What do readers think of Hole in the Sky by Daniel H. Wilson? Write your own review.

What a great read! Hole In the Sky was a page turner for me, I read it in one evening. In it you travel with the math genius working for NASA with the special Voyager program, who wears augmented reality glasses/goggles that start talking to her, she is very excited about the first contact becoming a reality. You also meet a Father/Daughter team, who had just restarted the relationship. The Dad is Native American, seeped in his Grandmothers stories, remembering some of the language and stories. It is from this perspective that he leads him and his daughter and others forward toward the unknown. And there is a government guy, part of the top-secret mission who is mysterious, and depends on his computer and the guy from the top secret mission, somewhere else, telling him what to do. And then you meet the military special ops team. Old behavior, old tactics, and it's nothing they have ever seen before. It's a fast paced story. Engaging and a delightful departure from my normal reads.

Hole in the Sky by Daniel H. Wilson is a fast paced sci-fi thriller that blends Native American perspectives and mythology with modern science, creating an interesting first-contact narrative. Wilson, a Cherokee Nation citizen and former Air Force threat forecaster, weaves together the stories of four main characters as they confront an alien entity heading toward Earth. The story unfolds through the eyes of Jim Hardgray (a Cherokee father reconnecting with his daughter), Mikayla Johnson (a NASA astrophysicist who's social awkwardness is holding her back from her true potential), Gavin Clark (a government specialist on emerging threats), and the Man Downstairs (called the MD who is a mysterious government employee in charge of threat forecasting ).

The narrative is character driven and explores personal struggles and relationships amidst a potentially fatal extraterrestrial threat. I enjoyed reading this novel it was a fun and absolutely crazy read! I also enjoyed learning about Cherokee Nation mythology.

I would say Hole in the Sky is definitely a unique novel that merges science, Indigenous culture, and suspense. If you enjoy reading about Native American cultures and enjoy sci-fi horror or thrillers then you will want to read this book !

With many countries closely following the movements of 3I/ATLAS, this might be the perfect time to read Daniel H. Wilson's latest novel, "Hole in the Sky." It approaches "first contact" from the perspectives of a dysfunctional Cherokee family living in the area of the Mounds of Spiro, Oklahoma, and of socially impaired U.S. government bureaucrats and specialized military personnel.

Wilson is a talented author, but this novel is definitely not for everyone. It gets into the weeds – strange Native ancestors, enormous underground tunnels, humans melding with sentient tech, "perversion of the future of war" with violent humanoid-robot soldiers, reality "conjured from our worst fears," prayerful offerings, life, death (including a dead soul returning to life), and even, possibly, the apocalypse.

Don't read too fast and skip over his descriptions and the phrases used to describe things existing in circumstances of "incalculable chaos." You also might want to brush the dust off your books on ontology.

I had never read anything before by Daniel Wilson, even though I am a fan of science and speculative futures fiction. This novel made me consciously think about how well Indigenous histories and traditions could be meshed in the genre, something which I had not previously considered. Any book which makes one think differently, or approach topics in a new way, is worth reading. I wished more extensive explanations of some of the traditional stories and teachings had been included, though, rather than what I felt were small, somewhat piecemeal mentions. It took me a bit to adjust to the rotating first person narratives of four different and distinct characters, but I thought the author successfully captured and presented their individuality and importance to the plot. I felt that the story progression was a bit choppy or disconnected in spots, making me back track to see what I had missed. Overall, I did find the plot and presentation interesting enough that I will try another of his novels. As a disclosure, I received an Advance Reading Copy through BookBrowse.

Not one to grab the latest in science fiction books right off the shelf asap, I was pleasantly surprised by the clever combination of indigenous understanding of the universe and the latest in UFOs, now referred to as UAPs - Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.

I didn't come away much scientifically smarter but am feeling much better about the future suggested in this book. The author, Daniel H. Wilson, as pointed out by the Executive Editor of Doubleday, has the perfect background of work with the U.S.A.F. and ties to Native culture to make this not just sci-fi or a thriller - but a warmer feeling of possibilities ahead. Should be great fun at a book club discussion!

The premise of a science fiction read uniquely infused with Native American lore made this book intriguing to me. The first part of the book with the build up to the first contact was fast-paced and extremely engaging — quite a page turner. However, the actual encounter fell flat for me, feeling a bit stereotypical as I expecting and hoping for a stronger and more developed tie-in to the Mississippian / Cherokee cultures. I also liked the story told from a three character perspective but did find the female character's storyline somewhat confusing. Despite a mixed reaction, I enjoyed "Hole in the Sky" and would recommend it to readers looking for a quick and entertaining sci-fi read.

First contact with extraterrestrial entities is a staple of science fiction literature and cinema. Among the best are Carl Sagan's novel, Contact, made later into a popular Jodie Foster movie. The author of this new first contact story has significant professional scientific and writing experience. This is a story with a decidedly Native American twist. The real focus may be the Spiro Mounds in east central Oklahoma. Spiro Mounds lies in a bend of the Arkansas River, a site dating from the 9th to 15th centuries, and is considered among the most important Native American archeological sites in the United States. One of the four protagonists in the novel is Jim Hardgray, a Cherokee Nation citizen striving to re-build a family relationship with an estranged daughter. The other three are government officials of real interest. The novel's story line revolves around the astronomical discovery of a large object which has passed near the two Voyager space probes in the Heliopause and appears to be heading toward Earth with an expected impact in Oklahoma. The impact does occur with some horrific effect. The novel, however, remains a story of Cherokee heritage mixed with a plausible scientific description of forthcoming first contact with the alien extraterrestrial object. This reviewer highly recommends this novel and expects to read more of the author's work.

I never read science fiction, but decided to be adventurous and read Hole in the Sky. I was immediately intrigued by the characters and storyline, an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena detected heading to earth in Oklahoma. This book incorporates technology, science, Native American culture, U.S. government agencies involved in intelligence and safety, weapons, and NASA. Characters include a Native American father and daughter, a quirky and brilliant NASA astrophysicist, a threat forecaster, a Department of Defense investigator, and some U.S. military. I especially enjoyed the references to the beliefs passed from an ancestor to the Native American father. There were also mentions of technology unknown to me and maybe not yet invented, such as self-growing tarmac. So many government departments and people can be involved in determining if threats are real. If you are interested in any of the above, add this book to your reading list.