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Advanced humans, calling themselves Terrans, leave a highly corrupt and mostly primitive Earth to search out a new planet to inhabit. Once on a new planet, they begin exploring the rest of the galaxy and begin watching over their more primitive human cousins back on Earth. Some Terrans are well known in human history, people such as King Arthur, Galileo, Genghis Khan, and Amelia Earhart. The Terrans come across an alien species, called the Ragnor, that experiment on other species for no reason other than that they can. The Ragnor discover Earth by accident and start their abductions and experiments on the first set of humans they come across, the colonists on Roanoke Island. The Ragnor continue to cause mayhem and mischief on Earth, eventually getting shot down over Roswell, New Mexico. Once the humans on Earth figure out they're being manipulated by both sides, President Truman has the United States embark on a plan to pay back both the Terrans and the Ragnor with the technology created by Area 51. Once the plan is initiated, will Earth succeed in its payback or fail gloriously?
Anonymous
Posted December 16, 2012
The writing is terrible and the dialogue is laughable.
The story did keep me reading, however, so it's not all bad.
I'm just not sure if I kept reading because it was so bad that I just couldn't turn away.
Please learn the difference between your and you're.
7291743
Posted June 15, 2011
It was like reading really bad fanfiction written by a fifteen year old with a poor grasp of history. It wouldn't be worth downloading if it was free.
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Posted April 1, 2011
ya dont
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ChelleyH
Posted June 24, 2009
Other reviewers have gone over the plot already, so I will just stick to what I did and did not like about the book. I know this is the author's first novel, so I was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed the plot and the twisting of our history. I loved how the author had so many of our historical characters be from Terra, it was an intriquing concept. I especially liked Amelia Earhart's character and her sidekick, Fred, being taken back to Terra, it was a fun little twist. I also enjoyed the "fictional" characters that were named so close to their real life counterparts, like President O'Bana. That added another fun little element to the book. There was so much background information leading up to Earth's major confrontation with the Terrans and the Ragnor that the book was a bit slow in places. But the second half of the book really kicked into high gear. It was a page turner and I did not see the ending coming! I love it when a story is gripping and unpredictable. While I would have liked a happier ending (I am a girl, what can I say!), it was definitely interesting and unexpected. I applaud the author on his first novel and look forward to his next work!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Author Cliff Ball draws on his considerable knowledge of history, folklore and Christianity to craft a convincing retelling of humanity's time on Earth.
Told mostly from the point of view of a newly sworn-in U.S. President, we learn that Earth has existed under the shadow of secrets and lies for thousands of years. As Noah was building his wooden ark to escape the flood, a highly developed race of people called Terrans was designing starships and planning to leave the Earth entirely.
The Terrans travel to an Earth-like planet and set up a colony, naming it Terra. They explore their new system and meet many friendly cultures. They also meet the Ragnor, a race obsessed with military conquest. The Ragnor attack Terran ships relentlessly and without cause.
Soon the Terrans return to Earth to see if their human cousins have advanced. They find Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs and decide the earth humans are far too primitive to help Terra fight the Ragnor.
Some Terrans decide to interfere with human development and pose as Earth people. From the times of King Arthur to Genghis Khan, Terrans make their mark on history.
Centuries later, a spy base is set up on Mars. From Mars, the Terrans watch as the Great War explodes in Europe and later as World War Two engulfs the entire planet.
The Ragnor visit Earth in cloaked ships and begin abducting and experimenting on humans. Tales of abduction and UFOs spread around the globe. A Ragnor scout ship crashes in New Mexico in 1947. The Americans develop the Area 51 program at Roswell. The project's mandate is to use the technology from the downed alien craft to defend the United States against her enemies.
Sixty years later, a secret starship is ready, the crew trained, and the newly elected Present must address the nation and the world. He orders the ship to attack Earth's alien foe. Is one advanced ship enough to match the combined fleets of both Terra and Ragnor? Is America on the brink of its greatest military victory since D-Day? Or is it doomed to fail like no other combat mission in history?
Ball has written an intriguing new take on history. He keeps the pages turning, explaining historical events in his own unique style. The story builds to an explosive climax that won't leave you disappointed.
I recommend Don't Mess With Earth to Sci-Fi and alternative history fans.
Reviewed by WR Potter for Reader's Choice Reviews.
In the new book, Don't Mess With Earth, intellectually and scientifically advanced humans, as well as aliens from a distant world, have descended on Earth. They have been experimenting and meddling in the affairs of humans for the advancement of their own species for centuries. But wait! Earthlings have caught on to the devious ploys and are fighting back.
Don't Mess With Earth begins with the President of the United States getting ready to hold a press conference to explain how Earth has been manipulated. ".it all started a few thousand years ago." The story then jumps back to a time when Earth was populated by primitive people with the exception of the Terrans, a race of technologically advanced humans. The Terrans worked constantly to advance their society while those around them fought and scrounged for food.
With the help of another alien race, the Terrans exponentially advanced their technology and soon were in conflict with the Ragnor, another advanced race. While these two enemies battled each other, they both descended on Earth - the Terrans to meddle and the Ragnor to experiment.
Once the author presents the history of the Terrans and Ragnors, he then brings us back to Earth and the reader is taken on a history trip where we meet Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Michelangelo, Galileo, and King Arthur along with many other historical figures. In the U.S., we meet Amelia Earhart and Chuck Yeager. The reader sees how some famous characters from the past were actually Terrans, and how these advanced people affected history.
The story chronicles various historical events around the world, including the well-known alien spaceship crash in New Mexico in the late 40s. In Don't Mess With Earth, the crash is real. When a Ragnor space vessel crashes on Earth, one alien is captured alive and taken to a secret research area known only as 'Area 51.' By using the Ragnor captive's knowledge and studying the spaceship, humans, particularly the U.S. military, advance their own knowledge. Soon, they are able to launch an attack of their own.
Don't Mess With Earth has a great premise and the way the author weaves historical fact with creative alien mischief is clever and intriguing. There are a bit too many background chapters that present historical figures which, although fun to read, eventually drag the story to a halt. They are really mini vignettes that prevent the plot from getting into the meat of the story until about halfway through the book when the Ragnor ship crashes and 'Area 51' is established.
The writing in Don't Mess With Earth is a bit strained in places as is the dialog. For example, when Amelia Earhart is having problems, we read, "She was beginning to suspect that her radio was being jammed by the Terrans, so she waited for whatever that was about to happen, go ahead and happen." There are also several holes in the plot, such as how the Terrans became so much more sophisticated than their primitive neighbors. When the military captures a Ragnor, they force him to cooperate. How could one Ragnor's reluctant assistance, the technology his ship offers, along with human ingenuity be enough to launch a strike against a much more advanced civilization? This idea may strain believability and evoke questions from the reader. Still, the unexpected twist at the end of the story, plus the creative storyline, will keep many readers hooked.
cebj25
Posted March 24, 2009
I read "Out of Time" which didn't have enough of a storyline to it, while this one has a great story. The writer has a quirky sense of humor throughout the novel, like when King Arthur and Merlin(who aren't from Earth) are talking about the Excalibur and how to make it a frightening sword. How much technology is too much to frighten the primitives? Or, how flippant two of the advanced humans are towards slaughtering Earth humans during one of the wars during the middle ages. The novel is alternate history, so the writer has the Soviets try for the moon first, only to completely fail, but nobody knows about it but a few Russian engineers and cosmonauts. Heck, even the blue screen of death, which is called the Green Screen of Horrors is parodied, it was simply alien technology that the United States decided to market. It was a fun read.
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Overview
Advanced humans, calling themselves Terrans, leave a highly corrupt and mostly primitive Earth to search out a new planet to inhabit. Once on a new planet, they begin exploring the rest of the galaxy and begin watching over their more primitive human cousins back on Earth. Some Terrans are well known in human history, people such as King Arthur, Galileo, Genghis Khan, and Amelia Earhart. The Terrans come across an alien species, called the Ragnor, that experiment on other species for no reason other than that ...