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  • The Object: A Novel

The Object: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Joshua T. Calvert (Author), Nicol Zanzarella (Narrator), Podium Audio (Publisher)
4.3 out of 5 stars (11,315)

Deep space holds secrets…

…and one astronomer for NASA has found a big one.

But it's not what she thinks.

Dr. Melody Adams, a physicist at the Gemini North Observatory, was studying Pluto in the telescope data, and it struck her as odd. The numbers didn't make sense. Could there be an extraterrestrial object in our solar system?

She followed protocol.

The scientific community didn't believe her.

And before she knew what happened, her career was over.

The day that changed Melody's life was like any other over the previous two years. She'd found she had a gift for writing, and her career as an author had almost healed the pain of losing her job. When the Secret Service rang her bell, everything changed.

Something was nearing Saturn…

…and it was slowing down.

Had she been right about the object?

You'll love this hard science fiction novel because Melody is about to find out that everything she knew about space and time was wrong.

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  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 58 minutes
  2. Author
    Joshua T. Calvert
  3. Narrator
    Nicol Zanzarella
  4. Publication date
    May 7, 2024
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Podium Audio
  7. ASIN
    B0CZ1QCMY1
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 58 minutes
Author Joshua T. Calvert
Narrator Nicol Zanzarella
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date May 07, 2024
Publisher Podium Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0CZ1QCMY1
Best Sellers Rank

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
11,315 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this hard science fiction book engaging and well-written, with a fascinating journey and realistic theories. The characters are well-developed, and customers appreciate its original concept. The pacing receives mixed reactions - while some find it well-paced, others note it can be slow in places. Customers value the book's thought-provoking nature, describing it as a mind-expanding experience.
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320 customers mention content, 291 positive, 29 negative
Customers find the book engaging and riveting, with one mentioning it keeps them reading throughout.
This was a good read, easy to keep up with the plot and decent character development, four stars only because the ending was a little lacking in...Read more
This book was a great read although very technical, sometimes to the point of being too much work to keep up....Read more
...I enjoyed it. I even learned a thing or two. This is a great book if you're used to your typical scifi books about space, the idea of...Read more
This is an interesting and well told story about what other life might look like and the technical and political challenges we might face in our...Read more
213 customers mention story, 186 positive, 27 negative
Customers enjoy the story of the book, describing it as a fascinating journey with an interesting ending.
Good story with believable characters with a different take on the first encounter story. I will look forward to reading more from this author.Read more
One of the best sci-fi books I’ve read. Great story! You have a new fan, Joshua😊 Looking forward to reading your next book!Read more
Wonderful story. Politically, socially and to a great extent scientifically accurate....Read more
...adventure with believable technology (excluding the alien space ship), plot, characters, and possibilities of first contact....Read more
125 customers mention science-fiction, 109 positive, 16 negative
Customers appreciate the hard science fiction elements of the book, describing it as surprisingly detailed and near-contemporary with believable scientific theories.
Hard Science combined with a wondrous story. I'm looking (hopefully) forward to more from this timline, and definately more from the author.Read more
...Loved the technical details. The characters were well drawn and believable and the concept original....Read more
Sci-fi but so much more. I guess that’s what good sci-fi is. Joshua portrays deep into our existence. Good read for meRead more
Engaged from the beginning and continued til the end. I loved the science and current events woven throughout! VERY ENTERTAINING!Read more
85 customers mention character development, 76 positive, 9 negative
Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one customer particularly liking Melody as the central character.
Well developed story and characters. It will be a long time before I again pick up my fly swatter. If you like hard sci-fi, buy this one!Read more
If you like hard science fiction, that’s very creative, with great characters, accurate science, And an unpredictable, fascinating plot that will...Read more
The author did a great job. Excellent writing, awesome story, good characters. Emotional and rational and scientific and dreaming story.Read more
Good story with believable characters with a different take on the first encounter story. I will look forward to reading more from this author.Read more
61 customers mention writing quality, 52 positive, 9 negative
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting that it flows smoothly and is well-crafted science fiction, with one customer highlighting the author's expertise in science and space knowledge.
Well written, thoughtful and exciting. The out-of-sequence organization is a bit disconcerting. Thanks for making the illogical logical and fun.Read more
Extremely well written. Not something you speed read. First contact not what you expect with earth’s politics interfering with explorationRead more
Ok. So this is book is very well written, the science seems legit, is well explained and provides "real life" type context....Read more
The author did a great job. Excellent writing, awesome story, good characters. Emotional and rational and scientific and dreaming story.Read more
48 customers mention thought-provoking, 46 positive, 2 negative
Customers find the book thought-provoking, describing it as a mind-expanding experience that makes them reflect on consciousness and humanity.
Enjoyable, thought provoking, original,even profound. Have not read anything quite like this before. Will look for other works from this author?Read more
Well written, thoughtful and exciting. The out-of-sequence organization is a bit disconcerting. Thanks for making the illogical logical and fun.Read more
...A mind expanding experience. Opens you up to new experiences. Thank you.Read more
...Deep and profound, but thoroughly human all the way. A story (and a heroine) I won’t forget.Read more
46 customers mention concept, 46 positive, 0 negative
Customers praise the book's original concept and well-thought-out ideas, with one customer noting how the imagined future kept them engaged.
While it was an interesting concept, I felt like the author was trying to create events to write enough pages....Read more
If you like hard science fiction, that’s very creative, with great characters, accurate science, And an unpredictable, fascinating plot that will...Read more
Gripping tale about first contact. A highly imaginative, yet believable pager turner that will cause you to stay up later than you should!Read more
Beautifully and thoughtfully written, with ideas and a conclusion that leads the reader into deeper thoughts that extend beyond the novel's...Read more
53 customers mention pacing, 29 positive, 24 negative
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it well-paced and a surprising fast read, while others note that it was slow in places and felt rushed.
...It wasn't too much at all. Great original story and well paced. First book of his I've read but I will be reading more.Read more
...It felt rushed and not fitting to how the story started.Read more
...A FANTASTIC TALE WITH FANTASTIC CHARECTORS WITH A MOVING , SPECTACULAR ENDING , THANK YOURead more
...In the end, I felt it was rushed. But again, I'm assuming that was a stylistic decision fraught with the emotion that Melody might have felt....Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • A. Rutter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Science that is not ‘Difficult Science’, and very well done
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2026
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Mr. Calvert is becoming one of my favored authors in the Hard Science realm. This book is based on and full of modern day, real science. But it does not attempt to make you work through all that science, or become an on-line expert in any of it. Rather, it shows how today’s science is used, and what goes into that use. Add to that a really good story line and it’s a winner.

    The characters are nicely developed, as is the story itself. I found that various stereotypes were well used, and very well turned around. The story itself is fairly low-key, building slowly until the end. There were several events that were a bit telegraphed, but (and no spoiler here) the end segment itself was truly not what I expected. A little different, quite well done. Overall, a good and fun read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Peter Koziar
    4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging plot and characters, hardly science
    Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2026
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed the book overall, but there were too many blunders for "hard SF' that kept blowing me out of the story.

    Here are a few:
    o Solar sails are for propulsion, not generating electricity. Those would be solar arrays.
    o In a spinning body, "down" points to the outside of the body, and "up" inside. There were too many instances of the characters falling "into" the interior of a rotating body.
    o Carbon dioxide is not poisonous, if it were, we would all be dead. We exhale it all the time.
    o There is an instance in the book of lungs operating in the vacuum of space. Where is the air coming from?
    o Something is killed from the equivalent of a scratch on the side of a finger. I won't say more or it would be a spoiler.
    o Also with respect to centripetal acceleration (centrifugal force isn't really a thing), it doesn't suddenly appear when you attach to a rotating body, but you have to fly around it in tighter and tighter circles, feeling the growing affects all the way.

    There were many others.

    I did feel like the ending of the book was a bit of a letdown. I was expecting something stupendous, and it wasn't there. I'm giving it four stars for the strength of the characterization and for an exciting read mid-book.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Chuck Bennett
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hard SF First Contact story.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The primary draw that kept me turning pages was =not= the hard SF with occasional exposition of various facts and principles unknown to me (although that was indeed fascinating!), but rather the story of the first-person narrator/protagonist. Lt Cmdr Dr Melody Adams is a US Navy fighter pilot, with PhD in physics, diverted into the astronaut program and now working with NASA.

    In Chapter 1, she is working in data collection at the Gemini North observatory on Mauna Kea, while waiting for an available slot to actually travel into space as an astronaut. She spots a strange space object near Pluto exhibiting characteristics of both a comet and an asteroid, but it is clearly neither. The story tells about the years as the object falls toward the inner zone of the Solar System, and finally Melody's trip out to meet it as Commander of a multi-nation crewed space vehicle.

    The story exhibits the "hardness" of its SF throughout, with no "magical" tech but only real technology and what can be reasonably extrapolated a few years into the future, and real physics, astrophysics, and orbital mechanics (a realm of physics that has always fascinated me but eluded my attempts to comprehend the math!). The most speculative part begins (naturally) upon the mission's rendezvous with the object and attempts to learn about it (lots of fascinating geology, chemistry, and biochemistry in their analyses (hint hint)). Then a somewhat hard (for me) to comprehend conclusion, which I think I need to reread when more fully awake.

    A very satisfying book, which I would love to purchase and keep rather than only checking out from KU. Well written, well edited and proofread, a delight for my critical reading experience (something I have trouble turning off when confronted with failures and slop in these areas). A solid 5-star book, highly recommended if any of the above seems interesting to you!
    23 people found this helpful
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  • Jimer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Read this important review
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Ok. So this is book is very well written, the science seems legit, is well explained and provides "real life" type context. So kudos to the author on this one.

    My complaint with the book is the structure of the story. I'm sure there are many books and movies like this, but my kindle indicates how far along you are into the book. At 50%, I felt like "nothing had happened". We were still expecting to get into the plot. Not trying to be impatient about it, I kept going. Perhaps I've become a reader who expects some action earlier on, but the majority of the book happened between 92-98% of the story. In the end, I felt it was rushed. But again, I'm assuming that was a stylistic decision fraught with the emotion that Melody might have felt. As a reader, I was left like the (can't remember the actual cartoon) cartoon where for the movie "Contact", the character's response to the three hour movie was "I had to watch that whole movie to find out the alien was her damn father."

    So in conclusion, the last sentence I felt was very important but yet I didn't get it. I don't think the concept was fleshed out enough for me to feel satisfied with the ending. And the epilogue was sort of the same. I was left with more questions and didn't really understand how it was a follow up to the story. Like "Interstellar" was a whole movie and the end showed how the main plot had turned out in the future--I think it was supposed to be like that? But again, not clear enough for me to walk away feeling great about the book.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • bruce allen
    4.0 out of 5 stars New Author for me . . . I'll be back!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I really like the storyline a lot. I felt that the book moved at a decent pace and kept my interest quite well. There were a couple of spots where I felt that the action had slowed down and that the author had over-described the setting . This is not a negative comment, however, because overall this is a hell of a good book and he is a heck of a good author. I am looking forward to reading more of his works. A winner! 🏆
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • MartinS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice reading
    Reviewed in Germany on April 6, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Good Story and characters, balanced between science and emotions. I like the ending and the book was easy to read.
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  • Ed
    5.0 out of 5 stars could not put it away
    Reviewed in Spain on January 7, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Great book, scientifically sound and wonderful deep dives, backgrounds and explanations of the science necessary for space exploration. A great combo of fiction and reality.
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  • andrea
    5.0 out of 5 stars Molto buono e con spunti innovativi ed interessanti.
    Reviewed in Italy on February 18, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    molto buono
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  • Nick
    5.0 out of 5 stars From Holiday Read to New Favourite Author
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Just finished my first hard sci-fi by Joshua T. Calvert and it won’t be my last. Gripping enough to start and finish on holiday, brilliantly written, and with a main character that sticks. I even had to look up a few physics references along the way—equal parts entertaining and educational. The nods to real science, like Hohmann transfer orbits (the fuel-efficient paths spacecraft use between planets), made it all the more fascinating.

    Definitely a new Calvert fan, just ordered 'Contact' off the back of it!
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  • MatthewMarshall
    5.0 out of 5 stars a great read..
    Reviewed in Australia on January 23, 2026
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book. The characters are engaging and realistic. I was very surprised by the ending which left a good feeling. Thank you.
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