A Gigantic Leap: First Contact by David Brown
What's It About?
When a highly advanced civilization of aliens urges humanity to embrace peace or face extermination, an anthropologist, a child psychiatrist and countless others team up to help humanity change its violent ways.“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
— Neil Armstrong
Those are the words that came to mind as I neared the end of David Brown’s debut sci-fi novel, A Gigantic Leap: First Contact. Like these iconic words, Brown’s novel evokes feelings of exhilaration and empowerment as humanity takes a monumental step toward the future.
The story follows Dr. Stephen Hopkins, a renowned anthropologist, after he unwittingly makes first contact with the Galactic Federation, a highly advanced civilization that urges humanity to embrace peace — otherwise, they will use whatever means necessary to keep humanity’s violent nature from spreading across the galaxy.
Unexpected First Contact
When Stephen wakes up on a city bench one Saturday morning with no memory of the last 16 hours — except for a strange, hypnotic phone call and a dark limousine — his mind reels with the possibilities. After undergoing regression therapy, he discovers the unfathomable truth: he was abducted by aliens.
Stephen, known for his work with primitive cultures, testified before a grand council on behalf of the human race. Due to humanity’s propensity for violence and rapid advancements in science (particularly space travel), the Galactic Federation (GFED) is in favor of quarantining Earth — or worse, exterminating the human race.
Stephen finds and joins forces with Dr. Heather Eastlake (a renowned child psychologist also questioned by GFED) to warn the president about the alien threat, hoping he will steer world leaders toward global disarmament and peace.
A Path Toward Peace
Then Chairman Morok, the avian alien responsible for Stephen’s abduction, extends an incredible offer. If humanity can show significant steps toward peace, not only will he withhold extermination, but he will also take 1,200 humans into the GFED fold and return them in 20 years with advanced knowledge to help humanity’s scientific and cultural development.
But world peace has never been easy.
Author David Brown is no naïve fool when it comes to the realities of world peace. Power often breeds corruption, and the greedy, crooked politicians, religious leaders and businessmen of the world actively undermine any surface attempts at disarmament. It’s only through mass protests orchestrated by the public’s collective conscience that lead to corruption being run out and humanity taking the first step — a giant leap — toward peace.
Passionate & Thought-Provoking
One of the novel’s strongest points is its cast of rich, poignant characters that are sure to touch readers.
Stephen’s son, Gerard, has been wheelchair-bound since he was shot six years ago. He remains resilient and optimistic, despite his secret insecurities, and ultimately helps save the world from extermination. Ethan Gorr, the corrupt businessman responsible for crippling Gerard and conspiring to store world leaders’ nuclear arms, seems like the worst humanity has to offer. Yet he knows what it means to love someone and is ultimately offered a second chance — a fate I thought unfair at first, but perhaps furthered Brown’s point about our culture being bent toward vengeance rather than peace.
I found myself particularly drawn to Penny, Stephen’s wife, an apprehensive woman with conflicting feelings. She feels resentment toward her husband for their son’s accident, yet becomes despondent when she thinks he is hiding an affair. The revelation of alien life leads her to question her religion, which has always been a strong part of her life. By the end of the book, she’s one of many who’ve undergone a monumental, yet subtle, change.
A Gigantic Leap is a perfect analysis of humanity and how our world needs to change. Brown addresses issues of poverty, climate change, racism and more in his arguments against the human race, all righteous accusations that will give readers pause to reflect.
The plot is inventive and thought-provoking, and Brown’s descriptive, passionate and articulate writing will draw readers further into the story. The novel’s ending nicely rounds out the story but leaves plenty of room for further exploration… perhaps next time on one of the alien planets!
About David Brown:
As a NASA engineer, David Brown designed the landing gear on the Apollo Lunar Landing Module for America’s first mission to the Moon. An author of several books on investing, and Founder of Sabrient Systems, David serves on the Director’s Council at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
David served both as Chairman of the U.S. Science and Technology Commission, and Chairman of the New Millennium Committee of the Planetary Society. An avid avian enthusiast, his garden is filled with over two dozen bird feeders, each dedicated to a specific species, that brings him joy every time he looks out his window.
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