The novel “Teleport” by Joshua T. Calvert was published for the first time in 2022. It’s the first book in the Teleport series.
A drilling operation on the bottom of Lake Maracaibo is thrown into crisis when a completely abnormal storm breaks out. The investigation into the magnetic anomalies leads to the discovery of what is clearly an artifact that is estimated to be around 400,000 years old.
James Hamilton is a negotiator who works in life-or-death situations when he’s picked up by a military team that takes him to a base where the alien artifact was transported. He’s convinced to work as a sort of babysitter for the international group of scientists who are studying the artifact. Everyone’s job gets complicated when the scientists manage to enter an internal chamber of the artifact and discover that it’s a teleportation system.
“Teleport” begins in a very classic way in science fiction with the discovery of a mysterious object. Joshua T. Calvert tells how an international team of scientists tries to study the strange structure of the material it’s made of and discover its function and then explore the consequences of their discoveries.
The study of the artifact is conducted by scientists but the protagonist is a character who has nothing to do with science. James Hamilton is a negotiator and is presented in a situation where he has to negotiate the release of a hostage of a group of terrorists. This also serves to show how he takes some money that is so to speak left over and his complicated relationship with his ex-girlfriend.
James Hamilton’s negotiating skills are considered suitable for managing interpersonal relationships within the international team of scientists in charge of studying the artifact discovered at the bottom of Lake Maracaibo. In fact, despite not having scientific skills, he is immediately involved in the scientists’ work, to the point of becoming the central character in the work of examining the equipment found in the internal chamber of the artifact. The scientists end up being quite stereotyped in a novel in which character development is not the strong point.
In essence, James Hamilton never really babysits the scientists but quickly becomes the guinea pig for their experiments with alien equipment. The justification is that he is expendable while the scientists are at the very least difficult to replace. In fact, he does not do the job for which he was hired but decides that it is the best way to obtain results, even going against the orders of those who direct the project.
Joshua T. Calvert is certainly not the first to tell a story of characters who achieve progress by going against the directives they have received. In this case, it is the way in which this type of story is developed that at least to me was curious. James Hamilton is a character who becomes involved in a very secret and very delicate project ignoring his not exactly transparent behavior during his past work. He is hired to do a certain job but immediately begins to do essentially the opposite.
Certain choices by Joshua T. Calvert seem to have been made only to obtain a dramatic result, such as the lack of safety systems in the teleportation system, so that an incorrect use kills the user. Despite this, in my opinion, all in all, the story works for the developments that slowly expand the understanding not only of the artifact but above all of everything that is connected to the teleportation system.
“Teleport” has an ending that is open after some revelations with elements of the plot that will be developed in the sequel. It is the type of series in which the books are closely connected, so in my opinion there is no point in starting it if you are not willing to continue it. If you appreciate stories centered on mysterious objects full of twists and adventure, this one might please you. Note. The book’s editing is far from perfect, so if you’re easily distracted by errors, this one might be a problem. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
