That one was weird. More horror than scifi. (view spoiler)[Alien invasion of the Virgin Islands in search of their alien brand of self actualization. Tentacled aliens wrapped in human form/flesh travel through time and experience plantation life and cruelty. They kill humans that harm them. One human figured a way to kill one of them. In retaliation they kill all the males on the island and then leave (hide spoiler)]...or something... it could be that I totally misunderstood the plot...3.5 Stars...

I get what the author was trying to do here. The alien race Ynaa invading and taking over the Virgin Islands is an obvious comment to colonialism and an overall interesting idea. So the basis for a good story is there, I just don't feel as though the author truly pulled it off.Many parts of the novel were confusing and disjointed, and didn't quite fit back together for the reader in the way the author likely believed they would. Another thing that really disconnected the story from the reader wa...

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Lesson. Alien invasion I suppose? Regardless, I was lost from the beginning. I couldn't relate to the characters or the plot. Unfortunately, this story fell flat for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't care much for this. I'm about 3 hours in and still don't care, so I'm done. On to the next!

Cadwell Turnbull paints a stunningly intricate portrait of humanity, capturing hopes and dreams, flaws and failings with remarkable depth and texture. The Lesson is a blast to read and a meaningful exploration of the bearing of colonialism and the perils of human ambition.

My love for alien invasion novels has become a life long passion. Over the years, I’ve added many favorites to my personal bookshelf and now I will be adding another. It’s rare to pick up a debut as unique as The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull. This is a deeply emotional story of suspense about an alien race that has traveled to the US Virgin Islands with seemingly unknown intentions. As the plot slowly unfolds through the POV of multiple complex characters, Turnbull sets the stage for a revelation

The Lesson is a literary take on an alien invasion story, set in the Virgin Islands. It largely centers Black characters, local culture, and touches on the history of slavery and colonization. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but explores some interesting ideas. It uses the aliens as a metaphor for colonization, where they are both benevolent and brutally violent.If you're looking for a book that spends most of it's time on describing and understanding the aliens, you aren't going to get it...

I'm not going to re-cap the blurb or give a synopsis.It's classic SF, about first contact, and humanity's struggle with a more technologically developed species. The book is informed by the authors background, the history of his birthplace.History most of us know little about.In it, all these half century old tropes spring to life on the page, vital and new and infused with fresh meaning, enacted by real characters we feel like we know.There's stuff about colonialism I knew in my head, that I no...

3.5 starsTrigger Warnings: violence, death, cancerThis is such an interesting and fresh take on the first contact trope in alien science fiction stories. However, this book is not as much about aliens as I thought it would be going into it. The set up for this is 5 years prior, an Alien race known as the Ynaa arrives at the US Virgin Islands and have been living with the people there ever since. They are on a research mission and while there they have offered up their advanced technology to the

Sign me up for character-driven scifi, always and forever. 🙌Within the first few pages, I knew this one would be a winner, and from there, it just kept pleasing with the twists and turns.The 'first contact' narrative of other alien invasion stories and films is immediately re-entered to the US Virgin Islands, specifically St. Thomas. A closely linked network of characters witnesses the alien's arrival in the sky, and each has different stories, beliefs, and effects of the event.Turnbull keeps th...

Aliens have made first contact in the Virgin Islands. Amazingly, they look just like humans and come bearing gifts of advanced medicine and clean energy. All they ask in return is that they be able to hang out for awhile to conduct some unspecified scientific research. Sure, they look human, but something seems just a bit off with the way they move, almost like they're not used to their own bodies. The locals immediately distrust the alien presence and see them as just the latest in a long line

The first two-thirds of the book were amazing! But unfortunately towards the end of the book I was just trying to get through it.Mera was my favorite character—she was so complex and well thought out! I could have read more about her, her past and beyond that. Lee was another amazing character that I could have read more about! However, on the other end of the spectrum, Patrice was my least favorite and one that got on my nerves.There are some great moments in this book! But those are fleeting.

This. Was. Terrific. Set in the Virgin Islands, the premise is that aliens arrive to do some research and give humanity all sorts of amazing tech in exchange for their stay. But they stay on an inhabited island. They look like people, mix with people, drink and have sex with people...and if anyone bothers or threatens them, they kill brutally and immediately. It's just their culture. Obviously this is about colonialism--one of the characters is even writing a book about the subject and we go int...

[3.5 stars] First contact stories in science fiction have been used for decades to explore cultural and anthropological themes. More than anything, I would say SF writers use alien contact as a kind of emotional tonic, a way to relieve humanity’s existential distress at the very real likelihood we are either alone in the universe, or so far away from any other advanced, spacefaring species that contact with them will be effectively impossible before both we and the aliens become, in the natural

First off, the description for this book doesn't really describe what it's about. Or rather, it sort of describes it, but sets it up in a way that doesn't really give you a good idea of what actually happens or when.This is a heavily character driven story about the intertwined lives of people living in the aftermath of an alien arrival/occupation. That dichotomy of thought plays a large role in how the people in the tight island community of St. Thomas feel about life alongside the Ynaa.This is...

And they didn't invade. They arrived... The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull is unlike anything I have ever read before and I cannot stop talking about it and I didn't want it to end. Set on the U.S. Virgin Islands, we meet the members of the community of Charlotte Amalie-like most Islanders, they are pretty laid back, but all living complicated lives. Things get even more complicated when one day the sky opens up and an alien ship docks close to the island. The five hundred Ynaa came in "peace" an

I absolutely LOVED this book!I was so thrilled that The Lesson was set in the Caribbean I immediately reached out to the Publishers and author to review it in advance of its June 2019 release. I was so happy that I did!The Lesson is set in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is a story that unfolds around different islanders who live amicably among The Ynaa, Earth's newest visitors who just happen to be alien lifeforms. The story also follows one of the alien leaders, Mera, on her mission to bridge the

A speculative alien invasion novel set in the Virgin Islands--and it has a large contingent of female characters who actually do things! I know that sounds like a low bar, but I really did admire the dynamic characters Turnbull created. The story is well paced, and I loved how the aliens (who inhabit humanoid bodies) were incorporated into society, or rather, how they affect society. Honestly, this book was right up my alley, and will definitely be recommending it to everyone upon its release. A...

An interesting new take on the alien invasion novel. Ultimately I wanted more from it, I wanted to dive deeper and learn more and build the world, so the 3 stars is mostly that.THE LESSON does the opposite of what a big Hollywood movie would do and that is very much a compliment. It skips pretty much entirely over the moments of first contact with aliens. Instead it sets the stage and then we jump forward several years to a kind of stasis, to examine what the world is like now. The Ynaa can look...

This is a near future first contact SF novel from an author from the Virgin islands. The story starts a few days before the contact and acquaints the reader with main protagonists: teenage boy and girl, Derrek and Partice, who grew together and now in an awkward stage where they are unsure what they feel toward each other. Derrek is a SF fan. Partice’s father Jackson Paige is a teacher with the middle-age crisis: they grew distant with his wife while his former student (Lisa), who writes stories...