First Cause discussion

http://www.amazon.com/First-Cause-eve...
(From the actual Amazon review):

To begin with, I received this book as a contest prize from Goodreads First Reads. I had no idea what it was about, nor did I look it up anywhere. I didn't even look for any reviews (which I normally do before I read a book).

With an explosive beginning, this book kept my attention to the end. At first, I thought it would be a book about the United States being attacked by Islamic terrorists (since that is what everyone has on their minds). However, my beliefs were dispelled a short time into the book when it was revealed that an offshoot of humanity was attempting to gain a foothold and return their populace to Earth.

As we discover from Angela, there is a colony of humans known as the Luceri on one of the moons of a neighboring planet they named Lucero. They left Earth in the 1930's to escape the conditions at the time. She is a part of an advance "defense force" sent to Earth to begin the process of their return. The Luceri believe they can bring peace to the world and advance humankind.

The Luceri "terranauts" as the defense force is called, sets events into motion that test the morals and ethics of people around the world. Explosions that rocked every major city on the planet within a few days of each other had the peoples of the world blaming each other for attacking.

The United States government is decimated and run by a "cabinet" chosen to work with the provisional President. Martial law is declared to help calm everyone down. Unfortunately, there are those in the group who have their own agendas.

Angela decides to help against her own people and becomes prey for the other Luceri on Earth. She manages to stay hidden for a time with Adam (who helped her understand that there is more to humanity than she was taught). The two are captured by rogue members of the government who try to pump information out of them. Thankfully, Adam, through his contacts, had already been it contact with the President and informed him of what was going on. When the President discovered Adam and Angela were being held against their will, he ordered them released.

The book could be considered a corollary to life here in the real world. A nation is attacked on their own soil (think September 11). Members within the government attempt to curtail civil rights and gain power for themselves. The public is kept in the dark about what Is really happening. The Luceri could very well have been from the same terrorist organization that attacked the United States in 2001. It's not as if they were truly aliens. They were human.

In all, First Cause is a well written, thought provoking book (although it did end with the fates of everyone up in the air). It's an exciting read for anyone whether they enjoy science fiction or not. If not for the fact of the Luceri being an advanced offshoot of humanity who left the planet, this really would not read as a science fiction novel. It does not contain any far-fetched technology or a lot of technobabble. It's a book anyone can read and enjoy.

I look forward to Mr. West's next book.