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About The Book

From the Hugo Award­–winning author of Folding Beijing comes a gripping science fiction thriller in which three unlikely allies attempt a desperate mission of first contact with a mysterious alien race before more militaristic minds can take matters into their own hands.

In a future where the world is roughly divided into two factions, the Pacific League of Nations and the Atlantic Division of Nations, tensions are high as each side waits for the other to make a move. But neither side is prepared for a powerful third party that has apparently been an influential presence on Earth for thousands of years—and just might be making a reappearance very soon.

With the realization that a highly intelligent alien race has been trying to send them messages, three rising scientists within the Pacific League of Nations form an uneasy alliance. Fueled by a curiosity to have their questions answered and a fear that other factions within their rival Atlantic Division of Nations would opt for a more aggressive and potentially disastrous military response, the three race to secure first contact with this extraterrestrial life they aren’t quite convinced is a threat.

Bolstered by recent evidence of alien visitations in the distant past, the three scientific minds must solve puzzles rooted within human antiquity, face off with their personal demons, and discover truths of the universe.

About The Author

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Hao Jingfang is a Chinese science fiction writer. She won the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novelette for Folding Beijing, translated by Ken Liu, marking the first Hugo awarded to a Chinese woman. Hao works as a macroeconomics researcher at China Development Research Foundation, a quango organization located in Beijing, China.

Product Details

  • Publisher: S&S/Saga Press (March 12, 2024)
  • Length: 368 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781534422131

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Raves and Reviews

“[A] masterful narrative. Highly recommended for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy or readers who enjoy sf with a focus on social and political themes.”

– Booklist, starred review

“It’s a gorgeous book, treading similar ground to The Three-Body Problem but with a jaunty, almost cheerful outlook… Jingfang melds scientific futurism with age-old mythology in the most satisfying of ways, suggesting that human history is not at all what we think and holding out the trembling hope, that maybe … just maybe … our future is one of peace.”

– Vulture

“Hao’s patient worldbuilding and character-driven approach lends fresh life to the familiar first contact trope. Contact fans will be thrilled." —Publisher's Weekly

“A deeply philosophical and thought-provoking story of humankind’s search for its destiny in the cosmos.” —Kirkus

“Amidst a classic space adventure, there are illuminating elements of the ways history can be corrupted by time, along with well-placed development of our heroes’ relationships.” —Library Journal

"Uniquely taking us millions of kilometers away to experience another way of life."—Cixin Liu, New York Times bestselling author of The Three-Body Problem

“A thoughtful debut with ample scope for reader engagement.” —Kirkus

"It is a novel so busy and brilliant that I can describe it only in the way the proverbial blind men might an elephant, touching one staggering detail and then another without ever quite capturing the whole. In that regard, it is characteristic of Hao’s profound, and sometimes profoundly bizarre, creative mind.”

– Washington Post

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