Putting Mankind First

by Irwin Monk

Description

Putting Mankind First is a humorous novel, which sees an impending alien invasion being fought by a management committee. When an alien fleet is detected approaching the Earth, the world's governments must decide what to do about it. In the UK, the Prime Minister convenes a meeting of COBRA, which writes a report titled 'Putting Mankind First'. As the fleet enters our solar system, the country's greatest brains discuss the Earth's response. What should be done? Who should do it? And what show more colour paper should the report be on? Meanwhile, the aliens have their own agenda and intentions which - if mankind only knew them - would cause even greater panic on Earth. As the alien fleet gets ever closer, it becomes clear that the danger is so great that even COBRA's neatly-typed paperwork may not be enough to save the Earth... A tall, dark stranger, a plucky young heroine, an adorable basset hound, a peculiar cat and a myriad of historical and alien characters come together in this biting satire on modern management practices that starts in the Home Counties, but spans thousands of centuries and millions of miles. show less

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LLRobinett 55 reviews

Putting Mankind First is a refreshing (and scary) look at how the politicians and bureaucrats of Earth might deal with the sudden appearance of an alien fleet looming in our solar system. Sadly, this book rang true - I suspect we've all sat in meetings or been assigned to a committee the floundered along in a sea of do-nothingness, which the author captured perfectly. I particularly enjoyed the antics of Percy the Basset Hound. The aliens were well-written, and I loved the two Earth protagonists - Katie, a well-meaning, intelligent young woman working as a night security guard, and Professor Warrick, the one scientist involved who truly understands what's at stake. The alien lifeforms were truly alien, a nice change from the "little show more green men" stereotype. Still, they suffered from the same stifling bureaucracy that Earth struggles with. I found myself rooting for Pbot and hoping he'd get promoted. :)

Readers of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it, whether you like sci fi or simply feel the need to commiserate with other Earthlings over the suffocating paperwork and meetings of our civilized society. show less

Jan 29, 2017

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