Imminent: A Novel

Michael Kirchhoff
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 0595411045
Reviewed by Deb Shunamon for Reader Views (4/07)

I had to like this story – my namesake, the street I live on, the cities where my relatives live, and my country are all favorably mentioned. Should you not have the same intimate connections, I can still guarantee that you will find this quirky book to be among the best written, enjoyable, science fiction novels that you have ever read.

The experiences of ordinary humans encountering aliens are presented through incredible characterizations and a great story. Creatures and their traits, situations and the responses to them, are so well-written that there is a tendency for the reader to get too relaxed and neglect the seriousness of having extra-terrestrials nonchalantly staging a battle on Earth. There is a lot of delightful tongue-in-cheek writing resulting in plenty of chuckles, that run alongside a nagging, uneasy feeling which persists until the very not-so-alien, yet alien, end. Why was this book written? Is it an eloquent commentary on humanity? Is it only about small and large scale (as in galactic) individualism vs. conformity, as represented by the Zeastians and Imminents? Or is this simply a marvelous tale about an aging, lonely recluse nurturing misdirected love; a passionate man attempting to define religion; a grieving grandmother with a lot of time on her hands; and huge lizards grumbling about having to assemble Swedish furniture? There is plenty to ponder over.

This is a wonderful book, and I’d love to discuss it with someone. It wasn’t a novel that I read quickly to find out what was going to happen next, but where I took frequent stops to ask why I was enjoying myself so much, yet still felt my skin crawling. With its amusing alien words, understandable technology, brilliant characterizations, and great writing, Michael Kirchhoff’s “Imminent: A Novel” is an incredibly, intriguing novel.

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