This is the second novel by this lesser-known Polish sci-fi writer I’ve read. Once again, the author has an interesting concept, but the execution is, in my opinion, mediocre.
The plot depicts an Earth expedition to a distant corner of space to find previous expeditions that set off in that direction and disappeared. Upon arrival, it turns out that an alien civilization may be behind the disappearance of the previous expedition members. This is, therefore, a novel about attempting to establish contact with aliens and showing how humanity might cope with such a task. The answer isn’t surprising to me. The author portrays our species as quite aggressive and primitive compared to the civilizations we could encounter in the galaxy. Despite establishing close contact, the author doesn’t detail the motives or appearance of this civilization. We are left to guess most of these matters.
This novel contains some action and a lot of the main character’s thoughts. However, the writing isn’t very engaging. It didn’t leave the same impression on me as the novels of Zajdel or Lem. Still, it’s worth reading and learning about a slightly different approach to writing science fiction.