The characters are all two dimensional cliches. The story is so simplistic it could be a poorly written, too long child’s book. The technology is just so much wishful thinking.
I suggest that if the author wants to write some serious science fiction he (1) read some good science fiction or any good book and (2) take some classes on how to write.
The narration is flat and every character sounds the same, except for the alien. The narrator just makes the alien sound like a simpleton. I am reminded the deplorable way early US TV depicted native Americans