What do you think?
Rate this book
Salient: Fast Paced Science Fiction Thriller
Four campers experience the unimaginable....
A signal from deep space is detected....
NASA and SETI scramble for answers....
But what they discover is...terrifying.
When four campers decide to take a short vacation in the pine forests of Mount Shasta, a potentially active volcano, and some say, a mystical mountain region in the Cascade Mountain Range of Northern California, it turns out they aren't alone....
After a long drive through the Shasta Trinity National Forest, British MIT graduate Tom Bishop and his three friends set up camp in the closed-for-the-season Pine Crags Wilderness Campsite, in the shadows of Mount Shasta. As they exchange legends about the mysterious mountain, something appears from the woods which defies all logic....
Meanwhile SETI scientist and exo-solar planet hunter Dr. Lucy Davies is monitoring the array of computer screens in front of her while carrying out a routine ET signal sweep when she almost drops her mug of coffee, as one of the screens starts flashing - indicating a confirmed detection of a signal from space.... Upon closer annalysis however the signal is even more intriguing. Whilst it appears to emanate from space, it actually terminates at a remote location in the Cascade Mountain Range of the western USA - an area known as Cobalt Ridge.
As NASA and SETI scientists scramble to determine if the signal is a genuine fist contact from an alien species, Tom and his friends are frantically searching for two of their team, missing since the campsite incident. As they uncover more clues, their search leads them down a remote series of old mining tunnels towards the base of Mount Shasta. What they eventually discover there however stuns the scientific community. But, are the space signals what they appear to be? Do they represent genuine contact from an alien inteligence...or could they amount to something even more sinister...?
Salient is a fast-paced, unpauseable science fiction action thriller which will have you listening until the very end as you are taken on an edge-of-your-seat mystery ride.
A signal from deep space is detected....
NASA and SETI scramble for answers....
But what they discover is...terrifying.
When four campers decide to take a short vacation in the pine forests of Mount Shasta, a potentially active volcano, and some say, a mystical mountain region in the Cascade Mountain Range of Northern California, it turns out they aren't alone....
After a long drive through the Shasta Trinity National Forest, British MIT graduate Tom Bishop and his three friends set up camp in the closed-for-the-season Pine Crags Wilderness Campsite, in the shadows of Mount Shasta. As they exchange legends about the mysterious mountain, something appears from the woods which defies all logic....
Meanwhile SETI scientist and exo-solar planet hunter Dr. Lucy Davies is monitoring the array of computer screens in front of her while carrying out a routine ET signal sweep when she almost drops her mug of coffee, as one of the screens starts flashing - indicating a confirmed detection of a signal from space.... Upon closer annalysis however the signal is even more intriguing. Whilst it appears to emanate from space, it actually terminates at a remote location in the Cascade Mountain Range of the western USA - an area known as Cobalt Ridge.
As NASA and SETI scientists scramble to determine if the signal is a genuine fist contact from an alien species, Tom and his friends are frantically searching for two of their team, missing since the campsite incident. As they uncover more clues, their search leads them down a remote series of old mining tunnels towards the base of Mount Shasta. What they eventually discover there however stuns the scientific community. But, are the space signals what they appear to be? Do they represent genuine contact from an alien inteligence...or could they amount to something even more sinister...?
Salient is a fast-paced, unpauseable science fiction action thriller which will have you listening until the very end as you are taken on an edge-of-your-seat mystery ride.
- GenresScience Fiction
Audible Audio
Published July 22, 2019
80 people are currently reading
1237 people want to read
About the author
Simon Rosser
49 books73 followersAuthor of the Robert Spire Eco- Sci-Fi Thriller Action Adventure series -
CliFi thriller TIPPING POINT, SciFi action-technothriller, IMPACT POINT, mystery thriller MELT ZONE and CATACLYSM of the ANCIENTS, Mystery Thriller CRYPTO, UFO Thrillers, The GALILEO PROJECT / COUNTDOWN / DISCLOSURE and Spire 7, THE VANISHED.
Also sci-fi alien invasion thrillers VAPORISED I and II
Espionage thriller RED MIST
SciFi thrillers SALIENT and SALIENT 2
Coming Soon - FUTURE WARS - Time travel adventure thriller will be coming out in the Fall 2025 - pre-order on Amazon now!
CliFi thriller TIPPING POINT, SciFi action-technothriller, IMPACT POINT, mystery thriller MELT ZONE and CATACLYSM of the ANCIENTS, Mystery Thriller CRYPTO, UFO Thrillers, The GALILEO PROJECT / COUNTDOWN / DISCLOSURE and Spire 7, THE VANISHED.
Also sci-fi alien invasion thrillers VAPORISED I and II
Espionage thriller RED MIST
SciFi thrillers SALIENT and SALIENT 2
Coming Soon - FUTURE WARS - Time travel adventure thriller will be coming out in the Fall 2025 - pre-order on Amazon now!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 4, 2020
What Do Bigfoot, a Chamber under a Glacier and the Pleiades Have in Common?
I read this book in one day. The plot, which starts a bit thin, picks up as it goes along, and does deliver serious action. It also drops us at the end, leaving as many questions as we had at the beginning. I suspect Mr. Rosser had a second book in mind, since he leaves so many questions unanswered at the end.
The plot revolves around four college students who have come to Mt. Shasta to camp out. As a stranger to that part of the U.S., I turned to Wikipedia to look it up and found the camping area the author was referring to. Having done that, his description of the park came to life for me, and as a long-time camper myself, I was there. So I was ready for the night sounds to spook our students, and their conversation about Bigfoot. (About that time, I very nearly quit reading, having NO belief in large shaggy humanoids. But stick with it, th plot is now beginning.)
What Mr. Rosser is positing is that aliens have set up a monitoring station in this remote wilderness, and (probably by accident) the Bigfoots are coming from our deep past through a machine within this station. He missed a bet with this plot device; it might very well be that they are being pulled from our deep past to keep people away from the site, and considering his idea that the aliens are monitoring us, it would be as reasonable as his suggestion that our long history of war against our own planet and one another are at the root of the need of surveillance.
It's a little sketchy, and a little uneven in the writing, but I did enjoy the book. The author needs to flesh out his main characters more fluidly, and brush up his dialog, but it's a good story and moved well for the most part. I'd go for a 'next book.'
I read this book in one day. The plot, which starts a bit thin, picks up as it goes along, and does deliver serious action. It also drops us at the end, leaving as many questions as we had at the beginning. I suspect Mr. Rosser had a second book in mind, since he leaves so many questions unanswered at the end.
The plot revolves around four college students who have come to Mt. Shasta to camp out. As a stranger to that part of the U.S., I turned to Wikipedia to look it up and found the camping area the author was referring to. Having done that, his description of the park came to life for me, and as a long-time camper myself, I was there. So I was ready for the night sounds to spook our students, and their conversation about Bigfoot. (About that time, I very nearly quit reading, having NO belief in large shaggy humanoids. But stick with it, th plot is now beginning.)
What Mr. Rosser is positing is that aliens have set up a monitoring station in this remote wilderness, and (probably by accident) the Bigfoots are coming from our deep past through a machine within this station. He missed a bet with this plot device; it might very well be that they are being pulled from our deep past to keep people away from the site, and considering his idea that the aliens are monitoring us, it would be as reasonable as his suggestion that our long history of war against our own planet and one another are at the root of the need of surveillance.
It's a little sketchy, and a little uneven in the writing, but I did enjoy the book. The author needs to flesh out his main characters more fluidly, and brush up his dialog, but it's a good story and moved well for the most part. I'd go for a 'next book.'
December 3, 2019
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
"Salient" is my introduction to Rosser's writing. I listened to it on Audible, but I highly recommend this book in whatever format that you enjoy.
The author does a fine job of world building and character development. Rosser weaves a good tale balancing action and exposition.
I suspect, based in the epilogue that this is the lead book in a series, I hope so.
This next bit won't interest text readers, but Audible users might be interested... David Loving, the narrator, does a great job of bringing the book to life. I look forward to hearing more from him in future.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a free review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.
"Salient" is my introduction to Rosser's writing. I listened to it on Audible, but I highly recommend this book in whatever format that you enjoy.
The author does a fine job of world building and character development. Rosser weaves a good tale balancing action and exposition.
I suspect, based in the epilogue that this is the lead book in a series, I hope so.
This next bit won't interest text readers, but Audible users might be interested... David Loving, the narrator, does a great job of bringing the book to life. I look forward to hearing more from him in future.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a free review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2022
Brilliant
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it kept me enthralled from the very beginning. I found the characters well written, the storyline exciting and topical. Definitely makes you think.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it kept me enthralled from the very beginning. I found the characters well written, the storyline exciting and topical. Definitely makes you think.
December 25, 2024
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and to author Simon Rosser for providing me with a Kindle copy of this science fiction thriller novel. This is the second novel by Rosser that I read this year. For my thoughts on Rosser’s book “The Galileo Project,” please see my review under that title on Goodreads.
Tom Bishop, his girlfriend Jessica, and two other friends decided to camp near Mount Shasta, California after camping season ended so the campgrounds were deserted upon their arrival. In addition to being a beautiful location to camp, Mount Shasta was rumored to house a secret alien base and a possible entry portal into the fifth dimension. Visitors to Mount Shasta reported strange, pulsating lights coming from around the mountain as well as sightings of creatures resembling Bigfoot.
During the first night of the camping trip, Tom and Jessica’s friends were attacked by an eight-foot-tall muscular creature that was covered with thick hair all over its body. The creature abducted the two friends while Tom and Jessica were left unharmed. Tom and Jessica returned to the nearest town and enlisted the assistance of Casey (the owner of Casey’s Hunting Lodge and a believer that creatures resembling Bigfoot were real), Casey’s son, Richard Armstrong (a documentary film maker and friend of Casey), and Anderson’s crew to assist in locating the two missing friends and film a documentary about local Bigfoot-like creature sightings and possibly capture images of the creatures on film.
Concurrently, Professor Frederick Beck and Doctor Lucy Davies of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (S.E.I.T.) received a high-frequency signal on an unusual frequency that puzzled them. Coordinating with Professor Hans Willems of NASA, the three scientists determined the strange signal originated from a glacier at the base of Mount Shasta, routed through a crater on the dark side of the moon, and terminated on Star HR8832, a sequence star in the constellation of Cassiopeia that may sustain life. In response, the US government sent (a) scientists and military personnel to Mount Shasta to investigate the precise location where the strange signal originated and (b) two astronauts to the dark side of the moon to examine the first receiving point of the signal. The government’s response was based on the conclusion that the signal was not generated naturally or by humans.
Are the Bigfoot-like creature sightings in the woods near Mount Shasta and the signal coming from the base of Mount Shasta related? Who is sending the signal and why? Will humans be able to decode to the signal and respond in kind? Will the two astronauts who land on the dark side of the moon be able to shed any light on the mystery? Will Tom and his team be able to find Tom’s two missing friends and capture footage of the Bigfoot-like creatures?
The book contained interesting facts about the history of space signals (a detailed explanation of the Wow signal received at Ohio State University in August 1977 was provided) and astronomy (the three stars that make up Orion’s Belt are a hundred-thousand times the luminosity of the Sun). Similar to “The Galileo Project,” Rosser explored the themes of humanity is not alone in the universe, the risk that climate change poses to the planet, and that humanity is destinated to destroy itself by overly exploiting the natural resources available on the plant and through use of nuclear or other powerful weapons. The flip side to this novel being short is that the characters, particularly the female characters, are often stereotypical and not well developed.
This novel is a very quick read with short chapters and is a good option for readers interested in science fiction. At 175 pages in length, readers who want to meet an annual reading goal or those taking a short plane trip may want to check out this novel.
Tom Bishop, his girlfriend Jessica, and two other friends decided to camp near Mount Shasta, California after camping season ended so the campgrounds were deserted upon their arrival. In addition to being a beautiful location to camp, Mount Shasta was rumored to house a secret alien base and a possible entry portal into the fifth dimension. Visitors to Mount Shasta reported strange, pulsating lights coming from around the mountain as well as sightings of creatures resembling Bigfoot.
During the first night of the camping trip, Tom and Jessica’s friends were attacked by an eight-foot-tall muscular creature that was covered with thick hair all over its body. The creature abducted the two friends while Tom and Jessica were left unharmed. Tom and Jessica returned to the nearest town and enlisted the assistance of Casey (the owner of Casey’s Hunting Lodge and a believer that creatures resembling Bigfoot were real), Casey’s son, Richard Armstrong (a documentary film maker and friend of Casey), and Anderson’s crew to assist in locating the two missing friends and film a documentary about local Bigfoot-like creature sightings and possibly capture images of the creatures on film.
Concurrently, Professor Frederick Beck and Doctor Lucy Davies of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (S.E.I.T.) received a high-frequency signal on an unusual frequency that puzzled them. Coordinating with Professor Hans Willems of NASA, the three scientists determined the strange signal originated from a glacier at the base of Mount Shasta, routed through a crater on the dark side of the moon, and terminated on Star HR8832, a sequence star in the constellation of Cassiopeia that may sustain life. In response, the US government sent (a) scientists and military personnel to Mount Shasta to investigate the precise location where the strange signal originated and (b) two astronauts to the dark side of the moon to examine the first receiving point of the signal. The government’s response was based on the conclusion that the signal was not generated naturally or by humans.
Are the Bigfoot-like creature sightings in the woods near Mount Shasta and the signal coming from the base of Mount Shasta related? Who is sending the signal and why? Will humans be able to decode to the signal and respond in kind? Will the two astronauts who land on the dark side of the moon be able to shed any light on the mystery? Will Tom and his team be able to find Tom’s two missing friends and capture footage of the Bigfoot-like creatures?
The book contained interesting facts about the history of space signals (a detailed explanation of the Wow signal received at Ohio State University in August 1977 was provided) and astronomy (the three stars that make up Orion’s Belt are a hundred-thousand times the luminosity of the Sun). Similar to “The Galileo Project,” Rosser explored the themes of humanity is not alone in the universe, the risk that climate change poses to the planet, and that humanity is destinated to destroy itself by overly exploiting the natural resources available on the plant and through use of nuclear or other powerful weapons. The flip side to this novel being short is that the characters, particularly the female characters, are often stereotypical and not well developed.
This novel is a very quick read with short chapters and is a good option for readers interested in science fiction. At 175 pages in length, readers who want to meet an annual reading goal or those taking a short plane trip may want to check out this novel.
March 9, 2021
Salient
I like that a UK citizen is living in the US and is one of the heroes of this book is very cool and unexpected. Living near a Bigfoot hotspot I can attest to the Sasquatch obsession.
I like that a UK citizen is living in the US and is one of the heroes of this book is very cool and unexpected. Living near a Bigfoot hotspot I can attest to the Sasquatch obsession.
March 11, 2024
A pair of couples spending a weekend camping in the off season are attacked by creatures on their first night, and subsequently thrust into an intergalactic dilemma that may find earth the target of extinction from life in the far reaches of outer space.
After reading multiple ghost, cryptid, and slasher horror novels recently I was definitely down for some alien horror/thriller books and thought I’d give this one a day in court. Regretfully, I should have done more research beforehand, as this ended up being a Bigfoot story mixed with some sci-fi communication race against time.
While the communication premise was mildly intriguing, I was expecting some Travis Walton alien style encounters and I was really bummed out at the Bigfoot aspect of the story.
In addition, the ideas that the author plays with aren’t very well developed, or presented in a way that challenges the reader to think, like a Michael Crichton novel would. It just feels like the story was left only marginally finished, with so many different directions author could have taken these communications, or trans world time travels. Instead, the end result was kind of a “Pffft…I don’t really know what happened,” cliffhanger from it’s primary characters and everyone lived happily ever after.
Lastly, some of the dialogue was incredibly cringe worthy. I was rolling my eyes in multiple verbal exchanges and asking myself, “who talks like this.”
Clearly this one wasn’t for me, and coupled with the hit of cryptids over aliens considerably dropped my enjoyment of it. Shame on me for not fully understanding what I was getting into.
After reading multiple ghost, cryptid, and slasher horror novels recently I was definitely down for some alien horror/thriller books and thought I’d give this one a day in court. Regretfully, I should have done more research beforehand, as this ended up being a Bigfoot story mixed with some sci-fi communication race against time.
While the communication premise was mildly intriguing, I was expecting some Travis Walton alien style encounters and I was really bummed out at the Bigfoot aspect of the story.
In addition, the ideas that the author plays with aren’t very well developed, or presented in a way that challenges the reader to think, like a Michael Crichton novel would. It just feels like the story was left only marginally finished, with so many different directions author could have taken these communications, or trans world time travels. Instead, the end result was kind of a “Pffft…I don’t really know what happened,” cliffhanger from it’s primary characters and everyone lived happily ever after.
Lastly, some of the dialogue was incredibly cringe worthy. I was rolling my eyes in multiple verbal exchanges and asking myself, “who talks like this.”
Clearly this one wasn’t for me, and coupled with the hit of cryptids over aliens considerably dropped my enjoyment of it. Shame on me for not fully understanding what I was getting into.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2018
First of all, the version I read may not have been the final version. I sincerely hope it wasn't.
There are two prologues (one at the start, as you'd expect, but also one at the end. Oops), and there is no chapter one.
The first prologue and chapter 2 were awful. The characters were like line drawings. No life, no colour. The author did a great job of painting the women as weak, trembling, clingy creatures... and, yes, the men were rather stereo-typed too.
I decided to keep going, and the rest wasn't so bad... sadly, I couldn't get the opening chapters out of my head.
Really, really disappointing. "Fast Paced"? Yes. "Thriller"? No.
There are two prologues (one at the start, as you'd expect, but also one at the end. Oops), and there is no chapter one.
The first prologue and chapter 2 were awful. The characters were like line drawings. No life, no colour. The author did a great job of painting the women as weak, trembling, clingy creatures... and, yes, the men were rather stereo-typed too.
I decided to keep going, and the rest wasn't so bad... sadly, I couldn't get the opening chapters out of my head.
Really, really disappointing. "Fast Paced"? Yes. "Thriller"? No.
January 4, 2019
Salient was an interesting mix of folklore and science fiction blending two of mans biggest questions into one genius story. I wanted to read it all at once. This was the perfect book to get back to reading with. It was quick and interesting with the right amount of mystery. This is a book to read when you want to escape the real world. I throughly enjoyed it.
September 9, 2019
Dialog felt...stilted.
The author doesn't know the difference between his learned English, and how North Americans speak. Makes the dialog feel wrong.
I would suggest he pay more attemtion to North American authors, how tthey wriite their dialog. It will help make his dialog more believable
The author doesn't know the difference between his learned English, and how North Americans speak. Makes the dialog feel wrong.
I would suggest he pay more attemtion to North American authors, how tthey wriite their dialog. It will help make his dialog more believable
March 25, 2020
A short, fast-paced and easy read with an intriguing concept at its heart.
Not my usual read, but a spur of the moment purchase and I am pleased to have done so.
Enjoyable, thought provoking and stimulating - and chillingly real enough to possibly be true.
I'll read some more of this author.
Not my usual read, but a spur of the moment purchase and I am pleased to have done so.
Enjoyable, thought provoking and stimulating - and chillingly real enough to possibly be true.
I'll read some more of this author.
November 4, 2022
It's the second time I've read this book!
I've enjoyed it each time, it's fast paced and packed with action. I've never really cared for sci-fi but this story held my attention until the very end. I'm a person who likes to go camping in tents a lot and I'd never would read a book like this before or during a camping trip. It would scare the bejesus out of me. Happy reading!
I've enjoyed it each time, it's fast paced and packed with action. I've never really cared for sci-fi but this story held my attention until the very end. I'm a person who likes to go camping in tents a lot and I'd never would read a book like this before or during a camping trip. It would scare the bejesus out of me. Happy reading!
January 3, 2024
Signals detected under Mount Shasta, The Moon, and Bigfoot sightings. An ok story that ultimately centres on the human propensity to destroy the only home we have.
A couple of minor points pulled me out of the story: the American Sergeant cursing with phrases only Brits use and the very end of the book saying Prologue where the Epilogue goes.
A couple of minor points pulled me out of the story: the American Sergeant cursing with phrases only Brits use and the very end of the book saying Prologue where the Epilogue goes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2024
I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway. It started off seeming a bit too gory for my tastes, but fortunately it toned down the blood and guts. It felt like a rushed story. It was trying to do too much in a short amount of story telling. It left a few items dangling that would have helped tie the storylines together.
February 3, 2018
Interesting plot, but not well executed.
The dialogue is stilted and almost written for a juvenile audience. The plot became rather predictable and the ending left much up in the air.
The dialogue is stilted and almost written for a juvenile audience. The plot became rather predictable and the ending left much up in the air.
February 2, 2023
This held my interest through out.
I read many books and find that very few can hold my interest to the end. I get 20/40% into and cash out! This entertaining book left me wanting more. High praise indeed from me.
I read many books and find that very few can hold my interest to the end. I get 20/40% into and cash out! This entertaining book left me wanting more. High praise indeed from me.
March 24, 2019
Thought provoking
Enjoyed reading,could not put it down. Would recommend it to anyone. Not sure I believe in some of its theory.
Enjoyed reading,could not put it down. Would recommend it to anyone. Not sure I believe in some of its theory.
June 26, 2020
Possible
I had trouble putting it down. It seemed too possible. It ended too quickly. I wanted more. Great read lateat night!
I had trouble putting it down. It seemed too possible. It ended too quickly. I wanted more. Great read lateat night!
December 14, 2023
WOW
My first si-fi book in years and I now want more like this you will love it and want more this guy is awesome
Thank you
My first si-fi book in years and I now want more like this you will love it and want more this guy is awesome
Thank you
March 20, 2024
Awful writing
December 10, 2024
UFO - BIGFOOT - KABOOM
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews