45th book of 2019.
A unique take on first contact, perhaps the perfect antidote to (三体) the three body problem.
In the hundreds of sci-fi books I’ve read, I can’t think of any we encounter truly benevolent and advanced aliens. It’s so obvious in hindsight as to be surprising.
Themes around the progress and stagnation of human civilization, rebellion against authority, dissatisfaction with even the highest standard of living and even mass suicide all get little more than a page each as Clarke steamrolls through with the main story, but part of me wishes this was more of a GRR Martin style epic told with painstaking detail.
The rest of the book isn’t particularly engaging, the characters keep switching throughout the story and the plot feels more like a collection of short stories rather than a single narrative thread. But for the scenario and ideas, even if underdeveloped it’s recommended.