A standalone sci-fi novel? Count me in. While the 800+ page count is intimidating, it was worth the week that I spent reading it.

We follow Kira, a xenobiologist who makes first contact. That's the blurb that the book gives you, but... there's so much more. There are mechs, symbiotes, complicated moral dilemmas, AIs, and so many more things that make this a near perfect book! I don't want to say too much, but this is one of the best and most accessible sci-fi novels that I've read in awhile.