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Encounters #1
Encounter
It's time to face the unknown
In an attempt to prove it to the world that crop circles are man-made and aliens don’t really exist, Ricky and his team of young enthusiasts (including one particular enthusiast, Josh, who is hopelessly in love with Ricky) start falsifying the phenomenon by creating their own crop circles. Their endeavors prove successful, pretty much so, but only until the day when Ricky sees his unique circle design replicated throughout the country by the force unknown.
In an attempt to prove it to the world that crop circles are man-made and aliens don’t really exist, Ricky and his team of young enthusiasts (including one particular enthusiast, Josh, who is hopelessly in love with Ricky) start falsifying the phenomenon by creating their own crop circles. Their endeavors prove successful, pretty much so, but only until the day when Ricky sees his unique circle design replicated throughout the country by the force unknown.
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 28, 2014
13 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Perie Wolford
28 books176 followersPerie Wolford is an optioned and produced screenwriter and published author. For more information visit periewolford.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 11, 2019
Rep: gay mcs
Encounter is written as a series of video clips (or, descriptions of video clips), documenting the process of a group of friends as they try to prove to people that crop circles are a wholly human phenomenon. From the synopsis, it sounded really promising and, since I marked it as to-read about 9 months ago, I've been trying to get hold of it. I mean, it's aliens plus LGBT+ characters. What can go wrong?
A lot, as it turns out.
First of all, the writing was bad. Like, honest-to-God bad. Maybe it's just me, because if you scroll through the first few reviews of this book, it's been given 4 and 5 star ratings. The average rating is more than 4 as well (though this isn't that surprising given that it's only got ~100 reviews, so it won't take much to change the average rating, but I'm rambling). Back to the point, I was not impressed. The plot was kind of everywhere. We're introduced to the characters apparently in the middle of their venture, and when Emily, a new member of their group, arrives. Now, I wouldn't mind the story starting in the middle if there was some background on what's been going on before, but as far as I can tell, the style of the book (as essentially descriptions of a bunch of video diaries) was chosen for the express purpose of being able to avoid having to go through all that. Again, that would be fine if it kept to that, but every now and then it would jump into what characters were feeling and that's where the line between video diaries and third person from the characters' points of view becomes a bit blurred. Choose one or the other, please.
So, no context, but what about the rest of the story? Well.
Ricky (aka the ringleader and the brains behind the operation) is the one designing these crop circles which the group then goes and cuts into a field, while Josh films everything. First off, they cut a small one into a field, but it doesn't even make the local news so Ricky decides they gotta go BIGGER AND BETTER!! and designs another one. This time it makes the national news (halle-fucking-lujah), but wait! That's not the field they cut the crop circle into? That's a completely different field in a completely different state! (Cue angry shouting and uncalled for accusations of leaking the design, all aimed at Josh, because apparently he wants to sabotage Ricky. God knows where that plot point came from.) So then they decide to take a road trip to the crop circle (having, of course, decided that Josh is in fact innocent of any crimes they were blaming him of).
At this point, they find out Emily is actually a secret government agent (because, why not?) and she had an ~alien encounter~ when she was a kid, and now she's slightly obsessed. Just a bit. (God knows how she found out about the group though. You'd have thought that, if you're doing illegal shit like trespassing and cutting crop circles, you wouldn't want to be found. Unless Josh decided to upload all the videos onto the internet. Damnit, Josh! We trusted you!) So obviously, Emily's (totally legit) first reaction is to arrest Ricky and Josh and drive them somewhere with a bunch of other agents. (This is where Josh and Ricky confess they love each other. Which, to be fair, was clearly coming. In this at least, the author made sure it had been mentioned beforehand.) Turns out, aliens are real and Ricky can (unknowingly) write in the alien language!! And Emily can read it!!
Then their prison van (what else am I supposed to call it? They got arrested) is overturned on the road and Josh and Ricky are free! But as they're running through the fields, there's this bright light and they have an ~alien encounter~ (and become Beliebers*). Then they hike back to the closest city, ignoring the fact that they left Emily and the other agents in a bloody wreckage. Way to go, boys.
The end is pretty confusing. I don't even remember what happened, but it was confusing. I think they got kidnapped by the aliens but God knows.
Also, there was this random plot point where Josh, thinking that Ricky was interested in Emily, had sex with her in an attempt to put Ricky off her because he liked Ricky. Yeah, me too.
Okay. Rant (90%) over.
Let's talk characters. There are five of them: Ricky, Josh, Emily, Het #1 and Het #2. (They're not really called Het #1 and Het #2, but I've forgotten their names and basically all I can remember of them is that they spend 80% of the time they were there being Heterosexual. The other 20% was when they were screaming at Josh for apparently leaking the designs.) I was going to try start of with something positive but I can't think of anything. They're boring characters, if I'm honest. Josh is an arsehole(TM) and is always irritating Ricky (God knows why Ricky likes him), and the only time I sympathised with him at all was when he was being accused of something he didn't do. Ricky had a stick up his arse (not Josh's though) and that didn't really change throughout the book. Emily seemed okay to begin with but then once her true identity was revealed, seemed a little obsessed with the aliens. Like, okaaaaaaaay. Het #1 and Het #2 were just that. Hets (yawn).
In case you couldn't tell, I got pretty pissed off reading this (and quite sarcastic reviewing it. I'm sorry). But, on the bright side, I only wasted an hour of my time with it.
*Yes, I know. I'm being sarky.
Encounter is written as a series of video clips (or, descriptions of video clips), documenting the process of a group of friends as they try to prove to people that crop circles are a wholly human phenomenon. From the synopsis, it sounded really promising and, since I marked it as to-read about 9 months ago, I've been trying to get hold of it. I mean, it's aliens plus LGBT+ characters. What can go wrong?
A lot, as it turns out.
First of all, the writing was bad. Like, honest-to-God bad. Maybe it's just me, because if you scroll through the first few reviews of this book, it's been given 4 and 5 star ratings. The average rating is more than 4 as well (though this isn't that surprising given that it's only got ~100 reviews, so it won't take much to change the average rating, but I'm rambling). Back to the point, I was not impressed. The plot was kind of everywhere. We're introduced to the characters apparently in the middle of their venture, and when Emily, a new member of their group, arrives. Now, I wouldn't mind the story starting in the middle if there was some background on what's been going on before, but as far as I can tell, the style of the book (as essentially descriptions of a bunch of video diaries) was chosen for the express purpose of being able to avoid having to go through all that. Again, that would be fine if it kept to that, but every now and then it would jump into what characters were feeling and that's where the line between video diaries and third person from the characters' points of view becomes a bit blurred. Choose one or the other, please.
So, no context, but what about the rest of the story? Well.
Ricky (aka the ringleader and the brains behind the operation) is the one designing these crop circles which the group then goes and cuts into a field, while Josh films everything. First off, they cut a small one into a field, but it doesn't even make the local news so Ricky decides they gotta go BIGGER AND BETTER!! and designs another one. This time it makes the national news (halle-fucking-lujah), but wait! That's not the field they cut the crop circle into? That's a completely different field in a completely different state! (Cue angry shouting and uncalled for accusations of leaking the design, all aimed at Josh, because apparently he wants to sabotage Ricky. God knows where that plot point came from.) So then they decide to take a road trip to the crop circle (having, of course, decided that Josh is in fact innocent of any crimes they were blaming him of).
At this point, they find out Emily is actually a secret government agent (because, why not?) and she had an ~alien encounter~ when she was a kid, and now she's slightly obsessed. Just a bit. (God knows how she found out about the group though. You'd have thought that, if you're doing illegal shit like trespassing and cutting crop circles, you wouldn't want to be found. Unless Josh decided to upload all the videos onto the internet. Damnit, Josh! We trusted you!) So obviously, Emily's (totally legit) first reaction is to arrest Ricky and Josh and drive them somewhere with a bunch of other agents. (This is where Josh and Ricky confess they love each other. Which, to be fair, was clearly coming. In this at least, the author made sure it had been mentioned beforehand.) Turns out, aliens are real and Ricky can (unknowingly) write in the alien language!! And Emily can read it!!
Then their prison van (what else am I supposed to call it? They got arrested) is overturned on the road and Josh and Ricky are free! But as they're running through the fields, there's this bright light and they have an ~alien encounter~ (and become Beliebers*). Then they hike back to the closest city, ignoring the fact that they left Emily and the other agents in a bloody wreckage. Way to go, boys.
The end is pretty confusing. I don't even remember what happened, but it was confusing. I think they got kidnapped by the aliens but God knows.
Also, there was this random plot point where Josh, thinking that Ricky was interested in Emily, had sex with her in an attempt to put Ricky off her because he liked Ricky. Yeah, me too.
Okay. Rant (90%) over.
Let's talk characters. There are five of them: Ricky, Josh, Emily, Het #1 and Het #2. (They're not really called Het #1 and Het #2, but I've forgotten their names and basically all I can remember of them is that they spend 80% of the time they were there being Heterosexual. The other 20% was when they were screaming at Josh for apparently leaking the designs.) I was going to try start of with something positive but I can't think of anything. They're boring characters, if I'm honest. Josh is an arsehole(TM) and is always irritating Ricky (God knows why Ricky likes him), and the only time I sympathised with him at all was when he was being accused of something he didn't do. Ricky had a stick up his arse (not Josh's though) and that didn't really change throughout the book. Emily seemed okay to begin with but then once her true identity was revealed, seemed a little obsessed with the aliens. Like, okaaaaaaaay. Het #1 and Het #2 were just that. Hets (yawn).
In case you couldn't tell, I got pretty pissed off reading this (and quite sarcastic reviewing it. I'm sorry). But, on the bright side, I only wasted an hour of my time with it.
*Yes, I know. I'm being sarky.
March 23, 2015
Perie Wolford has a way of making me read things that aren’t in my usual rotation and loving them. I’m not a huge fan of YA, but Perie writes it and I love it. UFO stories don’t usually pique my interest, but Perie writes one and I power read it in one sitting.
Ricky and Josh are part of a group, led by Ricky, that want to debunk the myth of crop circles by proving how easy it is to make them, no alien help necessary. They’ve decided to create a vlog about their latest conquest and the story is told, for the most part, through the lens of Josh’s camera. Encounter has some sweet moments, but I wouldn’t classify it as a romance. It’s a sci-fi story with gay main characters. If you know that going in and aren’t looking for hearts and flowers you’ll be able to appreciate the story without looking for what isn’t meant to be there.
I really liked the snarky friendship between Ricky and Josh, they were complete opposites, but a perfect match as friends, vlog partners, and with a hope of something more. Josh is model handsome but prefers to stay behind the camera. Neither of them are out and aren’t ready to be, so the attraction is all in their inner dialogs for the most part.
Ricky invites Emily to join them in their next project. She’s an intern from Washington DC doing research into crop circles so she seems like a perfect fit for their group which also includes Ann and Mike, an established couple that Ricky and Josh are long-time friends with. The addition of Emily causes some serious tension and territorial battles between Ricky and Josh. Each assumes the other is straight so the change in the dynamic that the oh-so-beautiful Emily adds to the mix compounds the stress they are all feeling with their biggest project yet. It was interesting to read how they create the circles and the vision that Ricky has before they start.
As with every good sci-fi mystery, all is not as it seems and when Ricky and Josh make a discovery that neither suspected, the action accelerates fast. Once I hit this mark while reading I knew there would be no putting this one down until I finished it. I can’t even really say anything about it without giving the story away, but I will say it was a fun ride and the ending was a pure WTAF? moment. I wasn’t happy, but it was perfect and if it had ended any other way it would have cheapened everything the author had created up to that point.
I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon spent creating crop circles, being chased by pissed off farmers and government agents, and reading about new love being discovered. Thanks Perie, that was fun.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
Ricky and Josh are part of a group, led by Ricky, that want to debunk the myth of crop circles by proving how easy it is to make them, no alien help necessary. They’ve decided to create a vlog about their latest conquest and the story is told, for the most part, through the lens of Josh’s camera. Encounter has some sweet moments, but I wouldn’t classify it as a romance. It’s a sci-fi story with gay main characters. If you know that going in and aren’t looking for hearts and flowers you’ll be able to appreciate the story without looking for what isn’t meant to be there.
I really liked the snarky friendship between Ricky and Josh, they were complete opposites, but a perfect match as friends, vlog partners, and with a hope of something more. Josh is model handsome but prefers to stay behind the camera. Neither of them are out and aren’t ready to be, so the attraction is all in their inner dialogs for the most part.
Ricky invites Emily to join them in their next project. She’s an intern from Washington DC doing research into crop circles so she seems like a perfect fit for their group which also includes Ann and Mike, an established couple that Ricky and Josh are long-time friends with. The addition of Emily causes some serious tension and territorial battles between Ricky and Josh. Each assumes the other is straight so the change in the dynamic that the oh-so-beautiful Emily adds to the mix compounds the stress they are all feeling with their biggest project yet. It was interesting to read how they create the circles and the vision that Ricky has before they start.
As with every good sci-fi mystery, all is not as it seems and when Ricky and Josh make a discovery that neither suspected, the action accelerates fast. Once I hit this mark while reading I knew there would be no putting this one down until I finished it. I can’t even really say anything about it without giving the story away, but I will say it was a fun ride and the ending was a pure WTAF? moment. I wasn’t happy, but it was perfect and if it had ended any other way it would have cheapened everything the author had created up to that point.
I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon spent creating crop circles, being chased by pissed off farmers and government agents, and reading about new love being discovered. Thanks Perie, that was fun.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
not-interested
December 18, 2018Freebie at the zon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/Encounter-En...
May 17, 2021
*sigh* another DNF. This book is garbage. the writing is terrible, the characters are terrible and the constant switch between POVs with no warning is seriously annoying. I had to stop at 20% because I felt like if I carried on my brain was going to melt and fall out of my ears. Damn I so wanted this to be good.
February 23, 2015
Original Blog Post: Happy Happy Release Day! eARC Review: Encounter (Encounters #1) by Perie Wolford
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Encounter brings author Perie Wolford back to the genre where he is most comfortable: science fiction. After reading his book, Presence, a story of a woman who got caught in a world where aliens were slowly taking over her planet, I knew I had met someone whose vivid imagination translated well to the written word. Then the author left that genre and focused on YA novels that I fell in love with, Turning16. This is an ongoing story of a young gay man and about how his life changed after he turned sixteen. Getting to know the author more, I found myself wondering when he would go back to the sci-fi genre. Well, after coming up with more M/M YA novels, finally, the wait is over. Perie has finally come up with a seriously awesome read that is both scary, fascinating and at the same time, bewildering.
This is a suspense, thriller science fiction camera footage novel that relates how Ricky and his team of myth busters do some scary stuff in an effort to smash all alien-origin concept on crop circles. His cameraman is his long time friend, Josh, and just happens to be secretly in love with Ricky. Ricky's team, through a blog, attempts to correct the misconceptions about the origin of crop circles by making fake ones. Although their blog is followed by many interested enthusiasts, the number of people reached was really just the bare minimum.
It's time to bring up their game and come up with a vlog. How will they reach the maximum attention? By creating a fantabulous, but fake, crop circle. Joining them is a young woman whom Ricky meets online. She is interested in their activity and joins their team to finally prove that what Ricky's team is claiming is actually true and aliens are non-existent.
It all goes well at first but then there was no coverage. In a last ditch attempt to prove he is right, Ricky comes up with a complicated crop circle design and convinces his team that, although dangerous, they could recreate its pattern on a field. They did. It was seen all around the world. But then, they realize: there are other crop circles popping up around the world. Crop circles that mysteriously, eerily, replicated his original design.
As a camera footage novel, this is one fantastic read. The scenes flit from one scene to the next with introductory text on the origin of the particular segment. It was like reading The Blair Witch Project without the blood and gore. Mix in a dash of the mysterious X Files and just to add spice, a little bit of Contact. I am a serious geek on the UFO phenomenon and this is one fascinating story that reads so fast, the goosebumps started to rise and but never calmed down until the very end. This was one awesome, awesome read that just ticked all the right boxes for me. When the end came, it was like a bucket of water thrown to my face. That was just... wow. Just... Perie, you are so bad.
In any case, as an M/M novel, there is no romance too obviously going on here but there is a whole lot of misunderstanding and lack of communication between the two young men. When Josh and Ryan finally come together... Well... Perie says he never writes erotic, but man! what a surprise. This is HOT!
Scary. Fabulous. Mysterious. Sci-Fi. Hot! What a combination.
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Encounter brings author Perie Wolford back to the genre where he is most comfortable: science fiction. After reading his book, Presence, a story of a woman who got caught in a world where aliens were slowly taking over her planet, I knew I had met someone whose vivid imagination translated well to the written word. Then the author left that genre and focused on YA novels that I fell in love with, Turning16. This is an ongoing story of a young gay man and about how his life changed after he turned sixteen. Getting to know the author more, I found myself wondering when he would go back to the sci-fi genre. Well, after coming up with more M/M YA novels, finally, the wait is over. Perie has finally come up with a seriously awesome read that is both scary, fascinating and at the same time, bewildering.
This is a suspense, thriller science fiction camera footage novel that relates how Ricky and his team of myth busters do some scary stuff in an effort to smash all alien-origin concept on crop circles. His cameraman is his long time friend, Josh, and just happens to be secretly in love with Ricky. Ricky's team, through a blog, attempts to correct the misconceptions about the origin of crop circles by making fake ones. Although their blog is followed by many interested enthusiasts, the number of people reached was really just the bare minimum.
It's time to bring up their game and come up with a vlog. How will they reach the maximum attention? By creating a fantabulous, but fake, crop circle. Joining them is a young woman whom Ricky meets online. She is interested in their activity and joins their team to finally prove that what Ricky's team is claiming is actually true and aliens are non-existent.
It all goes well at first but then there was no coverage. In a last ditch attempt to prove he is right, Ricky comes up with a complicated crop circle design and convinces his team that, although dangerous, they could recreate its pattern on a field. They did. It was seen all around the world. But then, they realize: there are other crop circles popping up around the world. Crop circles that mysteriously, eerily, replicated his original design.
As a camera footage novel, this is one fantastic read. The scenes flit from one scene to the next with introductory text on the origin of the particular segment. It was like reading The Blair Witch Project without the blood and gore. Mix in a dash of the mysterious X Files and just to add spice, a little bit of Contact. I am a serious geek on the UFO phenomenon and this is one fascinating story that reads so fast, the goosebumps started to rise and but never calmed down until the very end. This was one awesome, awesome read that just ticked all the right boxes for me. When the end came, it was like a bucket of water thrown to my face. That was just... wow. Just... Perie, you are so bad.
In any case, as an M/M novel, there is no romance too obviously going on here but there is a whole lot of misunderstanding and lack of communication between the two young men. When Josh and Ryan finally come together... Well... Perie says he never writes erotic, but man! what a surprise. This is HOT!
Scary. Fabulous. Mysterious. Sci-Fi. Hot! What a combination.
February 25, 2015
Excellent read!!
If you are into sci-fi, Gay Romance and young adult books then you will not be disappointed with this book.
Great plot line. Believable characters. Excellent writing once again from this author.
If you are into sci-fi, Gay Romance and young adult books then you will not be disappointed with this book.
Great plot line. Believable characters. Excellent writing once again from this author.
July 8, 2024
Can't believe I actually enjoyed this crap
March 12, 2015
Encounters spins romance and science fiction in a way that stands out from the others.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
As good as science fiction novels get, I really wasn't expecting what I got from Encounters. It was fresh to me compared to others of the same genre that I've read over the years. One of the influences that drew me into this book was that it had a male lead (which is really rare now these days) and that it was an MM romance novel, which intrigued me as to how the author could weave it into such a story, especially one about aliens.
I could relate to Ricky's character entirely because he does the same things that I would have done if I were placed in his shoes. Josh's character was likable, to say the least. Although there was the cliche of hot stud secretly gay, I think the development of his character was put together really well.
The problems that I had with this book was that:
One: this book was too short for my liking. After being drawn in from the first ten pages, I was immediately hooked on it. I don't usually finish books this quick, especially in one sitting. I finished with unanswered questions and frustration taking over. 117 pages is not enough for me.
Two: I had a little trouble with some parts in the writing. Although most of the book was great and enough to keep me interested, I think the author could have done more showing than telling. There were some instances where sentences were so direct that it refrains me from using imagination, especially relating to describing atmosphere.
Three: In the Kindle Edition, there are some grammatical and punctuation error, might have been due to a bad editing process. But we all experience those from time to time again.
Four: I thought that Mike and Ann needed more closure besides the general descriptions of who they were and why they were there. Other than helping Ricky and Josh with the crop circle documentary, I didn't really see a point in their appearance. I'm hoping that in the future for the next book, they will become more important than just side characters just used to fill in the rest of the group to make a credible "team".
My favorite line was probably when Ann became really frustrated in the kitchen where she was all, "The fucking tea is ready."
My Synopsis: In an attempt to prove to the world the conspiracy theory that aliens made the crop circles is a hoax, Ricky, Josh, and their team along with Emily, a science student studying abroad that has agreed to assist them, set out to different sizes of crop fields to film a documentary that crop circles are indeed man-made. The persisting problem follows Ricky and Josh in terms of coming out to each other and expressing their feelings, but the constant bickering over one another has kept them from doing so, especially when Josh sleeps with other girls to cover up his true self. After nearly getting shot doing another circle, all hell breaks loose the day after when reports of the exact same crop circle they made starts appearing around the country, and sooner or later around the world. In an adventure to find the truth as well as themselves, Ricky and Josh are in for quite a ride when they soon realize that what they're trying to prove will actually prove them wrong.
Even though I gave this book a neutral rating, it's enough to keep me going to find out what will happen in the next book (I hate being left unsatisfied). Kudos to Perie Wolford for making a really interesting and lovable MM romance that I can enjoy.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
As good as science fiction novels get, I really wasn't expecting what I got from Encounters. It was fresh to me compared to others of the same genre that I've read over the years. One of the influences that drew me into this book was that it had a male lead (which is really rare now these days) and that it was an MM romance novel, which intrigued me as to how the author could weave it into such a story, especially one about aliens.
I could relate to Ricky's character entirely because he does the same things that I would have done if I were placed in his shoes. Josh's character was likable, to say the least. Although there was the cliche of hot stud secretly gay, I think the development of his character was put together really well.
The problems that I had with this book was that:
One: this book was too short for my liking. After being drawn in from the first ten pages, I was immediately hooked on it. I don't usually finish books this quick, especially in one sitting. I finished with unanswered questions and frustration taking over. 117 pages is not enough for me.
Two: I had a little trouble with some parts in the writing. Although most of the book was great and enough to keep me interested, I think the author could have done more showing than telling. There were some instances where sentences were so direct that it refrains me from using imagination, especially relating to describing atmosphere.
Three: In the Kindle Edition, there are some grammatical and punctuation error, might have been due to a bad editing process. But we all experience those from time to time again.
Four: I thought that Mike and Ann needed more closure besides the general descriptions of who they were and why they were there. Other than helping Ricky and Josh with the crop circle documentary, I didn't really see a point in their appearance. I'm hoping that in the future for the next book, they will become more important than just side characters just used to fill in the rest of the group to make a credible "team".
My favorite line was probably when Ann became really frustrated in the kitchen where she was all, "The fucking tea is ready."
My Synopsis: In an attempt to prove to the world the conspiracy theory that aliens made the crop circles is a hoax, Ricky, Josh, and their team along with Emily, a science student studying abroad that has agreed to assist them, set out to different sizes of crop fields to film a documentary that crop circles are indeed man-made. The persisting problem follows Ricky and Josh in terms of coming out to each other and expressing their feelings, but the constant bickering over one another has kept them from doing so, especially when Josh sleeps with other girls to cover up his true self. After nearly getting shot doing another circle, all hell breaks loose the day after when reports of the exact same crop circle they made starts appearing around the country, and sooner or later around the world. In an adventure to find the truth as well as themselves, Ricky and Josh are in for quite a ride when they soon realize that what they're trying to prove will actually prove them wrong.
Even though I gave this book a neutral rating, it's enough to keep me going to find out what will happen in the next book (I hate being left unsatisfied). Kudos to Perie Wolford for making a really interesting and lovable MM romance that I can enjoy.
December 27, 2017
This is a harsh review, so turn around if you don't want to read it.
To be blunt, this story is a failure. The author was attempting to turn his screenplay into a book, but he has no real understanding of how to write a book. [I cannot and will not comment on its quality as a screenplay]. There are tons of different types of books you can write, and yes a "footage" book is possible, but this book is a failure in its attempt.
The characters are underdeveloped, the plot is underdeveloped, and the writing feels like the author never looked at a list of "10 Things Beginner Writers Should Avoid" list. I really wanted to like this story, two guys realizing they like each other while dealing with aliens.... but no. This book doesn't deserve to exist. This isn't a 12 year old's attempt at first fanfiction, this is an author sharing it with the world, though I couldn't tell the difference while reading. Save yourself the disappointment.
I stopped at 70%, which is more than enough to warrant this review. Main character randomly gets creepy and starts filming himself touching his half-naked best friend's sleeping body. I'm sorry, aren't we supposed to think these two guys care about each other? While there is a little bit of "roughness" between two males in a friendship that many stories fail to capture, this sure isn't it. Oh, and while making fun of these two (or rather, the writing of these two) are we really supposed to believe they are trying to make one another jealous by flirting with an older woman? Yes, I could see that being a funny gay comedy, but this story doesn't pull it off. It is just weird.
[This is NOT an attack on the author, but the book. I have not read his other stories. For all I know, they are masterpieces.]
To be blunt, this story is a failure. The author was attempting to turn his screenplay into a book, but he has no real understanding of how to write a book. [I cannot and will not comment on its quality as a screenplay]. There are tons of different types of books you can write, and yes a "footage" book is possible, but this book is a failure in its attempt.
The characters are underdeveloped, the plot is underdeveloped, and the writing feels like the author never looked at a list of "10 Things Beginner Writers Should Avoid" list. I really wanted to like this story, two guys realizing they like each other while dealing with aliens.... but no. This book doesn't deserve to exist. This isn't a 12 year old's attempt at first fanfiction, this is an author sharing it with the world, though I couldn't tell the difference while reading. Save yourself the disappointment.
I stopped at 70%, which is more than enough to warrant this review. Main character randomly gets creepy and starts filming himself touching his half-naked best friend's sleeping body. I'm sorry, aren't we supposed to think these two guys care about each other? While there is a little bit of "roughness" between two males in a friendship that many stories fail to capture, this sure isn't it. Oh, and while making fun of these two (or rather, the writing of these two) are we really supposed to believe they are trying to make one another jealous by flirting with an older woman? Yes, I could see that being a funny gay comedy, but this story doesn't pull it off. It is just weird.
[This is NOT an attack on the author, but the book. I have not read his other stories. For all I know, they are masterpieces.]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2016
Originally posted at LGBTQVoice: http://lgbtqvoice.com/2015/02/24/enco...
This is a story about a boy and his friends.They go out making crop circles to prove they are man made. There is a lot of build up in the book that I really enjoyed. The book features some major surprise moments that really pulled me in.
There were times where I really didn't know why Ann and Mike were on the team besides needing the extra hands really or how the If I was a part of a team like this and the team lacked the trust in each other the way that this group seemed to at times I would have been out of there. They were just rude to each other at times. Nothing would have made me stay. Josh does stay and you can see it’s for Ricky who he has had a crush on forever.
The way Josh dealt with his sexuality was a little odd to me but not a deal-breaker. Josh.Josh and Ricky go through some weird stages in the book and their situation is only more complicated by Emily. I usually cannot stand love triangles, but I've gotta say that I enjoyed where this one ended up so I don’t mind.
That ending was really something. I’m not really sure what to feel.It was like the perfect moment and then last surprise of the book. I want to see what happens next. I need to know what happens next. At the same time it could end right there and I’d be happy with it. Sometimes you don’t get an explanation for everything.
This is a story about a boy and his friends.They go out making crop circles to prove they are man made. There is a lot of build up in the book that I really enjoyed. The book features some major surprise moments that really pulled me in.
There were times where I really didn't know why Ann and Mike were on the team besides needing the extra hands really or how the If I was a part of a team like this and the team lacked the trust in each other the way that this group seemed to at times I would have been out of there. They were just rude to each other at times. Nothing would have made me stay. Josh does stay and you can see it’s for Ricky who he has had a crush on forever.
The way Josh dealt with his sexuality was a little odd to me but not a deal-breaker. Josh.Josh and Ricky go through some weird stages in the book and their situation is only more complicated by Emily. I usually cannot stand love triangles, but I've gotta say that I enjoyed where this one ended up so I don’t mind.
That ending was really something. I’m not really sure what to feel.It was like the perfect moment and then last surprise of the book. I want to see what happens next. I need to know what happens next. At the same time it could end right there and I’d be happy with it. Sometimes you don’t get an explanation for everything.
January 15, 2016
Tuve un problema con este libro, se me hizo bastante lento y no entendía mucho al principio, poco a poco le agarras la onda pero todo avanza demasiado rápido y te sueltan la información así a bombardazos.
En el final mejoró bastante pero aún así le pongo 2.5 estrellas.
En el final mejoró bastante pero aún así le pongo 2.5 estrellas.
June 27, 2015
The falling for each other part of the story was the best. But overall not that bad.
November 14, 2019
The first thing I noticed with this audiobook was the narrator’s nasally voice. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work, if I’d be able to get through the story or not. I found out that if I turned the volume down lower than normal, his voice sounded almost normal. Otherwise, the narrator did a good job with the character voices, so it was easy to tell them apart. There was an outtake that he didn’t “take out.” When they’re at Home Depot looking a ruler, he says something like “…picking out… picking out a ruler at Home Depot.” There was also when he said “The awkward silent pause ‘hong’ in the air (instead of ‘hung’).
I don’t know who would be to blame for this issue regarding the transitions, or lack thereof. Was the narrator disregarding the scene breaks and simply continuing on instead of pausing? Did the author not include scene breaks so it was all “one scene” per chapter? Without a copy of the book itself, it could be either. On that note, I wasn’t a fan. At times it was confusing as to what was going on. For example, Josh was filming Emily sitting on the couch talking to Ann. Suddenly, Josh was watching her brush her teeth in the bathroom. There was no pause/transition whatsoever. Or when Emily was in the bathroom getting ready to shower and saw Josh’s camera. She covered it with a towel and suddenly Josh was turning the camera back on himself.
While I found the writing to be… not necessarily amateurish, but it wasn’t up to par with my usual reading (both genre and style), the story itself was pretty good. It held my attention (I listened to it in one go) and found it entertaining. I’d be interested in listening/reading the next book. Looking at the reviews on Goodreads, I read several under 3-star reviews. Some of their points made sense to me, to a degree, while others had me feeling like I had read a completely different book (like they talked about actions that never happened). Very strange.
Questions/Comments:
There was a mess-up when Emily was in the bathroom watching Josh in the mirror. Maybe the narrator misread the name (not sure how he would have done that though given there weren’t that many characters) but instead of “Josh,” he said “John.” There was also the mess-up regarding Sullivan’s age. When the gang was first talking about going back to his farm, he was identified as being sixty. Then afterward, they were talking about him again and he was suddenly seventy-nine.
How old were the characters? I know Emily was supposed to be at least older than Ricky and Josh. There was also the mention of how one of the boys was surprised that Ann and her boyfriend weren’t married after three years.
I found it questionable that one of the reasons Josh liked hanging out with Ricky was because he didn’t have to worry about what anyone thought of him. Yet, whenever they were all hanging out, Josh was a weirdo, goof, annoying and he didn’t seem to care what they thought of them, hence he continued his behaviors.
“He doesn’t have a chance doesn’t he?” This should have been “He doesn’t have a chance, does he?”
What kind of camera was Josh using when he’d set it up in the bathroom? I don’t remember there being any mention of him having one of those teeny tiny cameras that are easier to hide.
The romantic dinner between Josh and Emily was very questionable in my opinion. There was no build-up or anything. Like Josh never asked her to dinner; they never talked about having dinner. Yet they’re suddenly eating together and there was no mention of how that transpired or where everyone else was.
How does a gay guy repeatedly get turned on enough to have sex with multiple girls? Seriously. I’ve read/heard stories of gay men dating a woman for a long time before coming out as gay or marrying and having kids with their wives, but in both those situations, it was a single woman. After so long he would get used to what she liked in both the give and take categories. But with multiple women, it’s hard to understand how that would be… I don’t want to say possible, but it just seems unlikely. Of course, I don’t really know much about gay men.
After heading back to the hotel (and rescuing Emily), where exactly had Emily been when they were kissing, when Josh saw the light outside?
I found it funny that their CA rental car was a green Toyota Corolla. Why? Because that’s the care I have.
I wish there would have been more as to what was going on in the field that Emily and the govt guys took the boys to. How had the vehicle flipped?
Lastly, there were, I think, two scenes in which one of the characters was messing with the camera and a really old video played instead of the most recent. Now I’m not a camera expert, but how would that have been possible given a memory card only holds so much and it seemed like Josh was attached to his camera.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2017
I still can't say for sure if this is a one-shot story or if it's the beginning of a series. Goodreads tells me one thing, the book tells tells me another, I'm... Am I missing something here? I'll go with one-shot for now, if only because I can't picture a nice sequel, it pretty much ended where it did. Now... Encounter. It was a nice book, I guess. Short, which is great; read quickly, with an interesting albeit messy narrative — meaning, we had both objective descriptions of what was going on in the camera recording and long, deep insights of what the characters were thinking. I didn't care much for the romance, which was definitely a downer, but I really just couldn't understand I wish we'd gotten more aliens and less crop shenanigans.
September 19, 2019
This was an interesting story about crop circles ad how one man thought they were only hoaxes since he was an artist that made a lot of them. Then he finds one of his inventions on a larger scale… one not humanly possible.
I found the story a bit confusing on the romance side. It seemed both Ricky and Josh liked each other but was holding back (friends to lovers type deal, then they practically fight over the new girl and both end up with her (not together.) But in the long haul, the two find their way to each other.
His is an interesting sci-fi story (if it’s your cup of tea) a slow burn, friends to lovers with not a lot of man sex. It is also a cliffhanger ending.
I am going to have to say I was no fan of the narration. It was choppy, you could tell it was reading and no real voice acting. I did however like how the narrator conveyed thoughts making them distinctive.
I found the story a bit confusing on the romance side. It seemed both Ricky and Josh liked each other but was holding back (friends to lovers type deal, then they practically fight over the new girl and both end up with her (not together.) But in the long haul, the two find their way to each other.
His is an interesting sci-fi story (if it’s your cup of tea) a slow burn, friends to lovers with not a lot of man sex. It is also a cliffhanger ending.
I am going to have to say I was no fan of the narration. It was choppy, you could tell it was reading and no real voice acting. I did however like how the narrator conveyed thoughts making them distinctive.
February 18, 2020
I DNFed this after listing to roughly a third of it. So far, it has been difficult to follow as there are no audible cues for change of POV or scene breaks. There has also been constant inconsistencies, most of the narrative being in descriptions of video clips, but then random internal thoughts of the characters pop up. The writing is simply pretty poor and the narration is so-so, at best.
But mostly I'm stopping because I expected an interesting plot involving aliens or at least alien mysteries. But so far, there has been a little about building a crop circle and a lot about a closeted gay man seducing a woman he isn't interested in just so his possibly-straight best friend can't have her. And I'm basically sneering at my phone. The whole thing is gross and I dislike the characters so much I'd rather not finish the book than spend any more time with them.
But mostly I'm stopping because I expected an interesting plot involving aliens or at least alien mysteries. But so far, there has been a little about building a crop circle and a lot about a closeted gay man seducing a woman he isn't interested in just so his possibly-straight best friend can't have her. And I'm basically sneering at my phone. The whole thing is gross and I dislike the characters so much I'd rather not finish the book than spend any more time with them.
November 26, 2019
This is a very entertaining story but ended right when the action begins :P
The story is about Josh and Ricky, who are best friends (and maybe willing to be more) and run a website focused on debunking crop circles. Because they are all false... aren't they?
I wasn't a fan of Emily's role in the story or the way in which Josh and Ricky deal with their sexuality, but that's just me :P
And I liked the surprise about Emily's real identity and her past story.
What did bother me was that the POV was from the camera, and there were moments in which the changes come without warning, which sometimes that made hard to follow what was really going on.
But all in all, this is a good story.
William Turbett did a good job with the narration.
The story is about Josh and Ricky, who are best friends (and maybe willing to be more) and run a website focused on debunking crop circles. Because they are all false... aren't they?
I wasn't a fan of Emily's role in the story or the way in which Josh and Ricky deal with their sexuality, but that's just me :P
And I liked the surprise about Emily's real identity and her past story.
What did bother me was that the POV was from the camera, and there were moments in which the changes come without warning, which sometimes that made hard to follow what was really going on.
But all in all, this is a good story.
William Turbett did a good job with the narration.
August 30, 2017
It was... I don't know, rushed??? I couldn't get into the story... It's just... *sigh
May 31, 2019
*Might* be suitable for 12 and under, but I don’t know anyone that age to get their opinion. :(
June 5, 2019
I may not have given this much of a chance, but very soon in I decided I didn't like it. Mainly the writing style and the way it was set. Another dnf.
February 15, 2020
Anything interesting happens in the last half-dozen pages.
February 5, 2017
Encounter was pretty fun, but it ended right when the action was starting! Josh and Ricky are best friends and run a website with a couple of other friends. Their site focuses on debunking the myth of crop circles, by creating their own on local farms and documenting the process. In order to up their game, Josh begins filming them as they create the crop circles, since photos are easily faked. They've also gained the attention of an intern who's studying crop circles and why people are so ready to believe it's aliens. But when they finish their most elaborate design yet, something strange happens.
I liked Encounter a lot. I loved the idea of a group of college kids trespassing on farms and designing crop circles. The story is told from the POV of Josh's camera, although that's not always clear. The beginning of the chapters set the stage, but from there it read like a normal dual POV (Josh and Ricky). Like I said, the action really starts at the end. Ricky's latest design shows up on two other fields the same night that his team set up theirs! Is it aliens?! Did Emily the intern sell them out?! What's really going on here?! Of course, I can't tell you that, but it was getting quite exciting and then just ended.
Encounter also has a cute romance. Josh and Ricky both have feelings for the other but are afraid to say anything as they don't want to ruin the friendship. There's plenty of lingering glances and lustful thoughts. And they both try to make the other jealous by flirting with Emily! Just say how you feel! Of course, the adrenaline rush toward the end causes feelings to be expressed, and Josh and Ricky actually talk about what's going on with them. The romance is certainly not the focus, but I enjoyed it as well.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
I liked Encounter a lot. I loved the idea of a group of college kids trespassing on farms and designing crop circles. The story is told from the POV of Josh's camera, although that's not always clear. The beginning of the chapters set the stage, but from there it read like a normal dual POV (Josh and Ricky). Like I said, the action really starts at the end. Ricky's latest design shows up on two other fields the same night that his team set up theirs! Is it aliens?! Did Emily the intern sell them out?! What's really going on here?! Of course, I can't tell you that, but it was getting quite exciting and then just ended.
Encounter also has a cute romance. Josh and Ricky both have feelings for the other but are afraid to say anything as they don't want to ruin the friendship. There's plenty of lingering glances and lustful thoughts. And they both try to make the other jealous by flirting with Emily! Just say how you feel! Of course, the adrenaline rush toward the end causes feelings to be expressed, and Josh and Ricky actually talk about what's going on with them. The romance is certainly not the focus, but I enjoyed it as well.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
September 3, 2016
I didnt know Perie Wolford and i am so happy i pick this book. The POV is new for me as it is kinda told from a camera. That is interesting.
The characters, Josh, Ricky and Emily are awesome. Their complex relationship, distinct traits and all of their interactions is amazing.
Love the plot coz it is sci-fi without focusing too much on the love story between the boys. And that is gold. Its hard to find a sci-fi that emphasize more to the sci-fi than the love story.
Its a great read and will definitely read the sequel. (If there will be one).
The characters, Josh, Ricky and Emily are awesome. Their complex relationship, distinct traits and all of their interactions is amazing.
Love the plot coz it is sci-fi without focusing too much on the love story between the boys. And that is gold. Its hard to find a sci-fi that emphasize more to the sci-fi than the love story.
Its a great read and will definitely read the sequel. (If there will be one).
April 20, 2015
Interesting plot.
My only complaint: Was this a third-person omniscient narrator or just diferent POV's? (Although It might be my poor english as well)
My only complaint: Was this a third-person omniscient narrator or just diferent POV's? (Although It might be my poor english as well)
June 17, 2015
Young adult sci-fi. Very intriguing and exciting.
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