Are we alone in the universe? This is one of the first questions that comes along when gazing upon the stars. If not, then one of the immediate questions is when (if at all) we will encounter intelligent extraterrestial life, and how this will unfold. This book presents one possible first encounter in striking fashion. Definitely worth a read.

The short spoiler-free blurb of the book is that something which was first believed to be an asteriod, instead turns out to be some sort of extra-terrestial spaceship. It is unclear if the Solar system is its goal, or if it is just passing by, so humanity decides to send a small ship - which just so happens to be able to intercept it - to rendezvous with it and investigate. The story describes what this crew finds when approaching this foreign vessel, which turns out to be a cylinder, 50 kilometers long with 20 kilometers in diameter.

The pacing is one of the best parts of the book. Instead of just laying everything out there, it continuously gives the reader small bits of information througout: What will they find in the cylinder? What is its purpose? Has its purpose failed, and everything decayed, or is it on course? How will it interact with humanity? Is it hostile? Does it need to, to be dangerous? And many more. It also does a neat job of creating a believable story, including just enough details to let your imagination run free.