by David Brin
First published 2012
Gerald Livingston spends his days collecting abandoned debris in Earth's orbit. For a century, humans have been dumping their refuse in space, leaving someone like Gerald to clean up the mess. During a routine sweep, he spots an object spinning higher than expected, something absent from the old orbital charts. Within an hour of retrieving the mysterious item, Earth's communication networks buzz with talk of an alien artifact. The discovery throws Gerald and the entire planet into chaos. The artifact appears to be a message from another world, a capsule designed for communication. Humanity responds in typical fashion: some react with terror, others with wonder. Greed and compassion clash as people grapple with proof that we are not alone. The artifact becomes a catalyst that forces every person on Earth to confront their deepest fears and greatest hopes about contact with alien intelligence.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: first-contact, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Earth, Orbit
Period: 21st-century
560 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books