What do you think?
Rate this book
On Earth as It Is on Television
First contact stories have never been as intoxicating and fun as in Emily Jane’s novel of the sudden arrival—and equally sudden departure—of spaceships above Earth.
In On Earth as it Is on Television—a rollicking paean to what it means to be alive in the twenty-first century—the fleeting presence of alien vessels, and the certainty that humans are not alone in the universe, sparks intense uncertainty as to our place within it.
In On Earth as it Is on Television—a rollicking paean to what it means to be alive in the twenty-first century—the fleeting presence of alien vessels, and the certainty that humans are not alone in the universe, sparks intense uncertainty as to our place within it.
Audible Audio
First published June 13, 2023
About the author
Emily Jane
2 books198 followersEmily Jane grew up in Boise, Boulder, and San Francisco. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of San Francisco and her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She lives on an urban farm in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, Steve; their two children; their cat, Scully; and their husky Nymeria. On Earth as It Is on Television is her debut novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 979 reviews
June 13, 2023
"Life is a miracle. Life is miraculous and absurd and...so what? We celebrate. We run dizzy circles. We ride Space Mountain, and we beatbox, and we find the love of our lives...and marvel at the miracles of our lives and the lives we make together."
"Somehow, on some unconscious level, they knew that cats existed on a different frequency from the rest of Earth life."
What an absolutely delightful book about celebrating life and all that it means to be human. It's all about perspective.
Oliver and his sister are involved in an accident leaving Oliver completely catatonic for twenty years.
Blaine is married to attorney Anne and they have two children and a beloved cat.
Heather lives with her mom and goofy stepfather and her stepfather's near-perfect son Alex. She's discontented with her life and longing for something more.
Then alien spaceships appear over the major cities in the world. What do they want? Why are they here? What does it all mean?
Emily Jane's debut is just a smile-worthy fun look at life (and I just have to say it) the universe, and everything (thanks to Douglas Adams.) How these three groups of people come to intersect is part of this delightful tale. If you're looking for something a bit out of the ordinary and you enjoy humor and a bit of sci-fi and fantasy, coupled with lots of bacon and lots of cats, then this is a very enjoyable choice.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
"Somehow, on some unconscious level, they knew that cats existed on a different frequency from the rest of Earth life."
What an absolutely delightful book about celebrating life and all that it means to be human. It's all about perspective.
Oliver and his sister are involved in an accident leaving Oliver completely catatonic for twenty years.
Blaine is married to attorney Anne and they have two children and a beloved cat.
Heather lives with her mom and goofy stepfather and her stepfather's near-perfect son Alex. She's discontented with her life and longing for something more.
Then alien spaceships appear over the major cities in the world. What do they want? Why are they here? What does it all mean?
Emily Jane's debut is just a smile-worthy fun look at life (and I just have to say it) the universe, and everything (thanks to Douglas Adams.) How these three groups of people come to intersect is part of this delightful tale. If you're looking for something a bit out of the ordinary and you enjoy humor and a bit of sci-fi and fantasy, coupled with lots of bacon and lots of cats, then this is a very enjoyable choice.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
March 2, 2023
Everything about this book had me intrigued.... the vaguely religious title, the concept, the pop visual cover, plus its a debut novel. I was sold and so so grateful to get a digital ARC approved via NetGalley. I struggled a bit at the onset of reading On Earth as It Is on Television. Initially I struggled to connect with characters who referred to their spouse as "The Wife" and with so many US based characters to follow it started off a bit more scattered than I expected. The moment we entered the mind of a cat around the 30% mark, however, I knew that I at least needed to find out what was going to happen to Sir Meow Mitts and the other cats compelled by an unseen force to leave their homes and families.
I AM SO GLAD that I kept reading!!! This was a unique, touching, intriguing take on not just an invasion story line but also consumerism, the meaning of family, grief, and understanding what we truly want and need out of life. I spent the first 30% wondering if I would ever connect with all of these characters and the last 70% worried about having to say goodbye to these characters when the book came to its natural close. I found myself laughing and also genuinely crying through this novel. I know that this is one I'm going to pick up again and I cannot WAIT to see what Emily Jane does next. If this is your debut, I know we are going to see some truly fantastic things from her.
I AM SO GLAD that I kept reading!!! This was a unique, touching, intriguing take on not just an invasion story line but also consumerism, the meaning of family, grief, and understanding what we truly want and need out of life. I spent the first 30% wondering if I would ever connect with all of these characters and the last 70% worried about having to say goodbye to these characters when the book came to its natural close. I found myself laughing and also genuinely crying through this novel. I know that this is one I'm going to pick up again and I cannot WAIT to see what Emily Jane does next. If this is your debut, I know we are going to see some truly fantastic things from her.
February 13, 2023
4.5/5 stars
Pick a direction and throw a stone and you’ll probably hit an alien invasion story of some kind. On the one hand, you’ve got your Independence Days, your War of the Worlds, and your Cloverfields. But on the other hand, you’ve got your District 9s, your Arrivals, and your Absolutely Remarkable Things. In a world so oversaturated with alien invasion narratives, is there really room for anything new? Well, as it turns out, yes. Because whatever you’re expecting from Emily Jane’s On Earth as It Is on Television, think again. On the surface, it seems like any old UFO story. But look a little bit deeper, and you’ll find a very absurd, heartwarming, hilarious look at what makes us human. A tale laced with fatty foods, talking cats, mysterious aliens, and far too much television. Exactly as it should be.
One day, out of nowhere, spaceships appear over a variety of cities throughout the United States and the rest of the world. The spaceships block cell phone signals and Wi-Fi, throwing our very society into chaos. But other than that, they don't do much. They just sit there. Where have they come from? What do they want? And - wait - where are they going? Almost as quickly as they appeared, the spaceships disappear, leaving humanity with a host of unanswered questions. For Blaine and his wife, the arrival of the spaceships adds complexity to a marriage that previously seemed flawless. For Heather, the spaceships make her realize just how uneventful her life's been - and how strange her stepfather is. And for Oliver, the spaceships snap him out of a decades-long comatose state.
For all four of them, life will never be the same again. Does life go on as normal or does everything change? Well, the answer's a bit complicated - and far weirder than any of them could expect. In On Earth as It Is on Television, Emily Jane delivers a story that's equal parts heartwarming, silly, enormously weird, and incredibly human. Honestly, everything about the book is just strange - in the best way possible. From the UFOs' appearance, to the very specific ways people react to said UFOs, to the prose itself. But why shouldn't it be weird? After all, the sudden appearance and disappearance of extraterrestrial life would be a pretty strange occurrence, right? Don't let that scare you, though. The book's every bit as enjoyable as you'd hope for. Just in very surprising ways.
If you're going into On Earth as It Is on Television expecting a big, explosive story about First Contact, think again. Sure, the arrival of dozens of spaceships makes up the book's inciting incident, but the story's not really about that. All of the fallout happens in the background - more window dressing than narrative. Instead, Jane decides to focus on how the UFOs' arrival changes the lives of these four specific people. Everything that happens is seen through the eyes of these characters - how it impacts them, how they feel about everything, etc. As a result, the story feels less about how a monumental event changes humanity and more about how a monumental event changes individuals. And honestly, I really loved this approach. It's so delightfully human in the most enjoyable way. After all, the best science fiction stories ground their narratives in something identifiably human.
Much of that groundedness comes in the form of the book's social satire. Mainly, Jane takes aim at America's consumeristic tendencies and our obsession with television and social media. Multiple characters spend a lot of the book hyperfixating on very surface-level concerns. There are hints of McCarthyism-paranoia in humanity-at-large's reaction to the aliens. And there's a pretty large heaping of escapism in the form of media consumption. To say anything more would venture a bit too far into spoilery territory, but let's just say there's a pretty good reason Jane structures the novel as multiple episodes of a TV show - and that quirky structure ultimately pays dividends. Put simply, the book's a total joyride through sci-fi tropes. On Earth as It Is on Television hews much closer to something like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy than Contact - but that's exactly what makes it so much fun.
At first, all of the book's plotlines kind of feel disconnected. It's hard to imagine how this suburban couple's storyline is gonna connect with this spoiled California teenager's storyline or this newly-conscious man's quest to rediscover who he is. But as the book goes on, Jane does an excellent job weaving all of these stories together in an immensely satisfying way. Sure, the first third of the book is a bit hard to get into as she tries to juggle all of these storylines. But then there's a moment somewhere around the halfway point where everything just clicks into place, and you see exactly where the story's going. And that's just such a satisfying moment. Everything after that is icing on the cake as one piece after another falls into place, resulting in a surprisingly emotional, immensely enjoyable climax.
That being said, as a big fan of traditional First Contact stories, I do wish there was a way the government's response to the UFOs could've been better worked into the narrative. As it stands, the wider impacts of the UFOs stay firmly in the background of the story, and you often feel a bit confused about what, exactly, is going on. The book does eventually explain all of that, but it's still a bit too confusing and vague for most of the read. And sure, there are very understandable reasons why Jane takes that route, and the book is absolutely thrilling as is. But it might've been equally interesting had one of the characters been a member of the government, so the book could occasionally hop to that perspective. But ultimately, it's not a particularly big problem given just how enjoyable the book is as is.
At the end of the day, I don't know what I was expecting from On Earth as It Is on Television, but the book definitely blew me away. It's a wholly unique take on the First Contact genre - even as it plays with all of the well-worn tropes. It's an absurd, deeply strange read - but one that's equally emotional and biting. The humor is very specific, only adding to the absurdity. The characters are deeply relatable, even if they're not necessarily likable. And the story, itself, is never anything less than thrilling - even with its strangeness. If you're looking for a new take on the UFO genre, then look no further than On Earth as It Is on Television. It won't be for everyone, that's for sure. But those who like it are gonna adore it.
Disclaimer: a review copy was provided by the publisher and Edelweiss+ in exchange for a fair review.
Pick a direction and throw a stone and you’ll probably hit an alien invasion story of some kind. On the one hand, you’ve got your Independence Days, your War of the Worlds, and your Cloverfields. But on the other hand, you’ve got your District 9s, your Arrivals, and your Absolutely Remarkable Things. In a world so oversaturated with alien invasion narratives, is there really room for anything new? Well, as it turns out, yes. Because whatever you’re expecting from Emily Jane’s On Earth as It Is on Television, think again. On the surface, it seems like any old UFO story. But look a little bit deeper, and you’ll find a very absurd, heartwarming, hilarious look at what makes us human. A tale laced with fatty foods, talking cats, mysterious aliens, and far too much television. Exactly as it should be.
One day, out of nowhere, spaceships appear over a variety of cities throughout the United States and the rest of the world. The spaceships block cell phone signals and Wi-Fi, throwing our very society into chaos. But other than that, they don't do much. They just sit there. Where have they come from? What do they want? And - wait - where are they going? Almost as quickly as they appeared, the spaceships disappear, leaving humanity with a host of unanswered questions. For Blaine and his wife, the arrival of the spaceships adds complexity to a marriage that previously seemed flawless. For Heather, the spaceships make her realize just how uneventful her life's been - and how strange her stepfather is. And for Oliver, the spaceships snap him out of a decades-long comatose state.
For all four of them, life will never be the same again. Does life go on as normal or does everything change? Well, the answer's a bit complicated - and far weirder than any of them could expect. In On Earth as It Is on Television, Emily Jane delivers a story that's equal parts heartwarming, silly, enormously weird, and incredibly human. Honestly, everything about the book is just strange - in the best way possible. From the UFOs' appearance, to the very specific ways people react to said UFOs, to the prose itself. But why shouldn't it be weird? After all, the sudden appearance and disappearance of extraterrestrial life would be a pretty strange occurrence, right? Don't let that scare you, though. The book's every bit as enjoyable as you'd hope for. Just in very surprising ways.
If you're going into On Earth as It Is on Television expecting a big, explosive story about First Contact, think again. Sure, the arrival of dozens of spaceships makes up the book's inciting incident, but the story's not really about that. All of the fallout happens in the background - more window dressing than narrative. Instead, Jane decides to focus on how the UFOs' arrival changes the lives of these four specific people. Everything that happens is seen through the eyes of these characters - how it impacts them, how they feel about everything, etc. As a result, the story feels less about how a monumental event changes humanity and more about how a monumental event changes individuals. And honestly, I really loved this approach. It's so delightfully human in the most enjoyable way. After all, the best science fiction stories ground their narratives in something identifiably human.
Much of that groundedness comes in the form of the book's social satire. Mainly, Jane takes aim at America's consumeristic tendencies and our obsession with television and social media. Multiple characters spend a lot of the book hyperfixating on very surface-level concerns. There are hints of McCarthyism-paranoia in humanity-at-large's reaction to the aliens. And there's a pretty large heaping of escapism in the form of media consumption. To say anything more would venture a bit too far into spoilery territory, but let's just say there's a pretty good reason Jane structures the novel as multiple episodes of a TV show - and that quirky structure ultimately pays dividends. Put simply, the book's a total joyride through sci-fi tropes. On Earth as It Is on Television hews much closer to something like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy than Contact - but that's exactly what makes it so much fun.
At first, all of the book's plotlines kind of feel disconnected. It's hard to imagine how this suburban couple's storyline is gonna connect with this spoiled California teenager's storyline or this newly-conscious man's quest to rediscover who he is. But as the book goes on, Jane does an excellent job weaving all of these stories together in an immensely satisfying way. Sure, the first third of the book is a bit hard to get into as she tries to juggle all of these storylines. But then there's a moment somewhere around the halfway point where everything just clicks into place, and you see exactly where the story's going. And that's just such a satisfying moment. Everything after that is icing on the cake as one piece after another falls into place, resulting in a surprisingly emotional, immensely enjoyable climax.
That being said, as a big fan of traditional First Contact stories, I do wish there was a way the government's response to the UFOs could've been better worked into the narrative. As it stands, the wider impacts of the UFOs stay firmly in the background of the story, and you often feel a bit confused about what, exactly, is going on. The book does eventually explain all of that, but it's still a bit too confusing and vague for most of the read. And sure, there are very understandable reasons why Jane takes that route, and the book is absolutely thrilling as is. But it might've been equally interesting had one of the characters been a member of the government, so the book could occasionally hop to that perspective. But ultimately, it's not a particularly big problem given just how enjoyable the book is as is.
At the end of the day, I don't know what I was expecting from On Earth as It Is on Television, but the book definitely blew me away. It's a wholly unique take on the First Contact genre - even as it plays with all of the well-worn tropes. It's an absurd, deeply strange read - but one that's equally emotional and biting. The humor is very specific, only adding to the absurdity. The characters are deeply relatable, even if they're not necessarily likable. And the story, itself, is never anything less than thrilling - even with its strangeness. If you're looking for a new take on the UFO genre, then look no further than On Earth as It Is on Television. It won't be for everyone, that's for sure. But those who like it are gonna adore it.
Disclaimer: a review copy was provided by the publisher and Edelweiss+ in exchange for a fair review.
June 22, 2023
What a peculiar and fun story this was! Alien invasion done differently (although at times it reminded me of The Humans by Matt Haig). Proper review to come.
June 15, 2023
I had been looking forward to this title since I requested it. The premise sounded like an absolute hoot and I thought it would be something quirky, witty, and likely to make us readers contemplate humanity more than think about the dangers of alien invasion.
Instead, I got one of the most boring, repetitive, annoying, and most unevenly paced books I’ve read in quite some time. This book was marketed as being funny. Other reviews called it sharp and witty. I honestly didn’t get any of that while reading this book. It was full of characters I couldn’t stand, prose that seemed meandering and pointless, dialogue that made me grind my teeth, and chapters that made me want to skim because I just didn’t see the point of them.
I was so disappointed by this book I almost DNFd it more than once. I persevered in the hope I could find something nice to say about it, but by the end I realized I had just wasted my time.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Any review I write rating a book as three stars or under will not be posted on social media or bookseller websites per personal policy.
Instead, I got one of the most boring, repetitive, annoying, and most unevenly paced books I’ve read in quite some time. This book was marketed as being funny. Other reviews called it sharp and witty. I honestly didn’t get any of that while reading this book. It was full of characters I couldn’t stand, prose that seemed meandering and pointless, dialogue that made me grind my teeth, and chapters that made me want to skim because I just didn’t see the point of them.
I was so disappointed by this book I almost DNFd it more than once. I persevered in the hope I could find something nice to say about it, but by the end I realized I had just wasted my time.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Any review I write rating a book as three stars or under will not be posted on social media or bookseller websites per personal policy.
June 15, 2023
DNF at 79% because because I was sure I was at the end and realized I had 2 and a half hours left and simply did not care.
Weirdly, I think if I finished it it would’ve been a three. Like it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. Does not read as a sci-fi at all, and the majority of what I listened to was relationship/family driven and not alien driven. I just got bored
Also the kids were annoying me to death and I don’t care about cats as much as they wanted me to
Weirdly, I think if I finished it it would’ve been a three. Like it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. Does not read as a sci-fi at all, and the majority of what I listened to was relationship/family driven and not alien driven. I just got bored
Also the kids were annoying me to death and I don’t care about cats as much as they wanted me to
February 10, 2023
This book was such a delight. I came for the aliens, and got so much more.
The narrative voice doesn't just leap off the page, it beams directly into your brain, and a tinfoil hat won't save you from devouring this book. It's gorgeous prose wrapped inbacon quirky, off-the-wall humor. I highly enjoyed the lighthearted weirdness, and it never overshadowed the character relationships at the center of the story.
Far less grim than an H.G. Wells, and without the complete silliness of something like Hitchhiker's Guide, On Earth as It Is on Television hits a spot somewhere in the middle. If you like your flying saucers tucked into a cozy story of family togetherness (and cats, and bacon, and disposable plastics), then this one is for you.
The narrative voice doesn't just leap off the page, it beams directly into your brain, and a tinfoil hat won't save you from devouring this book. It's gorgeous prose wrapped in
Far less grim than an H.G. Wells, and without the complete silliness of something like Hitchhiker's Guide, On Earth as It Is on Television hits a spot somewhere in the middle. If you like your flying saucers tucked into a cozy story of family togetherness (and cats, and bacon, and disposable plastics), then this one is for you.
June 13, 2023
Now available! Woo hoo!
There's a rhythm to the cadence of the narrative, which makes it feel as if the reader is bee bopping along in the car with the characters, as the story opens. There is even a lyrical bounce to the thoughts of the characters, as they navigate the snowy winding road while imagining their connection to the wide-open, majestic universe, as unbound as their future plans. Life down on Earth contained too many threats these two couldn't prevent. The young characters hoped that distance is the key to clarity: keep going as fast as you can, until you can see exactly where you're going, your destined future.
They hoped to drive directly into dreamland, but the future had circuitous plans.
After this prequel story, there is a jump in time, but the setting echoes a familiar theme: one in which the character is trapped, with little hope of breaking free. As it happens, something breaks loose. Something new was happening with the man, and no one knew quite what was triggering the change. Elsewhere, something huge was happening, but at first, no one quite knew what it was, either, or if the two events were even possibly related.
When they did figure out the Big Event, no one really knew what to do about it, so they just waited for something more exciting or dangerous to happen, besides the whole "Oh. I guess we're not alone in the Universe. Huh." Nothing ever unfolds quite the way one would expect, and that is true in this case as well. It is intriguing to think about which personality types might react with panic, or with near nonchalance, in the face of incredible uncertainty. The worst feeling might be realizing that the whack a doodle conspiracy nutcases might be better prepared to ride things out than regular folks, at least at first.
The writing is in a word, terrific, especially when describing the character Oliver's internal world. The style of writing seemed familiar somehow, and it dawned on me that Emily Jane reminds me a lot of Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself. They both have that same smart funny lifeblood of the story that propels everything along.
Early in the story, it's hard to say what the visitors want, or even why they would visit. The set-up almost seemed like a Close Encounters plot, where various characters are invited to meet them, but in this case, the creatures seem to be most interested in domestic cats, like modern Space Egyptians. The Big Event also creates a big impetus, not towards deep philosophical reflection or changes leading to a more meaningful life, but toward whatever it is that people would rather be doing, and mostly that turns out to be a lot of goofing off.
The uncertainty of the arrival is the perfect vehicle for the author to share her prodigious wry humor. I love that general laziness is put forward as the natural state of humanity. The author makes several sly satirical jabs at the American culture of wastefulnesss, of complete reliance on convenience, of primate species arrogance, galactic ethnocentrism, and of capitalism in general.
Every single paragraph on every page is amusingly entertainingly bonkers. I never thought I'd say things like "Damn, that cat and I have the same taste in vintage motorcycles." Sentient cats should truly feature more often in novels besides the ones from Murakami and Bulgakov. I enjoyed this novel so much and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the lighter side of alien encounters. I highly recommend having snack foods on hand while reading this novel. You'll figure out why.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, an imprint of Buena Vista Books, for providing an advance copy for review.
There's a rhythm to the cadence of the narrative, which makes it feel as if the reader is bee bopping along in the car with the characters, as the story opens. There is even a lyrical bounce to the thoughts of the characters, as they navigate the snowy winding road while imagining their connection to the wide-open, majestic universe, as unbound as their future plans. Life down on Earth contained too many threats these two couldn't prevent. The young characters hoped that distance is the key to clarity: keep going as fast as you can, until you can see exactly where you're going, your destined future.
They hoped to drive directly into dreamland, but the future had circuitous plans.
After this prequel story, there is a jump in time, but the setting echoes a familiar theme: one in which the character is trapped, with little hope of breaking free. As it happens, something breaks loose. Something new was happening with the man, and no one knew quite what was triggering the change. Elsewhere, something huge was happening, but at first, no one quite knew what it was, either, or if the two events were even possibly related.
When they did figure out the Big Event, no one really knew what to do about it, so they just waited for something more exciting or dangerous to happen, besides the whole "Oh. I guess we're not alone in the Universe. Huh." Nothing ever unfolds quite the way one would expect, and that is true in this case as well. It is intriguing to think about which personality types might react with panic, or with near nonchalance, in the face of incredible uncertainty. The worst feeling might be realizing that the whack a doodle conspiracy nutcases might be better prepared to ride things out than regular folks, at least at first.
The writing is in a word, terrific, especially when describing the character Oliver's internal world. The style of writing seemed familiar somehow, and it dawned on me that Emily Jane reminds me a lot of Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself. They both have that same smart funny lifeblood of the story that propels everything along.
Early in the story, it's hard to say what the visitors want, or even why they would visit. The set-up almost seemed like a Close Encounters plot, where various characters are invited to meet them, but in this case, the creatures seem to be most interested in domestic cats, like modern Space Egyptians. The Big Event also creates a big impetus, not towards deep philosophical reflection or changes leading to a more meaningful life, but toward whatever it is that people would rather be doing, and mostly that turns out to be a lot of goofing off.
The uncertainty of the arrival is the perfect vehicle for the author to share her prodigious wry humor. I love that general laziness is put forward as the natural state of humanity. The author makes several sly satirical jabs at the American culture of wastefulnesss, of complete reliance on convenience, of primate species arrogance, galactic ethnocentrism, and of capitalism in general.
Every single paragraph on every page is amusingly entertainingly bonkers. I never thought I'd say things like "Damn, that cat and I have the same taste in vintage motorcycles." Sentient cats should truly feature more often in novels besides the ones from Murakami and Bulgakov. I enjoyed this novel so much and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the lighter side of alien encounters. I highly recommend having snack foods on hand while reading this novel. You'll figure out why.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, an imprint of Buena Vista Books, for providing an advance copy for review.
July 18, 2024
Overall Rating: 3.25 ☆
“We were too far gone. Were we too far gone?”
On Earth as It Is on Television is a quirky, creative, and humorous book set during an alien invasion! 👽 🛸
Divided into 4 episodes like a unique little sitcom, you follow a handful of characters: the wife, the stepchild, the brother, the cat, and the husband all experiencing life against the backdrop of the arrival of the aliens.
Now I had been craving an alien-themed book for some time especially after playing hours of the game Destroy All Humans! Not to mention, I’m A Believer and completely fascinated with aliens!
Unfortunately, in this story the aliens are mostly part of the background though there are some worthy surprising twists!! 😮 Also, the cats in this are a real treat! Loved it!
Alien Arrival
“When the alien ship appeared over LA and the power went out in Malibu, Heather’s first thought was Holy crap, it’s happening, finally! She felt shivery, hopeful almost. Nothing real ever happened, but now it was. The old shitty cycle had abruptly ended. This new one still had potential. It could be the beginning of a brilliant new epoch. And she was a part of it.”
What would you do??
¤ “Some humans fled in terror.”
¤ “Some humans gazed up, unable to turn their eyes away…”
¤ “Other humans traveled toward the ship, with disregard for their own continued survival..”
¤ “These humans waved flags and welcome banners. They carried signs. They chanted, cheered, danced in the streets…”
ME: I would be begging to go with them! To hopefully go to a place I finally feel I belong!
“A welcome, good humans of Earth, to the peaceful galactic federation of hooray-you-don’t-have-to-work-a-pointless-shit-job-as-slave-to-the-capitalist-regime event.”
It's 2024, and things continue to be grim and just downright mind boggling. Every.Single.Day. Yet, we are still going about normal life and going to our pointless and thankless jobs that don’t give a care about us. I think most of us are at the point of praying the aliens arrive just to not have to go to work anymore!! Here we are year 4 of the post pandemic era, and things are still difficult and quite frankly just…SUCK! Low wages compared to cost of living. Corporate greed. Another presidential election. What are we even doing anymore? Aliens please hurry up! Anyways, my husband always says the aliens refuse to come to earth and talk to us because humans are just too stupid! Every time we watch the news something else makes us realize this is most likely the case.
THIS PART MADE ME REALLY THINK…..
“People work because they have to work.” “That’s silly! No one has to do anything.” “Everyone has to pay the bills.”
“I know that,” Anne said. “But everyone could get a monthly stipend, or there could just not be bills.”
“So we could just get rid of our economic system altogether.”
“Of course!”
“Okay, that’s just… I mean, no one would ever go for it. Not in America.”
“Because they like it the way it is.”
“Yes. No. It’s… It is what it is. Some people like it. The ones it works for. The really rich people. They don’t want it to change. A lot of them would do anything they could to make sure it doesn’t and to protect what they’ve already got. And everyone else, all the people it doesn’t work for, well, it’s complicated. Some of them think they’ll be billionaires someday. They think the system works for them even though it really just sucks them dry. Or they want things to change, but they’re tired or busy or afraid or disillusioned, or they can’t even imagine where to begin, or what a different world might look like.”
If I had anything to compare the tone of this book to, I’d probably say Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. For a book set upon apocalyptic vibes and an alien invasion, it was also one of the most human reads I’ve ever read. Maybe it was just a bit too human for my liking. 😏
“Life is a miracle. Life is miraculous and absurd and… so what? We celebrate. We run dizzy circles. We ride Space Mountain, and we beatbox, and we find the love of our lives, and we hustle him at pool, and then we marry him and marvel at the miracles of our lives and the lives we make together.”
“We were too far gone. Were we too far gone?”
On Earth as It Is on Television is a quirky, creative, and humorous book set during an alien invasion! 👽 🛸
Divided into 4 episodes like a unique little sitcom, you follow a handful of characters: the wife, the stepchild, the brother, the cat, and the husband all experiencing life against the backdrop of the arrival of the aliens.
Now I had been craving an alien-themed book for some time especially after playing hours of the game Destroy All Humans! Not to mention, I’m A Believer and completely fascinated with aliens!
Unfortunately, in this story the aliens are mostly part of the background though there are some worthy surprising twists!! 😮 Also, the cats in this are a real treat! Loved it!
Alien Arrival
“When the alien ship appeared over LA and the power went out in Malibu, Heather’s first thought was Holy crap, it’s happening, finally! She felt shivery, hopeful almost. Nothing real ever happened, but now it was. The old shitty cycle had abruptly ended. This new one still had potential. It could be the beginning of a brilliant new epoch. And she was a part of it.”
What would you do??
¤ “Some humans fled in terror.”
¤ “Some humans gazed up, unable to turn their eyes away…”
¤ “Other humans traveled toward the ship, with disregard for their own continued survival..”
¤ “These humans waved flags and welcome banners. They carried signs. They chanted, cheered, danced in the streets…”
ME: I would be begging to go with them! To hopefully go to a place I finally feel I belong!
“A welcome, good humans of Earth, to the peaceful galactic federation of hooray-you-don’t-have-to-work-a-pointless-shit-job-as-slave-to-the-capitalist-regime event.”
It's 2024, and things continue to be grim and just downright mind boggling. Every.Single.Day. Yet, we are still going about normal life and going to our pointless and thankless jobs that don’t give a care about us. I think most of us are at the point of praying the aliens arrive just to not have to go to work anymore!! Here we are year 4 of the post pandemic era, and things are still difficult and quite frankly just…SUCK! Low wages compared to cost of living. Corporate greed. Another presidential election. What are we even doing anymore? Aliens please hurry up! Anyways, my husband always says the aliens refuse to come to earth and talk to us because humans are just too stupid! Every time we watch the news something else makes us realize this is most likely the case.
THIS PART MADE ME REALLY THINK…..
“People work because they have to work.” “That’s silly! No one has to do anything.” “Everyone has to pay the bills.”
“I know that,” Anne said. “But everyone could get a monthly stipend, or there could just not be bills.”
“So we could just get rid of our economic system altogether.”
“Of course!”
“Okay, that’s just… I mean, no one would ever go for it. Not in America.”
“Because they like it the way it is.”
“Yes. No. It’s… It is what it is. Some people like it. The ones it works for. The really rich people. They don’t want it to change. A lot of them would do anything they could to make sure it doesn’t and to protect what they’ve already got. And everyone else, all the people it doesn’t work for, well, it’s complicated. Some of them think they’ll be billionaires someday. They think the system works for them even though it really just sucks them dry. Or they want things to change, but they’re tired or busy or afraid or disillusioned, or they can’t even imagine where to begin, or what a different world might look like.”
If I had anything to compare the tone of this book to, I’d probably say Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. For a book set upon apocalyptic vibes and an alien invasion, it was also one of the most human reads I’ve ever read. Maybe it was just a bit too human for my liking. 😏
“Life is a miracle. Life is miraculous and absurd and… so what? We celebrate. We run dizzy circles. We ride Space Mountain, and we beatbox, and we find the love of our lives, and we hustle him at pool, and then we marry him and marvel at the miracles of our lives and the lives we make together.”
June 20, 2023
4.5⭐️
i’ve never done acid but i imagine this book is what a trip would feel like. fun!
i’ve never done acid but i imagine this book is what a trip would feel like. fun!
January 18, 2024
2.5 stars
They came for the TV; they stayed for the bacon.
This book really didn't work for me, but I have a defective sense of humour when it's written, rather than heard. I wonder if I would like it better if I had listened to an audiobook? What I'm saying, I guess, is that your mileage may vary and you shouldn't give my opinion too much weight.
It's too bad, because that's a wonderful title. I really wanted to love this book, but instead I struggled with it. I didn't like any of the characters much and I couldn't see what they all had to do with each other. The cats should have been amusing, but I just didn't see how they fit into things. And where were the aliens? It's difficult to have a first contact novel when the aliens don't show up.
I think it also suffered in comparison with The Road to Roswell which I enjoyed. I got the humour of Connie Willis. I must have been expecting something more like that and that prevented me from appreciating this book. Not fair to this book at all. Perhaps if I had read it first, my experience would have been very different.
It wasn't until pretty late in the game that things finally started to come together for me. The last few chapters were definitely the best for me, but by that time I just wanted to finish the darn book so I could return it to the library.
They came for the TV; they stayed for the bacon.
This book really didn't work for me, but I have a defective sense of humour when it's written, rather than heard. I wonder if I would like it better if I had listened to an audiobook? What I'm saying, I guess, is that your mileage may vary and you shouldn't give my opinion too much weight.
It's too bad, because that's a wonderful title. I really wanted to love this book, but instead I struggled with it. I didn't like any of the characters much and I couldn't see what they all had to do with each other. The cats should have been amusing, but I just didn't see how they fit into things. And where were the aliens? It's difficult to have a first contact novel when the aliens don't show up.
I think it also suffered in comparison with The Road to Roswell which I enjoyed. I got the humour of Connie Willis. I must have been expecting something more like that and that prevented me from appreciating this book. Not fair to this book at all. Perhaps if I had read it first, my experience would have been very different.
It wasn't until pretty late in the game that things finally started to come together for me. The last few chapters were definitely the best for me, but by that time I just wanted to finish the darn book so I could return it to the library.
August 13, 2024
DNF @ 65%
Yes I could finish this; but I just don’t care about any of our characters, the ‘mystery’ is boring, and it’s really contemporary lit, not science fiction.
Yes the blurb made it clean the alien ships leave; but it also promised weird things happening afterwards. In reality this book is about a marriage (with two little kids) falling apart due to an affair, a boy coming to from a catatonic state 20 years later (who seems to be awfully self sufficient given he knows no technology, lost 20 years and was just a teen when the state first started), and some random teen who hates her step-father (and who has like 3 short chapters, she feels insignificant), oh and the cat (which is soo not as engaging as the octopus in Remarkably Bright Creatures). All of these scenarios and people could have been interesting but their thoughts are too straightforward. They all seem to just know what to do next and don’t struggle enough with the idea of aliens, the idea of 20 years lost, or the idea of their wife having an affair. It’s just boring.
In fairness, I am not a contemporary book reader (usually). There are a rare few I have loved; but generally they are not interesting to me. I love my fantasy and science fiction. So it could be that this book was never intended for a reader like me. Or you could argue that the best books surpass genre. Which is what I had really hoped for here. This is a debut novel for author Emily Jane, so maybe she just needs some major editing (to stop repeating the same things in subsequent chapters, I remember where we last were you change POVs!), some help with you inner dialogue approach for her characters, and a better marketing team that doesn’t allow this book to end up in science fiction; but puts it in the right place under fiction or contemporary literature.
All in all, I have too many things staring at me from my TBR to carry-on. Thus a DNF, where I lost about 200 pages of credit for my reading challenge; but I believe it won’t be worth the remaining 100+ pages to get there. I’ll take the loss and move on.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Yes I could finish this; but I just don’t care about any of our characters, the ‘mystery’ is boring, and it’s really contemporary lit, not science fiction.
Yes the blurb made it clean the alien ships leave; but it also promised weird things happening afterwards. In reality this book is about a marriage (with two little kids) falling apart due to an affair, a boy coming to from a catatonic state 20 years later (who seems to be awfully self sufficient given he knows no technology, lost 20 years and was just a teen when the state first started), and some random teen who hates her step-father (and who has like 3 short chapters, she feels insignificant), oh and the cat (which is soo not as engaging as the octopus in Remarkably Bright Creatures). All of these scenarios and people could have been interesting but their thoughts are too straightforward. They all seem to just know what to do next and don’t struggle enough with the idea of aliens, the idea of 20 years lost, or the idea of their wife having an affair. It’s just boring.
In fairness, I am not a contemporary book reader (usually). There are a rare few I have loved; but generally they are not interesting to me. I love my fantasy and science fiction. So it could be that this book was never intended for a reader like me. Or you could argue that the best books surpass genre. Which is what I had really hoped for here. This is a debut novel for author Emily Jane, so maybe she just needs some major editing (to stop repeating the same things in subsequent chapters, I remember where we last were you change POVs!), some help with you inner dialogue approach for her characters, and a better marketing team that doesn’t allow this book to end up in science fiction; but puts it in the right place under fiction or contemporary literature.
All in all, I have too many things staring at me from my TBR to carry-on. Thus a DNF, where I lost about 200 pages of credit for my reading challenge; but I believe it won’t be worth the remaining 100+ pages to get there. I’ll take the loss and move on.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
March 5, 2024
This book is such a wholesome, cute sci-fi novel. It’s original but in a way that incorporates all my favorite things, like cats, nature, and outer space aliens that don’t come to Earth to mine our resources. The kids in this book are written in a way that is at the same time incredibly obnoxious and amusing, and very realistic. I really enjoyed trying to figure out if the book was an example of surrealism or if it was sci-fi and the narrators were unreliable (it was neither).
It is such a realistic tale told in a creative way. At times, I felt the snowflakes myself, could see the strobe lights and feel the thrum of a cat’s purr (when none of my real, non-English speaking cats were near me). I commiserated with “The Husband’s” confusion/annoyance/awe at his children’s antics. I could vividly imagine the stars in “The Wife’s” eyes when she marveled at everything that humanity has to offer. The kids even taught me some new cat words, like “chimbus” and “slonky.”
Normally it annoys me when I can’t tell what is going on and when the story passes to other people’s viewpoints frequently, but the writing was seamless and the personalities kept me reading. The story starts out rocky: strange speech and dark events occur straight away. It was hard to get into it at first for these reasons. But once I got further along, I loved it. It was almost magical how the author coincidentally included places and events that were close to my heart in here.
It’s rare that I rate a book the full five stars but this one is definitely 5 out of 5. The only criticism I have is that I found one of the characters story line to be not as engaging or necessary for the story, and at times the main point of the story was a little hard to follow, or things happened that weren’t really additive to the story at all. It’s still an entertaining story and a great example of the kind of sci-fi I deserve and do not often find. I really hope this author writes more.
It is such a realistic tale told in a creative way. At times, I felt the snowflakes myself, could see the strobe lights and feel the thrum of a cat’s purr (when none of my real, non-English speaking cats were near me). I commiserated with “The Husband’s” confusion/annoyance/awe at his children’s antics. I could vividly imagine the stars in “The Wife’s” eyes when she marveled at everything that humanity has to offer. The kids even taught me some new cat words, like “chimbus” and “slonky.”
Normally it annoys me when I can’t tell what is going on and when the story passes to other people’s viewpoints frequently, but the writing was seamless and the personalities kept me reading. The story starts out rocky: strange speech and dark events occur straight away. It was hard to get into it at first for these reasons. But once I got further along, I loved it. It was almost magical how the author coincidentally included places and events that were close to my heart in here.
It’s rare that I rate a book the full five stars but this one is definitely 5 out of 5. The only criticism I have is that I found one of the characters story line to be not as engaging or necessary for the story, and at times the main point of the story was a little hard to follow, or things happened that weren’t really additive to the story at all. It’s still an entertaining story and a great example of the kind of sci-fi I deserve and do not often find. I really hope this author writes more.
August 13, 2023
On Earth as it is on Television is a perfect summer read. Quirky and fun with a pulse all its own, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel. Emily Jane is one to watch.
June 13, 2023
*** Happy Publication Day ***
In this, her debut novel, Emily Jane hits a home run with On Earth as It Is on Television. This sci-fi/fantasy book is a funny, heart-warming look at what it means to be human.
Spaceships suddenly appear and hover over major cities around the world. The aliens don't communicate but hysteria breaks out between those fearing the end of the human race and those wanting to welcome these extraterrestrial visitors. Why are they here? What do they want? And why is the government just now telling people that this isn't the first time they have visited? Just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone. Meanwhile...
Oliver has been catatonic for twenty years after a horrific car accident. Now he is suddenly waking up and slowly recovering his memories. What triggered his awakening?
Blaine is trying to cope with life. Married to a woman who can do it all and two constantly bickering children who are only civilized when watching TV, he is in a dead-end civil service job with a flat-world espousing, part-time militia member of a partner who loves to flaunt the rules. When the spaceships arrive, Blaine's partner feels vindicated in his beliefs and heads for his survivalist retreat leaving Blaine to ponder what's next for him and his family.
Heather feels like the odd person out in her family. Her stepfather is a highly successful reality television show producer who was once a Jeopardy! champion; her genius stepbrother is debating between attending Stanford or Harvard; her mother always tries to include her in the family activities, and she just broke up with her video-game-addicted boyfriend. Life couldn't get worse, right?
These are the main characters whose lives we follow as they deal with the reality of the spaceships' sudden appearance and subsequent disappearance.
Although I could have done with less of the bickering children, all-in-all this was a fun read. I especially liked the role the cats played and how the appearance of spaceships affected the main characters. Reading this book may result in one reassessing those odd neighbors: are they really aliens in disguise? 4.5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an advance copy of this book. The publication date is June 13, 2023.
In this, her debut novel, Emily Jane hits a home run with On Earth as It Is on Television. This sci-fi/fantasy book is a funny, heart-warming look at what it means to be human.
Spaceships suddenly appear and hover over major cities around the world. The aliens don't communicate but hysteria breaks out between those fearing the end of the human race and those wanting to welcome these extraterrestrial visitors. Why are they here? What do they want? And why is the government just now telling people that this isn't the first time they have visited? Just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone. Meanwhile...
Oliver has been catatonic for twenty years after a horrific car accident. Now he is suddenly waking up and slowly recovering his memories. What triggered his awakening?
Blaine is trying to cope with life. Married to a woman who can do it all and two constantly bickering children who are only civilized when watching TV, he is in a dead-end civil service job with a flat-world espousing, part-time militia member of a partner who loves to flaunt the rules. When the spaceships arrive, Blaine's partner feels vindicated in his beliefs and heads for his survivalist retreat leaving Blaine to ponder what's next for him and his family.
Heather feels like the odd person out in her family. Her stepfather is a highly successful reality television show producer who was once a Jeopardy! champion; her genius stepbrother is debating between attending Stanford or Harvard; her mother always tries to include her in the family activities, and she just broke up with her video-game-addicted boyfriend. Life couldn't get worse, right?
These are the main characters whose lives we follow as they deal with the reality of the spaceships' sudden appearance and subsequent disappearance.
Although I could have done with less of the bickering children, all-in-all this was a fun read. I especially liked the role the cats played and how the appearance of spaceships affected the main characters. Reading this book may result in one reassessing those odd neighbors: are they really aliens in disguise? 4.5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an advance copy of this book. The publication date is June 13, 2023.
July 17, 2023
I was so excited to listen to this audiobook with my husband after all the hype. I was pretty let down - we were expecting some maybe Hitchhiker's Guide vibes but it fell way short. The plot wasn't interesting and felt like it went nowhere, it was annoyingly repetitive and could have shaved off at least 100 pages, catered to only cat lovers, tried to be funny but ended up being contrived, and I'm not sure I liked even one of the characters (and there were several). I wanted to DNF it around the 50% mark but trudged through to see what happened. The only reason why I didn't give it one star was because the intertwining of the storylines was somewhat satisfying and the visceral hatred for the children it made me feel evoked at least something within me so thought it deserved 2 stars.
July 10, 2023
It was just another day. Then UFOs appear in the sky. The aliens made no demands, no statements, and no declarations of war. They came, briefly hovered over major cities, and abruptly left. All they left behind are questions.
Why did they come?
Why did they go?
Are they coming back?
Why did all the cats run away?
What unfolds is an outlandish, slice-of-life, science fiction adventure that tells the story of what it means to be human.
On Earth as It is on Television is not your conventional first contact story. It is full of heart, fun, sadness, cats, and bacon. No, really. So much bacon. I smiled so many times. I laughed out loud. I thought about my place in the world. If you enjoy quirky adventures with unique characters and a bit of ridiculousness, I highly recommend picking this up.
Why did they come?
Why did they go?
Are they coming back?
Why did all the cats run away?
What unfolds is an outlandish, slice-of-life, science fiction adventure that tells the story of what it means to be human.
On Earth as It is on Television is not your conventional first contact story. It is full of heart, fun, sadness, cats, and bacon. No, really. So much bacon. I smiled so many times. I laughed out loud. I thought about my place in the world. If you enjoy quirky adventures with unique characters and a bit of ridiculousness, I highly recommend picking this up.
September 4, 2023
Alien spaceships appear over every major city in the world, hover for a while, then…poof! They take a space-hike. That leaves three groups of people in a tizzy: Oliver, a human vegetable who suddenly regains his faculties; Heather, a gap-year stepchild who resents her brilliant brother and dorky but accomplished stepdad; and Blaine, a water technician who’s noticing odder than usual behavior from Anne, his bacon- and plastic-obsessed superwoman of a wife.
First off, great humor here. Tough to write funny, but Jane whacks me in the funny bone enough times to get me to scare my family by laughing out loud in the peace of the living room. She writes the characters with awesome flaws and quirks and turns of phrase, in particular those wacky kids of Blaine and Anne’s. Loved Oliver and Heather, even Dave. Everyone was fun and complex. The writing smacked of Dave Barry.
The premise is one that might very well be an offshoot of legalization of certain substances, because why anyone would think of alien invasion in this way, I’ll never know. But Jane’s prediction of how Americans would react to aliens giving us the brush-off is better than I’d have thought. She wanted to write aliens living among us, and her imaging how they’d live and how they’d thrive silently is wonderful. I loved the Malort, and I’d love to meet one!
The pace is quick and never really lets up. Lots of dialogue, action, and whatever inner monologue is met with occurrences every time. There’s a big “Close Encounters” crescendo going to the end, a little better than your average “first contact” story, with a lovely and fun ending.
And…cats. If you’re a cat person, you’ve been waiting for this book your whole life. I’ll say no more. But oh, those chonky bois!
Little side note: I got a real White Noise vibe when Blaine and Anne’s family hit the road, destination unknown. I saw some reviews calling it “trippy,” but for me, the whole thing was explainable and coherent, if a little goofy and weird. You want psychedelic, murky, and indecipherable? Try some Don DeLillo.
Great stuff, and I’ll looking for more from this debut author. My overall rating? Klaatu, Barada, Nikto!
First off, great humor here. Tough to write funny, but Jane whacks me in the funny bone enough times to get me to scare my family by laughing out loud in the peace of the living room. She writes the characters with awesome flaws and quirks and turns of phrase, in particular those wacky kids of Blaine and Anne’s. Loved Oliver and Heather, even Dave. Everyone was fun and complex. The writing smacked of Dave Barry.
The premise is one that might very well be an offshoot of legalization of certain substances, because why anyone would think of alien invasion in this way, I’ll never know. But Jane’s prediction of how Americans would react to aliens giving us the brush-off is better than I’d have thought. She wanted to write aliens living among us, and her imaging how they’d live and how they’d thrive silently is wonderful. I loved the Malort, and I’d love to meet one!
The pace is quick and never really lets up. Lots of dialogue, action, and whatever inner monologue is met with occurrences every time. There’s a big “Close Encounters” crescendo going to the end, a little better than your average “first contact” story, with a lovely and fun ending.
And…cats. If you’re a cat person, you’ve been waiting for this book your whole life. I’ll say no more. But oh, those chonky bois!
Little side note: I got a real White Noise vibe when Blaine and Anne’s family hit the road, destination unknown. I saw some reviews calling it “trippy,” but for me, the whole thing was explainable and coherent, if a little goofy and weird. You want psychedelic, murky, and indecipherable? Try some Don DeLillo.
Great stuff, and I’ll looking for more from this debut author. My overall rating? Klaatu, Barada, Nikto!
June 18, 2023
This book answers the question of what would happen if the aliens came and then …just left?
People behave a little more strangely, or in the case of some they were *already* acting strangely and used it as an excuse to start hiding it less.
Cats disappear for a while, have a big gathering, most go back home. But different.
A cationic patient wakes up after an accident a couple decades earlier.
And a whole lot of nothing else
No ‘first contact’
No attack
For the first half of the book I was wondering how much any of it was even about aliens
This one wasn’t what I expected. For one I thought it would be humorous, and when it opened with someone fleeing physical and sexual assault, well, I figured out this wasn’t going to be that.
The writing itself was good, but I think maybe this book just wasn’t for me. The biggest thing is a series of relationship dramas, and most of the time I had trouble getting into them. Eventually a lot more became clear about why each group was important to the story but still - With the only storyline I was *really* invested in being Oliver’s, I spent a lot of the first half of the book wishing it was back to focusing on him. The second half was much weirder, but also much more interesting so I was glad.
People behave a little more strangely, or in the case of some they were *already* acting strangely and used it as an excuse to start hiding it less.
Cats disappear for a while, have a big gathering, most go back home. But different.
A cationic patient wakes up after an accident a couple decades earlier.
And a whole lot of nothing else
No ‘first contact’
No attack
For the first half of the book I was wondering how much any of it was even about aliens
This one wasn’t what I expected. For one I thought it would be humorous, and when it opened with someone fleeing physical and sexual assault, well, I figured out this wasn’t going to be that.
The writing itself was good, but I think maybe this book just wasn’t for me. The biggest thing is a series of relationship dramas, and most of the time I had trouble getting into them. Eventually a lot more became clear about why each group was important to the story but still - With the only storyline I was *really* invested in being Oliver’s, I spent a lot of the first half of the book wishing it was back to focusing on him. The second half was much weirder, but also much more interesting so I was glad.
July 22, 2023
Early on, someone refers to their cat as a “chonky boi” and all I could think about was, if this book endures, how are we going to explain that one to our grandchildren.
June 6, 2023
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
This heartwarming, delightful, and immersive novel is a deep dive into how the world would react if aliens showed up and didn’t attack.
This book was like a sleeper hit for me. I had no idea what to expect going in, as the blurb is rather unassuming and kind of quirky, but I absolutely loved it!
You know what it is? It’s a NICE story. There’s no murders, no psychopaths. There is passing mention of abuse, but it’s very brief and the point behind it is escape and healing. The novel made me smile, chuckle, and left me feeling kind of … happy. Books rarely do that for me, so it was nice to have a story that was rather heartwarming and reminded me of the good things in life.
The book is a bit zany, it’s very stream-of-consciousness, and if you don’t have kids in your life (whether your own, niblings, or students of some sort), you might not realize that the sections with them are pretty realistic. The two kids in this book, despite being a few years older than mine, reminded me so much of my kids, it was unreal. They were hilarious - the way they talked to one another, their parents, and the cat. The cat names in this book are also fantastic (Mr. Meowmitts killed me). I also thought Blaine, the “TV Commerical Dad” - kind of bumbling but endearing - was a nice guy and a good dad, albeit a bit overwhelmed, and who goes through … something … in a manner that was realistic. And believe me, if you start the book and are enjoying it but aren’t sure about the marriage subplot, keep reading.
The Heather plot was great because her privileged state isn’t a huge focus of the book, and her actions and feelings do make sense. A rich person I actually didn’t mind.
Oliver was wonderful - his determination to figure out his past and find a future was admirable.
Honestly, I really cared about every person in this book. They felt real in that they were regular people that didn’t require a big heaping dose of trauma to have a story arc. It seems to be a trend that every character has some sort of trauma in their past. I’m not against this at all, as those stories are important to understand other perspectives or life choices, but I also really enjoyed the lack of trauma in the people in this novel (except for a pair of them, but, as I said, it’s only mentioned briefly in passing).
This is one of those alien books where I - shockingly, given my love of alien cultures - honestly didn’t care that we didn’t get a lot about them, as it’s more of a human story.
It’s also funny, with lines like, “'Well, clearly the aliens made a deal with the government.' The Deep State had, yet again, betrayed its people” and “A gift of cell phones would dissolve any semblance of control or separation between children and screens. Children and screens would fuse irreparably.” It’s not preachy, though, more just poking fun at things.
There were two minor things that I did find issue with. The first was the “something” Blaine goes through does go on a lot longer than I had patience for (my least favourite subplot of a book though this one honestly handed it very well). The second was that someone who doesn’t know how to ride a motorcycle simply purchases one and just rides away on it.
As I said though, very minor. I loved the writing style, as it was very stream-of-consciousness. This is definitely a minimal plot type of novel, though there are twists! It’s like a quirky little indie movie that stays in its lane, and for that it, quite honestly, almost perfects what it was aiming to do.
I loved it.
This heartwarming, delightful, and immersive novel is a deep dive into how the world would react if aliens showed up and didn’t attack.
This book was like a sleeper hit for me. I had no idea what to expect going in, as the blurb is rather unassuming and kind of quirky, but I absolutely loved it!
You know what it is? It’s a NICE story. There’s no murders, no psychopaths. There is passing mention of abuse, but it’s very brief and the point behind it is escape and healing. The novel made me smile, chuckle, and left me feeling kind of … happy. Books rarely do that for me, so it was nice to have a story that was rather heartwarming and reminded me of the good things in life.
The book is a bit zany, it’s very stream-of-consciousness, and if you don’t have kids in your life (whether your own, niblings, or students of some sort), you might not realize that the sections with them are pretty realistic. The two kids in this book, despite being a few years older than mine, reminded me so much of my kids, it was unreal. They were hilarious - the way they talked to one another, their parents, and the cat. The cat names in this book are also fantastic (Mr. Meowmitts killed me). I also thought Blaine, the “TV Commerical Dad” - kind of bumbling but endearing - was a nice guy and a good dad, albeit a bit overwhelmed, and who goes through … something … in a manner that was realistic. And believe me, if you start the book and are enjoying it but aren’t sure about the marriage subplot, keep reading.
The Heather plot was great because her privileged state isn’t a huge focus of the book, and her actions and feelings do make sense. A rich person I actually didn’t mind.
Oliver was wonderful - his determination to figure out his past and find a future was admirable.
Honestly, I really cared about every person in this book. They felt real in that they were regular people that didn’t require a big heaping dose of trauma to have a story arc. It seems to be a trend that every character has some sort of trauma in their past. I’m not against this at all, as those stories are important to understand other perspectives or life choices, but I also really enjoyed the lack of trauma in the people in this novel (except for a pair of them, but, as I said, it’s only mentioned briefly in passing).
This is one of those alien books where I - shockingly, given my love of alien cultures - honestly didn’t care that we didn’t get a lot about them, as it’s more of a human story.
It’s also funny, with lines like, “'Well, clearly the aliens made a deal with the government.' The Deep State had, yet again, betrayed its people” and “A gift of cell phones would dissolve any semblance of control or separation between children and screens. Children and screens would fuse irreparably.” It’s not preachy, though, more just poking fun at things.
There were two minor things that I did find issue with. The first was the “something” Blaine goes through does go on a lot longer than I had patience for (my least favourite subplot of a book though this one honestly handed it very well). The second was that someone who doesn’t know how to ride a motorcycle simply purchases one and just rides away on it.
As I said though, very minor. I loved the writing style, as it was very stream-of-consciousness. This is definitely a minimal plot type of novel, though there are twists! It’s like a quirky little indie movie that stays in its lane, and for that it, quite honestly, almost perfects what it was aiming to do.
I loved it.
June 11, 2023
We were not alone. And we weren't the best. We drove around our potholed freeways with these silly stickers on our cars, professing our wisdom, our certainty in something. But we didn't travel between the stars. We didn't know. Not really. And maybe we never would.
4.5 stars. I can pretty much guarantee that you've never read a First Contact story quite like Emily Jane's debut, On Earth as It Is on Television. Rather than focusing on the aftereffects of an alien invasion, Jane's novel instead asks: How would humans respond if aliens showed up in Earth's skies one day...and then promptly left with no contact and no explanation? The answers are zany, entertaining, and surprisingly heartfelt.
In a clever narrative full of humor, emotion, several pounds of bacon, and a lot of telekinetic cats, On Earth as It Is on Television follows four people whose lives are altered in ways big and small by the arrival (and subsequent departure) of the spaceships. Blaine and his supermom wife Anne, along with their half-feral children, depart for a last-minute trip to Disney World, while 19-year-old Heather embarks on a journey of self-discovery, and Oliver wakes up from the catatonic state he's been in for 20 years. I don't want to say much more about the plot than that, because I found the journeys of these characters a pure and surprising pleasure to read.
Jane's writing is snappy enough to make On Earth a fun beach read, but it's also an emotionally resonant, thoughtful book that touches on themes of consumerism and capitalism, selfhood, and found family as it celebrates the simple joys of being alive. It's lighthearted and weird, satirical and witty, quirky and imaginative and incredibly endearing. The characters are lively and jump off the page, full of spirit and heart -- particularly Blaine and Anne's children, who are absolute delights. For a novel that begins with aliens, the story is rooted deeply in what it means to be human, and it is all so strange but so perfectly executed.
Captivating and entirely unique, On Earth as It Is on Television made me an immediate fan of Emily Jane's writing, and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next. Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.
June 18, 2023
[Blurb goes here]
All is as it should be in the world. That is, until the alien ships appear out of nowhere, hovering over various cities. No contact is established, and the ships disappear. What does this mean for humanity? Are we not worthy enough to deserve first contact? Was this just a preamble for things to come? Will they come back? And if they do, are they friends or foes?
These are some of the questions our protagonists ask themselves.
Blaine loves his super-wife. She's out of his league; of that, he's confident. She's a lawyer. She bakes the most amazing pastries and always shares them with the neighbors. Of course, she has a few quirks, but who doesn't? Although, after the ships leave, she starts acting strange...stranger than usual. Worst even, Blaine saw her with another man when she said she was at work. Is she having an affair?
Heather, an entitled little teen, hates his stepfamily and does not get along with her mom. She finds her privileged life annoying. When the ships arrive, his boyfriend would rather play video games than give her the attention she thinks she deserves. He even has the audacity to leave her alone in her Malibu house to go see the flying saucers. That's the last straw. She brakes up with him.
Oliver, after an accident, has been catatonic for twenty years. Weird, though, after the ships leave, he starts to regain normalcy...but why does he follow the instructions from a telepathic cat?
While the overall story is not very imaginative in the first encounter regard, it's beautifully written and lots of fun. I laughed at the situations in which our group of ragtag characters found themselves, especially at Blain's kid's crazy antics. Those two are a jewell.
It has spaceships and aliens, but it's more fantasy than sci-fi. I'm certain you will enjoy the ride as much as I did.
Thank you for the advanced copy!
All is as it should be in the world. That is, until the alien ships appear out of nowhere, hovering over various cities. No contact is established, and the ships disappear. What does this mean for humanity? Are we not worthy enough to deserve first contact? Was this just a preamble for things to come? Will they come back? And if they do, are they friends or foes?
These are some of the questions our protagonists ask themselves.
Blaine loves his super-wife. She's out of his league; of that, he's confident. She's a lawyer. She bakes the most amazing pastries and always shares them with the neighbors. Of course, she has a few quirks, but who doesn't? Although, after the ships leave, she starts acting strange...stranger than usual. Worst even, Blaine saw her with another man when she said she was at work. Is she having an affair?
Heather, an entitled little teen, hates his stepfamily and does not get along with her mom. She finds her privileged life annoying. When the ships arrive, his boyfriend would rather play video games than give her the attention she thinks she deserves. He even has the audacity to leave her alone in her Malibu house to go see the flying saucers. That's the last straw. She brakes up with him.
Oliver, after an accident, has been catatonic for twenty years. Weird, though, after the ships leave, he starts to regain normalcy...but why does he follow the instructions from a telepathic cat?
While the overall story is not very imaginative in the first encounter regard, it's beautifully written and lots of fun. I laughed at the situations in which our group of ragtag characters found themselves, especially at Blain's kid's crazy antics. Those two are a jewell.
It has spaceships and aliens, but it's more fantasy than sci-fi. I'm certain you will enjoy the ride as much as I did.
Thank you for the advanced copy!
December 31, 2023
Single most irritating audiobook I've listened to
February 10, 2024
I wanted to like this book, but it kind of fell flat for me. Cool premise, but could have been carried out better. I wasn't really attached to any of the characters. The only one I really liked was Heather. And the kids were so annoying. I usually skipped their dialogue because it was so grating to read. The word chonk was used far too much. Most of the characters just felt exaggerated without any depth at all and they didn't really mesh together. It seemed like they were all yelling at each other all the time without really hearing each other. Even the cat was pissing me off.
June 22, 2024
One of my most boring reading experiences lately. All of these characters should’ve been abducted and never been seen or heard from again (especially the kids).
Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing a copy for an honest review.
*trying to clear out my old arcs lol*
Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing a copy for an honest review.
*trying to clear out my old arcs lol*
September 5, 2023
I won a giveaway! Thank you Goodreads for this ARC, available publicly June 2023.
I thought I knew just what was going on. I had this review all written out in my head before I even got halfway through. And then I made it to that midpoint, and I had no idea what to think anymore. Not necessarily in a bad way, just in a way I need more time to think about.
On Earth As It Is On Television got Weird™️ and I respect that! I have a Book Friend who is always looking for something weird, and I'll recommend this to them for sure. Based on the premise, I figured that this would be a silly but contemplative little treatise on human nature, and maybe a little cynical. And definitely at first that's what up. This is essentially two books:
First, absurd yet slightly depressing, and honestly I couldn't read it as anything but a 9/11 aftermath allegory. I'm going to make a bold statement here and assume that this author is about 10 years older than me, based on that and the language & interests of the children in the book. Their father (who I got most attached to) is baffled by their creative mispronunciation, which I do when being facetious, and they watch cartoons that I watched when I was in high school/college. Not what "the kids" are into these days for sure; I'm old and uncool. And the various characters' anxiety over a worldwide cataclysmic event, the incessant news coverage about it, the theories and rumors, and then, eventually but inevitably, the dark side--a culture of suspicion that arises once the dust settles... it all just reminds me of 2002. And the tone of the book suggests the perspective of someone who was an adult at that time. I really related to the dad who could do nothing but try to move forward in confusion while everyone around him unravels, getting more and more dangerous.
But then the second half. Some new information changes the whole trajectory I thought the story was on. I lost sight of the allegory I had understood so clearly, or at least I thought I had. With my ideas muddled, I could do nothing but let the rest of the book take me along for the ride, and it does that competently. I think the ending was satisfying, and I don't have any narrative-related questions. Maybe that's not a good thing. The ending is almost too convenient; I feel almost patronized by the way everything wraps up just ever so nicely. This half is much less dark (on the page, at least) and is more surreal than the first. But I do have questions about what the entire second half means. I'm going to be puzzling this one out for a bit, I think. Which is fine! But I had been so sure I was on the right track, and now I'm not so sure.
There are a few little quirks that stand out, and they stand out enough that I think they could make-or-break someone's enjoyment of this book. The narration has a very... distinctive voice. It's playful and goofy, and it can also be distracting. The characters' voices are less differentiated from each other, but that might be a side effect of having a standard third-person past-tense narrator.
Also there are chapters from the point of view of cats, that's cool and different.
Do I have specific criticisms? I mean, yeah. There were a few brother/sister moments that felt a liiiiiiiittle too romantic to me? I did worry for a minute. Happy to report there's no incest. There is quite a tonal shift between the prologue and the start of the story at hand, and it's a little jarring how dark it is at the beginning and pivots to lighter absurdism. Mostly small spots that made me uncomfortable with their broader implications.
Overall, it was okay! Average and decent is fine. It's maybe not something that I would have picked for myself out of everything in the world, so I'm glad for the giveaway helping me broaden my horizons. This was the author Emily Jane's debut novel, and while I probably won't seek out her next work on purpose, I could definitely see her getting popular with the right audience.
I thought I knew just what was going on. I had this review all written out in my head before I even got halfway through. And then I made it to that midpoint, and I had no idea what to think anymore. Not necessarily in a bad way, just in a way I need more time to think about.
On Earth As It Is On Television got Weird™️ and I respect that! I have a Book Friend who is always looking for something weird, and I'll recommend this to them for sure. Based on the premise, I figured that this would be a silly but contemplative little treatise on human nature, and maybe a little cynical. And definitely at first that's what up. This is essentially two books:
First, absurd yet slightly depressing, and honestly I couldn't read it as anything but a 9/11 aftermath allegory. I'm going to make a bold statement here and assume that this author is about 10 years older than me, based on that and the language & interests of the children in the book. Their father (who I got most attached to) is baffled by their creative mispronunciation, which I do when being facetious, and they watch cartoons that I watched when I was in high school/college. Not what "the kids" are into these days for sure; I'm old and uncool. And the various characters' anxiety over a worldwide cataclysmic event, the incessant news coverage about it, the theories and rumors, and then, eventually but inevitably, the dark side--a culture of suspicion that arises once the dust settles... it all just reminds me of 2002. And the tone of the book suggests the perspective of someone who was an adult at that time. I really related to the dad who could do nothing but try to move forward in confusion while everyone around him unravels, getting more and more dangerous.
But then the second half. Some new information changes the whole trajectory I thought the story was on. I lost sight of the allegory I had understood so clearly, or at least I thought I had. With my ideas muddled, I could do nothing but let the rest of the book take me along for the ride, and it does that competently. I think the ending was satisfying, and I don't have any narrative-related questions. Maybe that's not a good thing. The ending is almost too convenient; I feel almost patronized by the way everything wraps up just ever so nicely. This half is much less dark (on the page, at least) and is more surreal than the first. But I do have questions about what the entire second half means. I'm going to be puzzling this one out for a bit, I think. Which is fine! But I had been so sure I was on the right track, and now I'm not so sure.
There are a few little quirks that stand out, and they stand out enough that I think they could make-or-break someone's enjoyment of this book. The narration has a very... distinctive voice. It's playful and goofy, and it can also be distracting. The characters' voices are less differentiated from each other, but that might be a side effect of having a standard third-person past-tense narrator.
Also there are chapters from the point of view of cats, that's cool and different.
Do I have specific criticisms? I mean, yeah. There were a few brother/sister moments that felt a liiiiiiiittle too romantic to me? I did worry for a minute. Happy to report there's no incest. There is quite a tonal shift between the prologue and the start of the story at hand, and it's a little jarring how dark it is at the beginning and pivots to lighter absurdism. Mostly small spots that made me uncomfortable with their broader implications.
Overall, it was okay! Average and decent is fine. It's maybe not something that I would have picked for myself out of everything in the world, so I'm glad for the giveaway helping me broaden my horizons. This was the author Emily Jane's debut novel, and while I probably won't seek out her next work on purpose, I could definitely see her getting popular with the right audience.
May 22, 2023
Unfortunately, there were a few elements of this book that I think won't work for many readers. The book starts out with a prologue following two teenage half siblings who are driving cross country to escape abusive parents. They are both reflecting on the life they've lived and everything that is to come. I loved it and it set the scene for what felt like an indie movie.
We quickly lead into the core story of the book, where we follow multiple people experiencing aliens arriving to Earth. At first I was intrigued, but then quickly realized that the story did not have a clear plot. It felt like less of a story and more just generic reports on what random people were doing and thinking about in regular days of their lives. Even while the news were claiming an apocalypse, and the aliens arrived, none of the characters really reacted all that much anyway. I think this could've been really good and maybe would've improved if there was a clear way that their stories intersected, but by the 30% my interest had been lost, so it was a DNF for me.
We quickly lead into the core story of the book, where we follow multiple people experiencing aliens arriving to Earth. At first I was intrigued, but then quickly realized that the story did not have a clear plot. It felt like less of a story and more just generic reports on what random people were doing and thinking about in regular days of their lives. Even while the news were claiming an apocalypse, and the aliens arrived, none of the characters really reacted all that much anyway. I think this could've been really good and maybe would've improved if there was a clear way that their stories intersected, but by the 30% my interest had been lost, so it was a DNF for me.
May 19, 2023
This book was provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue. All opinions are my own.
This was such a fun, unusual read that was simply refreshing. What do aliens, plastic, bacon, cats, and cheese have to do with each other? You find out in this hilariously odd exploration of aliens interacting with the people of Earth.
It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I gave myself enough time to read in a larger block of time, I was completely absorbed in this story.
If you want something light hearted and absolutely unique to read this summer, this is it! I don't want to give anything away but I'm all for the peets and beans.
This was such a fun, unusual read that was simply refreshing. What do aliens, plastic, bacon, cats, and cheese have to do with each other? You find out in this hilariously odd exploration of aliens interacting with the people of Earth.
It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I gave myself enough time to read in a larger block of time, I was completely absorbed in this story.
If you want something light hearted and absolutely unique to read this summer, this is it! I don't want to give anything away but I'm all for the peets and beans.
June 20, 2023
FABULOUSNESS embodied!
Take all of the BEST things on earth (I completely agree with Ms. Jane, about what those things are!) add in a great plot, and there you have it! Plus, many of the mysteries of life, childhood, sibling rivalry, and feline superiority are delved into and FINALLY explained! Thank you. The world finally makes sense. Please enlighten us further in your next book! And the sooner, the better!
Take all of the BEST things on earth (I completely agree with Ms. Jane, about what those things are!) add in a great plot, and there you have it! Plus, many of the mysteries of life, childhood, sibling rivalry, and feline superiority are delved into and FINALLY explained! Thank you. The world finally makes sense. Please enlighten us further in your next book! And the sooner, the better!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 979 reviews