Review: A slow burn but worth the wait
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2012
In the afterword the author notes that he wanted to make a heroic character who does not resort to violence to solve issues.I'd say he has succeeded very nicely.This is a well crafted novel with deftly drawn characters and an interesting twist on the First Contact theme.The science is neatly presented and using a school teacher as the focal point allows Cawdron to walk us through technical aspects from first principles without having to bend the narrative out of shape.  There are enough characters to provide multiple points of view and a degree of cynicism that gently pokes fun at the media and military.  The politics, esp. with regards America versus The Rest Of The World feels spot on, or perhaps even understated in these troubling times of the Arab Spring.  And the sidebar on religion is thoughtful without being overly provocative.I liked the dialogue, it seemed natural, amongst the adults at least.  The kids dialogue seemed a little beyond their years, but that's a niggle not a real problem.So, who might like "Anomaly"?It's a thoughtful book that moves along at a good pace.  It is not a thriller in the chase the bad guys down sense, but there is a puzzle to solve, a series of high-tech alien riddles that are deliberately pitched for us to just solve, because that's the point after all, and a conclusion that might be a surprise but shouldn't be.  I can't immediately think of comparable authors but that's OK, "Anomaly" is worth reading on its own merits.