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In this novel, the author combines topics related to state-of-the-art research in astrobiology with fictional elements to produce a thrilling page turner that is thoroughly grounded in scientific principle. An appendix covers the underlying science.

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It has been nearly 100 years since the Apollo moon landings, and Jack and Vladimir, two astronauts on a mission to Venus, discover a mysterious void related to indigenous life on the planet. Subsequently more voids are detected on Earth, Mars, Titan, and, quite ominously, inside a planetoid emerging from the Kuiper belt. Jack is sent on the newly built spaceship, Deep Explorer, to investigate the voids in the Solar System and intercept the planetoid - which, as becomes increasingly clear, is inhabited by alien life forms. Jack and his crew will have little time to understand their alien biochemistry, abilities, behavior patterns, resilience, and technology, but also how these life forms relate to the voids.
Humankind´s first encounter with these exotic life forms couldn´t be more fateful, becoming a race against time to save life on Earth and to reveal the true nature of the voids, which seem to be intrinsically related to life and the universe itself. In this novel, the author combines many topics related to state-of-the-art research in the field of astrobiology with fictional elements to produce a thrilling page turner.
This new version further develops the intrigue and significantly develops the astrobiological denouement of the plot. The underlying science is presented and discussed by the author in an extensive non-technical appendix.
From the reviews of the first edition
Here´s a thrilling yarn in the best "hard SF" tradition of Asimov, James Hogan, and Ben Bova, written by a scientist who knows all about the possibilities of life in the solar system and beyond. Dirk Schulze-Makuch weaves into his book all the astrobiological themes he´s worked on in recent years -- speculation about creatures in the atmosphere of Venus and on and under the surface of Mars and Titan -- together with some well-informed Eastern philosophy and a cracking good space battle. A great first novel from a rising talent. Highly recommended.
David Darling, on amazon.com, 2009
The research interests of Dr. Schulze-Makuch, currently a professor at the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Washington State University, focus on the interaction of microbes with their natural geological environment in an aqueous medium. In particular, he is interested in the presence of liquid-rich environments on other planets and moons inside and outside of our Solar System and how these environments can serve as a potential habitat for microbial life. Dirk Schulze-Makuch is best known for his publications on extraterrestrial life, being coauthor of four books on the topic: A One Way Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet (2011), We Are Not Alone: Why We Have Already Found Extraterrestrial Life (2010), Cosmic Biology: How Life could Evolve on Other Worlds (2010), and Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints (2004). In 2012 he published with David Darling Megacatastrophes! Nine Strange Ways the World Could End.

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Part I: The Novel.- Alien Encounter.- Part II: The Science Behind the Fiction.-

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