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The Shackleton Signal: Hard SF Thriller
In the eternal darkness of the moon, something is calling.
When NASA’s Sentinel I satellite detects an impossible reflection and a mysterious signal from Shackleton Crater, the world is thrown into chaos. The discovery points to one chilling an alien artifact lies hidden beneath the lunar surface—and it wants to be found. As China scrambles to exploit the revelation, a new moon race ignites, pushing humanity to the brink.
Thrust into the center of the storm, NASA astronaut Charlie Reid must navigate a volatile mission where science, survival, and military might collide. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, the question what will they find—and will we survive it?
The race for the future has begun. And the prize may cost us everything.
When NASA’s Sentinel I satellite detects an impossible reflection and a mysterious signal from Shackleton Crater, the world is thrown into chaos. The discovery points to one chilling an alien artifact lies hidden beneath the lunar surface—and it wants to be found. As China scrambles to exploit the revelation, a new moon race ignites, pushing humanity to the brink.
Thrust into the center of the storm, NASA astronaut Charlie Reid must navigate a volatile mission where science, survival, and military might collide. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, the question what will they find—and will we survive it?
The race for the future has begun. And the prize may cost us everything.
418 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2024
1217 people are currently reading
3454 people want to read
About the author
Joshua T. Calvert
53 books229 followersJoshua T. Calvert has traveled the world--on foot, by Jeep, by bicycle, by motorcycle, and lots of other ways besides. As you might imagine, he's seen many things most people never see - including an Iranian prison cell, from the inside! In Kyrgyzstan, he fared slightly better, narrowly avoiding being kidnapped for ransom. Skydiver, scuba diver, martial artist, adventurer - his goal is to experience everything possible, and then make it real to you in his books. And he's made a good run of it so far: in the Philippines, he did police training on multiple types of firearms (despite being no fan of guns himself); dove in Asian waters among sharks and shipwrecks; and patrolled with Sumatran jungle rangers.
That's what defines Calvert's approach to method writing: pushing himself beyond his own limits, to experience first-hand what his characters experience, to make your immersion in his stories as deep as it can be.
For Ganymede Rises, after a slight detour with some smugglers in the deserts of Uzbekistan and the steppes of Mongolia, he traveled by dogsled and snowshoe to the Arctic Circle to experience first-hand what it's like to be utterly isolated in the coldest place on Earth. For his book The Fossil, he sat with professional pilots in flight simulators for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft to learn what it's like to fly a passenger jet. His latest adventure: a parabolic flight with European Space Agency astronauts, to experience zero-gravity. All so he can describe it to you, in his own words.
That's what defines Calvert's approach to method writing: pushing himself beyond his own limits, to experience first-hand what his characters experience, to make your immersion in his stories as deep as it can be.
For Ganymede Rises, after a slight detour with some smugglers in the deserts of Uzbekistan and the steppes of Mongolia, he traveled by dogsled and snowshoe to the Arctic Circle to experience first-hand what it's like to be utterly isolated in the coldest place on Earth. For his book The Fossil, he sat with professional pilots in flight simulators for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft to learn what it's like to fly a passenger jet. His latest adventure: a parabolic flight with European Space Agency astronauts, to experience zero-gravity. All so he can describe it to you, in his own words.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
August 9, 2025
3.5 stars (rounded up)!
This story was described as a "hard SF thriller", whatever that may mean. Was it an enjoyable read? Yes, but!
The tale began with the discovery of a supposed extraterritorial signal originating from the Shackleton Crater on the Moon. This resulted in a new space race, as both the US and China competed to get a salvage crew to the Moon and return to Earth with a possible alien artifact.
The story ran with dual plotlines, competing nation states in space and inter-departmental intrigue/rivalries back home in the US. Rivalries that were about to take a dark and murderous turn (black-ops?).
It wasn't a bad tale as such, although I could have done without all the detailed explanations of scientific, engineering and technical issues. I also felt that the story was let down by having such a highly implausible ending.
This story was described as a "hard SF thriller", whatever that may mean. Was it an enjoyable read? Yes, but!
The tale began with the discovery of a supposed extraterritorial signal originating from the Shackleton Crater on the Moon. This resulted in a new space race, as both the US and China competed to get a salvage crew to the Moon and return to Earth with a possible alien artifact.
The story ran with dual plotlines, competing nation states in space and inter-departmental intrigue/rivalries back home in the US. Rivalries that were about to take a dark and murderous turn (black-ops?).
It wasn't a bad tale as such, although I could have done without all the detailed explanations of scientific, engineering and technical issues. I also felt that the story was let down by having such a highly implausible ending.
January 30, 2025
Fascinating
This story starts just a bit slowly but hang in there as the story builds. Mr. Calvert has impressive knowledge of space programs and the way things are calculated re distances and orbits. Much deeper than I anticipated. Enjoy!
This story starts just a bit slowly but hang in there as the story builds. Mr. Calvert has impressive knowledge of space programs and the way things are calculated re distances and orbits. Much deeper than I anticipated. Enjoy!
December 29, 2024
A stunning triumph!
The Shackleton Signal is a sci-fi thriller revolving around a mysterious signal coming from a crater on the moon. Nothing is as it seems, with interference by Space Force to cover up a massive screw up. The book ends on n amazingly positive note that I wish we would see in real life. Hard sci-fi thrillers are among the most difficult to write, but Calvert is a narrative master and the book unfolds at a perfect pace with characters, dialog and plot exactly how they should be written! I recommend this book not only to sci-fi nerds, but for anyone interested in excellent, fast paced writing and unbelievable feats becoming entirely believable. 5/5 stars, easily one of the best sci-fi books of 2024!
The Shackleton Signal is a sci-fi thriller revolving around a mysterious signal coming from a crater on the moon. Nothing is as it seems, with interference by Space Force to cover up a massive screw up. The book ends on n amazingly positive note that I wish we would see in real life. Hard sci-fi thrillers are among the most difficult to write, but Calvert is a narrative master and the book unfolds at a perfect pace with characters, dialog and plot exactly how they should be written! I recommend this book not only to sci-fi nerds, but for anyone interested in excellent, fast paced writing and unbelievable feats becoming entirely believable. 5/5 stars, easily one of the best sci-fi books of 2024!
January 21, 2025
The Shackleton Signal by Joshua Calvert could be described as both a mystery as well as a “hard” sci-fi adventure. The pacing and the “hard” science descriptions certainly make this novel exciting and believable – There’s good explanations about why it’s necessary to re-engineer our moon spacecraft and all the technicalities necessary to accurately place a spacecraft in lunar orbit. There is action both in space and on the ground, as dual mysteries are seeking to be solved. Throughout much of the story, the focus seemed to be on the alien signal, the object, and its origins, and then everything changes in an instant when all is revealed.
April 26, 2025
DNF.
I just couldn't slog on. I saw first twist coming a mile away. If you've even read or seen Sagan's *Contact* then at least the first third reads like a mild knock-off. But I just wasn't hooked. I felt myself putting it down more than picking it up.
I just couldn't slog on. I saw first twist coming a mile away. If you've even read or seen Sagan's *Contact* then at least the first third reads like a mild knock-off. But I just wasn't hooked. I felt myself putting it down more than picking it up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2025
Truly awful
I really wanted to like this book, but it disappointed at every turn. The writing was inconsistent and stilted, the story was formulaic and nonsensical, and the ending was disappointing. I made myself finish it just to see how it would end, but it wasn’t worth the effort. There are plenty of great sci-fi stories out there, and unfortunately, this is not one of them.
I really wanted to like this book, but it disappointed at every turn. The writing was inconsistent and stilted, the story was formulaic and nonsensical, and the ending was disappointing. I made myself finish it just to see how it would end, but it wasn’t worth the effort. There are plenty of great sci-fi stories out there, and unfortunately, this is not one of them.
January 16, 2025
“First the wrinkles on her forehead deepened into deep canyons”.
A fair idea with poor execution and editing. More of a primer on large US state institutions and their inter-relationships than a first contact sci-fi novel.
A fair idea with poor execution and editing. More of a primer on large US state institutions and their inter-relationships than a first contact sci-fi novel.
February 7, 2025
DNF after about 30 pages. The writing feels like a framework of very amateurish dialogue, mixed in with random technical jargon, which creates a very disjointed flow.
February 23, 2025
Disappointingly Infantile writing.
July 6, 2025
One day, not long ago, I ran across a recommendation for this book on one of the Sci-Fi Facebook groups I follow. The first thing that attracted my attention was the cover. Next was the book's back-cover description. I knew this was one I had to read.
Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. It opens with action and continues at a high-speed pace all the way to the ending. There was never a spot where it was dull. The 415 pages (Kindle edition) flowed by so smoothly, I lost track of time reading. The characters are all believable, and I found myself caring about several of them as the story unfolded. I especially enjoyed the science presented in the book and how the author embellished it with his own plausible license to bring it all together.
There are two main plots in Shackleton Signal, and they are both exciting and follow different themes that come together at the end.
An alien signal is received by an orbiting lunar satellite, and the race is on!
As the NASA satellite, Sentinel 1, passes over the Shackleton Crater at the moon's south pole, it receives a signal that scientists on earth can only assume is from an alien civilization. It is presumed the signal is coming from an object deep in the crater that has often been thought of as a possible landing site for future Lunar missions because of the possible resources lying at the cold, dark bottom of the crater.
The US is determined to be the first to uncover the secrets of this monumental discovery, but so is the Chinese space agency. There are sacrifices to me made and what is discovered may have some consequences for humankind itself if the missions are not handled correctly.
There are a lot of great characters, but the tale focuses on two appearing in their own plot lines.
Astronaut Charlie Reid is a compassionate former soldier who is chosen as a member of the American crew to investigate the origin of the signal from Shackleton. He is well trained and competent, as well as quite resourceful. All his skills come into play as his mission to the moon develops, and there is no certainty of his survival at the end of it all.
On Earth, it falls to Major Rebecca Hinrichs, an intelligence officer from the Pentagon, to root out several irregularities surrounding the discovery of the Shackleton signal. As she uncovers layer upon layer, her mission becomes more dangerous. Her survival also comes into question as the story unfolds.
These two characters are joined by several others with differing personalities and personal opinions. Calvert did a great job in creating people that drive the story forward and make the book an entertaining read.
My favorite point of the plot in The Shackleton Signal is also my takeaway from the story.
As we stand on the shores of the cosmic ocean, there are endless discoveries to be made. There is no single person, or even a single nation, that can make those discoveries. In order for humans to make those discoveries, we must resolve ourselves to setting aside our inherent nationalism and learn to work together.
Thanks to Carl Sagan for the shores of the cosmic ocean metaphor.
To say anymore here would be to reveal major spoilers, so I'll just leave it here.
As mentioned before, I found this to be a great read. There is high tension as events unfold. There is tragedy and triumph. And there are elements of the story that will hopefully make one think about the future of human exploration of space. I think The Shackleton Signal would be a thrilling read for any Sci-Fi fan, or it might even be a story any reader of any genre might enjoy. The technical aspects are quite accessible to anyone.
Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. It opens with action and continues at a high-speed pace all the way to the ending. There was never a spot where it was dull. The 415 pages (Kindle edition) flowed by so smoothly, I lost track of time reading. The characters are all believable, and I found myself caring about several of them as the story unfolded. I especially enjoyed the science presented in the book and how the author embellished it with his own plausible license to bring it all together.
There are two main plots in Shackleton Signal, and they are both exciting and follow different themes that come together at the end.
An alien signal is received by an orbiting lunar satellite, and the race is on!
As the NASA satellite, Sentinel 1, passes over the Shackleton Crater at the moon's south pole, it receives a signal that scientists on earth can only assume is from an alien civilization. It is presumed the signal is coming from an object deep in the crater that has often been thought of as a possible landing site for future Lunar missions because of the possible resources lying at the cold, dark bottom of the crater.
The US is determined to be the first to uncover the secrets of this monumental discovery, but so is the Chinese space agency. There are sacrifices to me made and what is discovered may have some consequences for humankind itself if the missions are not handled correctly.
There are a lot of great characters, but the tale focuses on two appearing in their own plot lines.
Astronaut Charlie Reid is a compassionate former soldier who is chosen as a member of the American crew to investigate the origin of the signal from Shackleton. He is well trained and competent, as well as quite resourceful. All his skills come into play as his mission to the moon develops, and there is no certainty of his survival at the end of it all.
On Earth, it falls to Major Rebecca Hinrichs, an intelligence officer from the Pentagon, to root out several irregularities surrounding the discovery of the Shackleton signal. As she uncovers layer upon layer, her mission becomes more dangerous. Her survival also comes into question as the story unfolds.
These two characters are joined by several others with differing personalities and personal opinions. Calvert did a great job in creating people that drive the story forward and make the book an entertaining read.
My favorite point of the plot in The Shackleton Signal is also my takeaway from the story.
As we stand on the shores of the cosmic ocean, there are endless discoveries to be made. There is no single person, or even a single nation, that can make those discoveries. In order for humans to make those discoveries, we must resolve ourselves to setting aside our inherent nationalism and learn to work together.
Thanks to Carl Sagan for the shores of the cosmic ocean metaphor.
To say anymore here would be to reveal major spoilers, so I'll just leave it here.
As mentioned before, I found this to be a great read. There is high tension as events unfold. There is tragedy and triumph. And there are elements of the story that will hopefully make one think about the future of human exploration of space. I think The Shackleton Signal would be a thrilling read for any Sci-Fi fan, or it might even be a story any reader of any genre might enjoy. The technical aspects are quite accessible to anyone.
July 26, 2025
Idea seemed interesting until it wasn’t. Finished it.
August 20, 2025
Meh ....not for me. It was a cool premise that didn't deliver.
May 27, 2025
Marines can’t be Navy Seals!!
I didn’t even make it through the first chapter of this book because the author referred to one of his characters as a Marine who was a Navy Seal for three years. You can be one or the other, but not both (at least not at the same time). Seriously, even if you know nothing whatsoever about the military, a simple search engine would have provided the answer. And if you had done one then the other, you would refer to yourself as one or the other, not both in the same dang sentence. And yes, the Marine Corps is part of the Department of the Navy, but I don’t know any Marine who would claim to have been part of the Navy itself. Inter service rivalry (and contempt) is a thing. Ugh. Do better, authors, or at least do some simple research!
I didn’t even make it through the first chapter of this book because the author referred to one of his characters as a Marine who was a Navy Seal for three years. You can be one or the other, but not both (at least not at the same time). Seriously, even if you know nothing whatsoever about the military, a simple search engine would have provided the answer. And if you had done one then the other, you would refer to yourself as one or the other, not both in the same dang sentence. And yes, the Marine Corps is part of the Department of the Navy, but I don’t know any Marine who would claim to have been part of the Navy itself. Inter service rivalry (and contempt) is a thing. Ugh. Do better, authors, or at least do some simple research!
January 8, 2025
An alien signal detected on the Moon!
A signal is detected from the Shackleton crater on the moon which is at the South Pole end of the moon. The US and China both plan on sending up a team to investigate but who will get there first? What exactly is sending the signal? Meanwhile a security analyst is finding that things may not be as they seem...
This book describes the race between the two nations (told from the US viewpoint) and provides a high level of scientific detail about the problems of space travel and reaching, let alone walking , on the moon. There is much intrigue, suspense, action, surprises, and twists in this enlightening tale as both the Chinese kaikonauts and US astronauts strive to reach the source first...
A signal is detected from the Shackleton crater on the moon which is at the South Pole end of the moon. The US and China both plan on sending up a team to investigate but who will get there first? What exactly is sending the signal? Meanwhile a security analyst is finding that things may not be as they seem...
This book describes the race between the two nations (told from the US viewpoint) and provides a high level of scientific detail about the problems of space travel and reaching, let alone walking , on the moon. There is much intrigue, suspense, action, surprises, and twists in this enlightening tale as both the Chinese kaikonauts and US astronauts strive to reach the source first...
July 17, 2025
(Not much more than a poorly written political screed. Skip this one.
Skip this one it is not sci-fi more of a political screed. Not well written and almost no character development.
Skip this one it is not sci-fi more of a political screed. Not well written and almost no character development.
May 18, 2025
This book started off pretty well. Interesting signal anomaly on the moon and a race between two countries to get there to investigate first. But it gradually went downhill, until the last 25% where it basically fell off a cliff into absurdity. My rating of the book went from a 4 at the beginning, to a 3 at about 50%, and then finally starting at about 75% dropped to a 2.
The "space/moon" side of the story was generally entertaining, right up until the end where my ability to suspend disbelief was itself suspended. Ever seen the movie "The Flight of the Phoenix"? SOO many over-the top scenarios happened that it was one eye-rolling page after another. In addition, the author took great pains to describe in detail the equipment they were using and how they were modifying it or whatever, to the point of "as the reader, does I really care if this rope is routed over or under this other one?"
The "military/earth" side of the story - oh boy. The author, in his Afterword, recounts his "endless research" into the science of the book. And maybe he did research the science a lot. But it was immediately obvious he didn't do any research at all on military structure, ranks, procedures, units, etc. Even a minute spent on Wikipedia's "U.S. military ranks" pages would have avoided the most obvious gaffes. It was so groan-worthy. Some examples (remembering that this is a "present day" book):
- The Marine pilot flying the Marine Corps F-18 is a Lieutenant Commander (that's a Navy rank, not Marine Corps)
- Everybody in the book (including themselves) calls the Air Force people "soldiers". No, they are "Airmen". Nobody in the AF calls anybody else in the AF "soldiers". Same kind of thing for the Space Force, they're not "soldiers", and would not call themselves that.
- There are Air Force and Space Force "Corporals". No, this is not a rank in either service.
- There is a Space Force base gate being guarded by two Ensigns (a Navy officer rank, and would not be guarding a gate), and their supervisor is a Space Force Corporal (again, not a Space Force rank, and regardless the Ensigns would be senior to the Corporal anyway).
- All the other typical military mistakes that Hollywood and others make all the time, like all the indoor saluting and such.
There were also several grammar and similar errors. I caught a few instances where the character's names were switched in a sentence (making it hard to figure out what was meant), and other wording that just didn't make sense (wait, they just left the Air Force base, now they're entering the Air Force base?) - things like that.
I don't know if this author uses editors for grammar, technical details, or plot/character development, but he needs to.
I have read 5 or 6 of this author's books. They are of varying quality. After reading this one, I think it's my last.
The "space/moon" side of the story was generally entertaining, right up until the end where my ability to suspend disbelief was itself suspended. Ever seen the movie "The Flight of the Phoenix"? SOO many over-the top scenarios happened that it was one eye-rolling page after another. In addition, the author took great pains to describe in detail the equipment they were using and how they were modifying it or whatever, to the point of "as the reader, does I really care if this rope is routed over or under this other one?"
The "military/earth" side of the story - oh boy. The author, in his Afterword, recounts his "endless research" into the science of the book. And maybe he did research the science a lot. But it was immediately obvious he didn't do any research at all on military structure, ranks, procedures, units, etc. Even a minute spent on Wikipedia's "U.S. military ranks" pages would have avoided the most obvious gaffes. It was so groan-worthy. Some examples (remembering that this is a "present day" book):
- The Marine pilot flying the Marine Corps F-18 is a Lieutenant Commander (that's a Navy rank, not Marine Corps)
- Everybody in the book (including themselves) calls the Air Force people "soldiers". No, they are "Airmen". Nobody in the AF calls anybody else in the AF "soldiers". Same kind of thing for the Space Force, they're not "soldiers", and would not call themselves that.
- There are Air Force and Space Force "Corporals". No, this is not a rank in either service.
- There is a Space Force base gate being guarded by two Ensigns (a Navy officer rank, and would not be guarding a gate), and their supervisor is a Space Force Corporal (again, not a Space Force rank, and regardless the Ensigns would be senior to the Corporal anyway).
- All the other typical military mistakes that Hollywood and others make all the time, like all the indoor saluting and such.
There were also several grammar and similar errors. I caught a few instances where the character's names were switched in a sentence (making it hard to figure out what was meant), and other wording that just didn't make sense (wait, they just left the Air Force base, now they're entering the Air Force base?) - things like that.
I don't know if this author uses editors for grammar, technical details, or plot/character development, but he needs to.
I have read 5 or 6 of this author's books. They are of varying quality. After reading this one, I think it's my last.
July 15, 2025
Despite releasing a fair amount of novels already, Joshua T. Calvert only recently crossed my peripheral. When I realized that his books are considered hard sci-fi and are mainly focused on space travel, I did a double take. After all, my friends & acquaintances on here already know how much I love me some of that genre in particular. And as soon as I read the book jacket for this one in particular and learned that the premise was about an alien signal that was hidden on the moon, I couldn’t order the book fast enough!
I’ve read some of the reviews on here, where astrophysicists have spoken up and said that the details are not logical/possible, and some guys in the military were disappointing because the specific positions of the military men don’t even exist. I’m guessing it’s because I don’t study astrophysics, and I’m not in the military to know any better, but I did not see any details out of place, nor was I irritated or bothered with the story and how it flowed. I wasn’t hung up on any plot details, which I sometimes will be bothered by. Since I was ignorant to their complaints, and enjoyed the story, I’m not going to allow it to subtract to my overall rating, and I’m sure the average citizen wouldn’t pick up on these errors either. I did predict the two biggest twists early though, I made my first guess of a twist on page 87, and the second twist was guessed right at the end of part two, before starting part three. It was still executed well, and will it didn’t end up being exactly what I had been hoping for, it was still well written.
Calvert was able to capture me by the book jacket alone, and I was excited to read it as soon as it came in. I easily got lost in the pages and I wanted to keep finding out what was going to happen next. I will say that I felt the plotline was similar to some stuff that happened on the television show “For All Mankind,” except instead of the Russian astronauts, it was China this time. Even still, I’m giving this one 4.5 stars. And I cannot wait to read more of his books!
The Shackleton Signal follows a retired military man, named Charlie Reid, who is training to be an astronaut. After 50 years, a team of Americans plan to go to the moon, which becomes a race after a Satellite picks up an alien signal that is being sent from the Shackleton crater on the moon. Our foreign adversaries, China, catches wind of the signal, which was supposed to stay top secret, which means that there is a mole at NASA. And then they announce that they will be going to the moon, too. This is when an intelligent officer comes into play, a woman named Rebecca Hinrichs. Her job is to detect who the mole happens to be and the irregularities surrounding the discovery. It soon becomes a race between China and America, to see who can get to the moon first and retrieve the alien artifact. When tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that there is some nefarious things going on, and soon Charlie and his fellow astronauts and Rebecca’s lives will be in danger.
If you like hard sci-fi and mysteries, then this one is the one for you!
I’ve read some of the reviews on here, where astrophysicists have spoken up and said that the details are not logical/possible, and some guys in the military were disappointing because the specific positions of the military men don’t even exist. I’m guessing it’s because I don’t study astrophysics, and I’m not in the military to know any better, but I did not see any details out of place, nor was I irritated or bothered with the story and how it flowed. I wasn’t hung up on any plot details, which I sometimes will be bothered by. Since I was ignorant to their complaints, and enjoyed the story, I’m not going to allow it to subtract to my overall rating, and I’m sure the average citizen wouldn’t pick up on these errors either. I did predict the two biggest twists early though, I made my first guess of a twist on page 87, and the second twist was guessed right at the end of part two, before starting part three. It was still executed well, and will it didn’t end up being exactly what I had been hoping for, it was still well written.
Calvert was able to capture me by the book jacket alone, and I was excited to read it as soon as it came in. I easily got lost in the pages and I wanted to keep finding out what was going to happen next. I will say that I felt the plotline was similar to some stuff that happened on the television show “For All Mankind,” except instead of the Russian astronauts, it was China this time. Even still, I’m giving this one 4.5 stars. And I cannot wait to read more of his books!
The Shackleton Signal follows a retired military man, named Charlie Reid, who is training to be an astronaut. After 50 years, a team of Americans plan to go to the moon, which becomes a race after a Satellite picks up an alien signal that is being sent from the Shackleton crater on the moon. Our foreign adversaries, China, catches wind of the signal, which was supposed to stay top secret, which means that there is a mole at NASA. And then they announce that they will be going to the moon, too. This is when an intelligent officer comes into play, a woman named Rebecca Hinrichs. Her job is to detect who the mole happens to be and the irregularities surrounding the discovery. It soon becomes a race between China and America, to see who can get to the moon first and retrieve the alien artifact. When tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that there is some nefarious things going on, and soon Charlie and his fellow astronauts and Rebecca’s lives will be in danger.
If you like hard sci-fi and mysteries, then this one is the one for you!
August 31, 2025
Mouais.
J’avais vu un truc une fois qui disait que si demain il y avait la découverte d’extraterrestres, la Terre allait pas s’unir comme des super humains pour accueillir tout le monde, mais comme aujourd’hui, toujours en conflit, toujours dans la merde qui caractérise nos sociétés modernes.
C’est exactement le point de départ de ce roman.
Un signal est intercepté sur la Lune, une équipe Américaine et Chinoise se font la course pour savoir qui allait être la première à la récupérer bla bla bla… L’auteur refait une sorte de Guerre Froide qui certes, est logique dans une réalité qu’on vit, mais n’est au final pas très intéressante. C’est un roman américain, qui ressemble à un blockbuster hollywoodien avec des grands méchants à la James Bond et de l’action à la Gravity. Y’a des critiques sur l’Amérique mais dans le fond on ressent quand même vachement que c’est… bah… pas vraiment critiqué ? On félicite tout de même les Américains (en pointant leurs défauts certes) pour avoir réussi l’effort d’être les grands explorateurs de l’espace, sans partager rien avec le monde.
Y’a toutefois, au delà de la critique bancale politique et de l’intrigue sur la Terre, vraiment des très bons moments, où on sent que l’auteur est ultra attaché à l’espace, et s’imagine ce à quoi ça pourrait ressembler. C’est beau, touchant et sincèrement ça m’a émerveillé. Tous les moments dans l’espace sont sincèrement les plus prenants et on sent bien que c’est ce que l’auteur voulait le plus raconter. Il gère super bien la Hard SF (il avoue lui même avoir fait plein de maths), et ça se sent. On est pas sur du Jules Verne non plus mais on ressent une rigueur scientifique, avec toujours une forme de « blockbusterisation » qui saoule.
Au final, lisez La Nuit des Temps de René Barjavel, vous allez passer un meilleur moment sur EXACTEMENT le même sujet, bien plus humaniste et déprimant sur l’état du monde.
J’avais vu un truc une fois qui disait que si demain il y avait la découverte d’extraterrestres, la Terre allait pas s’unir comme des super humains pour accueillir tout le monde, mais comme aujourd’hui, toujours en conflit, toujours dans la merde qui caractérise nos sociétés modernes.
C’est exactement le point de départ de ce roman.
Un signal est intercepté sur la Lune, une équipe Américaine et Chinoise se font la course pour savoir qui allait être la première à la récupérer bla bla bla… L’auteur refait une sorte de Guerre Froide qui certes, est logique dans une réalité qu’on vit, mais n’est au final pas très intéressante. C’est un roman américain, qui ressemble à un blockbuster hollywoodien avec des grands méchants à la James Bond et de l’action à la Gravity. Y’a des critiques sur l’Amérique mais dans le fond on ressent quand même vachement que c’est… bah… pas vraiment critiqué ? On félicite tout de même les Américains (en pointant leurs défauts certes) pour avoir réussi l’effort d’être les grands explorateurs de l’espace, sans partager rien avec le monde.
Y’a toutefois, au delà de la critique bancale politique et de l’intrigue sur la Terre, vraiment des très bons moments, où on sent que l’auteur est ultra attaché à l’espace, et s’imagine ce à quoi ça pourrait ressembler. C’est beau, touchant et sincèrement ça m’a émerveillé. Tous les moments dans l’espace sont sincèrement les plus prenants et on sent bien que c’est ce que l’auteur voulait le plus raconter. Il gère super bien la Hard SF (il avoue lui même avoir fait plein de maths), et ça se sent. On est pas sur du Jules Verne non plus mais on ressent une rigueur scientifique, avec toujours une forme de « blockbusterisation » qui saoule.
Au final, lisez La Nuit des Temps de René Barjavel, vous allez passer un meilleur moment sur EXACTEMENT le même sujet, bien plus humaniste et déprimant sur l’état du monde.
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February 3, 2025
This would have been an enjoyable book, but despite being billed as hard sci-fi, it has a LOT of factual errors. Too many to list, but here are three examples:
***Minor Spoilers Below***
There are no such words as "periselenium" and "aposelenium" in the English language. In lunar orbit terminology, the lowest point of the orbit is called the perilune (or periselene), and the highest point is called the apolune (or aposelene). "Selenium" is an element with the symbol Se and atomic number 34.
At one point, a character is described as a "Navy Colonel." No such thing - the equivalent rank is a Captain. As a former Naval officer, I almost quit right there. Btw, anyone who thinks a officer of any rank would regard an NCO as "only a Master Sergeant" clearly has never been in the military.
Even near the poles, the temperatures on the lunar surface do not fluctuate from hot to cold "every few hours" — it's more like every 14 days.
There's a long description of "steam" being released from cryogenic fluids. Sorry, but no — steam is hot water vapor, while fog and clouds are cold water vapor. Venting cryogenic liquids generates clouds of very cold fog.
Before a launch, he mentions "refueling" the booster. This would actually be fueling.
Raptor engines run on liquid Methane fuel and liquid Oxygen as the oxidizer. Referring to them both as "fuels" is incorrect.
There are *many* more examples, but you get the idea…
***Minor Spoilers Below***
There are no such words as "periselenium" and "aposelenium" in the English language. In lunar orbit terminology, the lowest point of the orbit is called the perilune (or periselene), and the highest point is called the apolune (or aposelene). "Selenium" is an element with the symbol Se and atomic number 34.
At one point, a character is described as a "Navy Colonel." No such thing - the equivalent rank is a Captain. As a former Naval officer, I almost quit right there. Btw, anyone who thinks a officer of any rank would regard an NCO as "only a Master Sergeant" clearly has never been in the military.
Even near the poles, the temperatures on the lunar surface do not fluctuate from hot to cold "every few hours" — it's more like every 14 days.
There's a long description of "steam" being released from cryogenic fluids. Sorry, but no — steam is hot water vapor, while fog and clouds are cold water vapor. Venting cryogenic liquids generates clouds of very cold fog.
Before a launch, he mentions "refueling" the booster. This would actually be fueling.
Raptor engines run on liquid Methane fuel and liquid Oxygen as the oxidizer. Referring to them both as "fuels" is incorrect.
There are *many* more examples, but you get the idea…
February 2, 2025
The story is about a strange signal emanating from the Shackleton crater on the south pole of the moon. Both the Americans and Chinese go to investigate. It was reminiscent of the space race during the Kennedy years between the US and Russia. This time the race was about who would uncover the origin and nature of the strange signal. Would it be alien life? Would it be the Americans or the Chinese to get their first to take credit for the discovery, and to determine whether it was truly alien life. Both the Chinese and American astronauts were in fierce competition with each other that led to quite a bit of action and drama. But in the end, only two astronauts left standing: one Chinese, and one American team up together to get back home to mother earth. Plus, throughout the book there was a secondary plot involving investigation into corrupt American military space force officers attempting to hide some secret aspects of the space mission. The book was well written. It had much intrigue, action, and drama. It was hard science fiction not involving super advanced technology, but rather more or less technology that we have today. I highly recommend this book.
July 2, 2025
Ignoring the mistake of selecting a book to read from the 'Trending' tab of Goodreads, The Shackleton Signal by Joshua T. Calvert seemed like the perfect book to break my self-imposed Sci-Fi reading drought.
I was wrong.
The writing is amateurish, the dialogue unnatural and dripping with exposition. A select quote from the first few pages reads:
“You mean the brief crisis because our intelligence services thought the Chinese had tried to launch missiles from their space station? That was all just nonsense.”
The writer also seems to have used a number of words that he believes are fancier versions of normal words, rendering the entire meaning of many passages nonsensical. Within the first few chapters, the author manages to replace 'translated' and 'implying' with 'transliterated' and 'inferring'.
The thin plot is tenuously held together with the author's smattering of technical knowledge and thrown-together jargon. Invented military ranks that could have been checked with a 5-second google search and the sense that the author subscribes to the Alanis Morissette school of irony neatly places this book in the 'unreadable' pile.
I was wrong.
The writing is amateurish, the dialogue unnatural and dripping with exposition. A select quote from the first few pages reads:
“You mean the brief crisis because our intelligence services thought the Chinese had tried to launch missiles from their space station? That was all just nonsense.”
The writer also seems to have used a number of words that he believes are fancier versions of normal words, rendering the entire meaning of many passages nonsensical. Within the first few chapters, the author manages to replace 'translated' and 'implying' with 'transliterated' and 'inferring'.
The thin plot is tenuously held together with the author's smattering of technical knowledge and thrown-together jargon. Invented military ranks that could have been checked with a 5-second google search and the sense that the author subscribes to the Alanis Morissette school of irony neatly places this book in the 'unreadable' pile.
March 15, 2025
The book has an enticing premise that suffers from a lack of research, notably involving the US military and more generally the aerospace industry. The book presents itself as "hard science fiction" and if so, it barely qualifies as such. While the author did create some good suspense with the story in the beginning, it fell flat in the last third.
The book overview states: The discovery points to one chilling truth: an alien artifact lies hidden beneath the lunar surface—and it wants to be found.
However, this is not a first contact story, or even a "discovered alien tech" story, as there are no aliens or alien artifacts on the moon. The main conflict occurs when it's discovered not to be alien. It's more a political / spy thriller, but there, too only marginally. I didn't appreciate the bait and switch. I was just disappointed in this book in general.
The book overview states: The discovery points to one chilling truth: an alien artifact lies hidden beneath the lunar surface—and it wants to be found.
However, this is not a first contact story, or even a "discovered alien tech" story, as there are no aliens or alien artifacts on the moon. The main conflict occurs when it's discovered not to be alien. It's more a political / spy thriller, but there, too only marginally. I didn't appreciate the bait and switch. I was just disappointed in this book in general.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2025
Very entertaining near-future space yarn
It’s easy to suspend a reader’s disbelief as you read Calvert’s book. Post Cold War politics and military rivalry both play a part in this technically accurate story (as near as this retired Silicon Valley analog IC engineer and space history nerd can tell). Is there really water ice in perpetually dark craters at the Moon’s South Pole? Will there really be military conflict in space? Are rogue military elements waiting to take charge if they think civilian agencies are screwing up by the numbers?
No one can be sure about some of it, at least not until the next manned lunar missions. In the meantime, what Joshua Calvert speculates here feels entirely possible.
Definitely worth much more than the price of admission.
It’s easy to suspend a reader’s disbelief as you read Calvert’s book. Post Cold War politics and military rivalry both play a part in this technically accurate story (as near as this retired Silicon Valley analog IC engineer and space history nerd can tell). Is there really water ice in perpetually dark craters at the Moon’s South Pole? Will there really be military conflict in space? Are rogue military elements waiting to take charge if they think civilian agencies are screwing up by the numbers?
No one can be sure about some of it, at least not until the next manned lunar missions. In the meantime, what Joshua Calvert speculates here feels entirely possible.
Definitely worth much more than the price of admission.
March 17, 2025
Prosaic is the word that comes to mind – maybe even pedestrian. This “Hard SF Thriller” (whatever that signifies) begins with an interesting premise: the discovery of a “potentially extraterrestrial signal from the Shackleton Crater” (p31) – an unusually deep crater at the Moon’s south pole where, literally, “the sun never shines,” (p60), which adds to the mystery. Despite some know-it-all pointing out that “Only twelve people have ever set foot on the moon” (p163), the signal sets off a virtual land rush as China and the U.S. space programs both race to get missions to the Shackleton first. THE SHACKLETON SIGNAL should have been exciting, but the story plodded and the characters seemed to have reported for duty straight from a mediocre streaming mini-series.
May 7, 2025
Familiar but etertaining
Died in the wool space sci fi fans will enjoy this book. The plot is an old one but there are some nice touches that keep it from being boring. Switching narrators, especially narrators in different locales, is difficult, but Calvert handles it well. The ending is satisfying - positive but not too schmaltzy, possible but not probable. I wanted to give the book 5 stars, but the few typos grammar issues always interrupt my willing suspension of disbelief. I can't help it; I'm a retired English teacher. So those things on top of the lean away from originality - but a wonderful job of research - causes me to deduct a star. Doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. You should. Then decide for yourself.
Died in the wool space sci fi fans will enjoy this book. The plot is an old one but there are some nice touches that keep it from being boring. Switching narrators, especially narrators in different locales, is difficult, but Calvert handles it well. The ending is satisfying - positive but not too schmaltzy, possible but not probable. I wanted to give the book 5 stars, but the few typos grammar issues always interrupt my willing suspension of disbelief. I can't help it; I'm a retired English teacher. So those things on top of the lean away from originality - but a wonderful job of research - causes me to deduct a star. Doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. You should. Then decide for yourself.
May 27, 2025
A mysterious signal is detected from the Shackleton Crater on the Moon. There is a rush between USA and China to be the country that determines the origin of this signal.
Overall, I liked the premise and the ending. Nicely done.
It is an easy read for a novel that states that it is Hard Sci Fi.
However, for stating this is a hard science fiction novel, there are some noticeable technical omissions.
There is a lot of time spent on human frailties which in itself is good that this in introduced in the story; however, it is a common trope and theme that is overused as it isn't only one human frailties but many - over and over. It makes good storytelling but that is all.
The conflict between countries especially once on the Moon - again another trope - wasn't necessary. This does fall into the - human frailties category
I note this as "Fantasy" as the use of Elon Musk as a generous individual assisting with the operations.
It kept my interest at times especially once on the Moon.
Give it a chance.
Overall, I liked the premise and the ending. Nicely done.
It is an easy read for a novel that states that it is Hard Sci Fi.
However, for stating this is a hard science fiction novel, there are some noticeable technical omissions.
There is a lot of time spent on human frailties which in itself is good that this in introduced in the story; however, it is a common trope and theme that is overused as it isn't only one human frailties but many - over and over. It makes good storytelling but that is all.
The conflict between countries especially once on the Moon - again another trope - wasn't necessary. This does fall into the - human frailties category
I note this as "Fantasy" as the use of Elon Musk as a generous individual assisting with the operations.
It kept my interest at times especially once on the Moon.
Give it a chance.
February 5, 2025
A MOST EXCELLENT WORK!!!!!
The one item that struck me about this book was the incredible attention to detail combined with the machinations of the characters. In this age of zap bang pow of Galactic conflicts and star wandering, the fact that we re still fairly earthbound and haven't even been back to the moon yet. To some who say we have issues and challenges here on Earth and we should address them. My response would be to say the same to any child who makes a mess: " YOU messed it up-----Go Un- mess it!!!!! In truth I haven't encountered a book as well written as this since NO MAN'S WORLD, or THE CAPE by Martin Caidin. Very well done Sir.
Bill Hodges
The one item that struck me about this book was the incredible attention to detail combined with the machinations of the characters. In this age of zap bang pow of Galactic conflicts and star wandering, the fact that we re still fairly earthbound and haven't even been back to the moon yet. To some who say we have issues and challenges here on Earth and we should address them. My response would be to say the same to any child who makes a mess: " YOU messed it up-----Go Un- mess it!!!!! In truth I haven't encountered a book as well written as this since NO MAN'S WORLD, or THE CAPE by Martin Caidin. Very well done Sir.
Bill Hodges
February 6, 2025
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
Meh. Stereotypical story about the US and China racing to the moon for a mysterious reason. Plenty of military bravado and covert teams as well as "patriotic" pride. The storyline was predictable and the actions of most pretty absurd. And just because some takes place on the moon, does it automatically become Sci-Fi?
I wasn't a fan of most of the characters (a grown-ass man doesn't know anything about China?) and each played a singular role without any depth. And how many intelligent people can be described as having hawk-like intelligence? Or sharp as a hawk? Or eyes of a hawk?
Skip it!
Meh. Stereotypical story about the US and China racing to the moon for a mysterious reason. Plenty of military bravado and covert teams as well as "patriotic" pride. The storyline was predictable and the actions of most pretty absurd. And just because some takes place on the moon, does it automatically become Sci-Fi?
I wasn't a fan of most of the characters (a grown-ass man doesn't know anything about China?) and each played a singular role without any depth. And how many intelligent people can be described as having hawk-like intelligence? Or sharp as a hawk? Or eyes of a hawk?
Skip it!
March 26, 2025
Action Packed
The science fiction thriller captivated readers with its dynamic narrative and pulse-pounding action sequences. The protagonists were expertly crafted, each bringing depth and complexity to the storyline. Unexpected plot twists and revelations kept the audience engaged throughout the novel. The unique narrative structure, which seamlessly transitioned between terrestrial and extraterrestrial settings, created a rich and multifaceted storytelling experience. This dual-perspective approach added layers of intrigue and complexity, allowing readers to explore the story from different vantage points and enhancing the overall dramatic tension of the narrative.
The science fiction thriller captivated readers with its dynamic narrative and pulse-pounding action sequences. The protagonists were expertly crafted, each bringing depth and complexity to the storyline. Unexpected plot twists and revelations kept the audience engaged throughout the novel. The unique narrative structure, which seamlessly transitioned between terrestrial and extraterrestrial settings, created a rich and multifaceted storytelling experience. This dual-perspective approach added layers of intrigue and complexity, allowing readers to explore the story from different vantage points and enhancing the overall dramatic tension of the narrative.
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