The Signal

by Mike Duke, Mike Duke, Lisa Tone (Editor)

The Evangeline, a deep space mining vessel, picks up an anomalous signal while scanning an asteroid field for potential resources. When the captain and crew attempt to locate the signal, the cosmos unhinges and reality begins to twist and change.

For most of the crew, the signal seems to be a wonderous blessing. But for Esther, a deaf data analyst who can feel it but not hear it, the signal becomes a debilitating force as they draw closer to its source.

The need to discern the signal's nature and meaning becomes an obsession for the crew ... one which Esther fears they may be willing to sacrifice all for ...

"That was a phenomenal ending! Something really special and awe-inspiring. On the level with the ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Definitely one of the best finales I've read in many years and I think it MAKES the book."
-- Chris Miller, author of The Damned Place, Dust, and the upcoming cyberpunk dystopian thriller The SONS of THUNDER

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction

140 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2022

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being a huge fan of science fiction, but loving Mike Duke's writing, I was cautiously optimistic going into this. Duke clearly went to some effort to gather all of his facts concerning human physiology and certain concepts of astrophysics, and spun it all into a very unique cosmic horror. The characters were are fun to experience and I really enjoyed Esther, our lead, as compared to her colleagues. Adding in the element of her being deaf and how this mysterious signal was affecting all the crewmates was a great idea. Now, as much as I enjoyed this entire story, I did feel that the use of sexual content felt really, really overdone at times. The crew became much more...shall we say sensual? And they acted on all those impulses...over...and over....and over...again. Just became a bit much, acting like an SNL skit and overemphasizing a particular point. I feel like maybe a reduction in that content, replacing it with a more definitive and elongated conclusion would have sufficed. With all the hype and mystery going into the finale, I did feel that the author wrote himself into a bit of a corner, ending it without a truly satisfying ending. Still, though, I had a good time here. Mike Duke is a solid writer and this is another example of his top notch skills.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blame it on my watching Event Horizon at an age where I probably shouldn't have and thus developing a borderline unhealthy love for even marginal similarities to it but space horror does it for me. The deaf representation was a nice touch too, it seems like Duke did his homework before writing Esther.
The story gets pretty horny at times (not overly gratuitously and you could skim without losing too much) so do approach with caution if you have issues on that front.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep space mining vessel far from home picks up a strange signal. Thinking it may be a sign of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, the ship heads in the direction of its origin. The closer the ship gets, the stronger the signal and more euphoric the crew becomes. All except for Esther, who is deaf and though she can't hear it, she can feel it and is suffering adverse effects. As the crew becomes more gung ho about finding the source, it's up to Esther to try to stop them before it's too late.
A gripping sci-fi/cosmic horror tale that fans of Event Horizon will enjoy.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I love space horror. Travelling through the stars, doing your job and then encountering strange sounds and vibrations. This mixed group is feeling pretty good, and quite frisky, most of them anyways, and some a little gruesomely experimental, until they go a little too far. What they find is not what they expect.
A very fast and interesting read.

[Marius · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this because of the plot. Way too many problems with this book for me, the writing style, the characters, the ending and so on. This was not for me.

[Stefanie Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Space Horror!

Went in completely blind and I was blown away!

I don’t want to say anything about this one because I feel like I will give away everything. I told my husband about this story and he said, I need to read this book.. y’all, my husband doesn’t read books. Ever!!! But let me say this, this was very well thought out. The story, the characters, the fucking ending.. fantastic!

A must-read for anyone who loves/likes space-horror.

[Chuck Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Duke continues to deliver fantastic space horror. I don’t ever write spoilers, so all I will say is do NOT skip this one, and do NOT SKIP the ending.

[Justin Glennon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m actually a little pissed off at the ending here. This was people fucking for like 1/3 of the book and then it turns out the Flying Spaghetti Monster is basically real and it’s just cosmically playing “Take On Me” in the void like some kind of A-Ha themed lantern fish.

[Andrei88 · Rating 2 out of 5]

It;s ok, nothing special, the characters are what you expect, cliches and sadly not well used, in the far future modern slang still exists, culture problem still exist so future yet still in the present, deaf culture is a big thing in the story, deaf colleges being mentioned and people wanting to have hearing aids or getting a cure are looked down upon by a large part of the community, the main character's mother chooses to not let her kid get help with the matter as there is nothing wrong with being death even if her kid wants it....so great I guess.

I thought it would be mare about the effects of the signal however while it is mentioned the effects boil down to sex and violence, changes to the body are slightly studied and talked about however it's glossed over as being great!

The problem is that there is a lack of logic in the story, somehow this deaf person is allowed a position of the ship though you;d figure it would be a problem for them, the captain is a perpetual drunk, hurray for Russian representation, she had vodka breath is a thing in the story :) After picking up the signal these geniuses don't notify anyone else and run towards it, even our MC doesn't mention it, maybe let people know what we picked up? where we are going? you;d figure that on a small ship the crew members would double up on duties however nope, only the pilot knows to fly the ship if something happens then tough luck...

The ending does have cosmic horror to it, a big flavour of Cthulhu and some existential dread, if you take a step back from what is described you realize what utter horror awaits the people who end up there.

Overall I expected more from the story which it didn't deliver, I saw the problems from the early part of the book however I decided to move forward with it, I think I should have dropped it and switched over to another book. The ending did have cosmic horror getting there....could have been much better.

[Tim Petersik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short science fiction novel that opened a little like the movie Alien—a crew of space miners receives a strange signal involving frequencies that restore and refresh the human body. All members become invigorated (and sexually aroused), except Esther, a deaf woman. Despite concerns from Esther, the crew decides to track down the source of the signal. The ending is not what you expect, especially if you’re looking for an Alien-type creature to appear. Given it’s shortness, this was a worthwhile read. However, i didn’t find the ending as compelling, interesting, or surprising as many reviewers here. Though I enjoyed the story overall, i thought too much time was devoted to the crew’s sexual behavior and foul-mouthed banter.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Signal, written by Mike Duke, is a masterfully written novel that will take you on a journey through space and time. Duke's writing style is both captivating and enthralling, drawing the reader into a world filled with mystery, wonder, and danger.

The plot itself is brilliantly executed, with the mysterious signal serving as the central driving force that propels the story forward. The concept of reality twisting and changing is both fascinating and terrifying, and Duke does an excellent job of building tension and suspense throughout the novel.

Overall, The Signal is a stunning achievement. Duke's writing is top-notch, and his ability to create a compelling and thought-provoking story is truly remarkable. This novel is a must-read, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Echo Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space horror and cosmic horror are not my “go to” type of books I choose to read but because Mike Duke writes it, I will read it and boy oh boy am I glad I did! Mike has a way with the written word … his descriptions are just enough to give you a clear picture of what is going on and the atmosphere while still giving the reader their own creative license. It is hard to explain, it must be experienced. Since I don’t read a lot of space/sci-fi type books, I rely on the writer’s ability to give me enough to go on and Mike Duke does it. I didn’t find myself scratching my head trying to understand technology or the cosmic atmosphere. I was right there in the middle of the action. This book is hauntingly beautiful and in that beauty is a special kind of terror. Beauty doesn’t always tame the beast, sometimes it IS the beast … or is it? 

[Andrea Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great premise of a book. The story centres around the crew of a deep space mining vessel on a mission to field resources. When they encounter a signal, and attempt to find where it came from, the life as they know it on board the vessel changes.....for most of them. As the hurtle towards the signals source, the crew change, as does the nature of their relationships. Final destination ........no spoilers allowed

Thoroughly enjoyed this

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe space horror isn’t quite my thing? I did enjoy the premise and the ending gave me Lovecraftian vibes but the writing almost reminded me of back fan-fiction writing. Some of the dialogue between the characters made me cringe - even some of the internal monologues. Maybe if the dialogue was different I would’ve enjoyed it more but over all not a terrible read.

[Meghan Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice quick read. A bit uh…. Sexual for my liking…. But the concept was cool and I always love a good space horror

[without overthinking · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a porn movie begins, you know that any kind of situation, it dosen't matter how ridiculous it is, it´s gonna end up with sex. That´s how i felt reading this novela.

A space ship picks up a strange signal with a unknow source that changes (very quickly ,this is a novela )the crew in more than one way, including their sex drive.
So they set course to find out the signal origin while behaving like rabbits.

It was a fun, light read with a few basic characters, some humor and interesting set up.
I almost gave this 2 stars because of the ending, it fall flat on me,It got me the feeling that it had a very different tone of the rest of the novel, just din´t work for me, but i believe others may like it.