Michael E. Lloyd

Reviews

The artistic center of Observation Three is the image of the narrator — enlightened, urbane, idealistic, and lightly ironic. He positions the numerous characters like pieces on a vast chessboard. The pieces are then set in motion, and the events of the novel unfold in a brilliant and intricate pattern.

The comic elements subtly shift to the fore. The names, the affectations, the inexorable pull towards the happy ending — it all comes together with the reader’s awareness that we are in the land of gentle comedy, with a sad and serious sub-text, but comedy nonetheless.

And in the end? No explosion. No crisis. Only the gained insight that mankind is not yet quite up to the Doman challenge. First contact is made, but it’s almost a non-event and only a handful of people even know.

Observation Three is a panoramic portrait of what we are and what we could be. It is an extended, minutely detailed, gradually unfolding plea that we behave rationally and charitably — in our own best interests. And to sweeten the philosophical punch, the love story of Toni and Maelene, child of “Society’s Child,” is told.

Bravo!

Bill Bowler
Coordinating Editor
Bewildering Stories

Michael E. Lloyd picks up the action where he left it in Observation Two, introduces many new characters, and develops the plot nicely amid authentic Southern California scenery.

He then does a fine job of interweaving the threads of his intricate story: the ongoing romance of Toni and Maelene under the loosening management of the Domans and the ever-suspicious eye of Homeland Security; the Doman diplomatic trade initiative to the always-doubting U.S. government; and the “elixir of life” buy-back scheme for comic relief.

The concluding chapters remind me of a Classical dénouement, where the gods dole out rewards and punishment to the mortal players, make their “gods’ eye view” observations about human nature, and then return to Mount Olympus.

A well-written, engaging and enjoyable read.

Gary Inbinder, writer, California

Excerpts

The military were standing guard, the fire department was standing watch, and the police were standing around. The government scientists were standing to one side, and the FBI, the CIA and Homeland Security were standing divided.

Nobody was in command, because every senior officer on-site felt that his particular service owned the problem. So they had done a lot of talking. And now they had been told, in a coded early-morning phone call received by the CIA agent, to await the arrival of the Department of State.

The police officer in charge had, as his first action on-site, cordoned off the bore hole for his scene-of-crime investigators. But both of them had been re-assigned elsewhere soon after their arrival, with cases of suspected arson and attempted murder in towns several miles away.

So the scientists and technical experts who had been whisked in under strict secrecy were still frustratedly scratching their and each other’s heads at an enforced distance. The best any of those boffins had been able to come up with, from their remote visual observations, was that it looked as if someone had been a bit careless with a giant laser-powered apple-corer ...

---

‘It’s DF, sir. I’m calling from the special summit meeting I mentioned yesterday ...’

‘Is that the one about the low-price oil?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Can’t be that special, then.’

‘Sir, this is the one with the envoys from the ... Aliens.’

‘Ah, that one. Slipped my mind. So, did they surrender?’

‘No, sir, it’s not a combat situation. It’s a trade negotiation.’

‘Right, so it is about oil, then?’

‘Not exactly, sir. But the important thing is, they insist on talking not just with the USA, but with other nations too ...’

‘Other nations??’

‘Yes, sir. You know — overseas powers, foreign countries ...’

‘I’m not too sure about that idea, DF.’

‘I do believe it’s in our interest to make a small concession here, sir.’

‘You think they have some quality crude to trade?’

‘I believe they are offering us many valuable resources at very attractive prices ...’

‘OK. But hey, we can’t tell the real power brokers anything about this.’

‘No, sir?’

‘No. And I don’t want to involve more than one alien state in our own business, right?’

‘Right, sir ...’

‘So I think ... I think I need to know what you recommend, Rob.’

‘It’s Bob, sir.’

‘Good. Where do we find him?’

‘No, I’m Bob, sir. But we do have a special relationship with Junior over there in Great Britain ...’

‘Hey, that’s a part of England, right?’

‘Well ...’

‘And they still have some left? OK, let’s do it. You jump on an airplane to ... wait, don’t tell me ... yeah, to London, and fix up a deal.’

‘A deal with London, sir?’

‘Yeah.’

‘But ...’

‘But I can’t let you have the Grumman, Bob. Keeping that in reserve — there’s too much going down in that Asia City place. You’ll have to go scheduled and set up a dummy meeting as a cover.’

‘You mean I should create a legend, sir?’

‘I sure hope I will be, Rob.’

‘Pardon me?’

‘No problem, Ron. Now, go west, young man.’

‘That’s east, sir.’

‘Right.’