Just, go read this. It's short, and weird (I expect this from Mr. Cawdon) and then... Ah.

Then.

Go on. Trust me, read this one. ( )

A softer take on first contact with aliens.

I've been eyeing Cawdron's books for a while now, but could never decide on what to pick up because he's so prolific. This one caught my eye on Scribd while I was searching for something quick to listen to, and I'm glad I picked it.

The story is rather short and as such, I didn't really for any deep attachments to the characters (I rarely do with short fiction) but the characters all felt very real nonetheless.

The author comments on his decision of choosing to write a main character who's gay instead of straight in the afterword, and I appreciate his intent. The only nit-picky thing for me was the main character's own insistence on referring to himself as, for instance, a gay accountant, as opposed to just an accountant.

There was also commentary on micro-aggressions on minorities as well as on societal power hierarchies based on skin color and gender. I have to admit I'm usually a little put off if an author chooses to educate their readers on social justice matters in a story that otherwise has no bearing on said topics, but I liked how Cawdron handeled it here.

The story would have benefitted from having a little more meat on it's bones, but for the amount of words that were used here, I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely pick up more books from this author in the future. ( )

Interesting story, but I have no idea what this was doing in Audible Escapes. This is not a romance at all, but rather a complex idea about first contact and also touching on disability and family. ( )

I'm going to preface this with the fact that I cannot stand to read first person written pieces of fiction. There are not many people who can pull this off. And having said that, [a:Peter Cawdron|5252525|Peter Cawdron|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1320085669p2/5252525.jpg] is now one of those on a very short list of authors that I will actually read a first person POV.

[b:Starship Mine|29734396|Starship Mine|Peter Cawdron|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459724357s/29734396.jpg|49787405] inspired me, broke my heart, shattered it further, and then put me back together again. The very way of how Cawdron described alien contact is truly something that I believe could happen one day. Because we are creatures of both energy and mass, and because moving our mass between two distant stars would take eons, the thought of traveling via energy is just an amazing concept. It was inspiring that three people out of this planets 7 billion could make it.

And then... Oh, the heartbreak. I won't give a lot of it away, other than to say my heart broke when James woke up in the hospital and realized what they had done to him - all because they didn't understand. That thing that made him so special that he could make the trip, not understood and cut out of him; it was like we were back to using medicinal practices from the 1700s.

I was truly not expecting the ending, however. That truly touched me, and left me with hope.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Please, please take the time to read it. ( )

Starship Mine
By: Peter Cawdron
Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
This is a book I thought about for days after I listened to it. I still think about it. I like books like that, books that are so good, I roll it around to savor it again and again. What if 99% of the people you know had the very exact dream you did last night. It was on the news, all across the USA, the world. All the details, the same. It was of a planet. Well, everyone had the dream but you. Then you had the dream while awake, and it did something to you, something special....This was an extraordinary story, with things in there that is awe inspiring and terrifying. Things of hope, sadness, and love. A book that made me ask, what would I do? It was just such a wonderful book, I enjoyed it tremendously. Gave me a warm feeling. I wish I had been there.
The narrator was perfect for this book. He did a small child, a teen girl, and everyone in-between without me thinking that they were really not those people. I was in total suspended disbelieve and it was wonderful to her his voice tell me this wonderful story. He added a lot to it. thanks. ( )