Telstar

by Gerald Rennett

For nearly a century, Telstar circled the Earth, a relic of the dawn of the Space Age, a symbol of human ingenuity and a silent witness to Intervention. But when Orbital Miner Emrys Edwards tries to retrieve the ancient satellite for a museum, Telstar reveals its true nature and vanishes in a burst of impossible energy.

Emrys knows what he saw. Some in authority doubt him and claim he imagined it... But, something ancient has awakened in Earth's orbit and it isn't finished with us yet.

A tense, near-future sci-fi thriller set in the same fractured world explored in The Custodian, The Collector and The Returning, Telstar blends real history, cosmic mystery and grounded human drama into a gripping atmospheric novelette.

54 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2013

About the author

Gerald Rennett started writing in 2013 with his debut novel - The Returning and a variety of sci-fi short stories.

He also writes childrens stories and guidebooks and his authorative guide to Rutland Water: A Guide from the Belle has been released in its third edition. Also just out is a children's short story 'Mwgi to the Rescue' and its Welsh language version 'Cadi I'r Adwy'.

March 2026 saw the release of 'The Collector' - A sweeping, high‑concept sci‑fi thriller perfect for readers who love vast mysteries, alternate realities, and ensemble‑driven tension. The Expanse meets Stargate with a mythic, reality‑bending twist. Following that complete rewrites of novelettes and short stories 'Telstar', 'The Anchor' and 'The Hanging Rock.' His third full-length novel - 'Luna Secundus' is expected to be out in the Fall and following 'what happened next in the Telstar universe' questions a brand-new novelette, 'Children of Telstar' came out in June 2026.

Working with narrator, Hannah Lloyd, Gerald has, to date, released two books on Audible - 'Cadi Cnoi I'r Adwy' in Welsh, yn Cymraeg and 'The Anchor' (in English). Hannah is currently working on an Audible version of 'The Hanging Rock' expected to be out by the end of July.

Gerald lives on the Welsh border and is a Mynediad level Welsh speaker in addition to other languages picked up in a lifetime of travel - mainly in the Far East and Sub-Continent but also widely across Europe. His writing is heavily influenced by growing up on the Pembrokeshire coast - especially in books such as Hanging Rock, The Anchor and Children of Telstar as well as a lifetime of travel which continues to this day.

Reviews

[Maddie T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copy received on behalf of Goodreads giveaways. Very solid short story, compelling and intriguing with good world building for the length. I appreciated the tie ins to early space technology while advancing the science in a way that felt akin to Bradbury-esc technology.