This Changes Everything (The Spanner Series Book 1) – Book Review

This Changes Everything (The Spanner Series Book 1)

Author – Sally Ember

Synopsis

Are YOU ready for the changes? The five alien delegates from the Many Worlds Collective (MWC) come in hologram form to the selected liaison for Earth, Clara Branon, Ph.D., 58, for the first time on December 21, 2012, after several millennia of mostly secret visits and contact with Earthers. Members of the MWC InterGalactic Council decide that a liaison, dubbed the Chief Communicator (CC) must be contacted and that this contact must be made public in order to avert multiple types of disasters on Earth.

As a “Spanner,” Clara is one of millions of “Baby Boomers” who survive across two centuries and bridge the divide (hence, “Spanners”) between nonpublic and public contact with the MWC and many other major changes that occur during these decades.

Because most Earthers are not prepared to accept this type of reporting or storytelling as nonfiction, this first and some other volumes of the series are of the realistic fiction/science fiction/fantasy/ romance genres. Many of the characters, events and locations are actual; some are not, or haven’t happened (yet) at the time of first publication.

In “This Changes Everything” are: a love story, spanning about 40 years; dialogue and scenes of the relationships among the CC and her mother and siblings; communications between the CC and her adult son; dialogue between the CC and some friends; info about the selection and identity of the chosen media contact for the CC, with excerpts from her journal; news stories about the CC and the MWC events from Earth media as well as MWC media; background about the CC and the reasons for her being selected; excepts from minutes of meetings of the InterGalactic Council of the MWC; and much more.

After the MWC educational resources and information become widely available, in 2013, all time is now known to be simultaneous. Writing from any point in time and timeline means that the love story and other aspects are depicted in multiple versions. Will Clara and her love, Epifanio Dang, be together? Which Re-set of the Transition After Public Contact prevails?

Tone is humorous/serious; mode is utopian. Narrative and themes include history, poetry, literature, music/lyrics, science and technological advances, psi phenomena/ paranormal skills, law and government, Buddhism and other religions, meditation, social-emotional intelligence, multiverse/multiple timelines, time and space travel, interspecies communication, and social/futuristic depictions of the Earth, post-MWC public contact.

“This Changes Everything” is the first of “The Spanners Series,” which chronicles the public contact between the CC and the MWC and the impact of these contacts on Earthers and the MWC over the almost 30 years that Clara is the CC. Chapters are written from several perspectives. Some Volumes in series are purported to be nonfiction or have nonfiction sections, as this one is.

Sci-Fi/Romance/Speculative Fiction, Adult/ New Adult/YA genre novels are in the 10-volume series. Volume II, “This Changes My Family and My Life Forever,” releases in Spring, 2014.

Appendix A has annotated descriptions for all 10 volumes; App. B & C are Glossaries. App D. lists the actual individuals referred to in the Volumes, annotated. App. E is the Branon-Ackerman Family Tree.

Genres: Fiction, Sci Fi, Utopias/Dystopias
Subgenres: Fiction, Romance, Paranormal

Book Review

This Changes Everything by Sally Ember is a fantastic science fiction read. Her characters are well rounded and strong. The main character, Clara, is chosen by a vast community of intelligent species (Aliens), to be their chief liaison to the human race. The aliens in this book are friendly and have come to help the people of Earth, rather than trying to take over it.

This book is not a light read. The reader must pay close attention to what is taking place to keep up with the story. The reader has to think with an open mind and will find that everything flows, reverses, and fast forwards in an easy and understandable story.

The aliens, from many different planets, bring some cool technology and perks with them. Through Clara, they attempt to introduce these to the humans on Earth. Clara has help from various family members and a few friends. Together, they slowly introduce these new things.

There is much more to This Changes Everything but, I don’t want my review to be a spoiler. Read it yourself. Trust me, this book is not boring and is easy to follow if you don’t try to make it too hard.

I highly recommend this book to all science fiction and utopias/dystopias readers.