What do you think?
Rate this book
Minimum Safe Distance
First contact was nothing like we imagined.
Can the aliens save Earth? Should they?With the Earth teetering on recovery from humanity's 21st century mistakes, two highly advanced aliens observing from the Moon are suddenly on opposite sides of an ethical battle over a dire cosmic threat.
As governments seek to destroy them, the aliens wrestle and scheme, entangling all of humanity as they influence and empower specific humans to achieve their contrary objectives.
Among them are a brilliant AI expert who has channeled her autism in the service of science, and a violent, anti-secular zealot who hates everything she stands for.
Drawn into the conflict, Laurence and Matt must reach minimum safe distance from human nature itself – their own, the rest of humanity’s, and of the former-human, techno-demon ‘monstas’.
Chased into the ruins of the US, they struggle to distill the meaning of personhood, discover the value of their own lives, and in so doing decide the fate of the solar system.
--
5 stars from The Wishing Shelf! (www.thewsa.co.uk)
Can the aliens save Earth? Should they?With the Earth teetering on recovery from humanity's 21st century mistakes, two highly advanced aliens observing from the Moon are suddenly on opposite sides of an ethical battle over a dire cosmic threat.
As governments seek to destroy them, the aliens wrestle and scheme, entangling all of humanity as they influence and empower specific humans to achieve their contrary objectives.
Among them are a brilliant AI expert who has channeled her autism in the service of science, and a violent, anti-secular zealot who hates everything she stands for.
Drawn into the conflict, Laurence and Matt must reach minimum safe distance from human nature itself – their own, the rest of humanity’s, and of the former-human, techno-demon ‘monstas’.
Chased into the ruins of the US, they struggle to distill the meaning of personhood, discover the value of their own lives, and in so doing decide the fate of the solar system.
--
5 stars from The Wishing Shelf! (www.thewsa.co.uk)
- GenresScience Fiction
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2022
32 people want to read
About the author
X. Ho Yen
3 books5 followersFYI, it's X. Ho Yen, not "X. Yen". Goodreads assumes a surname can't have a space!
Please see XHoYenAuthor.com/lauds for the full list of legitimate lauds for my books, including awards.
There you can see the astounding Literary Titan review of "Space Autistic Author's Puzzling Innerverse". Or see it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Please see XHoYenAuthor.com/lauds for the full list of legitimate lauds for my books, including awards.
There you can see the astounding Literary Titan review of "Space Autistic Author's Puzzling Innerverse". Or see it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 23, 2023
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
23rd August 2023
TITLE: Minimum Safe Distance
AUTHOR: X HoYen
Star Rating: 5
‘A stylishly written ‘first contact’ novel with a strong cast of ‘very different’ characters. Highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf
REVIEW
I must say, I very much enjoyed this first contact novel from the pen of the rather intriguingly named X HoYen. Being a bit of a nerd, I love technology-based books; I recently enjoyed The Martian which is written by a software engineer. I see the author of this novel has a background in aerospace engineering – trust me, you can tell! Complicated, yes; in fact, I had to work hard to keep up in the opening chapters – but I still loved every word of it. X HoYen is not only a talented author, but he also has a lot to say. The result is a thought-provoking, techno-novel that’s so highly unpredictable, it’ll keep you awake at night!
In many ways, although I loved the plot – the ‘SelfMade’ being particularly original – it was the writing style that grabbed me. I just got the feeling that X HoYen really wanted his readers to ‘get it’. So, for example, when there’s a character with a difficult to pronounce name, the author’s determined that the reader will pronounce it right: Laurence’s mother, Geneviève Levesque (pronounced the Quebecois way, zhuhn-ev-YEHV lev-AH-eek). This author is not a lazy writer, and I loved that.
So, who’s this novel for? Well, if you in any way enjoyed the film, Independence Day, Resurgence, which is possibly the worst sci-fi film ever made, this novel is NOT for you. But if you enjoy thought-provoking sci-fi, i.e. you’re a Star Trek fan and not Star Wars, then you’ll find this book a blast. And if you enjoy books written by authors who go the extra mile to get it right, then you’ll find this novel utterly engrossing.
All in all, it’s a bit of a gem.
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk
23rd August 2023
TITLE: Minimum Safe Distance
AUTHOR: X HoYen
Star Rating: 5
‘A stylishly written ‘first contact’ novel with a strong cast of ‘very different’ characters. Highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf
REVIEW
I must say, I very much enjoyed this first contact novel from the pen of the rather intriguingly named X HoYen. Being a bit of a nerd, I love technology-based books; I recently enjoyed The Martian which is written by a software engineer. I see the author of this novel has a background in aerospace engineering – trust me, you can tell! Complicated, yes; in fact, I had to work hard to keep up in the opening chapters – but I still loved every word of it. X HoYen is not only a talented author, but he also has a lot to say. The result is a thought-provoking, techno-novel that’s so highly unpredictable, it’ll keep you awake at night!
In many ways, although I loved the plot – the ‘SelfMade’ being particularly original – it was the writing style that grabbed me. I just got the feeling that X HoYen really wanted his readers to ‘get it’. So, for example, when there’s a character with a difficult to pronounce name, the author’s determined that the reader will pronounce it right: Laurence’s mother, Geneviève Levesque (pronounced the Quebecois way, zhuhn-ev-YEHV lev-AH-eek). This author is not a lazy writer, and I loved that.
So, who’s this novel for? Well, if you in any way enjoyed the film, Independence Day, Resurgence, which is possibly the worst sci-fi film ever made, this novel is NOT for you. But if you enjoy thought-provoking sci-fi, i.e. you’re a Star Trek fan and not Star Wars, then you’ll find this book a blast. And if you enjoy books written by authors who go the extra mile to get it right, then you’ll find this novel utterly engrossing.
All in all, it’s a bit of a gem.
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk
July 29, 2024
On the whole, this was an interesting and entertaining book, and there's definitely a lot going on.
The premise of two advanced, high-tech aliens fighting on and near earth to decide the strategy to deal with an upcoming cataclysm is unique, as is way an autistic character fits well in with that alien tech.
There are a couple long chase or race scenes where multiple rovers or others race to one location after another. These got a little long an confusing.
I found it hard to accept that these advanced aliens could predict this cataclysm centuries ahead of time, yet then suddenly realize they're off by a factor of 10.
The simplicity and speed of creating more 'enhanced' was also a bit hard to fathom.
Finally, there were long passages telling about the whole litany of calamities that befell the earth, and particularly the US. These are couched as conversations of a sort by could have been shown instead. At times, it appears that the US is blamed for most of the problems that befall it.
The premise of two advanced, high-tech aliens fighting on and near earth to decide the strategy to deal with an upcoming cataclysm is unique, as is way an autistic character fits well in with that alien tech.
There are a couple long chase or race scenes where multiple rovers or others race to one location after another. These got a little long an confusing.
I found it hard to accept that these advanced aliens could predict this cataclysm centuries ahead of time, yet then suddenly realize they're off by a factor of 10.
The simplicity and speed of creating more 'enhanced' was also a bit hard to fathom.
Finally, there were long passages telling about the whole litany of calamities that befell the earth, and particularly the US. These are couched as conversations of a sort by could have been shown instead. At times, it appears that the US is blamed for most of the problems that befall it.
September 9, 2023
On the surface, this is a fresh take on an alien invasion story, filled with postapocalyptic setpieces, exciting technologies, and creative new lifeforms. At it's core, though, it's a careful examination of human behaviors that gently asks the reader to rethink who the true monsters really are. A thoughtful, well-written book that doesn't get bogged down with an unmanageable cast of characters, confusing details, or shoehorned romances, but instead whisks the reader off into a future Earth where disaster presents humanity with the opportunity to become either its worst or best self.
I thorougly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more works by this exciting new author.
I thorougly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more works by this exciting new author.
July 26, 2025
Interesting read, but sometimes ponderous
I found many interesting ideas and concepts and did engage with the autistic protagonist, but there were long passages that seemed like information dumps. The book is worth a look, but may not be to everyone’s taste.
I found many interesting ideas and concepts and did engage with the autistic protagonist, but there were long passages that seemed like information dumps. The book is worth a look, but may not be to everyone’s taste.
Read
October 8, 2023See the lovely 8.75/10 editorial review by The BookLife Prize (of Publisher's Weekly) here:
https://booklife.com/project/minimum-...
https://booklife.com/project/minimum-...
August 21, 2023
Interesting take on a first contact, with some innovative ideas and a global focus. (As a non-American, reading books where Americans do *everything* kind get boring.)
I particularly enjoyed the insight into Laurence's mind and I wish we had more of her (and her AI "son"). I kind of lost interest toward the end, when the action focused more on the alien characters.
I particularly enjoyed the insight into Laurence's mind and I wish we had more of her (and her AI "son"). I kind of lost interest toward the end, when the action focused more on the alien characters.
Read
November 15, 2023Please see XHoYenAuthor.com, but also these lovely editorial reviews of MSD:
"Ho Yen’s descriptions of advanced technologies should please fans of hard SF, but what really makes the book work are the questions it raises about what it means to be a person and a member of a species.
A thoughtful, inventive SF fable.
Our Verdict: GET IT" -- Kirkus Reviews
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
8.75/10 from The BookLife Prize:
https://booklife.com/project/minimum-...
4/5 from Foreword/Clarion:
https://www.forewordreviews.com/revie...
5/5 from Readers' Favorite:
https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...
"Ho Yen’s descriptions of advanced technologies should please fans of hard SF, but what really makes the book work are the questions it raises about what it means to be a person and a member of a species.
A thoughtful, inventive SF fable.
Our Verdict: GET IT" -- Kirkus Reviews
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
8.75/10 from The BookLife Prize:
https://booklife.com/project/minimum-...
4/5 from Foreword/Clarion:
https://www.forewordreviews.com/revie...
5/5 from Readers' Favorite:
https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews