Official Review: Accidental Abduction From Earth

[Standor5865]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Accidental Abduction From Earth" by Steve Fish.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Imagine waking up in a prison aboard a spaceship and realizing that you have been kidnapped by aliens. How would you adapt to such a situation? Accidental Abduction From Earth by Steve Fish explores a similar scenario, and here, our main character, Tom, who first encounters a dinosaur in his backyard, is forcefully taken aboard a ship owned by a dangerous intergalactic species known as The Waggs, who have adopted stealing, kidnapping, and trading as their way of life. Tom is dropped off at Crossroads (another planet), and through his time on the ship and in Crossroads, he learns of the full extent of the Waggs' oppressive ways. He must now find a way to overcome The Waggs while adapting to the new environment and other species he meets.

I have to commend the other for his wonderful imagination in creating this world. There were a lot of details included in describing the kinds of creatures, cultures, and technology that readers will enjoy in this book. I was particularly excited by the inclusion of translators that were created to ease communication across different languages, robots and artificial intelligence that exhibited human intelligence, and slow-time boxes that slow time down. The story is told from the first-person perspective through Tom's eyes, and we get to learn about and adapt to this world in the way that he does.

The story also explores a few underlying themes that I found interesting. Tom developing bonds with different species and the role it played in helping him adjust to his new environment highlighted the importance of friendships and inclusion. The social structure employed by the Waggs to remain in control is also reminiscent of what we see in some societies today. While breaking out of this system was imperative, the importance of working together as a unit on the journey to achieving such a goal is highlighted, which is a subtle message to readers.

There are also fun aspects of the book, especially with Tom's humor. I enjoyed seeing the aliens learn about human practices through movies as well. In addition, I found four minor errors while reading the book. Therefore, the book is professionally edited. On a negative note, a lot of time is spent on scenes that do not add much to the overall story, like the kinds of food eaten by the characters. These scenes greatly slowed the pace of the story down.

All things considered, Accidental Abduction From Earth is an entertaining, adventure-filled novel. There is also the inclusion of a romance story between Tom and one of the creatures he met. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The slow pace of the story convinced me against awarding the maximum rating. Young adults who enjoy science fiction will love this novel.

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Accidental Abduction From Earth
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[MarveeAman]

The plot is intriguing, and I am happy that the author put his effort in creating the world. Good review.

[Smmwallace]

This book sounds entertaining and fun to read. Your great review has me adding it to my want to read shelf. Thank you for your recommendation!

[Mwatu]

I love the wordplay with regard to the planet that Tom is left at. He truly is at Crossroads as a result of him finding the dinosaur in his backyard and then the kidnapping. The author's creativity shines through in your lovely review.

[Becca Olsson]

What an interesting concept. It sounds far away simply because it’s aliens, but as you say a lot of it could definitely apply to areas of modern society.

[Kavita Shah]

I wonder what it feels like to find an extinct animal in your backyard and then being inside of a jail in an alien spaceship. It sounds like a weird dream consisting of past and future blended together. I might be reading this book but I am not so sure. Thank you for the review.

[NetMassimo]

Maybe I'm too old for this novel, but it seems to include some interesting elements that make it interesting. Thank you for your great review!