This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite
An Alien's Guide to the Human Species by Deb McEwan introduces readers to the aliens of the planet Largo. The Terries love watching TV, and especially reality shows are a huge hit. When planet Earth is discovered, the species which regards itself as the most intelligent, superior species on the planet turns out to be the ideal candidate for a new reality show. What better way to learn about the life, mating habits, and culture of a species than to secretly film them and turn them into reality show stars? The aliens of planet Largo have a clever system to create their show: they send intelligent, trained spiders to Earth. They are equipped with high-tech cameras, and have one goal: create a fascinating and educational reality show. The spiders see this as a great chance, because they used to end up as snack food on the plates of Terries. On planet Earth, the team of spiders starts their observations, meets Earth spiders, and have to deal with some unforeseen circumstances. But whatever happens ... the show must go on!
When I picked up An Alien's Guide to the Human Species by Deb McEwan, I wasn't aware that some of the heroes of the story would be spiders. I have no issue with spiders, and leave them be if they leave me be. But I am also not a huge fan. I am glad I DIDN'T know this before, otherwise I might not have picked the book up and would have missed out on a hilarious read. After all, with "heroic" spider spies, what could possibly go wrong? Obviously, quite a lot, otherwise there would be no conflict. It was refreshing to see a completely different take on "alien species spies on humans". The human couple that takes the center stage of the reality show finds out that something isn't quite right, and this just adds to the fun for readers. I found it amazing that someone could create so many different spider characters that are well written and have their own issues. We even meet a gay spider! The book is an interesting mix of science fiction (after all, there are aliens), adventure (those spiders have to deal with a lot of stuff), and romance (not only talking about the human couple here). It also offers a humorous look at the life of the human species, from a point of view you usually do not consider.