Alien Taste

Rating:
Summary: Surprised me!
Review: The premise of this book sounded cheesy to me, but one of my friends bought it anyway and insisted that I read it. I'm so glad he did! The prose is beautiful, and the plot kept me hooked so that I read it in a few hours. I've read a lot of new SF authors in the last several years, but Wen Spencer beats them all. I'm so glad to have discovered her early on!

Rating:
Summary: ALIEN TASTE IS A TASTY TREAT!
Review: This 1st novel is quite unique and well written for this first-time writer. This new twist in sci-fi horror is a fast-paced thrill ride. The plot unfolds slowly and there are quite a few characters that shine and are delved deeply in.
Ukiah Oregon is found as a wild boy with a pack of wolves. He soon finds out that The Pack he really belongs to is a wild biker gang that is much more than it seems. Ukiah is then thrown into finding his lost heritage and along the way he finds much more. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is only because I thought that everybody around him just seemed to believe about his alien past a little too quickly and easily. I really wanted to give this novel a higher rating but there were some small weak points that I thought needed more addressing in this story, but since then, I found that there is a sequel, so there is much more to go. Enjoy this one folks!

Rating:
Summary: Ahhhhh!!!!!
Review: This is one of those rare finds that you demolish in two days, keeping it strapped to your body so you can return to it whenever you have a five-minute break. Crisply written, events unfold at a good pace (clipping along, but at the same time, not too fast), the characters are interesting, what happens is believable and fascinating, and just when you think you have it figured out, something twists. Loved it!!!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I've Read in a Long Time. Don't Miss It!
Review: This is the kind of book you would love to nominate for an award. When I bought the book and read the back cover I still wasn't certain what the book was about, but since I have very eclectic tastes I deceided to try it. This has something to appeal to everyone; mystery, sci-fi, romance, action, drama, etc. It is so cleverly written that every time you think you've figured it out it takes another seamless yet startling twist. One of the other reviewers here (Charles W. Schultz) delivered an admirable synopsis without giving away any of the wonderful surprises. When I finished the book I felt like a chapter in my own life had ended. How can you top something that good? I told my Husband (a strictly 'technical manual & magazine' reader) that I just finished one of the most wonderful books I've ever read (I average 4-5 books per week) and he asked me to tell him about it. That was a shock! But he said I sounded so excited yet looked so sad that he was really curious about this one. I told him the whole story; and in case you're wondering the only reason I looked sad was because I was genuinely sorry that the book had to end. This is the book you'll read over & over again and refuse to 'loan' to your friends. Tell them to go out and buy their own copy - they'll want to keep it too!

Rating:
Summary: Mystery with a sci-fi twist
Review: This novel is a lot of fun. It starts as a sort of offbeat mystery with great characters, good action and nicely styled plot twists. Then it takes a zing off the beaten path and turns into science fiction teritory. through it all the characters remain true and well defined, the story keeps moving and the action even gets better. There's probably two full novels in here but this one works great for introducing the leads, framing the setting (Pittsburgh area) and setting the premise. A very good read for a first or even a fifth novel. I look forward to the next by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Original science fiction idea and a lot of fun
Review: This was a wonderful, thoroughly enjoyable book. Ukiah Oregon was abandoned as a child and raised by a pack of wolves. Discovered and adopted by humans at the approximate age of 12, he has grown to be a part of human life. He now works as a tracker for a private investigator, a finder of lost children. But he still has no idea of his true parentage, no idea who they were or why they abandoned him.

The novel opens with his latest case -- a missing woman who attacks Ukiah when he finds her, forcing him to kill her in self-defense. This brings him to the attention of both the FBI and a group known as the Pack, a biker gang that is more than they seem. And, from this point on, things get *really* weird.

I loved this book. It was great fun to read; it kept me glued to the edge of my seat, always wanting to know what happens next. The characters, especially Ukiah and Max, were well-drawn, complex, three-dimensional human beings; the villains were scary and evil without being cartoonish. I cared about these caracters; I really wanted the heros to win and the bad guys to be defeated. I was swept up in their lives. The plot was complex and fascinating; it kept me guessing. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't tell you how it turns out, but I will say this: this book eventually involves aliens. And the aliens are really original. Their method of reproduction, the way their memory works -- all of it is new and interesting.

If I had one complaint, it would be that I thought the romance was rushed. Ukiah's love interest is a strong, fascinating woman, but the two of them seem to fall in love almost at first sight. I wanted the relationship to develop a little more slowly and fully -- but that's a very minor quibble. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book at all.

Overall, I loved this book. It was well-written and compulsively readable. I will be on the lookout for anything else this author chooses to write!

Rating:
Summary: A Great New Find!
Review: Ukiah Oregon has a photographic memory, but he can remember nothing of his childhood. He was raised by wolves in Ukiah, Oregon and found by a biology student who adopted and raised him. He has no idea how old he is, who his parents were - nothing. His moms (he has two mothers, no father) try to find out about his past by hiring a private investigator, but Max Bennett can find nothing. However, as Max learns more about Ukiah, he discovers that Ukiah's specialty is finding people/things so he offers him a job, and eventually makes Ukiah his partner. When three women are found dead and the fourth presumed kidnapped, Ukiah and Max are called in to find her. Using his heightened senses, Ukiah finds the fourth woman...and a clue to his past. The dead women leads Ukiah to The Pack, a dangerous motorcycle gang. Ukiah knows that they have information about his past, but are they willing to share it? (This is purposely a vague summary of the book because to give any more information would ruin the surprises and the storyline.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was a fresh twist on the whole alien invasion and "Wolf Boy" stories. Wen Spencer has created finely crafted characters that the reader truly feels for. Yes, Ukiah has all of these special abilities, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't need help, that he doesn't get scared, that he doesn't wonder why he is different. Max, Ukiah's partner, is a suffering widower who becomes a kind of father to Ukiah and watches out for him. Indigo is a tough FBI Agent (the Pack calls her the Lady of Steel), but she has a soft spot for Ukiah and finds herself falling in love with him. Ukiah's family was also delightful - his two moms and his sister, Cassie added nice touches of "normality" (such as it is for this book) to the story.

This book is set 2 years in the future (2004), but everything is recognizable. People have a few more electronic toys than we have now and we have successfully sent a machine to Mars, but Spencer doesn't really put anything in that couldn't be done in the foreseeable future.

Wen Spencer has a very nice writing style (and a good editor - no typos) and the plot was well-paced. In short, this book is full of action and mystery and well worth your time!

Rating:
Summary: A Great New Find!
Review: Ukiah Oregon has a photographic memory, but he can remember nothing of his childhood. He was raised by wolves in Ukiah, Oregon and found by a biology student who adopted and raised him. He has no idea how old he is, who his parents were - nothing. His moms (he has two mothers, no father) try to find out about his past by hiring a private investigator, but Max Bennett can find nothing. However, as Max learns more about Ukiah, he discovers that Ukiah's specialty is finding people/things so he offers him a job, and eventually makes Ukiah his partner. When three women are found dead and the fourth presumed kidnapped, Ukiah and Max are called in to find her. Using his heightened senses, Ukiah finds the fourth woman...and a clue to his past. The dead women leads Ukiah to The Pack, a dangerous motorcycle gang. Ukiah knows that they have information about his past, but are they willing to share it? (This is purposely a vague summary of the book because to give any more information would ruin the surprises and the storyline.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was a fresh twist on the whole alien invasion and "Wolf Boy" stories. Wen Spencer has created finely crafted characters that the reader truly feels for. Yes, Ukiah has all of these special abilities, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't need help, that he doesn't get scared, that he doesn't wonder why he is different. Max, Ukiah's partner, is a suffering widower who becomes a kind of father to Ukiah and watches out for him. Indigo is a tough FBI Agent (the Pack calls her the Lady of Steel), but she has a soft spot for Ukiah and finds herself falling in love with him. Ukiah's family was also delightful - his two moms and his sister, Cassie added nice touches of "normality" (such as it is for this book) to the story.

This book is set 2 years in the future (2004), but everything is recognizable. People have a few more electronic toys than we have now and we have successfully sent a machine to Mars, but Spencer doesn't really put anything in that couldn't be done in the foreseeable future.

Wen Spencer has a very nice writing style (and a good editor - no typos) and the plot was well-paced. In short, this book is full of action and mystery and well worth your time!

Rating:
Summary: An Innovative Sci-Fi Tale
Review: Ukiah Oregon is a mystery. His past is a blank and even his name is not really his own. It was given to him by his foster mothers, who discovered him in the wild, being raised by a pack of wolves. Perhaps as a result of his unusual upbringing, his senses are more acute than those of most people and his sensory memory is phenomenal. He works for a private investigation agency that specializes in missing persons, and he has gained a reputation as an extraordinary tracker.

One case turns deadly when Ukiah and his partner, Max, are called to a murder scene - 3 female house-mates have been killed and the fourth, a respected scientist, is missing. The police believe that the killer has her, and want Ukiah and Max to track them down. At the end of the night, the woman is dead and Ukiah is badly wounded.

This is just the beginning of this fascinating story, because on that night, Ukiah discovers a thread that may lead him to his past, to who he really is. As he explores this road, he discovers things about himself that he never would have imagined, and his perspective on life is changed forever. The author has given a classic fantasy myth with a clever sci-fi twist and this reader looks forward to seeing how the series progresses.

If there is one jarring note, it is that a secondary character figures out and accepts Ukiah's secret with extraordinary suspension of disbelief. SPOILER --- despite all the sci-fi shows on TV about vampires, aliens and other supernatural beings, very few people actually believe that such things actually exist on Earth. It is much easier to believe that another person has very strange abilities, than to jump to the conclusion that they aren't human at all.

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced, entertaining adventure with likable characters
Review: Ukiah Oregon is young--but is by far the best tracker in the business. Part of the Bennet Detective agency, Ukiah is unequaled in following the missing and the lost.

When Ukiah is asked to trace a possibly kidnapped woman, he stumbles upon a dangerous group of people. People who can see in the dark, smell blood on the wind, and hear through walls. People who seem to recognize Ukiah, and want to kill him.

The plot starts and continues quickly in this entertaining novel. The main characters are all engaging, and as things get more ominous, there are elements of humor, romance and poignancy to break up the tension. The premise is solid, but the main attraction of the book are the characters and their interaction. While the book is complete in itself, one looks with anticipation towards future adventure of Ukiah and his friends.

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