Witness [A First Contact Romance]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Rory emerges from a space pod in the Nevada desert with no memories, and only one certainty–this world is not her home.

She refuses to live as a lab rat for the US military and fights to make a new home for herself, until her memories suddenly return. A threat looms over Earth, one that has already ravaged her home planet. Torn between two worlds and two lives, Rory must decide which side she's really on, and who she's fighting for.

Book 1 is complete.

A first contact science fiction with cyberpunk and progression elements after the early chapters. Expect mystery, action, and romance.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: L.E. French

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 805
Views: 226,901

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

Lucian T. EinarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall:
"Witness" offers a gripping blend of cyberpunk, mystery, and other elements, capturing the essence of a thrilling narrative. Lindsay French crafts a tale that unfolds gradually, revealing layers of intrigue and complexity, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.
Style:
French's style is a cinematic feast for the imagination, allowing readers to vividly experience the story. The prose flows seamlessly, creating a captivating visual narrative. While there are moments where the pacing may feel deliberate, it adds to the overall suspense, leaving readers on the edge of their seats.
Story:
The narrative blends suspense and mystery, with a slow-burning intensity that keeps readers hooked. The introduction of an amnesiac protagonist navigating an unfamiliar world, combined with glimpses into another realm, adds depth and intrigue. The story's potential is immense, promising a riveting journey of self-discovery and cosmic revelations.
Grammar:
Impeccable grammar that ensures a smooth reading experience. The well-edited text enhances the overall quality of the storytelling, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the world of "Witness." No complaints, really. Overall, I'm not very good at spotting grammar errors, but the reading experience was great.
Character:
The characters in "Witness" are a highlight, each masterfully written and contributing to the story's richness. Rory's amnesia is portrayed with nuance, and secondary characters like Theo and General Price add layers to the narrative. Despite Rory's misplaced trust feeling a bit unrealistic, the characters' emotional depth and authenticity shine through.
In summary, "Witness" stands out as a compelling cyberpunk narrative that promises an enthralling journey into the unknown. The authors's skillful storytelling and well-developed characters make this a must-read for enthusiasts of the genre.
SlaughterBotRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall: I found this an interesting and enjoyable read. The amnesia setup with an alien who just pops up on earth is very interesting, plus all the drama of the government agents grilling her and trying to work out wtf to do. So far I’ve also read one of the chapters from the other world, which has some very coooool and interesting technology I’m hyped to see more of. The characters and dialogue also stand out, better than the norm for RR.
Story: Our MC is dropped onto earth with no memories of her past – but as is often the case with these amnesiac characters, she does remember her skills, languages, and recognises the things she see’s. Interestingly, she also has combat skills which, I have a feeling will come in useful later on… So far I’m not too deep in, but the focus on the mystery of her past, and then the occasional cuts to the other world and (possibly?) another character, or perhaps that is our MC in the past, I’m unsure, are interesting. There’s big stuff going on in the background, and we as the reader are given the fun job of trying to work out what it is alongside the characters.
Character: Rory is great, strong and emotional, comes off as quite a badass and logical imo which I like a lot. Other than that the chars that stand out to me are Theo and General Price, Price being a fairly antagonist figure and Theo being a great friend to our MC. All the stuff the chars do also makes sense to me, they’re quite realistic.
Style: Easy to read, well-flowing text, no issues here. I think the style is in a good place – can get a bit more prosy at times when it suits, but never to the point of being purple, and is generally quite to the point.
Grammar: Didn’t have any problems with this, better than the RR norm for sure.
BaininRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
However, this part of a review exchange left me wanting to read more. I will update this occasionally when I find the time to read more.
Style: Clean, solid, and functional. I found some odd sentences, but I think that is just a matter of taste in writing style. Perspectives and chronology were on point in the chapters I read, and Lindsay made well-placed environmental descriptions.
Grammer: I found some mistakes, but they do not detract from the story. I took the time to comment and point them out, and I will continue to do so as I get along with the story.
Story: This is where Witness shines; it tells an interesting multi-perspective story that left me wanting more. I initially forgot to make notes while reviewing and just enjoyed myself reading.
Characters: I can't form a complete opinion because there were few characters at this point in the story. But I'm seriously curious who the US president is in this story. The characters I did get to see are intriguing and genuine, but I can't provide an elaborate review on this category, so I will give full marks.
Still, I'm looking forward to how things develop from here!
Big reading recommendation from me, and I can't wait to read more in my down time.
Cheers
Bai
One Way JusticeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story: Rory is a clever and pleasant amnesiac (if such a thing exists), and piecing the puzzle of her past together, along with her, is an engaging and fun ride. It is hard to discuss much of the story because this quickly delves into spoiler territory; what I will say: a certain dr. ensures that the classic extraterrestrial trope gets a unique and compelling twist. Aside from that, the focus on the psychological aspects of Rory’s profound confusion and unbelonging is richly explored, and I always give kudos to authors who pay attention to that—the introspective elements is what makes the story feel real; it makes the protagonist feel more like a proper person, and you get attached to her. Good job on that.
Characters: I found myself quickly rooting for Rory despite her at times... cold(?) personality, like she’s detached from it all and merely acting on pure rationality (an intended effect no doubt). Theo and dr. J (not the NBA player) are interesting side characters because they both humanize the protagonist by their growing attachment to her, while also having their professional responsibilities to balance.
Style: Effective in description and in setting and maintaining a good pace. There are no excessive flourishes to the prose—the focus is on the story and on conveying the emotional/factual setting.
Grammar: Competently written. No grammar issues.
DCatRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Lets clear things up first. I have nothing against the story, its a great story, I am just dropping it early because its mood isn't my cup of tea for online light reading.
Grammar 5/5. I believe the first hurdle to a decent story would be checking the story for any grammatical issues, especially for punctuations. This story barely had any errors and the few I found felt to have been intentionally written in that way for to match the story's writing style or to be confruent to a particular scene.
Story & Style 5/5 - I can't say much about the story since I'd prefer not to be too immersed for what's meant to be daily dose of short reading. However, even if the story was not to my taste, it was still exceptionally engaging.
Character 5/5 - Depth and Growth are masterfully implemented, with interactions and reactions that you'd expect on a realistic setting.
Overall - A highly engaging story that pulls you into the mystery and each character's story. Just a bit too psychological for my tastes, I read enough books with this style that I prefer a more dopamine-induced immersion in web novels. I'd probably read this again were it published in a physical form where I can take my time, savor the pages and immerse myself.
Ria CorvidivaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I want to start by saying that I loved the characters. From Rory's Pollyanna attitude induced by space-wizardry amnesia to Theo's friendship (and maybe something more), to General Price's authoritative demeanor, to the role of the President himself, the characters are well-written, and everything is in keeping with their psychologies and what I would expect of people in their positions. Some might find Rory a bit too optimistic and too trusting, but I can tolerate a little bit of an alien, uncanny valley attitude from the literal alien in the room.
I love a novel that can really dive into a setting and look into characters' minds, and Witness does a great job in this regard. It was a bit slow in some places, but not too bad, and definitely still quick enough that I didn't ever feel too bogged down, waiting for the next plot point to put me out of my misery. Humanity (read: Earthlings) must adjust to the fact that they are not alone in the universe. And from a couple of chapters we see from a different perspective, They are coming. And nothing will be the same.
Grammar was generally good, with a few small corrections to be made here and there, but all in all, a good work, and the blurb fills me with anticipation for everything that will happen when the proverbial you-know-what hits the fan.
It might not be a story that necessarily appeals to the power fantasy seekers common on RR. Rory is definitely a victim of circumstance as she tries to figure out who she is, why she's here (on Earth), and what led her to this point. She doesn't seem to have any particular superhuman capabilities nor magic or psychic powers, and the sci-fi seems on the harder side. So it's a work that may struggle to find its audience. But it does a good job with what it is, and I think those in the market for a first contact / harder-sci-fi story will appreciate it.
BrisiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overall
I can't stress enough how positively surprised I am. I read the synopsis and thought this could make for an awesome story. I was not disappointed. The story is addicting and I read all of it in one go. Ive followed and Im waiting for more. Overall a very good job, but as always, theres small points to critique. I will begin with my analysis of her style.
Style
I always rely on my gut feeling when judging a story before analysing it further. Her style lets me vividly imagine a movie in my head. Thats where I see that a story does a good job describing and makes goo choices of style. I am not giving 5 stars because the fifth chapter felt off. But thats already complaining on a ridiculously high level. Her style is awesome!
The introduction to the new world left me without a movie in my head and I found myself skipping over words to get done with it faster.
Grammar
Not much to say. I didn't find any mistakes. The reading flow was never interruped by any typos or the like. Flawless, 5 stars.
Story
This is where it gets interesting. The story over all is well fleshed out and I can see theres a lot of worldbuilding behind it. Things just work out. Then why is it 4 stars? The pacing feels off. Thats personal opinion. The story is not bad due to it, but theres timeskips in the story that I felt were rushed. Still good and making sense, but the feeling was off for me. I had trouble wrapping my head around it.
Characters
Well, this is where this story shines. The important characters are all masterfully crafted and well fleshed out. The female lead and the side characters are unique in their behavior and the characters dont feel like a mashed mixture of personalities, but like real people. The pacing makes it hard to keep up with all their personal changes for me, but thats part of Story Score. Thats why I have 5 stars.
Conclusion
Overall the story has positively surprised me. I expected much less from such an unknown story, but got a story with large potential, frequ
EiferRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I'm really not a fan of synopsis that are misleading. It creates a set of expectations that won't be met and that really puts a crimp in the enjoyment of a story. "Refuse to be a lab rat" sets the expectation that you'd fight for your freedom. For your independence. For yourself. That's.. not what's happening here. On the contrary. If after reading the synopsis, you come into the story expecting a fight for freedom and independence, you should look somewhere else.
The story is labelled cyberpunk, and that might show up later. But so far it feels more like a regular sci-fi. Another disappointment to be honest.
The writing is pretty good. It's solid. I probably wouldn't have been as disappointed as I am if it had been couched as someone finding themselves, a home, an identity. Stuff in that line. Because that's what it's reading as so far. A personal struggle to belong and fit in, while being the stranger, the literal Alien.
It feels like the author set an initial goal but decided to veer off in a different direction somewhere.
As the title says, it's fine I guess. It just really doesn't meet the expectations that's been set.
AcerbicRoyal Road
★★★ 2.5
Not a bad writing per se, but feels EXTREMELY SLOW.
Some stories drop you straight into action, with familiar tropes helping you adapt and understand the rapid currents of events and circumstances.
Some stories wrap themselves in for a mystery. They drop hints, use a lot of Capitalized words and bask you in a promise of grandeur, if you follow the white rabbit into his deep dark hole.
Some stories play with narration. They lie through mouth of their storytelling POVs, they twist timelines and dimensions, they make simple things obscure and focus on red herrings, delivering bold twists with dramatic flare.
This story? This one is stuck on a setup. A normal setup, a preparation for the actual events - you know, the hook that you follow to actually enjoy the main content. I am dropping this at chapter 15, and the book is still exploring the story's blurb. Gee, oh boy, I am losing my patience here.
Essentially, dear reader, if you want to start with this book, you can just read the sburb, and skip the first 14 chapters. Nothing essential is going to be missed.
It's not bad, but it's not exactly riveting experience either.
Astral TyrusRoyal Road
★★ 2.0
My firyt problem is the title says cyberpunk and its not have cyvernetics, as far as now in the story we know 1 charcter with cybernetics. The technology is more biopunk then cyberpunk. Also the other cyberpunk element is seems lacking, no big unrestraned corporations, cyberspace (parts mentioned), dark future.
I read till chapter 41, and the story is split into two one story in the present one in past. So i can say i read 20-20 from past and present.
The story itself was not bad, more on feelings and solul side, then what happens on world level, or actions.
The "invasion" part of the storry also suffers from the perspective problem. If we look from the invaider side the story its have a lot of problems, they have a lot of manpower, technonlogy,.. on they side and i think not use it well.
So overall if the reader starts it as a biopunk, first contact romance novell then i think they going to like it.