Genre

ACTION, DRAMA, FANTASY, SCI-FI

Brief

Given the ability to see evil in humans by benevolent aliens and tasked to stop them before they cause harm, a rideshare driver finds himself caught in an intergalactic war with evil aliens. In order to save the world, he’s helped by the good aliens and their other assistants to travel back in time 70 years. Unfortunately, his own hubris gets the better of him as he tries to alter historical events and save lives. The bad aliens find him in the past, and he wakes up in the present in a mental institution where it’s not clear what’s actually real and what’s in his head.

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

FIRST PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: FAIR

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: GOOD

Premise: GOOD

Structure: FAIR

Theme: GOOD

Accuracy of Book Profile

It is accurate.

Draw of Story

The premise of the novel is incredibly unique, and the reader is thrown immediately into the action. As this reader is familiar with the conspiracy theories surrounding reptilian aliens, this was a fun romp overall. (Potentially this could cause a lot of confusion in any readers not already familiar as there’s not a lot of necessary exposition given for some time.) Shaun has had to take on this massive responsibility, and it’s interesting to watch him at work. Weaving in a little bit of humor works well to ease the way into the story, too. The first ten pages are wild and surprising, and they immediately hook a reader into wanting more.

Possible Drawbacks

As mentioned, the book throws you straight into the relative zaniness of Shaun being essentially a vigilante for aliens, and the groundwork needed to build this world never really happens. An audience needs to be able to suspend disbelief and buy into this — and an audience is willing to accept a lot. This all can be believable, but it needs to be more established. So much happens off the page, such as Shaun’s backstory with the aliens which isn’t revealed for a long time. It’s not a surprise that Shaun might just be mentally ill, as it’s obvious from the start that it’s probably what’s happening. The worldbuilding in an adaptation would have to be stronger so there’s some question as to whether what Shaun sees is real.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY RELIES HEAVILY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The story is very original and fresh, and that’s a great hook into an adaptation. Aliens have been a mainstay in stories pretty much since media was invented, and it’s something that humans always have a healthy interest in. Science fiction in general is often popular, and Shaun is a strong hero to set this narrative around.

Fanbase Potential

Aliens could draw in a big audience, but the conspiracy theory angle could, unfortunately, limit an audience as it’s pushed to the extreme.

Awards Potential

Due to the genre and the plot itself, it’s unlikely to have traditional awards potential.

Envisioned Budget

LARGE BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

V, FALLING SKIES, COLONY

What’s New About the Story

As discussed, this is a very original story so far as its treatment of aliens and it has a unique take on a hero’s adventure. The plot could have a stronger and more logical arc, with more cause and effect to what happens. When Shaun is on the run, it’s a straightforward story for the most part, but the story kind of just meanders up until then. After he goes back in time, it also meanders, and the main thing pushing forward the narrative is the passage of time. A stronger plot, especially one that ties in the time travel better, would help to support its uniqueness.

Lead Characters

Shaun turns into something of an antagonist by the end of the story, which is fresh and so interesting. The concern is that Shaun isn’t very likable before this point of the book, either. He’s often a little too brash, and in large part what we know about him is that he’s an alcoholic who was abusive to at least one of his ex-wives. He has no relationship that we know of with his children or grandchildren, and he connives to steal his best friend’s girlfriend. If Pee Wee was shown to be a bad guy, this could work better. Shaun is at his most likable when he tries to defend others, especially when he speaks up against racism in the 1950s. Leaning more into this side of his personality would be helpful.

Uniqueness of Story

The story itself makes this close to a rare gem because it is very unique. The alien and conspiracy elements are so fascinating, and focusing more on this side of things in an adaptation would help it to stand out more. It’s easy to envision a TV series or even a limited series that would tap into the more worldwide and political elements and balance that storyline alongside Shaun’s more personal journey.

Possible Formats

TV Series: Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

The story in its current form is so scattered that attempting an adaptation of the novel would be very challenging. The premise is likely not commercial enough to be worth that difficult, especially given what would be a medium-high or high budget thanks to special effects and the action scenes. The conspiracy theory aspects could limit the audience, and Shaun’s discussion of the 1950s as an ideal period in which to live makes this worse. Though it’s understandable from his worldview why he would think this, it’s alienating to almost anyone who’s not a straight white man since the time period was chock full of egregious racism, sexism, homophobia, and general inequality. His strong belief in a golden era feels naive and negatively impacts his already waning likability. The writing style is repetitive and often tells us what’s coming up, which removes some of the tension or mystery. The dialogue is expository and contains no subtext so it doesn’t sound realistic. The formatting also causes some difficulty while reading, and the book could do with a proofing and editing pass. Most importantly, the worldbuilding isn’t strong enough to suspend disbelief, and the audience can never be fully invested as a result. The characters are flat and don’t feel or sound like real people, and the tone is unbalanced and inserts too much comedy into serious moments.

Tips for Improvement

The book moves at an okay pace, but the plot doesn’t follow a strong enough through line. Though the twist itself is interesting, it’s obvious from a mile away. Any story should work just as well without its twist, though, and it’s not clear that this would. The twist gives this a little bit of weight, especially since the audience doesn’t quite know what’s real and what’s not. Foreshadowing the twist so that it feels earned is important, but it’s not quite working as is. The world needs to be much, much clearer, and having more interaction with the aliens themselves could help this. Building Shaun into a more likable character is essential, especially with the eventual reveal. We need to be fully invested in his story, and we need to believe it’s possible he’s being directed by aliens and isn’t just losing his mind and killing people.