It has everything, fun, aliens, mystery to solve, both emotional and scientific. Did I say fun?

Engrossing, funny, and surprising

This is an old favorite. He writes stuff that I wish I would have thought of.

Mr. Diaz uses language to paint breath-taking pictures. It's historical fiction, not Scify, but oh so good!

This is the first book in the Academy Series that follows a spaceship pilot, Patricia Huchtins, as she navigates the universe, politics, love, and the discovery of an ancient and enigmatic race that left behind tiny clues about who they were, and nothing about how or why they disappeared.