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Evan J. Mandery
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First Contact: Or, It's Later Than You Think Kindle Edition

by Evan Mandery (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
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A satirical joyride in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams, First Contact introduces us to the hyper-intelligent Rigelians, who admire Woody Allen movies and Bundt cake, and who urge the people of Earth to mend their ways to avoid destruction of their planet. But the president of the United States, a God-fearing, science-doubting fitness fanatic, is skeptical of the evidence presented to him and sets in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of his young attaché, an alien scam artist, several raccoons, and a scientist who has predicted the end of the universe. Parrot sketch excluded.

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  1. Print length
    273 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    HarperCollins e-books
  5. Publication date
    January 8, 2010
  6. File size
    1099 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An alien invasion turns the United States, if not the world, upside down in this smart, witty romp—but not in the ways that extraterrestrial enthusiasts might expect. Ralph Bailey is working as a sandwich-fetching attaché to an inept president who assigns him to act as a liaison to the recently arrived aliens. As one of the few White House employees who seems to understand the Woody Allen–obsessed, generally laid-back visitors, Ralph begins to interrogate his existential angst: I think everything has happened before, he says to his girlfriend, Jessica Love (it's that kind of book), ...every grief has been endured, every idea has been explored, every joke has been told. And in Mandery's world, it's certainly the truth. As we meet the intergalactic characters, we find that jokes, situations, prejudices, and even pets are the same no matter where you go. While coincidences add up and characters lives bleed into one another, Mandery's sharp sense of humor and habit of addressing the reader make for a stimulating and intelligent read that's never short on laughs. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Mandery’s Dreaming of Gwen Stefani (2007) drolly deconstructed popular music while plumbing the psyche of a celebrity-obsessed hot-dog vendor. Here Mandery offers a Douglas Adams–style political farce about first contact with aliens from the planet Rigel-Rigel who, at first glance, bear a striking resemblance to Orthodox Jews. Instead of announcing themselves on the White House front lawn, the technologically superior Rigelians choose the savvier option of getting a teenager to download their YouTube video. When the White House’s culturally challenged Republican president finally receives the news from assistant Ralph Bailey, his first order of business is arranging a kosher state dinner. But it doesn’t take long before the president’s inept diplomacy turns the encounter into a major misunderstanding, culminating in a U.S.-led nuclear attack aimed at Rigel-Rigel. Ultimately, it will be up to Ralph and his newfound Rigelian ambassador friend, Ned, to save the day. Mandery’s digression-filled narrative, covering topics ranging from Woody Allen’s early comedies to Rigelian Bundt cake, spoofs contemporary popular culture while telling an irresistibly good story. --Carl Hays

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00338QESS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins e-books; 1st edition (January 8, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 8, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1099 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 273 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

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Evan J. Mandery

Evan J. Mandery

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Evan Mandery is the author of eight books, including four novels, as well as the co-creator and executive producer of the TV series Artificial, for which he won Peabody and Emmy awards in 2019. A leading expert on the death penalty, Evan’s book, A Wild Justice: The Death and Resurrection of Capital Punishment in America, was a New York Times Editors’ Pick, a Kirkus Best Book of the year, and an ABA Silver Gavel honorable mention. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Evan has been an outspoken critic of legacy admissions since publishing an op-ed in The New York Times in 2014. His new book Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us offers a devastating critique of how elite colleges and suburbs work together to exacerbate social inequality. Evan is a regular contributor to Politico and a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife, Valli Rajah-Mandery, a sociologist. They have three children.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
43 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dumb Guy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Novel for Our Dumb Times
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
Hilarious, intelligent, and wildly thought-provoking, FIRST CONTACT is a classic of our modern times, and much more timely than perhaps even it knew it was back when it was released in 2010. Like the harbinger of a coming orange doom with tiny hands and bad hair, this book so perfectly satirized our delicate democracy in the 21st century with razor sharp wit, insight, and self-awareness.

If there was a time to read Mandery's novel, it's now. We may have missed his important message when it first came around, but it's never too late. Or, perhaps as the book itself warns, it's later than we think...
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Mary Copes Sanders
4.0 out of 5 stars First Contact
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2010
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An unusually funny novel. I picked up a copy from the library on a whim and read it. I chuckled throughout the pages, and thought my son would enjoy reading the book. It seemed his kind of humor, and thus I purchased a copy for him to read. First Contact is entertaining and light and definitely worth reading, though perhaps not for everybody.
One person found this helpful
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D. Maier Katkin
5.0 out of 5 stars Between Woody Allen and Kurt Vonnegut
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2010
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This is a deeply thoughtful book that touches on issues of political and existential importance with a light hand and unfailing good humor. The author is not a character in the story, but is nonetheless a presence throughout the book, indeed a genuinely endearing presence talking to readers about what is happening in the story, about himself and about life. In fact, the author is probably my favorite character in the book, except maybe for the charming, precocious two-year old to whom the book is being read, and who deconstructs and demolishes all of its most clever arguments. First Contact is a really good read, and my guess is you'll hope the author writes another book soon so that there can be some more contact.
One person found this helpful
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Jon O
5.0 out of 5 stars Smart Salmagundi Satire
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2010
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First Contact transports and inserts the reader into a political science fiction hullabaloo. An intelligent read that is difficult to put down, the level of intimacy between the author and the reader can only be compared to two compatriots conversing in the middle of a busy café where hopes, dreams and the meaning of life are consumed along with whimsically-named foodstuffs. The novel presents a unique reading experience heavily influenced by the artistic stylings of Monty Python, Douglas Adams and a young Woody Allen. Mandery's bang on observations about real, everyday situations and relationships were dispensed in a playful, comedic manner that forewarns, "it's later than you think." This is one new author to watch spinning a tale dying to be played out on the big screen.
5 people found this helpful
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Jeff Mellow
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2010
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Since reading Mandery's Dreaming of Gwen Stefani I can't pass a hot dog stand without thinking of Mortimer Coleridge, the main character, and his scientific management approach to selling hot dogs. Now, after reading First Contact, an extremely funny story of aliens that act like humans (or is it humans that act like aliens) I'm forced to look at the stars and wonder about the absurdities of life on our world and the rest of the galaxies. I highly recommend First Contact if you want to laugh and ponder the frailties of humankind all at the same time.
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ladybruce
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2014
This is a book that doesn't mess around about messing around. It's serious about it. It's definitively not a normal novel.
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Lynne M. Cohn
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this Book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2010
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Loved this book! It's a real page turner. I did not want to put this book down. While this book is hilarious,(it kept me laughing from the first page until the last page), and has an interesting storyline; it is also very insightful and thought provoking. I especially liked the way the author interacts with the reader. The author very cleverly inserts himself into the book and talks to the reader about what is going on in the story, about life and himself. All in all, "First Contact: Or, It's Later Than You Think" is a great read.
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Michelle S
1.0 out of 5 stars DNF, women as currency on pg 50
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020
DNF. Reached page 50 and was done. Up to that point, some funny bits, the “I” paragraphs didn’t seem to fit, but was enjoying. Then author has main character state his tax plan would be to make hot guys give up their hot girlfriends/wives to homely guys. I’ll pass that anything else in this book could redeem that. Life is too short for books that advocate women as currency.
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