SEKRET MACHINES BOOK 1

Tom Delonge, A. J. Hartley, Tantor Audio, $34.99 (17.75 hours), 978-1-5159-6313-4 Twists, turns, and converging stories make for science fiction that’s an enjoyable listen.

Tom Delonge left the band Blink-182 with some pretty lofty ideas concerning “unidentified aerial phenomena” (read: UFOS). With co-author A.J. Hartley, he explores them in Chasing Shadows, a thriller that he calls a mix of fiction and truth. Seat belts may not be required, but they are a pretty good idea.

This unabridged audiobook is read by the classically trained voice actor Paul Costanzo. His calm, self-assured voice rises only occasionally for highly charged dialogue, and leads through the stories of several key players.

They include Alan, a marine pilot assigned to a covert military unit after an incident with a bogey, and Jennifer, an environmental activist whose corporate mogul father has evidently committed suicide, though she suspects it’s murder. There’s Tomika, the savvy host of a website and podcast that debunks conspiracy theories, and Jersey, a young Polish boy taken into a Nazi work camp in 1939, who witnesses and is pulled into some international intrigue.

Jersey is the only character who’s presented in the first person. As the action progresses, it becomes clear that the story essentially revolves around his experiences.

As the story unwinds, it keeps the truth extremely close to the vest. What exactly is going on with these various characters in their divergent lives? In a mingling of different nations and interests, of technologies and secret operations, Delonge and Hartley bring each of their stories together. They also challenge the notion of just what our pop-cultural definition of a “UFO” has been. Is it alien, or something perhaps closer to home?

Amid its twists and turns, fast-moving action, and converging stories, Chasing Shadows offers an enjoyable listen for conspiracy theorists and sci-fi fans. Ultimately, it’s your choice whether or not to believe.