Voyagers by Meg Charlton
Alex has spent his entire adult life trying to forget he was “abducted by aliens.” In 1997, six year old Alex was on vacation with his family in Palm Springs. There he met fellow six year old Ana and her mother Cyndie. One night, with no warning, Ana and Alex disappeared.
And then weeks later, just as suddenly, they came back.
Upon their return, the children told a story of bright lights, wind in the desert, and a room of people made of light. They were interviewed by the police and by a major from the US Marine Corps. The major said he believed their story, but the official word came back that it was not an extraterrestrial encounter.
The media was not deterred by the government calling Ana and Alex a hoax. They appeared on a late-night interview show on ABC, followed by other less-prestigious television interviews. Then some toothpaste commercials and a guest-spot on a sitcom.
Cyndie was eager to capitalize on her daughter’s moment of fame, and Ana was only famous as one half of a pair. Alex would have happily avoided the spotlight, but he was eager to spend time with Ana.
The two were best friends for a number of years, despite living on opposite sides of the country. They had long phone conversations, many of which revolved around a person who was sort of a game and not a game – a being they called Allen.
Ana and Alex spent years crafting Allen’s story. He was a xenobiologist living on a desert planet and studying humans. Ana and Alex would argue about aspects of Allen’s life until they found something that felt inarguably true about the person they only half-believed existed.
As teenagers, Alex and Ana had a big falling out and lost contact for years. Alex changed his last name, went to college, and got a job at a law firm in New York. He was moving on with his mundane life, until the Signal appeared.
The Signal is an unidentified tone being broadcast at Earth from somewhere near Pluto. Media speculation about what the Signal could be ranges anywhere from anti-satellite weaponry to a genuine extraterrestrial origin. Alex is very skeptical, having grown up in the world of close encounters.
When he sees Ana being interviewed about the Signal on the news, he reaches out for the first time in years. Ana invites Alex to a retreat for survivors of alien encounters she is hosting in the desert. Alex finds himself drawn to join her.
Alex makes his way from New York City to the California desert as the Signal draws closer to Earth, interfering with aircraft communication, GPS satellites, and cell phone towers. He and Ana will face this extraterrestrial encounter together – just as they always have.
VOYAGERS by Meg Charlton is a science fiction book in the vein of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The mystery about the Signal is overshadowed by the catastrophic reaction from humanity as it experiences its first undeniable alien contact. It is an apt speculation on Charlton’s part – as a group, humans have been known to overreact.
Book review by Alyssa Berry, Technical Services Librarian
