Sally Ember

Available in both ebook @$3.99 and paperback @$19.99 on 12/8/15.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/588331
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0177Z1KRM
Paperback:
https://www.createspace.com/5844474
rel="nofollow" target="_top">http://www.amazon.com/dp/0996999823

Clara, Moran, Espe, Epifanio and the alien Band of holos are back. Psi-Defiers launch increasingly violent protests during this five-year Transition, attempting to block Earth's membership into the Many Worlds Collective. Earth's nations and borders must dissolve and Psi-Warriors must strengthen in their battle against the rebels.
Clara, as Earth's first Chief Communicator, also juggles family conflicts and danger while creating psi skills training Campuses to help Earth through the Psi Wars. Clara timults alternate versions of their futures as the leaders' duties and consciences force them to make difficult choices across multiple timelines, continuing to train and fight.
Will the Psi-Warriors' and other leaders' increasing psi skills, interspecies collaborations and budding alien alliances be enough for Earth to make it through The Transition intact? If there is no clear path for Clara's and Epifanio's love, does she partner with Steve or go it alone?
What do YOU do with wanted/unwanted changes?… (more)

As I started reading this book I was extremely confused. The initial writing style is uniquely jumbled and somewhat difficult to follow. However, I believe that this is somewhat intentional based on the first concept initiated within the story—everything happens all at once. Time is not linear, but expansive. Once I understood that this was one of the major messages being shared within the book (note, I do not believe that sharing this will be giving a spoiler as it’s pretty clear within the first 25 pages) the strange manner in which the story, itself, as written, makes perfect sense.

Although I do not predict this story will become a mainstream success, it will definitely appear to a certain subset who have an interest in discussing the possibilities of linear time and alien interaction with what Sally Ember has labeled as “Earthers”.

The concepts that the author discusses certainly align with some of my own beliefs and, perhaps, this is what kept me turning the page to see the direction in which the story would lead. By page 36, I was glad that I did. It was around this time that I started to enjoy the spin the author put on past events, giving them flavor that played well into her vision of the purposes of past alien encounters.

I will say that what I enjoyed the most about the book was the main character’s interaction with both “The Band” and her fellow humans. The interactions gave ground to the underlying plot, taking it from something akin to a research paper and back to the world of storytelling. I especially liked the fact that not all of her family is receptive to the sudden announcement of the other world visitors and her realization that, perhaps, she’d best prepare some of these people for the publication of her visits to the world at large.

Because I did have some problems following the timeline off and on throughout the book, I’m unable to give it a solid five star rating. However, I will say that very rarely do I finish a 248 page novel in the course of two days and that, even more importantly, I’m curious to see where the author takes this series in the next installment. This speaks volumes as to Ms. Ember’s writing skills and ability to keep her readers interested in her content.… (more)