Bright Morning Star

By: Simon Morden

Narrated by: Christopher Weeks

Simon Morden is an award-winning novelist and scientist with degrees in Geology and Planetary Geophysics. In Bright Morning Star he delivers perhaps his finest work to date.

Sent to Earth to explore, survey, collect samples and report back to its makers, an alien probe arrives in the middle of a warzone. Witnessing both the best and worst of humanity, the AI probe faces situations that go far beyond the parameters of its programming and is forced to improvise, making decisions that have repercussions for the future of our entire world.

©2019 Simon Morden (P)2020 W. F. Howes

Bravo. Profound and enthralling.

This is perhaps one of the best stories I’ve ever read, and I’ve read thousands of books. The first person narrative of an alien probe who encounters the worst and best of our species, and becomes a mentor to us.

It was moving in both light and dark ways, and got to the core of who we are with the complications and deep complexities of what makes us human. I was listening from the Plus catalog, but have since purchased it. I expect to listen to it many times in the future.

The writing reminds of the greats like Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov. The narration was sublime, and so perfectly matched for the protagonist. It’s heavy reading and won’t be for everyone, but if you like literature that makes you think, dream, imagine, then this story is for you. Enjoy! 😊

Loved it!

Even though this book was mostly written in the first person it is well worth the time!

Excellent story well narrated

I rarely review but I must make an exception here.

Told from the point of view of an artificially intelligent probe sent to Earth to collect and analyze flora and fauna to relate back to the alien mothership. The logical and rational AI contrasts with the humans it encounters in a war zone between Ukraine and Russia and Russian supported rebels. The story draws you in and gets more complex and interesting as the probe becomes more proficient with human languages and cultures. I do like the fact that the probe does not have super-human powers and can easily defeat hostiles, but instead uses its limited defenses and logic to survive. The author makes interesting points about human nature and geopolitics without preaching.

Highly recommended.

a good new perspective

it was going to be 5 stars before taking a sanctimonious jab at the greatest president in history, Donald Trump.

If Murderbot and Noam Chomsky had a baby…

I loved the first-person perspective of the Murderbot Diaries. Now imagine an alien robot dropped into a Ukrainian war zone, who’s come to study nature, and ends up studying humanity’s total stupidity and predilection for self-destruction. The robot holds a mirror up, and we finally see ourselves. Many great concepts here, and I loved being reminded that world peace is possible if we started acting less human and more like an enlightened robot.