The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - A doomed mission to an alien planet!

Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time

A radio astronomer discovers a signal coming from Alpha Centauri - strange, beautiful alien voices, singing. While the rest of the world is transfixed by the broadcast, a catholic order, the Jesuits, take action and launch a mission to the planet of Rakhat. But from the outset we know the mission is doomed to tragedy, because a second storyline follows Emilio Sandoz after his return to Earth. The only survivor of the mission, he struggles to heal his wounds and to reconcile his faith with the deaths of his friends, and prepare to tell the world the truth of what happened on Rakhat.

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Similar books we recommend:

• Children of God - Maria Doria Russel (Sequel)
• Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel García Márquez
• Anathem - Neal Stephenson
• Contact - Carl Sagan
• A Canticle for Liebowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.