Book Talk: Milijun By Clayton Graham

Have you ever wondered what alien interaction would be like? Clayton Graham ponders this in his bookMilijun. Graham, a UK native, has a degree in Aerospace Engineering and has attained a Student Apprenticeship with English Electric Aviation. If that’s not impressive, nothing is. Obviously, he’d write something pertaining to science fiction, and you know what? He did a really good job.

Synopsis

Set in 2179 Australia, Laura Sinclair and her son Jason witness aliens descend to Earth while on vacation. What a holiday! Aliens who want to form a mutually beneficial relationship with mankind, no less, which is code for “let’s make some human slaves or something.” Note, normally aliens are depicted as either venom spitting, chest bursting, or Mars attacking individuals that run around laser happy. These are no different, really. They just want to do things through impregnation instead, which somehow, seems far more terrifying!

Of course, Jason is the chosen one, serving as a genetic link in a trial that involves the impregnation of human females with hybrid embryos. Like most mothers, Laura isn’t happy. She goes head-to-head with Major General Sebastian Ord, from the local defense force in the town of Milijun.

There’s an attempt to capture aliens in a cave, a confrontation, and then Jason gets abducted by an alien swarm. But that’s not the worst of it. There’s technologies and alien mystery.

Pros

The good news is that Clayton Graham isn’t one for over-the-top “big words” in his science fiction. Some readers shy away from sci-fi due to this issue, but Graham makes his story accessible to everyone. Despite incorporating a few techy terms here and there, everything is explained.

Furthermore, it’s addicting. The world building is beyond captivating, and the pacing is right on target. Too many times these days, stories are great, but get ruined by poor pacing. This does not suffer from this at all!

What’s more is that the characters are compelling. They’re just… good. Well developed, you can’t help but root for Laura and Jason.

Cons

Some stories are better as one medium over another. This might be one of them. At times, there’s so much going on in the book, that some readers might argue it would make a better movie, where the visuals would really pop. Personally, I loved these parts, and reading them allowed me to visualize them as I saw fit. But I would understand if other readers felt a little overwhelmed by this.

Summary

Overall, Clayton Graham’s Milijun deserves a 9/10. The only reason it’s not a ten, is because it might be a little too much for some readers. Honestly, this would make an awesome movie, and someone should look into it. Graham is a spectacular writer, and the prose is there. The characters are there. The plot is there. The world building makes readers feel like they’re front and center, watching all of this chaos unfold.

If you haven’t read it yet, you really should. Milijun is a story much like what Ray Bradbury would write, always warning people about aliens and advances in technology. With the exception that this is more… action-packed! It’s the perfect novel to read if you’re going on an adventure of your own, and you have down time on the plane. Go read it!

Want More From Literative? Become A Member!