Review: The best "UFO / First Contact" novel I have read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 27, 2013
I have no idea where "Outside Context Problem" got its title, but this is the best "First Contact" or "UFO" novel that I have ever read, and it merits every star of its five-star rating.  This is really a political thriller with the added ingredient of an entirely plausible First Contact scenario with UFOs.  Many of the features of UFO lore, such as abductions, cattle mutilations, and other things are seamlessly woven into the storyline of this excellent novel.  Everything in this novel is completely believable and this one requires very little suspension of the reader's critical facilities.  Even the technological prognostications of this novel are completely plausible.  The political scenario that unfolds in this novel is quite logical and constitutes about as good of a guess as to how the world would react, and how aliens and humans would interact, as can be made at this time.  The author paints a picture of aliens who in some ways understand humans all too well, but in other ways show a complete misunderstanding of the human psyche.  About what you would expect of a highly developed alien race.I will eschew spoilers, but this novel runs with the idea that a sudden clash between two civilizations in which one is significantly advanced over the other does not bode well for the less advanced civilization.  But the author also keeps in mind that our human civilization is not primitive and in fact embraces technology.  And so the games begin...I will be reading all of the installments of this excellent series of novels.  The first novel is a home run in my opinion.  RJB.