Return to Earth, by Dennis Calloway

The year is 2053 and a group of survivors find themselves stranded on the moon after a huge meteor has partially destroyed the earth. There’s a long shot chance that they can live on Europa (which is one of Jupiter’s moons), but in order to make the long trip to Europa, they’ll need to return to earth for fuel and supplies. But conditions on earth are not good. Earthquakes, floods, wild animals, and the barbaric survivors make it increasingly difficult for Tess Robinson and her people from the moon to find the things they need to make it to Europa. The earth is in its last days and if they don’t leave the planet soon, it may be the end for them and for mankind too.

“Return to Earth,” by Dennis Calloway was a fun read. Foreshadowing in early chapters made certain plot points obvious, but the author still managed a surprise or two. I was able to suspend disbelief all the way until the last pages, where unfortunately, I had to shout out a “Aw, come on!”

The story is well written, and with the exception of one specific chapter that needed an extra proof read, I was fully engrossed in the story. Like a lot of Sci-Fi, this story is plausible, but not probable, especially since the ultimate goal of the band of survivors was to reach Europa instead of Mars, left me scratching my head. In one or two places in the beginning, the non-linear storytelling was confusing, but a quick re-read got me back on track.

Finally, and this could just be a pet peeve of mine as a professional writer, but the third person limited perspective did seem to shift abruptly from one character to another in the middle of a scene without a clear indication that the character perspective was changing and required a reread to make sure I knew what character was the focus. It’s hard to exemplify this issue, and most readers wouldn’t have as much issue with it.

I’d recommend this story to sci-fi fans as well as action/adventure fans. When Mr. Calloway has another book out, I’d be eager to read it. Because of differing star ratings, I’ll give it 4 stars on Goodreads & Amazon for “really liked it.”

Dennis Calloway is a native of Detroit, Michigan with deep roots in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and he spends his free time practicing karate, swimming, and writing. “Return To Earth” is his first novel and was born out of his intense interest in space exploration. He is married to Marcia (MJ) and has two daughters, Mariel and Nia. He and Marcia currently live in Houston, Texas.

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