This is the second book of J D Sanderson’s that I’ve read. In this novella entitled AFTER THE SYZYGY, he explores the implications of extraterrestrial first contact. Sanderson takes us on a whirlwind trip through a number of time periods spanning several centuries from the moment Earth learns about an alien signal and starts to put in motion a vast endeavour to investigate the source. This is set amongst the backdrop of humanity’s quest to build out into the solar system and beyond, partly due to the impetus provided by the signal.
This short book contains moments of wonderful awe, and Sanderson uses the brevity of the work to introduce vast concepts and leave you giddy before turning your head another way to say, now I’ve shown you that, I want to show you this. While some concepts are reminiscent of Sagan’s CONTACT and Clarke’s 2001, I also found one existential discussion between two characters about halfway through the book to homage the expert interplay of Asimov. There are some thought-provoking revelations throughout this tale, and the most interesting part is how Sanderson is able to present new ideas around the intelligence and behaviour of the exotic species. I found myself thinking about some of these concepts long after I finished the last page.