After the Syzygy by J.D. Sanderson

In 1977, humans placed the Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft with the hope it would be found by an alien civilization in the future.

In 2036, the alien equivalent arrived on Earth.

When the news leaks to the press, a global wave of fear, panic, and disinformation leaves people to wonder if the damage can ever be undone. In an attempt to quell unrest, several world governments begin an open exchange of ideas and information, hoping to understand the alien signal. As decades and centuries pass, humanity works together to answer one question.

I wrote ‘After the Syzygy’ over the course of a week in 2023 while I was house sitting for my parents. After five days, I realized I had a new sci-fi novella.

This story takes you on a 350-year journey as we see how humanity grapples with an alien signal from hundreds of light-years away. I wasn’t interested in a world-ending alien invasion story. There are plenty of those already, and I don’t think I could sell it.

I wanted to show why we reached to the stars. Why we became a more advanced, understanding, and empathetic people. To me, that's just as interesting as how.

With ‘After the Syzygy’, I really wanted to push the envelope in terms of narrative structure and form. I'll never be someone who follows the hero's journey, but with this book, I wanted to see just how far I could take things. Would people like a generation-spanning novella with no central protagonist or antagonist? I hope they do!

J.D. lives with his wife, daughter, and mini poodle in South Dakota. A lifelong fan of science fiction, J.D. began publishing books in the summer of 2018. These include the two-part science fiction time travel series ‘A Footstep Echo’ and ‘The Clock’s Knell’, and the short story collection ‘Around the Dark Dial’. J.D.’s work has also been featured in ‘Remnants: Volume One’ with Fedowar Publishing.

J.D. is excited for the upcoming release of his latest book, ‘A Footstep Echo: The Complete Collection’ in the fall of 2025.

For more details about books by J.D. Sanderson follow @ascifiwriter on Threads and Instagram.

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