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The Signal
When the evidence points to two realities, which will you believe?
Two astronomers have detected a strange, pulsing signal from deep space. Within hours, the US government goes into lockdown, restricting airspace and scrubbing scientific data. Was the signal an intercepted communication revealing alarming plans for an enemy’s military strike? Or has humanity at long last found proof of extraterrestrial life?
Caught between two mind-blowing possibilities, Dr. Veronica Chapel leaves her job as a high school science teacher to search for answers with her old friend Malcolm Feldman, a determined journalist, and Ada Park, a brilliant astronomer. Oh, and it also happens to be Dr. Chapel's one chance to redeem her destroyed scientific reputation, no pressure...
As the group digs deeper, they uncover layers of mystery that challenge their grasp of the universe and their place in it. With time running out and the world hanging in the balance, they must navigate a tangled web of corporate secrets, government interference, and ethical dilemmas on a high-stakes journey to uncover a truth that will upend our understanding of the cosmos—and ourselves.
Two astronomers have detected a strange, pulsing signal from deep space. Within hours, the US government goes into lockdown, restricting airspace and scrubbing scientific data. Was the signal an intercepted communication revealing alarming plans for an enemy’s military strike? Or has humanity at long last found proof of extraterrestrial life?
Caught between two mind-blowing possibilities, Dr. Veronica Chapel leaves her job as a high school science teacher to search for answers with her old friend Malcolm Feldman, a determined journalist, and Ada Park, a brilliant astronomer. Oh, and it also happens to be Dr. Chapel's one chance to redeem her destroyed scientific reputation, no pressure...
As the group digs deeper, they uncover layers of mystery that challenge their grasp of the universe and their place in it. With time running out and the world hanging in the balance, they must navigate a tangled web of corporate secrets, government interference, and ethical dilemmas on a high-stakes journey to uncover a truth that will upend our understanding of the cosmos—and ourselves.
Audible Audio
Published December 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 245 reviews
December 14, 2024
I had high hopes for this audiobook, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. While the production quality and performances were excellent, the story itself fell flat. The plot felt bland and disjointed, with an unrealistic twist and an ending that seemed hastily put together. It started strong, but the follow-through was disappointing. Despite being an impressive audio experience, I can’t recommend this title. There are simply better options out there.
July 21, 2025
The Signal
by Eric Buchman
I enjoyed the concept and the plot. The suspense was apparent and believable. I enjoyed this!
by Eric Buchman
I enjoyed the concept and the plot. The suspense was apparent and believable. I enjoyed this!
January 3, 2025
My rating with partial stars would be 2.75.
This audio experience was about middle-of-the-road for me; it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, but it didn't change my life or anything. I most of all enjoyed the voice performances and soundscaping. However, there were some problems that stuck with me and prevented me from feeling like it was great.
I'm sure real scientists would take issue with the way scientists and their field are depicted in this story. I was confused in the beginning with Veronica's decision to shoot down the answer of "observation" as the first step in the scientific method. I understand now that her answer was meant to lay out the themes of the book, but observation literally is the first step... Give that poor student some credit... Granted, there are different models of the scientific method, and it more so represents a base set of principles, but she could've said as much and segued into a discussion that served the same purpose for the story.
Speaking of Veronica, I did also find her to be a bit grating at times. I enjoy her base outlook that alien life must be real, as I like when characters hold a lot of conviction about a belief of theirs. However, the degree to which she is stubborn about this belief in the face of sound logic was a bit frustrating. I think it made sense for her character, but it has a sour aftertaste when her needed development occurs on a heel turn. I would've liked to see her struggle more openly with her final decision. (Although it is somewhat telegraphed, and I'll get to that.) I understand that we needed to feel a degree of suspense as we waited, and that this was a shorter story that needed to wrap up in time, but I would've loved to see a supposedly analytical mind in action.
I don't think that ending sucked quite as badly as people say, but it was an emotional let-down. I've greatly enjoyed two pieces of media recently that had people hating their endings: the book The Only Good Indians, and the game Firewatch. In both of those instances, I felt that the ending was perfectly justified and tied up the narrative and themes in a way that felt emotionally resonant. Here, I can see the threads that led us to the ending:
- Veronica feels conflicted about whether she would prefer to return to her old life of prestige or continue as a high school teacher. We also get varying opinions from other characters as to her worth in her current life. When, as she's mulling over the big decision, her substitute tells her outright that she's a great science teacher, this very well could have been what set in her mind that her current life is worth staying in, even if it's not her stated reason.
- Veronica also feels an almost feral urge to be right about her convictions. This much I could sympathize with, but it's also the thread that felt like it had a murkier progression in the home stretch. She seems to cool off very quickly in proportion to how strongly she felt before.
With this in mind, I certainly can't say that her choice came out of nowhere. But it's all a bit off.
I think the best reason (among others) that I can identify as to why it would've felt iffy is this: the big decision, on top of being wishy-washy in how it was choreographed, doesn't actually represent that much of a change for Veronica. Sure, she decides to take Malcolm's words to heart that he knew she was more than her need to be right. In making the climactic decision - as far as she says - based on this, is she not just picking a new thing to be right about and sticking to it? In leaving the door open for an exposé on Benjamin Wells, is she not just deciding instead to be right about her hatred for billionaires? It's very messy and human, but I think the issue is that it feels like the resolution of a self-contained story about people being people, and this story is supposed to have stakes on a global scale. So when a global-scale decision is made with the logic of a more character-focused story, it leaves one feeling both disappointed and a little horrified for how this cast's world will look after the events of the plot.
The Signal was hardly all bad, otherwise it wouldn't be in the ballpark of 3 stars! As I said before, I greatly enjoyed the audio experience, which is certainly important for an Audible Original. (This is my first, and I didn't know that some of these leaned closer to podcasts than books, which was an interesting surprise.) I felt that the line delivery propped up the dialogue where it was lacking and brightened it where it shone. I also found the premise intriguing and fun. It was sort of cheapened by the twist, but I don't feel that either side could have been proven fully right while keeping the story satisfying.
There are some other, more minor gripes that didn't fit neatly into the body of this review. "Shook"? "Mansplain"? In 2024? Whatever, I can begrudgingly accept that these characters are the target audience for such terms. Veronica's morals also felt a bit performative; kind of funny for a character to hold up the megaphone and say "I hate billionaires!" in an original released by a company richer than God. These are less pressing than the story complaints, though, and don't detract so much from my enjoyment of this as something of a popcorn read.
But also, fuck you for making me think about the Cascadia subduction zone. 0 stars.
This audio experience was about middle-of-the-road for me; it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, but it didn't change my life or anything. I most of all enjoyed the voice performances and soundscaping. However, there were some problems that stuck with me and prevented me from feeling like it was great.
I'm sure real scientists would take issue with the way scientists and their field are depicted in this story. I was confused in the beginning with Veronica's decision to shoot down the answer of "observation" as the first step in the scientific method. I understand now that her answer was meant to lay out the themes of the book, but observation literally is the first step... Give that poor student some credit... Granted, there are different models of the scientific method, and it more so represents a base set of principles, but she could've said as much and segued into a discussion that served the same purpose for the story.
Speaking of Veronica, I did also find her to be a bit grating at times. I enjoy her base outlook that alien life must be real, as I like when characters hold a lot of conviction about a belief of theirs. However, the degree to which she is stubborn about this belief in the face of sound logic was a bit frustrating. I think it made sense for her character, but it has a sour aftertaste when her needed development occurs on a heel turn. I would've liked to see her struggle more openly with her final decision. (Although it is somewhat telegraphed, and I'll get to that.) I understand that we needed to feel a degree of suspense as we waited, and that this was a shorter story that needed to wrap up in time, but I would've loved to see a supposedly analytical mind in action.
I don't think that ending sucked quite as badly as people say, but it was an emotional let-down. I've greatly enjoyed two pieces of media recently that had people hating their endings: the book The Only Good Indians, and the game Firewatch. In both of those instances, I felt that the ending was perfectly justified and tied up the narrative and themes in a way that felt emotionally resonant. Here, I can see the threads that led us to the ending:
- Veronica feels conflicted about whether she would prefer to return to her old life of prestige or continue as a high school teacher. We also get varying opinions from other characters as to her worth in her current life. When, as she's mulling over the big decision, her substitute tells her outright that she's a great science teacher, this very well could have been what set in her mind that her current life is worth staying in, even if it's not her stated reason.
- Veronica also feels an almost feral urge to be right about her convictions. This much I could sympathize with, but it's also the thread that felt like it had a murkier progression in the home stretch. She seems to cool off very quickly in proportion to how strongly she felt before.
With this in mind, I certainly can't say that her choice came out of nowhere. But it's all a bit off.
I think the best reason (among others) that I can identify as to why it would've felt iffy is this: the big decision, on top of being wishy-washy in how it was choreographed, doesn't actually represent that much of a change for Veronica. Sure, she decides to take Malcolm's words to heart that he knew she was more than her need to be right. In making the climactic decision - as far as she says - based on this, is she not just picking a new thing to be right about and sticking to it? In leaving the door open for an exposé on Benjamin Wells, is she not just deciding instead to be right about her hatred for billionaires? It's very messy and human, but I think the issue is that it feels like the resolution of a self-contained story about people being people, and this story is supposed to have stakes on a global scale. So when a global-scale decision is made with the logic of a more character-focused story, it leaves one feeling both disappointed and a little horrified for how this cast's world will look after the events of the plot.
The Signal was hardly all bad, otherwise it wouldn't be in the ballpark of 3 stars! As I said before, I greatly enjoyed the audio experience, which is certainly important for an Audible Original. (This is my first, and I didn't know that some of these leaned closer to podcasts than books, which was an interesting surprise.) I felt that the line delivery propped up the dialogue where it was lacking and brightened it where it shone. I also found the premise intriguing and fun. It was sort of cheapened by the twist, but I don't feel that either side could have been proven fully right while keeping the story satisfying.
There are some other, more minor gripes that didn't fit neatly into the body of this review. "Shook"? "Mansplain"? In 2024? Whatever, I can begrudgingly accept that these characters are the target audience for such terms. Veronica's morals also felt a bit performative; kind of funny for a character to hold up the megaphone and say "I hate billionaires!" in an original released by a company richer than God. These are less pressing than the story complaints, though, and don't detract so much from my enjoyment of this as something of a popcorn read.
But also, fuck you for making me think about the Cascadia subduction zone. 0 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2025
Space Echos: Carl Sagan's "Contact" Reimagined
Eric Buchman's 2024 audio novella The Signal feels like a condensed and derivative version of Carl Sagan's Contact. The story revolves around Dr. Veronica Chapel, a disgraced astrophysicist, who partners with journalist Malcolm Feldman and astronomer Ada Park to investigate a mysterious deep-space signal that could be proof of alien life—or something entirely different, like military technology or a cover-up.
But make no mistake, The Signal draws heavily from Contact. Chapel mirrors Jodie Foster's Ellie Arroway—a brilliant scientist with unwavering confidence in the possibility of extraterrestrial life, whose obsession derails her promising astronomy career. Then there's Wells, the story's wealthy, enigmatic tech mogul, reminiscent of S.R. Haddon from Contact, wielding boundless resources and ambiguous motives. The one sliver of originality lies in Malcolm, the journalist, who approaches his work with refreshing ethics—a rarity that highlights the fictional nature of the story.
Ultimately, while mildly entertaining, The Signal struggles to rise above its brevity and striking similarities to Sagan's masterpiece. Its derivative nature leaves it feeling more like a pale shadow of a richer, more thoughtfully crafted tale.
Eric Buchman's 2024 audio novella The Signal feels like a condensed and derivative version of Carl Sagan's Contact. The story revolves around Dr. Veronica Chapel, a disgraced astrophysicist, who partners with journalist Malcolm Feldman and astronomer Ada Park to investigate a mysterious deep-space signal that could be proof of alien life—or something entirely different, like military technology or a cover-up.
But make no mistake, The Signal draws heavily from Contact. Chapel mirrors Jodie Foster's Ellie Arroway—a brilliant scientist with unwavering confidence in the possibility of extraterrestrial life, whose obsession derails her promising astronomy career. Then there's Wells, the story's wealthy, enigmatic tech mogul, reminiscent of S.R. Haddon from Contact, wielding boundless resources and ambiguous motives. The one sliver of originality lies in Malcolm, the journalist, who approaches his work with refreshing ethics—a rarity that highlights the fictional nature of the story.
Ultimately, while mildly entertaining, The Signal struggles to rise above its brevity and striking similarities to Sagan's masterpiece. Its derivative nature leaves it feeling more like a pale shadow of a richer, more thoughtfully crafted tale.
April 23, 2025
2.5 ended up going in a very uninteresting direction
July 2, 2025
It’s good, the production is great, but the ending sucked..
May 7, 2025
A full cast dramatization is always good and this was no different. The storyline and pacing were slow for me even though it’s a short narration at under 3 hrs. Liked the concept and the protagonist’s backstory, just never felt the vibes I was hoping for.
April 4, 2025
I was really intrigued by the concept of this Audible short story and even though the story did not end the way I thought it would, the production and overall story kept me engaged troughout and the ending wasn’t bad at all. Would I have enjoyed some action “scenes” or something like that, sure! But overall this was a well crafted story of secrets, space, science, and second chances.
I was very impressed with the production value of the story. The sound was excellent and the voice actors were all really good. I was even more intrigued when I saw that Paget Brewster was one of the narrators, as I’ve been a fan of hers since her Criminal Minds days) and her performance was really great! This story “read” like an episode of a thriller on TV or an old radio drama and was nice, but I think I would have cut out some of the extra “fluff” to help things scoot along a bit quicker.
All-in-all, a really good little story and I really enjoyed it!
I was very impressed with the production value of the story. The sound was excellent and the voice actors were all really good. I was even more intrigued when I saw that Paget Brewster was one of the narrators, as I’ve been a fan of hers since her Criminal Minds days) and her performance was really great! This story “read” like an episode of a thriller on TV or an old radio drama and was nice, but I think I would have cut out some of the extra “fluff” to help things scoot along a bit quicker.
All-in-all, a really good little story and I really enjoyed it!
May 3, 2025
This book has a really intriguing concept that builds and builds, but I did not find a "payoff" to the drama. The ending felt a bit weak and Dr. Chapel's character drove me a little crazy. I'd give it a 2.5/5. Not terrible, but not great.
April 24, 2025
what an annoying main character!
December 18, 2024
i had high expectations for this one….i am only glad it was free! it started amazing and then transformed into a bland boring wtf type of everyday story…would NOT recommend.
February 20, 2025
Meh! Audible was great though! The story was mid. 🤷🏼♀️
January 13, 2026
Modern book criticism uses the concept of "deus ex machina" to describe any illogical plot development that proves critical to the storyline regardless of when it occurs, and that's exactly the problem with Buchman's sci-fi thriller "The Signal". Without spoiling anything, there's at least one event that is so laughably improbable that it ruined the story for me.
The tale follows Dr. Veronica Chapel, an astrophysicist who resigned, disgraced, from her role as science advisor to the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her crime? She didn't reject the idea that there might be alien life somewhere in the galaxy. A few astronomers have detected a strange signal from deep space; could it be proof of alien life? The government isn't taking any chances and immediately shuts down the news, locks down the research facilities, and scrubs all the stored data. Dr. Chapel gets wind of the discovery and realizes it might just prove her right...
This is a full-cast Audible presentation, and it's quite a good production. It's just too bad that the story itself was full of improbable twists and a weak ending.
The tale follows Dr. Veronica Chapel, an astrophysicist who resigned, disgraced, from her role as science advisor to the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her crime? She didn't reject the idea that there might be alien life somewhere in the galaxy. A few astronomers have detected a strange signal from deep space; could it be proof of alien life? The government isn't taking any chances and immediately shuts down the news, locks down the research facilities, and scrubs all the stored data. Dr. Chapel gets wind of the discovery and realizes it might just prove her right...
This is a full-cast Audible presentation, and it's quite a good production. It's just too bad that the story itself was full of improbable twists and a weak ending.
Read
March 18, 2025I thought this was a fantastic short story. It was suspenseful and intriguing, and it brought up a lot of good moral and ethical dilemmas that were fun to ponder what I would do if I were in those same situations. The audiobook was produced really well making it easy to see the story and characters in my head as if I were watching a movie.
November 6, 2025
I am in LUHVUH with Audible’s radio storytelling style of production!! It brings these books and stories to life! As a girl obsessed with space, this book didn’t need to advertise to have me listen. It was shorter than I expected and the ending, at first, felt abrupt. After a few hours of contemplation, I reflected and realized the impact of keeping the story short and why the characters made the decisions they made.
(I have to give MEGA BONUS POINTS for having an ex-couple reconnect and NOT get back together!!! I think this is the first story where I’ve seen it happen and it lent a lot to the development of the plot and the meaning behind the characters’ intertwinement. SO WELL DONE)
(I have to give MEGA BONUS POINTS for having an ex-couple reconnect and NOT get back together!!! I think this is the first story where I’ve seen it happen and it lent a lot to the development of the plot and the meaning behind the characters’ intertwinement. SO WELL DONE)
March 30, 2025
I really enjoyed this audio drama! The production and cast was fantastic, and the story kept me engaged. The ending was a little weak, but I don't think it should hurt the overall rating as much as others are saying. I can think of worse ways to spend a couple of hours.
January 18, 2026
The story line was good at the beginning and then it got very unrealistic very fast. The production for reading it was actually very good and definitely makes you get involved in the plot but there wasn’t much of a plot.
Ending was absurd. Don’t waste your time.
Ending was absurd. Don’t waste your time.
March 18, 2025
The audio performance was pretty good but other than that it was very average overall. Just perfectly okay
April 1, 2025
*3.5 stars*
Good, entertaining, and fun to listen to during my drives or cardio days!
Good, entertaining, and fun to listen to during my drives or cardio days!
May 8, 2025
what a cute little book
June 17, 2025
3 thoughts:
(1) "Call me anytime, with an asterisk" is one of the better gen-alpha innovations.
(2) Listening to this during Israel v. Iran makes it that much more relatable. :(
(3) I would have chosen the alternate ending.
(1) "Call me anytime, with an asterisk" is one of the better gen-alpha innovations.
(2) Listening to this during Israel v. Iran makes it that much more relatable. :(
(3) I would have chosen the alternate ending.
October 2, 2025
The narrator reminded me of Ellen and all I could think about was finding dory
January 18, 2025
Decent scifi conspiracy theory type story, but unfortunately a predictable ending.
January 9, 2026
This story was so fun and suspenseful! I loved the pacing and the way the mystery unfolded. The sounds effects were just brilliant and so real, especially since I mainly listened while walking my dog, so it was very intense and in stereo. The acting was great, the dialogue flowed naturally, and the book was satisfying.
December 11, 2024
I'm trying to get the most out of my free month on Audible, so I gave this a go. The production of the audiobook itself and the voice acting were great and very immersive. 4 out of 5 stars for that.
On the other hand, the story honestly felt like a waste of time. It started off fine and it could've been interesting, but for some reason, the author decided to add a twist that rendered the whole thing pointless and boring, in my opinion.
On the other hand, the story honestly felt like a waste of time. It started off fine and it could've been interesting, but for some reason, the author decided to add a twist that rendered the whole thing pointless and boring, in my opinion.
January 13, 2025
Audiobook review.
So disappointing.
The story was subpar.
Acting was bad from relatively talented actors.
It sounded like a group of actors who were inexperienced and not certain how or when to emote, yet these are all experienced actors with decades of experience. It sounded more like they were cold reading the script.
I'm not trying to be overly critical or negative. I was just really disappointed because I read what the story was about and who the vocal performers were and overly built up how good I thought it would be, in my mind.
Maybe you'll enjoy it, and possibly I sabotaged the story for myself because it wasn't what I was expecting.
Regardless of how I felt about it, listen to it for yourself and make up your own mind.
I can't tell you how many times I've missed out on a story I ended up really enjoying just because I listened to someone else's opinion instead of just reading it for myself.
So disappointing.
The story was subpar.
Acting was bad from relatively talented actors.
It sounded like a group of actors who were inexperienced and not certain how or when to emote, yet these are all experienced actors with decades of experience. It sounded more like they were cold reading the script.
I'm not trying to be overly critical or negative. I was just really disappointed because I read what the story was about and who the vocal performers were and overly built up how good I thought it would be, in my mind.
Maybe you'll enjoy it, and possibly I sabotaged the story for myself because it wasn't what I was expecting.
Regardless of how I felt about it, listen to it for yourself and make up your own mind.
I can't tell you how many times I've missed out on a story I ended up really enjoying just because I listened to someone else's opinion instead of just reading it for myself.
February 21, 2025
Free Audible book
I thought it was a semi interesting premise and the character work was really good. All the voice actors did an amazing job. It kind of felt like a half developed character novel with a sci-fi pinch for marketing purposes idk.
The actors carried this to a four star so good on them!
I thought it was a semi interesting premise and the character work was really good. All the voice actors did an amazing job. It kind of felt like a half developed character novel with a sci-fi pinch for marketing purposes idk.
The actors carried this to a four star so good on them!
December 22, 2024
I really liked the way this was formatted. It was almost like listening to the episode of a TV show. The scientific aspects of this were really awesome, and the story was really good. It didn't go in the direction that I thought it was going to, and I don't think that is a bad thing at all.
February 1, 2025
The ending of this book ruined the entire thing for me. There was SUCH and interesting plot here, and they ruined it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 245 reviews