Zombies Beware
The first-person narrator is given to the occasional flight of contemplative, highly opinionated thinking. And since this is a first-person narration that thinking translates into narration. One of these flights considers the mechanics of the human brain relative to the suspected inner workings of the brain of the alien species at the center of the story. This contemplation is forward as metaphor:
“Broadly speaking, the human brain is a collection of software hacks compiled into a single, somehow-functional unit. Each `feature’ was added as a random mutation that solved some specific problem to increase our odds of survival. In short, the human brain is a mess.”
Narrative Voice
The peculiarities and particularities of chosen similes expressed by a first-person narrator can often be a writer’s subtle indication of characterization. Crude comparisons filled with profanity, for instance, indicate a much different sort of protagonist than the language used by the narrator of this novel:
“I flail like an angry cat, reaching out for anything I can grasp. Turns out that’s a terrible idea. I fall onto the table and smack a set of supply drawers with my shin. It hurts like a motherfluffer!”
Revealing Certain Truths
Metaphorical language is also, occasionally, useful for conveying certain truths that usually go unacknowledged. This is certainly not one of the more common uses of such figurative language, but it is one of the more striking:
“Eridians don’t have a sense of smell. But while it took a long time to explain sight to Rocky, smell was easy. Because Eridians do have a sense of taste. When you get down to it, smell is just tasting at range.”
Just So You Know
A very precise simile is used to describe Rocky, the alien creature that assists the protagonist in his mission. Actually, a good-size chunky paragraph full of imagery has already put to effective use providing extensive description of Rocky. But nothing quite conveys the essentials of form like a familiar comparison through simile and the narrator provides that as well:
“On Earth, we have a scary, deadly creature called a spider. You look like one of those. Just so you know.”
First Contact
On its most basic level, this is a story about first contact with an alien species. Not just first contact with an alien species, but first contact with any alien life form. And such a monumental moment in human history cries out for a metaphorical statement for the ages. Just ask Neil Armstrong.
“This…this is an alien spacecraft. Made by aliens. Aliens intelligent enough to make a spacecraft. Humanity isn’t alone in the universe. And I’ve just met our neighbors.”
