The Return

By: Joseph Helmreich
Release Date: March 14th 2017
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Rating: 3 out 5
Summary: Years after a scientist is abducted on live TV, a graduate student tracks down the mysteriously returned, yet reclusive man, ultimately uncovering a global conspiracy.

During a live television broadcast on the night of a lunar eclipse, renowned astrophysicist Andrew Leland is suddenly lifted into the sky by a giant spacecraft and taken away for all to see. Six years later, he turns up, wandering in a South American desert, denying ever having been abducted and disappears from the public eye.

Meanwhile, he inspires legions of cultish devotees, including a young physics graduate student named Shawn Ferris who is obsessed with finding out what really happened to him. When Shawn finally tracks Leland down, he discovers that he's been on the run for years, continuously hunted by a secret organization that has pursued him across multiple continents, determined to force him into revealing what he knows.

Shawn soon joins Leland on the run. Though Leland is at first reluctant to reveal anything, Shawn will soon learn the truth about his abduction, the real reason for his return, and will find himself caught up in a global conspiracy that puts more than just one planet in danger.

Equal parts science-fiction and globe-hopping thriller, The Return will appeal to fans of both, and to anyone who has ever wondered... what's out there?

Review:

I’m actually surprised that I like this book. The return is one of the few science-fiction that I enjoy and wish it was longer.

To my utter astonishment, the blurb contains a lot more detail and potential spoilers, though I suppose with the sheer number of twists and turns in this book, they probably figured revealing a couple of them wouldn’t hurt. If I recommend this book, I would say avoid the summary.

While The Return is a science fiction novel, its style, format, and pacing are more in a line with suspense thriller. A lot of Point of View jumps and incidental characters, cliffhangers at the end of the chapters. A large part of the story is the mystery, keeping the readers guessing in anticipation at what the big picture is.

At first, the story is told from two different points of view. One is Shawn Ferris in America and the second takes place in Spain, with no hints of how they are related. But as events develop in each storyline, the connection forms. And despite the amount of scientific jargon, reading this never felt like a chore thanks to the writing being very readable and the fast pace keeping me from putting the book down.

Perhaps the only part I felt unsure about was the ending, which wrapped up much too quickly. Even though the ending wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been, I wouldn’t say I was disappointed.

Science Fiction is a genre I often struggle with, but The Return draws me in with its intriguing premise. While it is not completely without its flaws, for a debut it is impressive, featuring a story that frequently kept me perched on the edge of my seat. Joseph Helmreich’s writing is also solid and very “cinematic” in its quality—sharply vivid and immediate, delivering maximum thrills and entertainment. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and recommend it for readers who enjoy a kick of an adrenaline rush with their sci-fi.