A pulsating stream of neutrino radiation from a source with the power of
a sun has been detected on earth and a team of scientists assembled to study
and decode the mysterious message. As the scientists wrangle among themselves,
clashing and conspiring while jockeying for favor and position, Lem produces
witty and inventive satire of “men of science” and their thinking. In the race
to discover whether the message is a technological gift or the formula for the
ultimate weapon, the author grapples with the issue of scientific
responsibility in a compelling sci-fi thriller.
«This is not a book, as it might seem, about science and scientists, the
military, or politics, though they are all here. It is a book about the whole
human race and what it's like to be part of the twentieth century.” --
Washington Post
“By the last chapters one is racing like a romance novel addict.” — Peter S.
Beagle, New York Times Book Review
«If he isn't considered for a Nobel Prize by the end of the century, it will
be because someone told the judges that he writes science fiction.” --
Philadelphia Inquirer
