This is one of those books that I had to struggle through, because, just at a point where I was ready to give up, I’d hit another passage that promised a surprise on the next page. The reason I had trouble is that there’s a lot of “dead weight” in between high points that really bogs down the story, not to mention that it’s translated from Chinese. But boy, what a story. Not only has Earth made contact with another civilization-they’re headed this way.
But, we have 450 years to prepare, since their civilization is so far away. Things get interesting in the meantime: a fifth column of sympathetic humans develops, and they start sabotaging mankind’s preparation. Here, the author inserts a confusing element: people start playing a virtual reality game that seems to be an allegory to the development of Earth’s civilization, with references to the development of the aliens’ world also. But, you have to pay attention, because this game has clues to where the book is headed.
All in all, a satisfying book, and I look forward to the next one in the series.