Show HN: New hard science fiction novel

[dufbugderopa]

The Quantum Alliance by David L DiLaura (Kindle + Kindle Unlimited + paperback), a hard science fiction novel of the near future, appeared in January.

The Deep Space Network detects Voyager 1 slowing, stopping, and returning. Something found Voyager 1 and is bringing it back to Earth. During its return journey, Voyager’s downlink contains an image cribbed from the golden record. It is a warning.

Then a second message appears: Voyager is carrying an artifact meant for Earth. Something that enables a form of communication with the stars, grounded in quantum measurement. The only entity that can use it is ORIN, Earth’s quantum AI, and it becomes humanity’s ambassador.

The book leans hard into engineering realism: DSN cadence and light-time delays, mission operations constraints, instrument limitations) and treats “first contact” as an engineering and ontological event rather than an adventure. It also explores biological and nonbiological consciousness, and the global response to a planet-wide threat.

This isn’t space opera. It is hard science fiction written for readers who liked The Andromeda Strain or Rendezvous with Rama, expect and welcome some technical density, and are willing to ruminate about the nature of our own minds.

[bigyabai]

Please stop repeatedly posting this. It violates HN's guidelines:

> Please don't use HN primarily for promotion. It's ok to post your own stuff part of the time, but the primary use of the site should be for curiosity.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

[dufbugderopa]

My apologies. I had forgotten to include Show HC in the title and by the time I realized that, I was unable to remove the pose. I did not think the first posting actually made it.

[PaulHoule]

Here's the deal. You'd find it all works a lot better if you actually were a member of the HN community who posted links to other people's content and participated in discussion.

dang is doing some kind of shadowbanning on outsiders who never take an interest in HN until one day they suddenly realize that their odds of getting more than 10 views are better than Product Hunt. Trouble is that these people don't understand what they are up against and they don't give up but they keep trying to post over and over again. dang really ought to make something that is more straight with people.

[codingdave]

... which just has you breaking even more rules. Show HN is for sharing and collaborating on projects (well, at least talking and answering questions about it), not for selling your book.

[gus_massa]

I went to Amazon and there are only a few random pages visibles. Take a look at https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html Is the first chapter available somewhere?