Rian Hughes

Computer geniuses use software and their own developed virtual reality equipment to decode alien signals, while an astronaut based on the moon has a direct encounter with an alien species, whereby she manages to link up with it and develop her own amazing ability to relocate herself at will.
Any book that begins with Jodrell Bank and David Bowie's Starman must be good! A whole cacophony of interesting subjects: Aliens, Memetic engineering, the Wow! Signal of 1977, Skeuomorphs, Gogmagog, Kirlian auras, Electronic Voice Phenomena, Tesla's free energy, the paranormal, to name but a few.
Set in London, at Jodrell Bank, and on the fictional Daedalus moon-base, the novel is about mysteries of decoding messages from data streams from space; I can't help but love this story and notice a parallel with the same work major Briggs was working on in Twin Peaks. (Even the black box on the cover reflected the one featured in Twin Peaks). Many little things mentioned in the text made my heart swell with appreciation (eg Burroughs' cut-up technique, Dan Dare, and Joy Division).
The Daedalus footage section is very reminiscent of House of Leaves, or Blair Witch Project. Dana (the astronaut)'s expedition down the volcano tunnel in the moon to reach the anomaly, by pushing her way though...into an underground city was VERY ALICE!
Chapter 10 (each chapter number indicated by dominoes) was particularly descriptive illustrating Jack's over-thinking; the details running through his mind, to reply to a message. Turned out the alien could communicate through Jack; when he took random photos of words, the pictures revealed sentences. "Build me a body". Jack's creation of Digital Memetic Entities is fascinating.
The text itself has many variations in style (and fonts), included there is a huge Shakespearean-style rant from xx about "ideas", and their desire for a better world; and an excerpt on Plato's Socrates argument against the written word - that you cannot discuss, change ideas, evolve to better words; newspaper articles; emails; binary codes; Wikipedia entries; maps, photographs, and drawings; and a science fiction serial story between chapters.
This thought-provoking and stimulating book.
There's even some music been made associated with the book: Citizen Void by Celestial Mechanic.… (more)

Brilliant. A story that begins with the London clay and Thanet sand at a construction site underneath London, and progresses to intelligent extra-terrestrial life via a club of steam train enthusiasts (which included Winston Churchill). Full of technical drawings and atmospheric photographs. All in B&W. References to Gogmagog, Vimana, Kumari Kandam, Ultima Thule & Atlantis, Tachyon, Beltane witch, Pwyll journey to the underworld, Katabasis, and Ziggurat. The story ends up in the air, with an optimistic hope for the future.… (more)