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The search for extraterrestrial
life and first contact have long been themes of science fiction novels.
In 1978, NASA launched interstellar vessel Venture 1 on a quest to
photograph the Solar System's planets and transmit data from its
journey back to earth. It isn't until decades later, however, that
Venture encounters such a civilization, or in this case, The One.
As its name implies, The One is an amalgamation of intelligent species
absorbed into one technological consciousness whose sole purpose is to
assimilate other species into its collective whole. A close
approximation might be the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation. When Venture crosses its path, The One turns its attention to the source of the spacecraft: Earth.
Lamana spends an ample amount of pages setting up the situation by
detailing The One's origin, philosophy, and intent. At times, the
information is a bit overwhelming and reads more like a textbook than a
novel, but Lamana makes up for it in part by skillfully interweaving a
pair of storylines on earth. A scientist tasked with monitoring
Venture's interstellar journey and a 15-year-old, Tim Ludyte, whose
high school senior project involves research into Venture, soon
discover the Venture is broadcasting possible signals from an
extraterrestrial nature. The pair race to prove their findings and what
it could mean for mankind, while racing to keep the information from
falling into the wrong hands.
Lamana admits his fascination for astronomical sciences in his bio and
it shows in the care and detail he puts forth in the scientific aspects
of this debut novel. Readers, however, may be disheartened that the
story does not reach a conclusion here and will have to await Book two.