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Kaijunaut
They were there to stretch the realms of the cosmos. To learn about new planets, and perhaps old civilizations. To explore. But then they discovered something they shouldn’t have. Something that shouldn’t have been there. Kaijunaut is the story of five NASA astronauts venturing out to an exoplanet with the hopes of bringing back relics of an ancient alien civilization. But this civilization holds many secrets, some small and some…gigantic. The astronauts’ training will be tested in ways they never could have imagined because they are about to come face to face with the implausible.
- GenresScience Fiction
152 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2017
79 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Doug Goodman
34 books62 followersI live in Houston, but I was raised in Lubbock, Texas. I’m an animal writer. It doesn’t matter if the animals I write about are zombie-hunting dogs, dinosaurs, or giant kaiju monsters, I’m interested in that area where animals and humans intersect. I’m especially curious about the mind meld that happens with working animals. This is my point of view for examining human nature, and why I enjoy writing these books so much.
My site says I’m a writer and an explorer. My wife and I are “often” travelers. Thanks to my work, I sometimes get the opportunity to visit extraordinary people in out-of-the-way places. In recent years I’ve explored parts of the Navajo Nation, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and I did a mesmerizing 20-state roadtrip with my supportive family. I’ve been to all but four states in the United States.
I live with two awesome kids (though one is having her own adventures in college), one amazing wife, and two white German Shepherds. Thank you for stopping by, and please check out one of my books. (They are all available from Amazon as paperbacks and e-books.) Since mid-2019, I’ve been donating twenty percent of my proceeds to charity. If you want to see where I donate, I update my donations via my newsletter.
My site says I’m a writer and an explorer. My wife and I are “often” travelers. Thanks to my work, I sometimes get the opportunity to visit extraordinary people in out-of-the-way places. In recent years I’ve explored parts of the Navajo Nation, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and I did a mesmerizing 20-state roadtrip with my supportive family. I’ve been to all but four states in the United States.
I live with two awesome kids (though one is having her own adventures in college), one amazing wife, and two white German Shepherds. Thank you for stopping by, and please check out one of my books. (They are all available from Amazon as paperbacks and e-books.) Since mid-2019, I’ve been donating twenty percent of my proceeds to charity. If you want to see where I donate, I update my donations via my newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 18, 2017
Kaijunaut by Doug Goodman is a book I won from LibraryThing. It is an interesting sci-fi novel with an awesome cover. My sister said it looked interesting and she doesn't see well so I bought the audio version so she could listen to it too. The story is about NASA astronauts but they often act like teens with a lots of childish arguments. The imagination is great, the creatures are great but the names for the creatures can get very annoying, you would have to read it to understand. I had mixed emotions about this book. In some ways this book was pretty good and in others it was very annoying. I do think it was worth a read. The audio version, the narration matched the novel well. The annoying names and speak of the one species will really drive you crazy listening to it, even worse than reading it! LOL
December 5, 2025
Normally Space fiction is not my jam. When I first started the book, it had my attention because Cole was my favorite character. He seemed like the most logical person in the group and he was there to study the language and the aliens that had once (or so they thought) inhabited the planet. I like that kinda stuff. The planet appeared to have no life forms other than dead bodies until everything alien in the area was awakened including the mountain monsters. And that right there was where I began to lose interest. I thought the book was going to go one way, but it went in an entirely different direction. Maybe because I don't read a lot of space sci fi stuff my expectations were off. That is a possibility, but I began to lose interest. I was nor a fan of the rest of the space crew especially C.C. I didn't like how Emily used her husband as bait, and the other 2 characters were not impressive enough to be memorable.
July 27, 2024
This book follows a group of astronauts as they explore a new planet. I found it fun in places and the banter between the characters was interesting but I found some of the decisions in the book very far fetched and very unrealistic. The biggest one being that a husband and wife team would be sent together when one of the original astronauts had to be removed from the mission. I found this a strange thing to include in the book and it really detracted from the story in my opinion.
Some of the alien interactions were good, but overall this wasn't great to me.
Some of the alien interactions were good, but overall this wasn't great to me.
August 6, 2017
Space may seem like the final frontier. Mostly unexplored, it offers opportunities boundless in nature and even more in scope. For astronauts Emily, Cole, Anna, Mathieu and C.C., their exploration to a distant planet called 51 Golgotha has been years in the making. Tasked with discovering the secrets behind the intelligent life that used to thrive upon the planet, they land to try and discover what the Jedik-Ikik—the once-insectoid humanoids that once walked Golgotha’s toxic atmosphere—left behind. Unfortunately for them, something far greater than the Jedik-ikik lie beneath the surface of the planet, and their presence has awakened it.
KAIJUNAUT, by Doug Goodman, is science fiction at its best. Filled with a sense of wonder that all spacefaring science fiction should hold, KAIJUNAUT takes the reader on an awe-inspiring journey and never lets go. Throughout, I was completely captivated by Goodman’s imagination and his attention to detail, though not once was I overwhelmed by the science—which, I feel, is a breath of fresh air in a genre where the technical aspects of space travel could easily overwhelm the reader. My previous attempts to read such work (such as CONTACT by Carl Sagan) left me mentally exhausted. KAJUNAUT, however, does the complete opposite of that, explaining things as necessary and offering a handy glossary on the chance that you get lost. The ending is a perfect setup for the second novel, which I hope comes sooner rather than later, and leaves you wondering what more these people might possibly go through.
A definite 5/5 from me.
KAIJUNAUT, by Doug Goodman, is science fiction at its best. Filled with a sense of wonder that all spacefaring science fiction should hold, KAIJUNAUT takes the reader on an awe-inspiring journey and never lets go. Throughout, I was completely captivated by Goodman’s imagination and his attention to detail, though not once was I overwhelmed by the science—which, I feel, is a breath of fresh air in a genre where the technical aspects of space travel could easily overwhelm the reader. My previous attempts to read such work (such as CONTACT by Carl Sagan) left me mentally exhausted. KAJUNAUT, however, does the complete opposite of that, explaining things as necessary and offering a handy glossary on the chance that you get lost. The ending is a perfect setup for the second novel, which I hope comes sooner rather than later, and leaves you wondering what more these people might possibly go through.
A definite 5/5 from me.
January 30, 2023
Great cover and wonderful title
The don't judge a book by its cover went out the window when I saw this one. The title was fantastic too. The novel is a straight forward adventure. Just an exercise in escapism, a summer read kind of thing. Needs a little editing, some words just aren't right, kind of autocorrect gone wrong.
The don't judge a book by its cover went out the window when I saw this one. The title was fantastic too. The novel is a straight forward adventure. Just an exercise in escapism, a summer read kind of thing. Needs a little editing, some words just aren't right, kind of autocorrect gone wrong.
July 5, 2017
Kaijunaut is about the start of space exploration in the not too distant future. The book begins with the first flight and with flashbacks to the astronauts’ pre-teen adventures as a means to build some of the main characters. The crew has several near fatal challenges in getting down to the planet they are sent to explore. After landing, they soon find out that the planet that Earth astronomers thought dead is occupied by a native sentient species.
The action is non-stop from the first day when they set out to explore an ancient city. From that point in the book, you can’t read more than a few pages before being taken on a harrowing near death adventure where the astronauts are required to take desperate risks to survive.
The native species is a homo insectoid race that is suspicious of the astronauts and marks them as invaders needing to be killed. They sounded like a paranoid race until I started to think about how our own government would treat aliens arriving on earth who made similar claims of piece while at the same time holding control over the technology that had already threatened the existence of our species. The answer is, they would act much the same.
After the native species shoots down the astronauts’ unoccupied spaceship, which had been sitting in orbit above the planet, the book’s characters find themselves stranded and the local population is wiped out by technology that other aliens had left behind. Those aliens themselves had been defeated and destroyed by our astronauts just prior to their capture by the indigene's species. The delivery vehicles that brought these aliens to the planet are ultimately utilized to escape the planet.
As confusing as I’ve made this summary sound, the story is well laid out and the action keeps your eyes glued to the pages. Kaijunaut is a standalone book as written but the story could be carried on in a sequel that could be must reading for anyone who read Kaijunaut.
The action is non-stop from the first day when they set out to explore an ancient city. From that point in the book, you can’t read more than a few pages before being taken on a harrowing near death adventure where the astronauts are required to take desperate risks to survive.
The native species is a homo insectoid race that is suspicious of the astronauts and marks them as invaders needing to be killed. They sounded like a paranoid race until I started to think about how our own government would treat aliens arriving on earth who made similar claims of piece while at the same time holding control over the technology that had already threatened the existence of our species. The answer is, they would act much the same.
After the native species shoots down the astronauts’ unoccupied spaceship, which had been sitting in orbit above the planet, the book’s characters find themselves stranded and the local population is wiped out by technology that other aliens had left behind. Those aliens themselves had been defeated and destroyed by our astronauts just prior to their capture by the indigene's species. The delivery vehicles that brought these aliens to the planet are ultimately utilized to escape the planet.
As confusing as I’ve made this summary sound, the story is well laid out and the action keeps your eyes glued to the pages. Kaijunaut is a standalone book as written but the story could be carried on in a sequel that could be must reading for anyone who read Kaijunaut.
June 11, 2017
Kaijunaut is a science fiction story set on the fictional planet 51 Golgotha a, 7 light-years from Earth. After studying the planet via robots for many years, NASA sends a crew of five astronauts to explore the ancient civilization that once existed on this planet.
I don't read all that much fiction, very little in fact. The only science fiction I've read, at least recently, have been the first three books in the "Dune" series. I'm not sure how this book compares to other books in this genre in a general sense, but I really enjoyed this story.
The book is not that long, but it accomplishes a lot in a short amount of time. The author works at the Johnson Space Center, so, based on the descriptions in the book, he has very precise knowledge of space-faring vehicles, protocols, and so on, which makes the story, to me, much more immersive. He has the science down, he added the fiction, and a very interesting story came about. It draws you in, and as soon as you really start getting into the story, the action begins, and I think it's done really well.
If you're into sci-fi, you'll probably enjoy this book. Like I said, it's not long but does a lot. I really enjoyed the story, it was well written, which keep me enthralled (I pretty much read it in one sitting), I like the ideas used, and hopefully the author will continue on with this story line.
Highly recommended!
I don't read all that much fiction, very little in fact. The only science fiction I've read, at least recently, have been the first three books in the "Dune" series. I'm not sure how this book compares to other books in this genre in a general sense, but I really enjoyed this story.
The book is not that long, but it accomplishes a lot in a short amount of time. The author works at the Johnson Space Center, so, based on the descriptions in the book, he has very precise knowledge of space-faring vehicles, protocols, and so on, which makes the story, to me, much more immersive. He has the science down, he added the fiction, and a very interesting story came about. It draws you in, and as soon as you really start getting into the story, the action begins, and I think it's done really well.
If you're into sci-fi, you'll probably enjoy this book. Like I said, it's not long but does a lot. I really enjoyed the story, it was well written, which keep me enthralled (I pretty much read it in one sitting), I like the ideas used, and hopefully the author will continue on with this story line.
Highly recommended!
March 23, 2018
I've never read a "Kaiju" (giant monster, like Godzilla) book before. I'm not sure what made me decide to give this one a try... It's been on my Kindle a while, so whatever reason I had to pick it up has been forgotten. (Maybe Pacific Rim had been on my mind?)
Whatever the reason, I'm glad I gave this one a chance. Set in the future, humans have made multiple, years long trips to space. Five of them are picked to go check out some new planet, a planet that had clearly once had civilizations on it, but now is dead.
The science and the space travel were believable and enjoyable. I liked the characters and their interactions a lot. The aliens, based on insects, were interesting.
I loved this book... until the last 10%. As the end neared, there were so many coincidences, it was getting hard to believe them. Plus the [spoiler] were over-the-top Bad Bad Twirling Mustache Bad guys. The ending wasn't enough to ruin the whole story for me, it's just too bad it wasn't as good as the rest.
Would I read another Kaiju book? Maybe. Apparently this was an odd one, as there wasn't much Kaiju in it, so I'm not sure if I'd enjoy another more or less than this one. Would I read another book by this author? Yeah, I probably would.
Whatever the reason, I'm glad I gave this one a chance. Set in the future, humans have made multiple, years long trips to space. Five of them are picked to go check out some new planet, a planet that had clearly once had civilizations on it, but now is dead.
The science and the space travel were believable and enjoyable. I liked the characters and their interactions a lot. The aliens, based on insects, were interesting.
I loved this book... until the last 10%. As the end neared, there were so many coincidences, it was getting hard to believe them. Plus the [spoiler] were over-the-top Bad Bad Twirling Mustache Bad guys. The ending wasn't enough to ruin the whole story for me, it's just too bad it wasn't as good as the rest.
Would I read another Kaiju book? Maybe. Apparently this was an odd one, as there wasn't much Kaiju in it, so I'm not sure if I'd enjoy another more or less than this one. Would I read another book by this author? Yeah, I probably would.
September 21, 2023
Decent but very meh.
I don't really know what genre to put this book in. It's a little sci-fi, a little kaiju monster action, and a dash or two of horror. Unfortunately, that works against it because the pieces are not interwoven very well, so it feels disjointed. It doesn't help that chapters are divided into subchapters and that occasionally a subchapter will tell backstory or be lore-building totally separate from the active plot. There's no clear pattern or delineation for these sudden switches so you often get a couple paragraphs of extreme confusion before some throwaway line tells you "oh, this section is in the past." As you're nearing the end there's a sudden jump - in both tone and story - that is just baffling. I think what it really needs is a good, professional editor to run through it with a red pen cleaning up all the random bits stuck together. And maybe another hundred or so pages to flesh out all these disparate ideas into a cohesive whole.
Also - and this is more of a personal taste thing - there are WAY too many acronyms. Every piece of equipment doesn't need its own - often ridiculously contrived - acronym.
Some good ideas that could be very fun but the execution is severely lacking.
I don't really know what genre to put this book in. It's a little sci-fi, a little kaiju monster action, and a dash or two of horror. Unfortunately, that works against it because the pieces are not interwoven very well, so it feels disjointed. It doesn't help that chapters are divided into subchapters and that occasionally a subchapter will tell backstory or be lore-building totally separate from the active plot. There's no clear pattern or delineation for these sudden switches so you often get a couple paragraphs of extreme confusion before some throwaway line tells you "oh, this section is in the past." As you're nearing the end there's a sudden jump - in both tone and story - that is just baffling. I think what it really needs is a good, professional editor to run through it with a red pen cleaning up all the random bits stuck together. And maybe another hundred or so pages to flesh out all these disparate ideas into a cohesive whole.
Also - and this is more of a personal taste thing - there are WAY too many acronyms. Every piece of equipment doesn't need its own - often ridiculously contrived - acronym.
Some good ideas that could be very fun but the execution is severely lacking.
August 14, 2017
Kaijunaut is a sci-fi story about exploring planet 51 Golgotha a. Crew of five astronauts has to explore the ancient civilization that once existed on this planet. The planet has some jungles, deserts, lakes and mountains. Or so it seems before the astronauts came and woke up something unexpected.
The author knows a lot about space technology and everything because he works at the Johnson Space Center. This makes it much more interesting because he uses space tech terms and explains them well so you can imagine everything. The story is very well written and it’s really fun. The characters are well developed, especially Emily and Cole.
Firstly, the story sounds like something from Alien franchise but it’s not. Actually, it’s much better because of the very well explained technology which is really important for the story and because of the creatures on the planet which has their own language and parts of it are in the book.
I highly recommend this book.
The author knows a lot about space technology and everything because he works at the Johnson Space Center. This makes it much more interesting because he uses space tech terms and explains them well so you can imagine everything. The story is very well written and it’s really fun. The characters are well developed, especially Emily and Cole.
Firstly, the story sounds like something from Alien franchise but it’s not. Actually, it’s much better because of the very well explained technology which is really important for the story and because of the creatures on the planet which has their own language and parts of it are in the book.
I highly recommend this book.
April 20, 2023
Not really for me.
I like science fiction, however this book was too much of a "children of Space Command" story. The plot seemed to be written for kids with fantastic escapes and all the main characters making it happily through the story. All it lacked was the kids. Resolving problems seemed to move from one McGiver situation to another. It wasn't that the plot was bad...it wasn't...but often I said to myself, "Oh, come on." I felt the characters were totally unrealistic and their reactions to some situations seemed like nonsense. Also, the science was just crazy. Not that it was wrong. It was just too incomprehensible for my simple mind. One final item that was irritating for me were the alien names like the author would just reach Into a bag of Scrabble times and line them up. Okay, next name. After all that, I would probably read more by this author. The story had real possibilities that got lost somewhere. I'd give him another read, hopefully on Planet Earth.
I like science fiction, however this book was too much of a "children of Space Command" story. The plot seemed to be written for kids with fantastic escapes and all the main characters making it happily through the story. All it lacked was the kids. Resolving problems seemed to move from one McGiver situation to another. It wasn't that the plot was bad...it wasn't...but often I said to myself, "Oh, come on." I felt the characters were totally unrealistic and their reactions to some situations seemed like nonsense. Also, the science was just crazy. Not that it was wrong. It was just too incomprehensible for my simple mind. One final item that was irritating for me were the alien names like the author would just reach Into a bag of Scrabble times and line them up. Okay, next name. After all that, I would probably read more by this author. The story had real possibilities that got lost somewhere. I'd give him another read, hopefully on Planet Earth.
October 30, 2017
I think this type of story should have its own genre - maybe it does! See Severed Press Books for examples. It's not a bad read, it's just not my type. The premise is interesting...giant beings built or bred by another race who basically bonds with them mentally, and thus controls them. This race is a "colonizer" race, who takes what they want when they find it. The story is centered on a group of astronauts from Earth who come upon a planet that has been visited by this race, and the ruins of the native race. Complicated? Not really. How it plays out is not is kind of a feel-good ending. The characters seem a bit shallow to me, but that may be because this is such a short book. I think if it were filled out a bit, I would have liked it more. It does leave me wondering if the "colonizer" race will come back and what the humans will do with their new-found knowledge.
May 19, 2017
I had never read a space opera before and this book was recommended to me so I gave it a shot. Wow, am I impressed. The story is really fun (I grinned a lot through it) and very well written. There are tech terms but they were all understandable to me as I read and at the back was a glossary which I didn't know was there and it turned out I didn't need it. This is the mark of a remarkable writer who can incorporate space tech terms into a story and not lose the reader, especially one like me who doesn't know space terms beyond Star Trek! I loved the story and the monsters were so unusual. In all the SF movies I've seen, I've never across anything like this. Great characters, plot and writing. I highly recommend this book, not for the least reason that now I'm a space opera fan!
January 19, 2023
Meh - So so and bit disappointing
Who's the good guys and who's the bad guys? Everyone seems like A-holes basically and so, in the end, I have to side with the natives who basically get the dirty end of the stick (like often was the case throughout history).
Mix a new planet exploration story, with some Brendan Fraser Mummy movies, and the old Godzilla movies - shake it up and pour it out and you have the book.
Who's the good guys and who's the bad guys? Everyone seems like A-holes basically and so, in the end, I have to side with the natives who basically get the dirty end of the stick (like often was the case throughout history).
Mix a new planet exploration story, with some Brendan Fraser Mummy movies, and the old Godzilla movies - shake it up and pour it out and you have the book.
April 2, 2019
Another great read
I became acquainted with Doug Goodman through Cadaver Dog so was looking for another good read. Found it. This time with astronauts, several kinds of aliens and different worlds. Doug makes it easy to visualize the scenes without over doing it to the point of boring. The characters are honest and believable. Can't wait to read some more of Doug's books.
I became acquainted with Doug Goodman through Cadaver Dog so was looking for another good read. Found it. This time with astronauts, several kinds of aliens and different worlds. Doug makes it easy to visualize the scenes without over doing it to the point of boring. The characters are honest and believable. Can't wait to read some more of Doug's books.
April 5, 2021
Well thought out
Reading this book is like taking an exciting ride full of twists and turns and unexpected surprises. I very much enjoyed this book and truly hope that if there is not already a follow up book, that the author will write one very soon.
I also think this would make an awesome movie!
Readers read on! Definitely recommend.
Reading this book is like taking an exciting ride full of twists and turns and unexpected surprises. I very much enjoyed this book and truly hope that if there is not already a follow up book, that the author will write one very soon.
I also think this would make an awesome movie!
Readers read on! Definitely recommend.
March 19, 2023
Book 1
Book 1 was an interesting read and had errors throughout. The MC are sent to a planet trying to uncover why the indigenous people are gone. The group stumbles across a war for the world and there are a few twists in the plot, but the group has reservations on what and whom they should trust. The book is a somewhat cliffhanger and average in the telling.
Book 1 was an interesting read and had errors throughout. The MC are sent to a planet trying to uncover why the indigenous people are gone. The group stumbles across a war for the world and there are a few twists in the plot, but the group has reservations on what and whom they should trust. The book is a somewhat cliffhanger and average in the telling.
October 10, 2023
It wasn’t bad. Well, it wasn’t horrible. I feel like there were a lot of good ideas and theories but it was only supported by amateurish writing and too much scientific detail. These things drew away from the main story and then the climax ended like a fade-to-black movie screen with little explanation. I feel like make a second editing would have done wonders.
January 10, 2023
Excellent and exciting story.
Once I picked this book up, that was it. I didn’t put it down until I was finished. Good plotting, editing and plausible science. Looking forward to the next one.
Once I picked this book up, that was it. I didn’t put it down until I was finished. Good plotting, editing and plausible science. Looking forward to the next one.
May 24, 2023
Fun light read
I read this book as a break from more complex literature and it met the challenge. Quick read overall and a fun scientific lark. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would recommend it to any of my friends as a can’t miss.
I read this book as a break from more complex literature and it met the challenge. Quick read overall and a fun scientific lark. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would recommend it to any of my friends as a can’t miss.
February 13, 2024
3.5 that I've rounded up.
This was good! Parts were real dark and graphic, but it ended great and the whole adventure had me gripped. It was pretty cozy for the first half, just a wholesome journey to space, but really picks up at the end with action. A solid sci-fi.
This was good! Parts were real dark and graphic, but it ended great and the whole adventure had me gripped. It was pretty cozy for the first half, just a wholesome journey to space, but really picks up at the end with action. A solid sci-fi.
November 3, 2021
I never wanted to become an astronaut.
January 16, 2023
Kaiju
Highly entertaining. So very technical. I laughingly had to keep reviewing all the acronyms to keep what they were doing straight.
Highly entertaining. So very technical. I laughingly had to keep reviewing all the acronyms to keep what they were doing straight.
January 24, 2023
An unexpected read. Full of twists and turns. It's not easy to create a truly alien race. The author was very successful.
January 27, 2023
Kaijus in space? That alone sold this book to me. Unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me. Felt longer that it actually is and kinda hard to care/relate to the characters.
March 12, 2023
Interesting concept, but amateurishly written.
Too many leaps of technology and action.
Too many leaps of technology and action.
August 12, 2023
This was a good time. I love the premise, love the plot and characters. I only wish there was more of it.
July 10, 2017
Excellent Sci-fi story of NASA exploring another world and discovering new life. 51 Golgotha is about 7 light years from Earth and inhabited by insect-like people and giant monsters! NASA had studied the planet with robots for several years before sending in a team of astronauts to explore the planet.
Doug Goodman did an excellent job with this exciting book! It kept me on edge the whole time. Marlin May did a great job on the narration! I definitely plan to check out more from this author!
Doug Goodman did an excellent job with this exciting book! It kept me on edge the whole time. Marlin May did a great job on the narration! I definitely plan to check out more from this author!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews