In Nebula Award-winning author Jack McDevitt's ninth installment in
the beloved Alex Benedict science fiction mystery series, humanity
discovers new intelligent life lightyears away--only for it to disappear
without a trace.
Centuries after a war with the Mutes, the first aliens to be encountered
by humankind, a startling new discovery in the far reaches of the Orion
Nebula appears. On a planet with conditions favorable to life, explorer
vessel The Columbia comes across a small town seemingly inhabited by
an intelligent species not yet discovered.
But when a highly publicized follow-up mission is sent to make contact
mere months later, the entire town has vanished, leaving no trace--or
such is presumed to be the case until Alex Benedict and his
archaeological crew show up to investigate. Officially, their mission is
to find concealed artifacts that may have been left behind, but the
team's real goal is to solve the mystery of how these aliens disappeared
so rapidly--and why. In turns terrifying and miraculous, the answers
raise the stakes for every member on board as they look to make their
mark on history.
Nebula Award-winning author Jack McDevitt, whom Stephen King has called
"the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke," brings back
Alex, Chase, and Gabe for another brilliantly crafted science fiction
mystery.
