Book Review: First Born

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

First Born     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Richard Sears
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Science Fiction
Forge, Jan 2000, $24.95, 300 pp.

In 1991 Mexico City, a woman encounters a UFO. Just after midnight on January 1, 2000 in Colorado Springs, that same woman gives birth to a boy. The infant John Reed is a new breed of humanity. He possesses an adult-like ability to communicate. He has the talent to heal life-threatening diseases. Finally, the baby contains the skill to see deep into the soul of people.

The clandestine but powerful espionage organization Neo Tech wants John because they internationally control anyone with ESP abilities. They send their best operative Casey Armstrong to capture the child and learn more about his alien origin. However, Casey's psychic link to John opens up her mind to his goodness of purpose. Casey's employers realize they have lost her to John and thus set her up to take the fall in the murder of a priest. Casey turns to police officer Mike Caruso for help, but he needs John to save his life from a fatal disease. However, what is John? Is he humanity's savior or is he the beginning of the end as the first Homo superior-alien infant?

FIRST BORN is an exciting, fast-paced tale that centers on a half human infant battling with a CIA-like group. The concept of John being a superior being due to the alien abduction of his mother falls short because the tale centers on the attempts on his life rather than on him. Still, those who relish action, action, and more action will enjoy this novel. The rest of us will philosophically ponder what all these aliens see in us and wonder why ET cannot visit a blood bank and clone the next generation?

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner