The Amity Incident is a Science Fiction novel written by C. M. Weller.
It is currently published as an ebook and can only be found on Smashwords
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T'reka just wanted to learn. Unfortunately for her, her entire species views scientific thinking as a form of insanity. And when she wants to learn all about the various venomous, poisonous, and outright deadly life forms on a land mass named Toxic Island, you can almost see why. Little did she know that when she committed her life to the study of this strange and hostile land, there was already a colony of monsters setting up housekeeping. Now she's face-to-face with the most dangerous life form in the known universe, and desperately trying to forge peace with the horrible creatures twice her size and four times her weight! They call themselves... HUMANS!
This story provides examples of:
- Beneath the Earth: Houses in Wiwazheer are all partially underground, domed, and have gardens on the top.
- Can't Live with Them, Can't Live without Them: Closer to the end of the book, The Scientists all migrate away from Kal'rike, which is thought to be brilliant by everyone else until stagnation sets in. Doubles as Be Careful What You Wish For/Wanting Is Better Than Having
- Character Development: Several of the original malcontent kids plus the ringleader Jaime, eventually go through some powerful character development as they acclimatise to their new home and learn to work within the community being created.
- Culture Clash/Deliberate Values Dissonance: To the Numidid, scientists are insane, the lowest of the low and regarded as a blight on civilised society.
- Eloquent in My Native Tongue: Both sides thoroughly butcher each other's language before graduating to Tarzan speak and eventual fluency. Or as fluent as one can get when they physically can't make some sounds.
- Gender-Equal Ensemble: The main Power Trio is Susan, Shanice, and Kori, plus T'reka the alien and a roughly equal backing cast.
- Good Parents: The adults of Wiwazheer are determined to found a society without a lot of the bias/prejudice they left behind on Earth. Starting with their kids.
- Hate Sink: Ambassador Ser, and to a lesser extent Jaime. In the beginning, anyway
- Humans Are Cthulhu: Humans are vastly overpowered compared to most other aliens. Since they are so scary first contact hasn't been attempted and some things have been misconstrued or blown out of proportion, but most 'facts' are absolutely true, humans are just comparative juggernauts in this universe.
- Humans Through Alien Eyes: About 50% of the book before and after first contact
- I Have No Son!: Narrowly avoided, apparently common for Numidid parents whose children turn to science.
- The Magnificent: All the Numidid scientists have titles added to their names.
- Non-Indicative Name: Toxic Island. It's a continent.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Everyone in charge of T'reka's mission
- Only One Name: Surnames are very rarely discussed, and never on the Numidid side
- Punny Name: All the human-named towns. The original settlement is named Wiwazheer - [We Was Here.
- Rite of Passage: The Reveal - where children transition to adulthood by choosing their pronouns and name, and making a hopeful guess at their orientation - an "I don't know" is an acceptable Reveal.
- Traumatic Haircut: Used on Numidid children, clipping their arm feathers as a more drastic kind of grounding
- True Companions: The Power Trio Susan, Shanice and Kori
- Two Girls and a Guy: Most of the time Kori, Shanice and Susan.
- Wallpaper Camouflage: Susan's gilly suit is really good. Unless Shanice is using it.
- Xenofiction: The novel begins like this, and flips between the alien perspective and human in alternating chapters.
