 |
Young Rianne's father, Paul, has been in outer space for several months on behalf of Galaxy Enterprises, a SpaceX-style consortium. During his absence, Rianne spends hours gazing into the night sky through her telescope. When she observes something strange in the moon's vicinity, she informs her father. Paul begins to suspect that an intelligent species has taken up residence on the moon and is generating enough energy to be detected from Earth.
Soon, Paul slips into a coma-like state. In dreams, he encounters a shape-shifting member of an alien race, who takes the form of his wife, Lisa. The aliens explain that, over many eons, they evolved into a wise, benevolent species and now seek to guide humanity into the next stage of its evolution, one that will require humanity to renounce violence. Back on earth, guns begin to disappear as though by magic, provoking a panic. Ken Ishida, the Galaxy mission commander, senses Paul knows more than he's letting on and demands answers. Paul, meanwhile, is appointed the task of deciding the fate of the human race.
Skore's book is an enjoyably brisk novel of ideas for fans of Contact and Childhood's End. The nature and intentions of the alien species remain pleasingly ambiguous, and Skore threads just enough doubt about their mission into the story to keep readers on edge. (The aliens bear more than a passing resemblance to the seemingly benevolent Kanamit race from "To Serve Man," an episode of The Twilight Zone.) At its best, the novel explores the profound societal effects of first contact on politics and religion. It also raises the question of whether an alien species that seeks to "rid us" of the instinct to kill can be trusted. This is the rare thriller that both raises the pulse and provokes thought.