The writing is not bad. The plot is original. It is entertaining, engaging and thrilling at moments. It delivers some surprises here and there. The characters, geniuses, scientists are not fully fleshed out but are not one-dimensional either. I empathised with two or three of them. The discovery of the message, the process of decoding (the geek side of me appreciated this bit) and dissemination (or not) of the findings encapsulate some ethical questions which I liked discovering. What I enjoyed most were the philosophical, political, and religious debates between the main characters as they grappled with the knowledge they uncover and explore how it might be used for good or ill. I particularly loved the perspective of a psychologist who was more tuned towards the human side rather than the technical one.
One small drawback was the main character’s early interactions. As a bureaucrat overseeing the Hercules text project, he often needed everything spelled out for him, struggling to grasp the scope and technical details of the discovery.
The next 2 small drawbacks involve spoilers…
I would have expected a message sent from such a vast distance to be broadcast repeatedly—looped for years or even centuries—in the hope that someone might eventually receive it. In contrast, the Hercules message was transmitted for a surprisingly brief period, at least by human standards. The characters were incredibly lucky to be in exactly the right place at the right time to detect and record it.
Apparently, the Hercules project were the only ones able to detect the message. No one else in the planet, not even the Russians, had the capabilities. A bit hard to believe for a 21st century story.
A good read despite the above. Recommend if you liked Contact and/or His Master’s Voice.
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