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Melody: A First Contact Techno-Thriller
A melody from the stars can save humanity, but only if Stephen can awaken the alien within....
Childhood therapy cured Stephen Fisher of disturbing visions and the delusion of having come from another world. But when his daughter obsesses over a star in the night sky, he fears that his genetic legacy may have burdened her with the same illness. His sanity is then shattered when he loses his child and the military abducts him claiming that she recorded a song broadcast from another world.
A voice inside Stephen’s head convinces him that he can bring his daughter back to life. What he discovers instead is a stunning truth about himself, his child’s destiny, and fate of the entire human race....
Melody is a riveting and thought-provoking science fiction novel. If you like first contact scenarios and action-filled stories, then you’ll love David Hoffer’s otherworldly adventure.
Childhood therapy cured Stephen Fisher of disturbing visions and the delusion of having come from another world. But when his daughter obsesses over a star in the night sky, he fears that his genetic legacy may have burdened her with the same illness. His sanity is then shattered when he loses his child and the military abducts him claiming that she recorded a song broadcast from another world.
A voice inside Stephen’s head convinces him that he can bring his daughter back to life. What he discovers instead is a stunning truth about himself, his child’s destiny, and fate of the entire human race....
Melody is a riveting and thought-provoking science fiction novel. If you like first contact scenarios and action-filled stories, then you’ll love David Hoffer’s otherworldly adventure.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2020
304 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
David Hoffer
8 books18 followersA vibrating multitude of entangled strings on a quantum plane floating within space and time. Likes dogs. Author of MELODY, PROPHET, and currently working on the prequel novella. #SPSFC3 Judge. He/him.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
December 5, 2021
As a child, Stephen Fisher suffered from delusions about coming from another world. He was treated and went on to lead a normal adult life until his daughter started to obsess over a star in the night sky. An interesting idea and a mildly entertaining science fiction novel, but not one that pulls you in and keeps you there. It was slow and lacked suspense, not really the thriller suggested in the title.
May 4, 2021
Wow, Just Wow
This book was a real surprise. The best science fiction I've read in some time. Very well written with characters I quickly came to care about. This book imagines how intelligent life from other worlds would initiate contact. And how we humans would react to that contact. All the time while exploring the immortality of the soul and the possibilities of reincarnation. Very well done. I read up to five books each week. This has been the best, and most thought provoking in some time.
This book was a real surprise. The best science fiction I've read in some time. Very well written with characters I quickly came to care about. This book imagines how intelligent life from other worlds would initiate contact. And how we humans would react to that contact. All the time while exploring the immortality of the soul and the possibilities of reincarnation. Very well done. I read up to five books each week. This has been the best, and most thought provoking in some time.
December 7, 2021
Look at this wonderful communication/travel device the aliens have given us!
Yeah, but how can we make it a weapon?
As others have noted, this story is very much like Carl Sagan's Contact but more influenced by the movie methinks. Coincidentally, the movie "Contact" left me wanting at the end, but not so this book. The plot is masterful and intricate as a computer chip. The characters are also brilliant, but the evil General Beckman takes the cake. He is a despicable character who embodies everything hateful about the military hierarchy.
I won't attempt to rehash the story as it's too complicated...but easy to read nonetheless. There's no padding in this author's writing; no stretching it out to reach a publisher's limit. It's about the right length too. To those aliens who walk among us, and to the rest of us mere mortals, this is a story worth reading.🚀
Yeah, but how can we make it a weapon?
As others have noted, this story is very much like Carl Sagan's Contact but more influenced by the movie methinks. Coincidentally, the movie "Contact" left me wanting at the end, but not so this book. The plot is masterful and intricate as a computer chip. The characters are also brilliant, but the evil General Beckman takes the cake. He is a despicable character who embodies everything hateful about the military hierarchy.
I won't attempt to rehash the story as it's too complicated...but easy to read nonetheless. There's no padding in this author's writing; no stretching it out to reach a publisher's limit. It's about the right length too. To those aliens who walk among us, and to the rest of us mere mortals, this is a story worth reading.🚀
Read
April 14, 2023Disclaimer: Read as part of SPSFC. This review is my own personal experience. It does not represent the overall views of Team Escapist.
Greetings! Here is my first of six personal reviews for Team Escapist’s Semifinalists. At the time of writing this review, two of my teammates have shared positive scores internally. My thoughts and opinions are more conflicted than those of my teammates. In addition, other reviewers whom I admire liked it so please decide for yourself. Melody stayed true to the synopsis’ description of an action-packed sci-fi thriller. If you’re looking for an action-packed story with a unique twist on first contact, Melody will keep you entertained.
I’ll start with what I enjoyed. The author’s ideas reached original heights. The premise of receiving a transmission from a distant planet immediately drew me in. I don’t want to get into specific plot details because it would spoil the story’s more interesting aspects. I kept thinking about some of the big ideas for hours after I finished the story. I’ll just say that I enjoyed the reveals and leave it at that, especially the description of the alien beings. The author did something unique with this concept, and I wholeheartedly supported it.
Melody reminded me of a sci-fi thriller movie where it’s good guys vs bad guys with little nuance in order to create tension. It felt superficial and predictable because the emphasis seemed to be mostly on external events and characters reacting to them. The military performs as one would expect.
The blurb mentions destiny, the fate of the human race, and self-discovery, and I think I just wanted to see more of the inner workings of the human condition play out in a first contact scenario, as well as the characters being the center of the story. There were themes that should’ve struck emotional chords within me but felt underdeveloped, lacking impact. I wanted to go that extra mile and expand on the character’s trauma, mental illness, marriage survival after the loss of a child, terminal diagnosis, identity, love, family, and so on. Instead of deconstructing these areas, the military abduction and weapon plotlines took precedence, leaving the characters feeling one-dimensional. There wasn’t a lot of character depth. We see the General’s anger and the wife’s easy acquiescence despite the significant risks, but we never see how they were before or any further growth, so I found it difficult to care.
The characters served to move the plot forward, but I would have preferred to see the plot used to highlight the characters’ growth and experiences. The fast pace prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story. I felt a disconnect between what made the stakes so high. Most of the characters were likable, but none stood out. I liked the inclusion of an older character in the science field. The writing style was easy to read.
Melody had some qualities that I liked in general. I believe the story would have worked better for me if it had a character-driven approach rather than plot-driven. Personally, I felt that the military/government plot overshadowed too many of the positives, effectively boxing in any significant characterization. There was a really interesting story underneath, but the course of action didn’t work for me.
I use a rating system that considers the characters, setting/world building, atmosphere/tone, writing/narrative style, plot, intrigue, enjoyment, pacing, originality of ideas, and use of themes. After rating each of these areas individually out of 10, I add up, divide and I’m left with a final score that has taken into consideration many different aspects of the story. For the purpose of the SPSFC2 competition, I’m holding off on sharing my score until we announce as a team. Thank you for reading.
Greetings! Here is my first of six personal reviews for Team Escapist’s Semifinalists. At the time of writing this review, two of my teammates have shared positive scores internally. My thoughts and opinions are more conflicted than those of my teammates. In addition, other reviewers whom I admire liked it so please decide for yourself. Melody stayed true to the synopsis’ description of an action-packed sci-fi thriller. If you’re looking for an action-packed story with a unique twist on first contact, Melody will keep you entertained.
I’ll start with what I enjoyed. The author’s ideas reached original heights. The premise of receiving a transmission from a distant planet immediately drew me in. I don’t want to get into specific plot details because it would spoil the story’s more interesting aspects. I kept thinking about some of the big ideas for hours after I finished the story. I’ll just say that I enjoyed the reveals and leave it at that, especially the description of the alien beings. The author did something unique with this concept, and I wholeheartedly supported it.
Melody reminded me of a sci-fi thriller movie where it’s good guys vs bad guys with little nuance in order to create tension. It felt superficial and predictable because the emphasis seemed to be mostly on external events and characters reacting to them. The military performs as one would expect.
The blurb mentions destiny, the fate of the human race, and self-discovery, and I think I just wanted to see more of the inner workings of the human condition play out in a first contact scenario, as well as the characters being the center of the story. There were themes that should’ve struck emotional chords within me but felt underdeveloped, lacking impact. I wanted to go that extra mile and expand on the character’s trauma, mental illness, marriage survival after the loss of a child, terminal diagnosis, identity, love, family, and so on. Instead of deconstructing these areas, the military abduction and weapon plotlines took precedence, leaving the characters feeling one-dimensional. There wasn’t a lot of character depth. We see the General’s anger and the wife’s easy acquiescence despite the significant risks, but we never see how they were before or any further growth, so I found it difficult to care.
The characters served to move the plot forward, but I would have preferred to see the plot used to highlight the characters’ growth and experiences. The fast pace prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story. I felt a disconnect between what made the stakes so high. Most of the characters were likable, but none stood out. I liked the inclusion of an older character in the science field. The writing style was easy to read.
Melody had some qualities that I liked in general. I believe the story would have worked better for me if it had a character-driven approach rather than plot-driven. Personally, I felt that the military/government plot overshadowed too many of the positives, effectively boxing in any significant characterization. There was a really interesting story underneath, but the course of action didn’t work for me.
I use a rating system that considers the characters, setting/world building, atmosphere/tone, writing/narrative style, plot, intrigue, enjoyment, pacing, originality of ideas, and use of themes. After rating each of these areas individually out of 10, I add up, divide and I’m left with a final score that has taken into consideration many different aspects of the story. For the purpose of the SPSFC2 competition, I’m holding off on sharing my score until we announce as a team. Thank you for reading.
Read
January 3, 2023I was fortunate to read
MELODY
by David Hoffer as part of the SPSFC this year. (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) It made it into my team’s Top 6 choices and after reading it in its entirety, it absolutely earned its spot to be there and in my humble opinion, advance into the Top 3.
This science fiction thriller was about first contact - the excitement, the joy of discovery that someone else is out there. THEN comes those who start saying words such as “colonization”, “invasion”, “war” - causing the governments to begin taking steps to ensure the protection of our planet. Of course the different countries and nations have different ideas of how to do this, which leads to a race.
You might be wondering what exactly happened to bring all of this about. I’ll tell you. It was a song. A message delivered from the stars in a code - a message that could save humanity if a certain Stephen Fisher would wake up and receive it. When his young daughter takes interest in a random trio of stars, Stephen begins to worry. He worries she might be like him - not in a good way either. When Stephen was a child, he underwent extreme therapy to cure him of his hallucinations and voices that told him he came from another world. Stephen is consumed by this worry and it leads to catastrophic events which include the loss of his daughter and results in him being taken prisoner by the government.
I loved the exploration of what first contact could look like - this appealed to my overactive imagination. Stephen’s journey of discovery and learning the truth about his past and himself was a mystery that kept me frozen in my chair, reading for as long as I could keep my eyes open each night. I also really enjoyed the family dynamic of the Fisher family. I was invested in their story: how close they were, how they dealt with loss and tragedy, but most importantly how they fought for each other. The involvement of the government, their stance on seeing first contact as a threat - others who didn’t and were intent on preventing harm and the various sides trying to outsmart each other alternated between making me laugh and chewing on my nails with worry.
Excellently written, the only thing I’d change would be to make it longer! It was over too soon, I wanted more!
This science fiction thriller was about first contact - the excitement, the joy of discovery that someone else is out there. THEN comes those who start saying words such as “colonization”, “invasion”, “war” - causing the governments to begin taking steps to ensure the protection of our planet. Of course the different countries and nations have different ideas of how to do this, which leads to a race.
You might be wondering what exactly happened to bring all of this about. I’ll tell you. It was a song. A message delivered from the stars in a code - a message that could save humanity if a certain Stephen Fisher would wake up and receive it. When his young daughter takes interest in a random trio of stars, Stephen begins to worry. He worries she might be like him - not in a good way either. When Stephen was a child, he underwent extreme therapy to cure him of his hallucinations and voices that told him he came from another world. Stephen is consumed by this worry and it leads to catastrophic events which include the loss of his daughter and results in him being taken prisoner by the government.
I loved the exploration of what first contact could look like - this appealed to my overactive imagination. Stephen’s journey of discovery and learning the truth about his past and himself was a mystery that kept me frozen in my chair, reading for as long as I could keep my eyes open each night. I also really enjoyed the family dynamic of the Fisher family. I was invested in their story: how close they were, how they dealt with loss and tragedy, but most importantly how they fought for each other. The involvement of the government, their stance on seeing first contact as a threat - others who didn’t and were intent on preventing harm and the various sides trying to outsmart each other alternated between making me laugh and chewing on my nails with worry.
Excellently written, the only thing I’d change would be to make it longer! It was over too soon, I wanted more!
October 18, 2020
Melody, by David Hoffer, is a science fiction story about first contact with an alien race. Ever since he was quite young, Stephen Fisher has had what were termed hallucinations and has heard music in his head. At the recommendation of the psychiatrist treating him, his father had agreed to allow the doctors to cut portions of his brain out. It turned into an incredibly painful procedure for Stephen when he awakened with his head feeling like it was on fire. He reached into the head of the doctor to try to make the pain stop, but she flew against the table instead and slumped down onto the floor, as well as a man that was also in the room. The nurse was also injured while trying to release the strap for his arm and he screamed for his brother, Eric.
Twenty-five years later, his precocious daughter, Danika, is celebrating her birthday and insists on taking a picture of a distant star system, Draco, on her new tablet. She persists in saying that the star plays music; music which her father used to hear.
The story then shifts to Doctor Delores McCann at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena who heads the AMIGO project, built to detect gravitational waves in the fabric of space-time. The new NASA administrator is not impressed with the project and is planning to shut it down. When it appears that the initial test has failed, one of her team members demonstrates that the test is not a failure after all. She set the waves to music and produced a haunting melody, which they all believe indicates first contact with an alien species.
The story continues with multiple twists and turns that make for exciting reading right up to the very end. This is not the usual book about first contact; in fact, it’s so different that it’s hard to describe. Just give yourself and the book a chance and you’re sure to enjoy this intricate tale.
My only complaint is that when the point of view of the characters shifts, it’s sometimes hard to figure out which character that part of the story is about. You can eventually figure it out, but it would help if the different sections had a name preceding that section.
My rating: 4 1/2 stars
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Twenty-five years later, his precocious daughter, Danika, is celebrating her birthday and insists on taking a picture of a distant star system, Draco, on her new tablet. She persists in saying that the star plays music; music which her father used to hear.
The story then shifts to Doctor Delores McCann at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena who heads the AMIGO project, built to detect gravitational waves in the fabric of space-time. The new NASA administrator is not impressed with the project and is planning to shut it down. When it appears that the initial test has failed, one of her team members demonstrates that the test is not a failure after all. She set the waves to music and produced a haunting melody, which they all believe indicates first contact with an alien species.
The story continues with multiple twists and turns that make for exciting reading right up to the very end. This is not the usual book about first contact; in fact, it’s so different that it’s hard to describe. Just give yourself and the book a chance and you’re sure to enjoy this intricate tale.
My only complaint is that when the point of view of the characters shifts, it’s sometimes hard to figure out which character that part of the story is about. You can eventually figure it out, but it would help if the different sections had a name preceding that section.
My rating: 4 1/2 stars
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 17, 2023
First contact stories are hit or miss for me and I have read a ton of them. When Earth picks up a signal from the cosmos, how do we react? How do things progress? Are they friend or foe?
Melody does one thing slightly new to me, which is to turn space-time travel into a form of reincarnation where souls are shuttled from one world to another using these Beacon devices. Somehow the bridge is created with music. I like this theme, I really do, and it would be an imaginative way to grow up and experience different lives on new planets with new races.
The rest is a little bit cookie cutter though with the government deciding *immediately* that this is a threat and needs to be weaponized. One antagonist in power immediately steps in and essentially ruins everything good about the first contact. The only character with a developmental arc is a scientist on the Beacon project who helped discovered the signal to begin with …
…and I liked Dolores. I like when old people are featured as main characters. In her 70s, this woman should have retired to a beach condo by now. She also helped turn the Beacon into the deadliest weapon ever and is having major life regrets.
Stephen, the main character, is pretty static but he goes through a lot. I like how his wife sticks with him for years while he is disappeared by the government. The daughter is a creepy little thing for sure but I loved how the mom balanced alien nature with normal kid things.
The action is constant and I was never exactly bored, nor was I drawn in to reading quickly. I appreciate the shorter length for sure. I got too fixated on the hows -like *how* did they turn the Beacon into a weapon? *How* did they fix the broken pathway? A lot of things just magically happened or had happened already in the interest of page space, which is fine since the story 100% got told. I mean there’s no science behind reincarnation pathways anyway but it seemed a little easy (although nice) at the end.
Long story short: if you like first contact stories, thrillers, family elements, check this one out for sure. Hoffer has an easy reading style and you’ll likely find something you like here!
Melody does one thing slightly new to me, which is to turn space-time travel into a form of reincarnation where souls are shuttled from one world to another using these Beacon devices. Somehow the bridge is created with music. I like this theme, I really do, and it would be an imaginative way to grow up and experience different lives on new planets with new races.
The rest is a little bit cookie cutter though with the government deciding *immediately* that this is a threat and needs to be weaponized. One antagonist in power immediately steps in and essentially ruins everything good about the first contact. The only character with a developmental arc is a scientist on the Beacon project who helped discovered the signal to begin with …
…and I liked Dolores. I like when old people are featured as main characters. In her 70s, this woman should have retired to a beach condo by now. She also helped turn the Beacon into the deadliest weapon ever and is having major life regrets.
Stephen, the main character, is pretty static but he goes through a lot. I like how his wife sticks with him for years while he is disappeared by the government. The daughter is a creepy little thing for sure but I loved how the mom balanced alien nature with normal kid things.
The action is constant and I was never exactly bored, nor was I drawn in to reading quickly. I appreciate the shorter length for sure. I got too fixated on the hows -like *how* did they turn the Beacon into a weapon? *How* did they fix the broken pathway? A lot of things just magically happened or had happened already in the interest of page space, which is fine since the story 100% got told. I mean there’s no science behind reincarnation pathways anyway but it seemed a little easy (although nice) at the end.
Long story short: if you like first contact stories, thrillers, family elements, check this one out for sure. Hoffer has an easy reading style and you’ll likely find something you like here!
July 14, 2023
Melody had a really intriguing start. I love it when a book hooks me right away with something awesome before then slowing down to a more introductory pace. That was really well done here. The writing also lent itself to easy reading that had me moving through the book at a steady pace.
The thing that really stood out to me in this book was the emotions it triggered in me. One part especially was very difficult to read and left me unsettled for much of the rest of the day. The pain was conveyed so well or maybe I’m just a bit more sensitive to that now than I used to be. In that same vein, the paranoia of one of the main characters felt so real to me as well. My heart was beating harder and I was nervous to find out what would happen next. Really well done.
I won’t go into too much detail next because I don’t want to spoil things for anybody. I really liked how the mental health aspect was woven throughout this book but there were some instances that I had a really hard time imagining or keeping up with to the point that it sometimes pulled me out of the story. Same with a time jump that felt a bit disorienting.
Overall though, again, the feelings and motivations were handled really well and I am definitely curious to check out more works by this author once he has more for us. He has an interesting approach to storytelling that I enjoyed a lot.
The thing that really stood out to me in this book was the emotions it triggered in me. One part especially was very difficult to read and left me unsettled for much of the rest of the day. The pain was conveyed so well or maybe I’m just a bit more sensitive to that now than I used to be. In that same vein, the paranoia of one of the main characters felt so real to me as well. My heart was beating harder and I was nervous to find out what would happen next. Really well done.
I won’t go into too much detail next because I don’t want to spoil things for anybody. I really liked how the mental health aspect was woven throughout this book but there were some instances that I had a really hard time imagining or keeping up with to the point that it sometimes pulled me out of the story. Same with a time jump that felt a bit disorienting.
Overall though, again, the feelings and motivations were handled really well and I am definitely curious to check out more works by this author once he has more for us. He has an interesting approach to storytelling that I enjoyed a lot.
May 3, 2021
3.75 stars
I enjoyed this sci-fi novel based around the idea of First Contact. I was not completely sold on all plot points add perhaps some of the military are a little cliched, but it kept me reading and entertained.
I could picture the reaction to the discovery of unknown technology proposed in the book would be something along these lines. This reminds me of Peter Cawdron’s excellent books about first contact, books I enjoy thoroughly.
I enjoyed this sci-fi novel based around the idea of First Contact. I was not completely sold on all plot points add perhaps some of the military are a little cliched, but it kept me reading and entertained.
I could picture the reaction to the discovery of unknown technology proposed in the book would be something along these lines. This reminds me of Peter Cawdron’s excellent books about first contact, books I enjoy thoroughly.
Read
February 20, 2023Part of SPSFC
August 6, 2021
A Great Relief from the Usual
This book was a great surprise in that it was not your typical "techno-thriller" in which action is the key focus. The story did progress well, albeit perhaps starting a bit slowly, to a satisfying conclusion - all in a single book.
The book is reminiscent of "Contact" in that a message is received from an alien race containing instructions to build a machine. Meanwhile, a man who has experienced mental issues since childhood recognizes similar symptoms in his 5-year old. His daughter also has a fascination with a particular star cluster (via a tablet app), and her uncle solicits an observatory to record any signals coming from that star to appease the little girl. That star cluster is the same cluster from which the alien signal originated. This puts Stephan and his daughter on the US Government's radar. Also, the signal when converted to sound is the same music that Stephen and his daughter hear in their thoughts.
What follows is the chief scientist (Delores) working to understand the signal and the machine they are building to engage Stephen. It would seem that Stephen and his daughter are actually from the world orbiting the star. When his daughter is killed in a car accident, his second daughter whom he and his wife name "Melody" is a reincarnation of his first daughter.
Are the two really aliens or are they just nuts? What is the purpose of the machine? Is this a lead-up to an invasion?
The story is well written. The character development was great as we see Stephen, Melody, and Delores make their way to discover what is really going on. Add to the mix your typical paranoid general and you have a great story. This is a great stand-alone novel with a satisfying ending. The concepts discussed regarding consciousness and reincarnation offer something to think about, more than your typical shoot-up aliens type of book.
This book was a great surprise in that it was not your typical "techno-thriller" in which action is the key focus. The story did progress well, albeit perhaps starting a bit slowly, to a satisfying conclusion - all in a single book.
The book is reminiscent of "Contact" in that a message is received from an alien race containing instructions to build a machine. Meanwhile, a man who has experienced mental issues since childhood recognizes similar symptoms in his 5-year old. His daughter also has a fascination with a particular star cluster (via a tablet app), and her uncle solicits an observatory to record any signals coming from that star to appease the little girl. That star cluster is the same cluster from which the alien signal originated. This puts Stephan and his daughter on the US Government's radar. Also, the signal when converted to sound is the same music that Stephen and his daughter hear in their thoughts.
What follows is the chief scientist (Delores) working to understand the signal and the machine they are building to engage Stephen. It would seem that Stephen and his daughter are actually from the world orbiting the star. When his daughter is killed in a car accident, his second daughter whom he and his wife name "Melody" is a reincarnation of his first daughter.
Are the two really aliens or are they just nuts? What is the purpose of the machine? Is this a lead-up to an invasion?
The story is well written. The character development was great as we see Stephen, Melody, and Delores make their way to discover what is really going on. Add to the mix your typical paranoid general and you have a great story. This is a great stand-alone novel with a satisfying ending. The concepts discussed regarding consciousness and reincarnation offer something to think about, more than your typical shoot-up aliens type of book.
October 18, 2020
This is a fascinating storyline that develops in some unexpected ways. I really enjoyed being drawn into the world that has been created here.
Whilst this isn’t ‘hard sci-fi’ it makes a decent stab at hitting that sub-genre and therefore has some of the brain-challenging moments that keep the mind active as the plot develops.
Whilst there are some great characters here, with plenty of depth, I didn’t really get emotionally invested, which was a shame. Probably just an effect of whatever mood I was in when I was reading though!
For me, the book falls a little short of perfect as it comes to a conclusion. It almost falls into the same problems as many novels in that there is a desire to tie everything up in a convenient way. This left me feeling a little dissatisfied as there was so much development in the plot line but then it weakened towards the end in an attempt to conclude.
That said, overall this was a really enjoyable read and one that I certainly don’t regret taking the time to finish. It passed several pleasant evenings and some of the ideas have buzzed around my head in the days since, which is usually a sign of some excellent writing.
Whilst this isn’t ‘hard sci-fi’ it makes a decent stab at hitting that sub-genre and therefore has some of the brain-challenging moments that keep the mind active as the plot develops.
Whilst there are some great characters here, with plenty of depth, I didn’t really get emotionally invested, which was a shame. Probably just an effect of whatever mood I was in when I was reading though!
For me, the book falls a little short of perfect as it comes to a conclusion. It almost falls into the same problems as many novels in that there is a desire to tie everything up in a convenient way. This left me feeling a little dissatisfied as there was so much development in the plot line but then it weakened towards the end in an attempt to conclude.
That said, overall this was a really enjoyable read and one that I certainly don’t regret taking the time to finish. It passed several pleasant evenings and some of the ideas have buzzed around my head in the days since, which is usually a sign of some excellent writing.
February 2, 2023
Personal rating for SPSFC: 7/10
On of my personal favourites for this round, congrats are in order for this semifinalist!
Since I'll be doing a video review for it I won't go into too much detail but I loved the concept and the use of music intertwining with the story. Along with some high sci-fi elements for a story that takes a bit to start but definitely a great one.
On of my personal favourites for this round, congrats are in order for this semifinalist!
Since I'll be doing a video review for it I won't go into too much detail but I loved the concept and the use of music intertwining with the story. Along with some high sci-fi elements for a story that takes a bit to start but definitely a great one.
July 16, 2023
/* Note: I read this as a finalist for SPSFC2. This review reflects only my personal opinion, not the opinion of the entire team. */
My Score: 7.5/10
David Hoffer's Melody is a contemporary first contact thriller that kept my pulse racing with its non-stop pace. Despite its strengths and weaknesses, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable tale, even if some aspects left me wanting more.
The plot is engrossing and fast-paced, almost to a fault. In fact, the pace is so swift that early chapters struggle to delve deep enough into the characters. The rapidity of the plot can also feel implausible, such as a full-fledged government investigation kick-starting within a week or two on a single NASA scientist's assertion (the head of JPL, but still—I've worked for a government contractor, and nothing moves that fast in such large organizations). I often found myself wishing the plot would slow down just a hair to provide more detailed descriptions of some events. Instead, potentially dramatic scenes were relegated to passing comments, which was slightly disappointing.
Gripes about pacing aside, I enjoyed the majority of this book. The author set up an intriguing mystery around the main character's past and cleverly wove it into the main narrative. The communication of this mystery was crystal clear as well, never leaving me confused, only looking forward to the next revelation.
The two POV characters were both well-written. Early on, I struggled to connect with them, but their stories are tightly interwoven and provided enough interpersonal drama to keep me engaged. Steven, particularly, shines through with his compassionate consideration for his wife, always thoughtful of her feelings and striving to mend their relationship.
One character, however, felt a bit stale and clichéd: the General. This character archetype—omnipresent in the modern day first contact books I read for this competition—was predictably positioned as a counterpoint to the idealistic scientist striving for knowledge. I suppose it's realistic that such a figure would take command in these first contact scenarios, but nothing about how he was presented in this book felt fresh to me.
Finally, I found the book's complex scientific concepts well-handled, especially when dealing with alien technology. Hoffer's ability to simplify and clearly present his ideas had me guessing at the mechanics of the plausible-sounding tech. It was satisfying that my prediction ended up pretty close to what was revealed at the end, which says less about the book being predictable and more about me reading too many books about particle physics. All this to say, the science part of this science-fiction book was very well done.
Overall, Melody offers an exhilarating ride alongside characters I was rooting for until the very end. While its pacing might be too fast for those seeking deep character development, Hoffer's ability to weave together mystery, science, and humanity makes it a worthwhile read.
My Score: 7.5/10
David Hoffer's Melody is a contemporary first contact thriller that kept my pulse racing with its non-stop pace. Despite its strengths and weaknesses, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable tale, even if some aspects left me wanting more.
The plot is engrossing and fast-paced, almost to a fault. In fact, the pace is so swift that early chapters struggle to delve deep enough into the characters. The rapidity of the plot can also feel implausible, such as a full-fledged government investigation kick-starting within a week or two on a single NASA scientist's assertion (the head of JPL, but still—I've worked for a government contractor, and nothing moves that fast in such large organizations). I often found myself wishing the plot would slow down just a hair to provide more detailed descriptions of some events. Instead, potentially dramatic scenes were relegated to passing comments, which was slightly disappointing.
Gripes about pacing aside, I enjoyed the majority of this book. The author set up an intriguing mystery around the main character's past and cleverly wove it into the main narrative. The communication of this mystery was crystal clear as well, never leaving me confused, only looking forward to the next revelation.
The two POV characters were both well-written. Early on, I struggled to connect with them, but their stories are tightly interwoven and provided enough interpersonal drama to keep me engaged. Steven, particularly, shines through with his compassionate consideration for his wife, always thoughtful of her feelings and striving to mend their relationship.
One character, however, felt a bit stale and clichéd: the General. This character archetype—omnipresent in the modern day first contact books I read for this competition—was predictably positioned as a counterpoint to the idealistic scientist striving for knowledge. I suppose it's realistic that such a figure would take command in these first contact scenarios, but nothing about how he was presented in this book felt fresh to me.
Finally, I found the book's complex scientific concepts well-handled, especially when dealing with alien technology. Hoffer's ability to simplify and clearly present his ideas had me guessing at the mechanics of the plausible-sounding tech. It was satisfying that my prediction ended up pretty close to what was revealed at the end, which says less about the book being predictable and more about me reading too many books about particle physics. All this to say, the science part of this science-fiction book was very well done.
Overall, Melody offers an exhilarating ride alongside characters I was rooting for until the very end. While its pacing might be too fast for those seeking deep character development, Hoffer's ability to weave together mystery, science, and humanity makes it a worthwhile read.
June 27, 2023
Review originally published on JamReads
Melody is a first-contact technothriller, written by David Hoffer, which we had read as part of the SPSFC2 finals. I went totally blind into it, just knowing the subtitle, and while the book seemed one I could have loved, there were some problems that made my experience non-optimal.
In this novel, we are going to be following Stephen Fisher, a man who experience visions during his childhood, cured by therapy. When tragedy hits him, his life is broken; and when the military abducts him alleging his dead daughter recorded a melody from the stars, his sanity starts going down.
Pressed by the voices in his head, he will soon start unveiling a secret that will become crucial for humanity and for his destiny.
We have here a technothriller, well written, and with a frenetic pace, which particularly didn't work for me: I found it confusing, especially when the multiverse plot enters into play. I understand why the author choose this, but I think it wasn't weaved in a good way, making the plot a little bit too convenient.
If you like complex first-contact stories, you might like this book more than I; said that, I think it's a decent story, just not one it would click with me.
Disclaimer: This review and score represent my sole opinion. Team score may vary.
Melody is a first-contact technothriller, written by David Hoffer, which we had read as part of the SPSFC2 finals. I went totally blind into it, just knowing the subtitle, and while the book seemed one I could have loved, there were some problems that made my experience non-optimal.
In this novel, we are going to be following Stephen Fisher, a man who experience visions during his childhood, cured by therapy. When tragedy hits him, his life is broken; and when the military abducts him alleging his dead daughter recorded a melody from the stars, his sanity starts going down.
Pressed by the voices in his head, he will soon start unveiling a secret that will become crucial for humanity and for his destiny.
We have here a technothriller, well written, and with a frenetic pace, which particularly didn't work for me: I found it confusing, especially when the multiverse plot enters into play. I understand why the author choose this, but I think it wasn't weaved in a good way, making the plot a little bit too convenient.
If you like complex first-contact stories, you might like this book more than I; said that, I think it's a decent story, just not one it would click with me.
Disclaimer: This review and score represent my sole opinion. Team score may vary.
March 5, 2022
This is a sci-fi thriller that delivers on its sci-fi and the action & suspense of a thriller. What if aliens surveyed earth and found we weren’t ready for their technology? What if the advanced technology of aliens was not understood and it was put to the wrong use? The answers to these questions drives this entertaining story.
Some of the author’s descriptive writing is quite complex. It takes careful reading to visualize.
The author doesn’t depend solely on male heroics as one of the main characters is a senior citizen female physicist. Her foil, the story’s foil, reminded me of the over-the-top general in the movie “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
An intriguing and thoughtful element to this story of first contact is the idea of rebirthing blending past, present, and future.
Some of the author’s descriptive writing is quite complex. It takes careful reading to visualize.
The author doesn’t depend solely on male heroics as one of the main characters is a senior citizen female physicist. Her foil, the story’s foil, reminded me of the over-the-top general in the movie “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
An intriguing and thoughtful element to this story of first contact is the idea of rebirthing blending past, present, and future.
November 20, 2020
The cover art got my attention. The book description got my interest, and made me push the "purchase" button. But it was the story that kept me reading this "first contact" tale. Sophisticated writing, well-drawn characters, researched science, and well-paced short chapters made this a pleasurable read to devour. An excellent debut novel and I look forward to reading more by this author.
December 1, 2021
This is definitely more of an original story when you compare it to other newer reads in the sci-fi genre. But it just didn't connect with me, maybe it's not my cup of tea. Everything just seemed fine, not good or bad. But at the same time wasn't attention grabbing, in the slightest. Having finished the book, I realized nothing really stood out. The whole book just felt like a formality and was not engaging. There always seemed like there was a disconnect between the characters and the actual story.
October 17, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed Melody. I love the concept of reincarnation crossing over between worlds and species of sentient life. This concept was brought to life in an action packed plot with interesting characters. The characters are well thought out and described in such a way as to make them relatable.
Read
March 25, 2023DNF
July 5, 2021
Awesome read! Loved every page! Hope to read more of his books in the future!
June 6, 2023
All SPSFC books will be discussed on my YouTube channel.
May 6, 2021
Great Read
Highly enjoyable take on first contact. Well written page turner that I could not stop reading. Well worth my time.
Highly enjoyable take on first contact. Well written page turner that I could not stop reading. Well worth my time.
May 27, 2021
I liked this tale of a man trying to come to grips with his mental illness while also connecting with an alien culture. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, switching back and forth between the protagonist Stephen Fisher and the NASA scientist who's team finds a signal in space. The good guys are harried and put-upon while the bad guys are unrepentantly bad.
If it suffers at all, it is from the all-knowing child trope. Stephen's omniscient daughter knows what's going on even though she is a toddler and he himself spends much of the novel denying what the reader already knows. That can get a bit tiresome. But then a bout two-thirds of the way through the plots twists in a way I didn't see coming and rides the roller coaster all the way to the end. And that is one of the good parts of the book. Much of the novel I had no idea where the author was going, which is refreshing in a literary landscape where popular plots often follow a well-traveled and predictable path. Good job.
If it suffers at all, it is from the all-knowing child trope. Stephen's omniscient daughter knows what's going on even though she is a toddler and he himself spends much of the novel denying what the reader already knows. That can get a bit tiresome. But then a bout two-thirds of the way through the plots twists in a way I didn't see coming and rides the roller coaster all the way to the end. And that is one of the good parts of the book. Much of the novel I had no idea where the author was going, which is refreshing in a literary landscape where popular plots often follow a well-traveled and predictable path. Good job.
December 6, 2021
I don’t like giving books low ratings but to be honest I persevered with this book to the very end and I didn’t grab me at all.
I felt like I had walked into the story halfway through. I had no empathy with any of the characters. I get the general feeling that this book was about reincarnation in some way and that all the characters had lived before. That through music a plan was sent to create a bridge to another world? I don’t feel it was explained why they built it? How it was made into a weapon to destroy the bodies and souls of the people on the other side of the world.
I didn’t want to give up on the story but i have finished the story knowing the characters names but what they were up to was beyond me.
I can’t recommend this book to anyone sadly
I felt like I had walked into the story halfway through. I had no empathy with any of the characters. I get the general feeling that this book was about reincarnation in some way and that all the characters had lived before. That through music a plan was sent to create a bridge to another world? I don’t feel it was explained why they built it? How it was made into a weapon to destroy the bodies and souls of the people on the other side of the world.
I didn’t want to give up on the story but i have finished the story knowing the characters names but what they were up to was beyond me.
I can’t recommend this book to anyone sadly
October 26, 2020
Stephen was always treated as being different growing up and didn’t remember parts of what happened to him. Now he was married to Fran and had a daughter and things started to get strange again. The government received a signal from outer space. Eric, Stephen brother mentioned an anomaly about his brother so his brother got sucked into the government’s clasp of cloak and dagger. He and his family along with other nations and people suffered and were taken advantage of before any help could be made. This was an interesting and intriguing story filled with intrigue and danger. The characters were well thought out and had great flow throughout the story. Good read
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 25, 2021
An intriguing story which kept me up till the page.
August 6, 2023
Now, full disclosure – my first and enduring reaction to this book was “fuck this book”. But I freely admit I was wrong. I will, however, warn you up-front that if you think you’re going to get upset by a story featuring parents losing a child, this is going to be a tough one for you. It’s going somewhere with the whole thing, I promise, but whether you want to let it get there or not is up to you. It’s a brutal fucking narrative device that I don’t have many positive things to say about. In this case, though – damn it, it pulls a win out of its arse somehow. Sort of. I think. Maybe. Fuck it. Let’s backtrack a little.
Our story starts out pretty rockily, prologueing with one of our main protagonists as a kid with some kind of psychic power, being tested on and traumatised in an attempt to diagnose his ability as nice simple craziness. Flash forward to his entirely messy adulthood and his young daughter seems to have a similar power, they hear this “music” coming from space … then the daughter gets killed in a car accident and we take a little break from that plot to do Contact. Which frankly was a relief.
I mean I’m just saying, a signal from space encourages humanity to build a machine that will enable them to get in touch with alien life, and then it gets all weird and the machine is destroyed and then the protagonists confront the spectre of a dead loved one.
For all the interesting similarities – similarities which are interesting, and completely coincidental and I am not being sarcastic – I was left completely unprepared for where it turned out this story was heading all along. And I have to say, it’s one of the best reveals – and plots – I’ve read in recent memory.
So, as I was saying, the alien signal includes instructions on how to build a – well, a Contact machine. It doesn’t go quite the same way because that’s not exactly what was going on, but I was not feeling particularly well-disposed towards the author at this point of the review because they’d just had the protagonist kill his daughter in a car accident so – as previously stated – fuck this book. But I got better. And so did the book.
Things immediately begin getting weird, some serious space / time hijinks begin to ensue, and I honestly don’t know how much more I can say about the plot without spoiling it, which is why I’m beating around the bush so much. Suffice to say, it was something of a roller coaster.
As I read on, I found myself wondering how much of what was happening was a coping psychosis from the protagonist losing a kid. Sort of … Contact meets K-Pax, if you will. Between grappling with that, and chuckling at what a silly acronym ‘G-WAD’ is, and gaping in disbelief at the alien super-weapon – like, for real, I wasn’t even sure if the characters were aware it was firing right through the planet, and why were they making more of them? I swear to God, fucking humans are the worst … anyway where was I? Yeah, between all that, the culmination of the story – opening the on-ramp to the (spoilers) expanded reincarnation universe, what a concept – it kind of just jumped out at me and caught me completely by surprise. Boy, am I glad I stuck with this one. Excellent sci-fi.
Sex-o-meter
There’s babies, which tends to imply sex. But this wasn’t exactly a sexy-type story. This was more of a bittersweet and achingly yearning exploration of life, death, love, space and time, and an uplifting yet intensely sorrowful interconnection of damaged souls that ran so deep that it – yeah, there’s no fucking. Zero throbbing pulsating anythings out of a possible throbbing pulsating everything that is also moist.
Gore-o-meter
Not much violence in this one either, although there is a certain amount of quite upsetting psychic violence and deep trauma for the unwary. Also a little bit of corporate-military shooting and oh yeah, also that alien super-weapon I was talking about, that does so much more than just kill and sterilise the shit you shoot it at. But it doesn’t splatter. That’s important. One and a half quivering ragged flesh-gobbets out of a possible five.
WTF-o-meter
Aha, now, this is where we get some readings. There’s WTF aplenty here, although by the end of the story it is sort of explained, at least insofar as such an abiding and beautiful mystery can be explained. You don’t need to understand it, and that’s the point. So it starts out as good solid alien WTF – the aliens are cool, the devices encapsulated in the space melody are amazing, the time hijinks are neat, the overall emergent point is stunning – and then evolves into something greater. Oh, on the subject of the time hijinks, I was left a little puzzled as I was reading by the actual timeline. The protagonist-couple were on very rocky ground, possibly even separated before Stephen was kidnapped by the government (oh, fuck Hudson too by the way, the characters in this story were quite excellent and Hudson was the absolute worst) for eight months … I’m not sure at what point she ended up pregnant? It was sort of a moot point and that’s sort of why I’m mentioning it here instead of in my breakdown of the sex-o-meter findings, but – yeah, it was a bit of a mess. Hold on tight and ride through it, you’ll be fine. Melody is clocking in at six and a half wibbly wobbly swirly whirly things in space where it turns out the real aliens were actually the friends you made along the way, out of a possible matchbox containing a dead mouse that’s just the saddest thing you ever saw. Who knew my WTF-o-meter had a sentimental streak.
My Final Verdict
Well, what can I say? I gave this book a rough review because of the way it treated me, and I stand by that. Mark my words. Books have to learn, otherwise they’ll walk all over you. But the more I think about it, the more I like it. Four stars!
Our story starts out pretty rockily, prologueing with one of our main protagonists as a kid with some kind of psychic power, being tested on and traumatised in an attempt to diagnose his ability as nice simple craziness. Flash forward to his entirely messy adulthood and his young daughter seems to have a similar power, they hear this “music” coming from space … then the daughter gets killed in a car accident and we take a little break from that plot to do Contact. Which frankly was a relief.
I mean I’m just saying, a signal from space encourages humanity to build a machine that will enable them to get in touch with alien life, and then it gets all weird and the machine is destroyed and then the protagonists confront the spectre of a dead loved one.
For all the interesting similarities – similarities which are interesting, and completely coincidental and I am not being sarcastic – I was left completely unprepared for where it turned out this story was heading all along. And I have to say, it’s one of the best reveals – and plots – I’ve read in recent memory.
So, as I was saying, the alien signal includes instructions on how to build a – well, a Contact machine. It doesn’t go quite the same way because that’s not exactly what was going on, but I was not feeling particularly well-disposed towards the author at this point of the review because they’d just had the protagonist kill his daughter in a car accident so – as previously stated – fuck this book. But I got better. And so did the book.
Things immediately begin getting weird, some serious space / time hijinks begin to ensue, and I honestly don’t know how much more I can say about the plot without spoiling it, which is why I’m beating around the bush so much. Suffice to say, it was something of a roller coaster.
As I read on, I found myself wondering how much of what was happening was a coping psychosis from the protagonist losing a kid. Sort of … Contact meets K-Pax, if you will. Between grappling with that, and chuckling at what a silly acronym ‘G-WAD’ is, and gaping in disbelief at the alien super-weapon – like, for real, I wasn’t even sure if the characters were aware it was firing right through the planet, and why were they making more of them? I swear to God, fucking humans are the worst … anyway where was I? Yeah, between all that, the culmination of the story – opening the on-ramp to the (spoilers) expanded reincarnation universe, what a concept – it kind of just jumped out at me and caught me completely by surprise. Boy, am I glad I stuck with this one. Excellent sci-fi.
Sex-o-meter
There’s babies, which tends to imply sex. But this wasn’t exactly a sexy-type story. This was more of a bittersweet and achingly yearning exploration of life, death, love, space and time, and an uplifting yet intensely sorrowful interconnection of damaged souls that ran so deep that it – yeah, there’s no fucking. Zero throbbing pulsating anythings out of a possible throbbing pulsating everything that is also moist.
Gore-o-meter
Not much violence in this one either, although there is a certain amount of quite upsetting psychic violence and deep trauma for the unwary. Also a little bit of corporate-military shooting and oh yeah, also that alien super-weapon I was talking about, that does so much more than just kill and sterilise the shit you shoot it at. But it doesn’t splatter. That’s important. One and a half quivering ragged flesh-gobbets out of a possible five.
WTF-o-meter
Aha, now, this is where we get some readings. There’s WTF aplenty here, although by the end of the story it is sort of explained, at least insofar as such an abiding and beautiful mystery can be explained. You don’t need to understand it, and that’s the point. So it starts out as good solid alien WTF – the aliens are cool, the devices encapsulated in the space melody are amazing, the time hijinks are neat, the overall emergent point is stunning – and then evolves into something greater. Oh, on the subject of the time hijinks, I was left a little puzzled as I was reading by the actual timeline. The protagonist-couple were on very rocky ground, possibly even separated before Stephen was kidnapped by the government (oh, fuck Hudson too by the way, the characters in this story were quite excellent and Hudson was the absolute worst) for eight months … I’m not sure at what point she ended up pregnant? It was sort of a moot point and that’s sort of why I’m mentioning it here instead of in my breakdown of the sex-o-meter findings, but – yeah, it was a bit of a mess. Hold on tight and ride through it, you’ll be fine. Melody is clocking in at six and a half wibbly wobbly swirly whirly things in space where it turns out the real aliens were actually the friends you made along the way, out of a possible matchbox containing a dead mouse that’s just the saddest thing you ever saw. Who knew my WTF-o-meter had a sentimental streak.
My Final Verdict
Well, what can I say? I gave this book a rough review because of the way it treated me, and I stand by that. Mark my words. Books have to learn, otherwise they’ll walk all over you. But the more I think about it, the more I like it. Four stars!
December 1, 2020
This first contact story starts some twenty five years in the past, when one of the main characters Stephen is still a child and has been taken to hospital by his father, and accompanied by his brother Eric, to receive some experimental treatment to help with his ‘problem’. Stephen can see things in people, mostly colours in their bodies or heads, but he has always been able to hear music playing in his head. He also knows that there is a very important reason for his presence on Earth, but he can’t really tell anyone. Unfortunately, the treatment he is given is electric shock therapy, given to him for possible early onset schizophrenia. It doesn’t exactly cure him, but it made him forget who exactly he was and he hears the music only every once in a while now.
The next part of the story starts at the birthday party of his daughter Danika, who has just turned five. She has been given a tablet as a present and wants to take a picture of the night sky, but is struggling to focus it properly. His brother Eric is there with them and helps her. She takes a picture of a trinary star system, the details of which Eric, an astrophysicist, explains, but then she surprises them both by saying there are five planets in the system and one of them even has an ocean like on Earth! When she also adds that the star is singing a song that he needs to listen to, to help him remember, then he gets worried. Is she like he was as a child? His wife Fran reminds him that her birthday party is not the right time to discuss this! Eric promises to point a special telescope at it and then they can listen to it together.
This simple request and Danika playing the song she hears, on a toy she also got for her birthday, for her father, leads to a whole gauntlet of events to follow. An auditory and visual hallucination as Stephen believes it to be, whilst driving his daughter to nursery school leaves him losing his daughter in an accident, and in the aftermath, his wife as well, and then himself! Weeks afterwards, as he is wallowing in his misery, drinking and not taking his anti-psychotic pills, he gets an unwelcome visitor. This visitor wants him to come with them for a quick chat, for him to help with something. But this is not a quick chat, as he is driven an hour away from home and interrogated in an air force base! He doesn’t school his reactions well enough, when they play the music from the stars, but denies knowing anything and is eventually allowed to leave, but with no way of getting home. When he does return, the government have got there before him and are ripping everything out of his home, and take his mobile phone, with the birthday recording of their daughter playing the song!
He may not remember everything properly, because of the treatment he had done to him as a child, but his daughter was and she had been trying to get him to remember. To get him to remember his purpose here and the truth about himself and his child, plus their part in the fate of the whole human race. The scientists are soon pushed aside by the military, and by General Beckman and Dr McCann’s new boss Victor, as they try to figure out what message is being sent to Earth from this distant planet system. The scientists manage to solve the puzzle, but must get the military and government to agree to build a huge device to find out more. But once advanced knowledge is passed to certain types of people, the conspiracy theories start to darken their thought processes and thoughts of invasion and more! Military types believe they need to create a weapon to safeguard their own country and people, using this advanced technology. When this is used against warring foes, the devastation is immense and innocents are always caught up in those type of actions.
Stephen is held in secret, away from his wife and brother, and without anyone knowing his true location, after he tries to reveal the communication from space to news media and a famous conspiracy nut. He starts to decline rapidly, from being kept in isolation. While the elderly scientist Dr Dolores McCann is sure that Stephen and his daughter are key to get the device to work, it ends up almost killing him. Only Fran insists he be kept alive, even if he can no longer respond, nor seem to be anything still working in his brain. Fran was heavily pregnant while he was being kept imprisoned and it is this new addition who insists he will wake up and that she needs him to wake up. Stephen has more to do before he can right what has happened and there must be more to come, by the way the book ends. I can’t wait to see what happens next and the title of this book gives name to the latest character and to someone with an important role. A really easy to read book full of alien contact conspiracies, messages from space, the trauma of those who can hear voices, or see the world in a different way and how they are often treated. I thought it was a really nice touch to find out what Stephen’s job was, considering what he went through as a child and his closeness to his brother Eric! Discussions of rebirth and reincarnation have a part to play as well and are very well described. Loved reading it and had to stay awake in the early hours, just to finish this one! I can’t wait for more from this author and would recommend them to all who want to read something a bit different and even unexpected. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
The next part of the story starts at the birthday party of his daughter Danika, who has just turned five. She has been given a tablet as a present and wants to take a picture of the night sky, but is struggling to focus it properly. His brother Eric is there with them and helps her. She takes a picture of a trinary star system, the details of which Eric, an astrophysicist, explains, but then she surprises them both by saying there are five planets in the system and one of them even has an ocean like on Earth! When she also adds that the star is singing a song that he needs to listen to, to help him remember, then he gets worried. Is she like he was as a child? His wife Fran reminds him that her birthday party is not the right time to discuss this! Eric promises to point a special telescope at it and then they can listen to it together.
This simple request and Danika playing the song she hears, on a toy she also got for her birthday, for her father, leads to a whole gauntlet of events to follow. An auditory and visual hallucination as Stephen believes it to be, whilst driving his daughter to nursery school leaves him losing his daughter in an accident, and in the aftermath, his wife as well, and then himself! Weeks afterwards, as he is wallowing in his misery, drinking and not taking his anti-psychotic pills, he gets an unwelcome visitor. This visitor wants him to come with them for a quick chat, for him to help with something. But this is not a quick chat, as he is driven an hour away from home and interrogated in an air force base! He doesn’t school his reactions well enough, when they play the music from the stars, but denies knowing anything and is eventually allowed to leave, but with no way of getting home. When he does return, the government have got there before him and are ripping everything out of his home, and take his mobile phone, with the birthday recording of their daughter playing the song!
He may not remember everything properly, because of the treatment he had done to him as a child, but his daughter was and she had been trying to get him to remember. To get him to remember his purpose here and the truth about himself and his child, plus their part in the fate of the whole human race. The scientists are soon pushed aside by the military, and by General Beckman and Dr McCann’s new boss Victor, as they try to figure out what message is being sent to Earth from this distant planet system. The scientists manage to solve the puzzle, but must get the military and government to agree to build a huge device to find out more. But once advanced knowledge is passed to certain types of people, the conspiracy theories start to darken their thought processes and thoughts of invasion and more! Military types believe they need to create a weapon to safeguard their own country and people, using this advanced technology. When this is used against warring foes, the devastation is immense and innocents are always caught up in those type of actions.
Stephen is held in secret, away from his wife and brother, and without anyone knowing his true location, after he tries to reveal the communication from space to news media and a famous conspiracy nut. He starts to decline rapidly, from being kept in isolation. While the elderly scientist Dr Dolores McCann is sure that Stephen and his daughter are key to get the device to work, it ends up almost killing him. Only Fran insists he be kept alive, even if he can no longer respond, nor seem to be anything still working in his brain. Fran was heavily pregnant while he was being kept imprisoned and it is this new addition who insists he will wake up and that she needs him to wake up. Stephen has more to do before he can right what has happened and there must be more to come, by the way the book ends. I can’t wait to see what happens next and the title of this book gives name to the latest character and to someone with an important role. A really easy to read book full of alien contact conspiracies, messages from space, the trauma of those who can hear voices, or see the world in a different way and how they are often treated. I thought it was a really nice touch to find out what Stephen’s job was, considering what he went through as a child and his closeness to his brother Eric! Discussions of rebirth and reincarnation have a part to play as well and are very well described. Loved reading it and had to stay awake in the early hours, just to finish this one! I can’t wait for more from this author and would recommend them to all who want to read something a bit different and even unexpected. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
November 30, 2020
Got turned on to this novel by a friend and devoured it this weekend. Loved it! Good mix of War Games (watched this a hundred times while sweeping up popcorn off the floor of a movie theater in college) combined with Avatar (the more spiritual aspects as well as the tie into fear-based government actions). Should be a movie someday. Hope Hoffer keeps them coming. Easy to read, hard to put down.
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