- The Good: Action-packed indigenous first contact novel
- The Bad: Simple cinematic narrative style
- The Literary: Alternating POV chapters
Jim Hardgray has one more chance to reconnect with his daughter Tawny. He’s an absent down-on-his-luck father who’s dropped the ball more times than he can count. But something big is coming from the very outer edge of our solar system, out of the heliopause, which was recently crossed by Voyager. A NASA engineer and a CIA investigator converge at the target of the extra-terrestrial visitor—Spiros, Oklahoma.
I really enjoy Wilson’s works. They’re always extremely fun, imaginative, action-packed, thrilling, with Cherokee protagonists who feel like regular people. Hole in the Sky is no exception.
I’d normally think that four protagonists with alternating chapters is too many, but Wilson makes it work, with perhaps the CIA agent Gavin Clark as the blandest, though still distinct from the others. Jim and his daughter Tawny are the heart of the novel. But there’s also the NASA engineer in Houston, Dr. Mikayla Johnson, an outcast among her peer group. She’s obviously smart but unable to recognize faces, much less emotions from other people. Her prototype AI glasses are not only important to her character, but also to the plot.
Then there’s The Man Downstairs, an anonymous oracle who works in an undisclosed top-secret bunker. His job is to read and interpret The Pattern, a signal from an unknown source that accurately predicts the future. When The Man Downstairs declares first contact is coming, the government gets serious.
This is an extremely fun and accessible book, with short chapters that keep the pages turning. What starts out as a first-contact story eventually morphs into a Lovecraftian horror fever dream, so be sure you enjoy scifi and fantasy before you pick this one up.