parents for her seventh birthday, so she flees her own party to wander along a lakeside and reflect on the world’s unfairness. Her walk brings her face-to-face with a monster, a creature with a “big silver egg of a head having no eyes or mouth, or nose, or anything at all really” that emerges from the middle of the lake.
‘Instead of running away in terror, Devon sees the creature as a gift from God, the kind of proper birthday gift her parents couldn’t give her. She calls the creature Auntie, and it quickly becomes a close—and lethal—friend.
‘Auntie, it turns out, has the power to make people disappear, an ability first revealed after it shoots red fireballs from its hands and does away with Devon’s parents. Devon isn’t disturbed; she begins an odyssey with Auntie that quickly builds up a high casualty count as the pair eventually travel to Washington, D.C. to confront the powers-that-be.
‘The author filters the extraordinary violence of Devon’s companion through Devon’s intriguing seven-year-old perspective, turning it into a divine kind of retribution she has to harness. Adding further interest, DeWitt details arguments between different factions who view Auntie’s powers in varying ways. For example, a college protester, CIA agent and reporter heatedly debate the meaning of power and the ethics of violence in pursuit of equality, prompted by the presence of Auntie and her powers.
‘Thanks to DeWitt’s skill for capturing the perspective of her protagonist, the journey is consummately entertaining. As Devon and Auntie reach the highest halls of American power, the story reads like a horror allegory, delivering plenty of deliciously unsettling moments and eerie sequences along the way.’
-Blue Ink Reviews
Nichol –
This story about a young child who finds a powerful robot of unknown origin is a compulsive read. I found it impossible to put it down and was up through the entire night finishing it. This story posits some intriguing themes and seeks to answer the following questions. What happens when a young child without the reasoning and impulse control of an adult receives the most powerful weapon in the world? And how do the people around her react? What happens when people try to manipulate the child with the most powerful weapon in the world?
The story begins when the seven year old finds the robot and determines God gave her the robot in order to make everyone in the world “be good”. It is quite the ride and just keeps getting more intriguing as it goes.
The ending felt abrupt to me and left me with a lot of questions, but I believe this was also intentional on the part of the author. This is not the book for those that want tidy endings. The Alien Who Woke Earth is a worthwhile read that will leave you pondering well after you put it down. There is violence but it is fairly sanitized (not a lot of gore).
Five stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59363256-god-s-gift
#GodsGift #NetGalley
Jamie Tukpah –
Seven-year-old Devon is pretty sure that God is the only one who can fix everything wrong with the world. Except, He doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it. Maybe it’s because too many things are going wrong? Maybe He needs a helper. Devon would be happy to help, and then maybe more people in the world would be nicer to each other.
Immediately, a being she’s never encountered before appears before Devon. Auntie is huge, gleaming, faceless, and Devon can tell that Auntie is very happy to meet her. Devon understands that Auntie is God’s gift to her, and they’re meant to make the world a better place. Auntie has special powers to ensure that they can carry out God’s mission.
Devon and Auntie set out to change the world. Along the way, they meet several people who are willing to support them and an equal number of people who will stop at nothing to prevent them from reaching their goal. As they journey, Devon always keeps her mission in mind without realizing that she has allowed others to influence its execution.
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Books from a child’s perspective are always uniquely revelatory. Because children are still building their understanding of the world, they compare and connect things adults would not. Such is the case in this novel when Devon is faced with the appearance of an otherworldly being and her perceived duty to make the world a better place. Her ideas of how to make the world a better place, and who is making the world a bad place, are constantly influenced by the circle of people around her.
Devon’s understanding of power and how it is used is also changed throughout the novel. Part of this is because she believes her actions have been sanctioned by God and He wouldn’t allow her to do anything He doesn’t want. Part of this is because she begins to understand herself as someone with power because of the many attempts to control or execute her. As Devon’s perception of power changes, her perception of who is good and who is bad increasingly begins to rely on her feelings rather than evidence.
The ending of this book took me completely off guard. I feel like I’ll be contemplating it for the next month. Five stars! Recommended for anyone interested in contemplating whether God made a mistake in giving people free will.
https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/god-s-gift-remi-dewitt#review