Novel about rendezvous with alien ship travelling through the solar system











up vote
22
down vote

favorite
6












I'm looking for a novel I read, probably in the mid 1990s.



The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on it as it continues out into deep space.



As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to steal all their technology.



When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate power.










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  • 21




    Sounds superficially similar to the sequels to Rendezvous with Rama...
    – dominic fonde
    Dec 5 at 3:51






  • 2




    Whenever these dead-alien-ship threads come up I'm always reminded of the best: Lem's story about the ship that discovered the dead alien ship but doesn't report it because it would take too long for ships to reach it and if they didn't find it by then he'd lose his job.
    – Maury Markowitz
    Dec 5 at 16:21















up vote
22
down vote

favorite
6












I'm looking for a novel I read, probably in the mid 1990s.



The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on it as it continues out into deep space.



As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to steal all their technology.



When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate power.










share|improve this question




















  • 21




    Sounds superficially similar to the sequels to Rendezvous with Rama...
    – dominic fonde
    Dec 5 at 3:51






  • 2




    Whenever these dead-alien-ship threads come up I'm always reminded of the best: Lem's story about the ship that discovered the dead alien ship but doesn't report it because it would take too long for ships to reach it and if they didn't find it by then he'd lose his job.
    – Maury Markowitz
    Dec 5 at 16:21













up vote
22
down vote

favorite
6









up vote
22
down vote

favorite
6






6





I'm looking for a novel I read, probably in the mid 1990s.



The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on it as it continues out into deep space.



As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to steal all their technology.



When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate power.










share|improve this question















I'm looking for a novel I read, probably in the mid 1990s.



The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on it as it continues out into deep space.



As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to steal all their technology.



When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate power.







story-identification novel






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Dec 8 at 18:31









Peter Mortensen

21019




21019










asked Dec 5 at 3:39









mgh42

46717




46717








  • 21




    Sounds superficially similar to the sequels to Rendezvous with Rama...
    – dominic fonde
    Dec 5 at 3:51






  • 2




    Whenever these dead-alien-ship threads come up I'm always reminded of the best: Lem's story about the ship that discovered the dead alien ship but doesn't report it because it would take too long for ships to reach it and if they didn't find it by then he'd lose his job.
    – Maury Markowitz
    Dec 5 at 16:21














  • 21




    Sounds superficially similar to the sequels to Rendezvous with Rama...
    – dominic fonde
    Dec 5 at 3:51






  • 2




    Whenever these dead-alien-ship threads come up I'm always reminded of the best: Lem's story about the ship that discovered the dead alien ship but doesn't report it because it would take too long for ships to reach it and if they didn't find it by then he'd lose his job.
    – Maury Markowitz
    Dec 5 at 16:21








21




21




Sounds superficially similar to the sequels to Rendezvous with Rama...
– dominic fonde
Dec 5 at 3:51




Sounds superficially similar to the sequels to Rendezvous with Rama...
– dominic fonde
Dec 5 at 3:51




2




2




Whenever these dead-alien-ship threads come up I'm always reminded of the best: Lem's story about the ship that discovered the dead alien ship but doesn't report it because it would take too long for ships to reach it and if they didn't find it by then he'd lose his job.
– Maury Markowitz
Dec 5 at 16:21




Whenever these dead-alien-ship threads come up I'm always reminded of the best: Lem's story about the ship that discovered the dead alien ship but doesn't report it because it would take too long for ships to reach it and if they didn't find it by then he'd lose his job.
– Maury Markowitz
Dec 5 at 16:21










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
37
down vote



accepted










The timeline is a bit out, but I'm pretty sure the book you are looking for is Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.




The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar
system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on
it as it continues out into deep space




The crew of the Rockhopper get tasked with following Saturn's moon Janus, after it ditches its disguise and starts heading out of the solar system. The Rockhopper gets caught in its wake and finds it impossible to stop, and so ends up travelling on Janus to its destination.




As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who
are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to
steal all their technology




The Rockhopper eventually ends up in a giant structure which is populated by other species that have also been trapped. One of these species is the Musk Dogs, who along with several allies go around stealing technologies and resources of new arrivals.




When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that
are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate
power




It's this part which makes it certain to me you are after Pushing Ice.



After finding a very slowly rotating spire and using its incredible torque to generate power, a technician is killed when he repeats a regular inspection several times in repetition around it - it's discovered that Janus punishes repetition, and so the crew take to carrying around methods of introducing randomness into their lives (dice etc).






share|improve this answer



















  • 2




    that's the one, I recognise the name of the Musk Dogs, and I did go through a spell of reading Alastair Reynolds books. Thanks
    – mgh42
    Dec 5 at 5:06






  • 1




    That book was so bleak I couldn't finish it...
    – jeffronicus
    Dec 5 at 17:19






  • 1




    @jeffronicus Alastair Reynolds has a habit of not finishing the story you want him to finish, and either leaving the real story dangling or just making it bleak. In pretty much all of his books, the mystery remains a mystery at the end, and often the driving focus of the book is unresolved.
    – Moo
    Dec 5 at 18:47






  • 2




    The idea to perform alien abduction by pumping the captured samples through the galaxy and down time to a rendezvous point using an extremely-near-lightspeed trip was cool. Then it gets dark and mind-blowing. And then it it gets darker and mind-blowinger. And then the enormity of the trap crushes your mind. It's basically "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Clarke channels Lovecraft.
    – David Tonhofer
    Dec 5 at 19:19








  • 1




    @Moo, thanks for this (excellent!) answer, it's resulted in a trip to Amazon and me knowing what I'll be reading on the train home tonight =)
    – Rob
    Dec 6 at 7:44


















up vote
15
down vote













Seems like the Rama series of books by Arthur C. Clarke to me.




Rendezvous with Rama is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 mi) cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards upon its release, and is regarded as one of the cornerstones in Clarke's bibliography. The concept was later extended with several sequels.




In the series there are gigantic cylinders passing through the solar system a few times. They have inhabitants from other species in them, and spires in at least one end that match your description.






share|improve this answer






























    up vote
    4
    down vote













    It reminds me of The Silver Ships by Scott Jucha.




    An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft
    drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity
    to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to
    the derelict.







    share|improve this answer




























      up vote
      -1
      down vote













      Rendezvous with Rama was written by Arthur C Clarke in the 1970s and was also made into a movie. It fits your description, through there may be other novel as people have suggested.






      share|improve this answer

















      • 3




        This answer is a bit on the brief side could you edit to explain why this is the correct book? However, it is also worth mentioning that this has already been suggested by another user with more detail so you may wish to delete this as it isn't adding anything new at the moment.
        – TheLethalCarrot
        Dec 6 at 13:16











      Your Answer








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      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes








      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      37
      down vote



      accepted










      The timeline is a bit out, but I'm pretty sure the book you are looking for is Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.




      The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar
      system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on
      it as it continues out into deep space




      The crew of the Rockhopper get tasked with following Saturn's moon Janus, after it ditches its disguise and starts heading out of the solar system. The Rockhopper gets caught in its wake and finds it impossible to stop, and so ends up travelling on Janus to its destination.




      As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who
      are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to
      steal all their technology




      The Rockhopper eventually ends up in a giant structure which is populated by other species that have also been trapped. One of these species is the Musk Dogs, who along with several allies go around stealing technologies and resources of new arrivals.




      When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that
      are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate
      power




      It's this part which makes it certain to me you are after Pushing Ice.



      After finding a very slowly rotating spire and using its incredible torque to generate power, a technician is killed when he repeats a regular inspection several times in repetition around it - it's discovered that Janus punishes repetition, and so the crew take to carrying around methods of introducing randomness into their lives (dice etc).






      share|improve this answer



















      • 2




        that's the one, I recognise the name of the Musk Dogs, and I did go through a spell of reading Alastair Reynolds books. Thanks
        – mgh42
        Dec 5 at 5:06






      • 1




        That book was so bleak I couldn't finish it...
        – jeffronicus
        Dec 5 at 17:19






      • 1




        @jeffronicus Alastair Reynolds has a habit of not finishing the story you want him to finish, and either leaving the real story dangling or just making it bleak. In pretty much all of his books, the mystery remains a mystery at the end, and often the driving focus of the book is unresolved.
        – Moo
        Dec 5 at 18:47






      • 2




        The idea to perform alien abduction by pumping the captured samples through the galaxy and down time to a rendezvous point using an extremely-near-lightspeed trip was cool. Then it gets dark and mind-blowing. And then it it gets darker and mind-blowinger. And then the enormity of the trap crushes your mind. It's basically "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Clarke channels Lovecraft.
        – David Tonhofer
        Dec 5 at 19:19








      • 1




        @Moo, thanks for this (excellent!) answer, it's resulted in a trip to Amazon and me knowing what I'll be reading on the train home tonight =)
        – Rob
        Dec 6 at 7:44















      up vote
      37
      down vote



      accepted










      The timeline is a bit out, but I'm pretty sure the book you are looking for is Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.




      The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar
      system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on
      it as it continues out into deep space




      The crew of the Rockhopper get tasked with following Saturn's moon Janus, after it ditches its disguise and starts heading out of the solar system. The Rockhopper gets caught in its wake and finds it impossible to stop, and so ends up travelling on Janus to its destination.




      As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who
      are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to
      steal all their technology




      The Rockhopper eventually ends up in a giant structure which is populated by other species that have also been trapped. One of these species is the Musk Dogs, who along with several allies go around stealing technologies and resources of new arrivals.




      When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that
      are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate
      power




      It's this part which makes it certain to me you are after Pushing Ice.



      After finding a very slowly rotating spire and using its incredible torque to generate power, a technician is killed when he repeats a regular inspection several times in repetition around it - it's discovered that Janus punishes repetition, and so the crew take to carrying around methods of introducing randomness into their lives (dice etc).






      share|improve this answer



















      • 2




        that's the one, I recognise the name of the Musk Dogs, and I did go through a spell of reading Alastair Reynolds books. Thanks
        – mgh42
        Dec 5 at 5:06






      • 1




        That book was so bleak I couldn't finish it...
        – jeffronicus
        Dec 5 at 17:19






      • 1




        @jeffronicus Alastair Reynolds has a habit of not finishing the story you want him to finish, and either leaving the real story dangling or just making it bleak. In pretty much all of his books, the mystery remains a mystery at the end, and often the driving focus of the book is unresolved.
        – Moo
        Dec 5 at 18:47






      • 2




        The idea to perform alien abduction by pumping the captured samples through the galaxy and down time to a rendezvous point using an extremely-near-lightspeed trip was cool. Then it gets dark and mind-blowing. And then it it gets darker and mind-blowinger. And then the enormity of the trap crushes your mind. It's basically "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Clarke channels Lovecraft.
        – David Tonhofer
        Dec 5 at 19:19








      • 1




        @Moo, thanks for this (excellent!) answer, it's resulted in a trip to Amazon and me knowing what I'll be reading on the train home tonight =)
        – Rob
        Dec 6 at 7:44













      up vote
      37
      down vote



      accepted







      up vote
      37
      down vote



      accepted






      The timeline is a bit out, but I'm pretty sure the book you are looking for is Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.




      The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar
      system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on
      it as it continues out into deep space




      The crew of the Rockhopper get tasked with following Saturn's moon Janus, after it ditches its disguise and starts heading out of the solar system. The Rockhopper gets caught in its wake and finds it impossible to stop, and so ends up travelling on Janus to its destination.




      As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who
      are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to
      steal all their technology




      The Rockhopper eventually ends up in a giant structure which is populated by other species that have also been trapped. One of these species is the Musk Dogs, who along with several allies go around stealing technologies and resources of new arrivals.




      When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that
      are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate
      power




      It's this part which makes it certain to me you are after Pushing Ice.



      After finding a very slowly rotating spire and using its incredible torque to generate power, a technician is killed when he repeats a regular inspection several times in repetition around it - it's discovered that Janus punishes repetition, and so the crew take to carrying around methods of introducing randomness into their lives (dice etc).






      share|improve this answer














      The timeline is a bit out, but I'm pretty sure the book you are looking for is Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.




      The story involved an alien vessel/asteroid coming through our solar
      system and a human ship going out to meet it and then being stuck on
      it as it continues out into deep space




      The crew of the Rockhopper get tasked with following Saturn's moon Janus, after it ditches its disguise and starts heading out of the solar system. The Rockhopper gets caught in its wake and finds it impossible to stop, and so ends up travelling on Janus to its destination.




      As they explored the alien vessel they encounter other alien races who
      are also stuck, some of them go round looking for new arrivals to
      steal all their technology




      The Rockhopper eventually ends up in a giant structure which is populated by other species that have also been trapped. One of these species is the Musk Dogs, who along with several allies go around stealing technologies and resources of new arrivals.




      When they first land they find spires sticking out of the surface that
      are rotating with near infinite torque so they use this to generate
      power




      It's this part which makes it certain to me you are after Pushing Ice.



      After finding a very slowly rotating spire and using its incredible torque to generate power, a technician is killed when he repeats a regular inspection several times in repetition around it - it's discovered that Janus punishes repetition, and so the crew take to carrying around methods of introducing randomness into their lives (dice etc).







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Dec 6 at 7:56









      Rob

      1,6871627




      1,6871627










      answered Dec 5 at 4:23









      Moo

      2,8351737




      2,8351737








      • 2




        that's the one, I recognise the name of the Musk Dogs, and I did go through a spell of reading Alastair Reynolds books. Thanks
        – mgh42
        Dec 5 at 5:06






      • 1




        That book was so bleak I couldn't finish it...
        – jeffronicus
        Dec 5 at 17:19






      • 1




        @jeffronicus Alastair Reynolds has a habit of not finishing the story you want him to finish, and either leaving the real story dangling or just making it bleak. In pretty much all of his books, the mystery remains a mystery at the end, and often the driving focus of the book is unresolved.
        – Moo
        Dec 5 at 18:47






      • 2




        The idea to perform alien abduction by pumping the captured samples through the galaxy and down time to a rendezvous point using an extremely-near-lightspeed trip was cool. Then it gets dark and mind-blowing. And then it it gets darker and mind-blowinger. And then the enormity of the trap crushes your mind. It's basically "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Clarke channels Lovecraft.
        – David Tonhofer
        Dec 5 at 19:19








      • 1




        @Moo, thanks for this (excellent!) answer, it's resulted in a trip to Amazon and me knowing what I'll be reading on the train home tonight =)
        – Rob
        Dec 6 at 7:44














      • 2




        that's the one, I recognise the name of the Musk Dogs, and I did go through a spell of reading Alastair Reynolds books. Thanks
        – mgh42
        Dec 5 at 5:06






      • 1




        That book was so bleak I couldn't finish it...
        – jeffronicus
        Dec 5 at 17:19






      • 1




        @jeffronicus Alastair Reynolds has a habit of not finishing the story you want him to finish, and either leaving the real story dangling or just making it bleak. In pretty much all of his books, the mystery remains a mystery at the end, and often the driving focus of the book is unresolved.
        – Moo
        Dec 5 at 18:47






      • 2




        The idea to perform alien abduction by pumping the captured samples through the galaxy and down time to a rendezvous point using an extremely-near-lightspeed trip was cool. Then it gets dark and mind-blowing. And then it it gets darker and mind-blowinger. And then the enormity of the trap crushes your mind. It's basically "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Clarke channels Lovecraft.
        – David Tonhofer
        Dec 5 at 19:19








      • 1




        @Moo, thanks for this (excellent!) answer, it's resulted in a trip to Amazon and me knowing what I'll be reading on the train home tonight =)
        – Rob
        Dec 6 at 7:44








      2




      2




      that's the one, I recognise the name of the Musk Dogs, and I did go through a spell of reading Alastair Reynolds books. Thanks
      – mgh42
      Dec 5 at 5:06




      that's the one, I recognise the name of the Musk Dogs, and I did go through a spell of reading Alastair Reynolds books. Thanks
      – mgh42
      Dec 5 at 5:06




      1




      1




      That book was so bleak I couldn't finish it...
      – jeffronicus
      Dec 5 at 17:19




      That book was so bleak I couldn't finish it...
      – jeffronicus
      Dec 5 at 17:19




      1




      1




      @jeffronicus Alastair Reynolds has a habit of not finishing the story you want him to finish, and either leaving the real story dangling or just making it bleak. In pretty much all of his books, the mystery remains a mystery at the end, and often the driving focus of the book is unresolved.
      – Moo
      Dec 5 at 18:47




      @jeffronicus Alastair Reynolds has a habit of not finishing the story you want him to finish, and either leaving the real story dangling or just making it bleak. In pretty much all of his books, the mystery remains a mystery at the end, and often the driving focus of the book is unresolved.
      – Moo
      Dec 5 at 18:47




      2




      2




      The idea to perform alien abduction by pumping the captured samples through the galaxy and down time to a rendezvous point using an extremely-near-lightspeed trip was cool. Then it gets dark and mind-blowing. And then it it gets darker and mind-blowinger. And then the enormity of the trap crushes your mind. It's basically "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Clarke channels Lovecraft.
      – David Tonhofer
      Dec 5 at 19:19






      The idea to perform alien abduction by pumping the captured samples through the galaxy and down time to a rendezvous point using an extremely-near-lightspeed trip was cool. Then it gets dark and mind-blowing. And then it it gets darker and mind-blowinger. And then the enormity of the trap crushes your mind. It's basically "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Clarke channels Lovecraft.
      – David Tonhofer
      Dec 5 at 19:19






      1




      1




      @Moo, thanks for this (excellent!) answer, it's resulted in a trip to Amazon and me knowing what I'll be reading on the train home tonight =)
      – Rob
      Dec 6 at 7:44




      @Moo, thanks for this (excellent!) answer, it's resulted in a trip to Amazon and me knowing what I'll be reading on the train home tonight =)
      – Rob
      Dec 6 at 7:44












      up vote
      15
      down vote













      Seems like the Rama series of books by Arthur C. Clarke to me.




      Rendezvous with Rama is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 mi) cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards upon its release, and is regarded as one of the cornerstones in Clarke's bibliography. The concept was later extended with several sequels.




      In the series there are gigantic cylinders passing through the solar system a few times. They have inhabitants from other species in them, and spires in at least one end that match your description.






      share|improve this answer



























        up vote
        15
        down vote













        Seems like the Rama series of books by Arthur C. Clarke to me.




        Rendezvous with Rama is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 mi) cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards upon its release, and is regarded as one of the cornerstones in Clarke's bibliography. The concept was later extended with several sequels.




        In the series there are gigantic cylinders passing through the solar system a few times. They have inhabitants from other species in them, and spires in at least one end that match your description.






        share|improve this answer

























          up vote
          15
          down vote










          up vote
          15
          down vote









          Seems like the Rama series of books by Arthur C. Clarke to me.




          Rendezvous with Rama is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 mi) cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards upon its release, and is regarded as one of the cornerstones in Clarke's bibliography. The concept was later extended with several sequels.




          In the series there are gigantic cylinders passing through the solar system a few times. They have inhabitants from other species in them, and spires in at least one end that match your description.






          share|improve this answer














          Seems like the Rama series of books by Arthur C. Clarke to me.




          Rendezvous with Rama is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 mi) cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards upon its release, and is regarded as one of the cornerstones in Clarke's bibliography. The concept was later extended with several sequels.




          In the series there are gigantic cylinders passing through the solar system a few times. They have inhabitants from other species in them, and spires in at least one end that match your description.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited Dec 6 at 10:53

























          answered Dec 5 at 12:18









          Renan

          1,4921821




          1,4921821






















              up vote
              4
              down vote













              It reminds me of The Silver Ships by Scott Jucha.




              An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft
              drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity
              to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to
              the derelict.







              share|improve this answer

























                up vote
                4
                down vote













                It reminds me of The Silver Ships by Scott Jucha.




                An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft
                drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity
                to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to
                the derelict.







                share|improve this answer























                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote









                  It reminds me of The Silver Ships by Scott Jucha.




                  An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft
                  drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity
                  to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to
                  the derelict.







                  share|improve this answer












                  It reminds me of The Silver Ships by Scott Jucha.




                  An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft
                  drifting into the system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity
                  to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to
                  the derelict.








                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Dec 5 at 13:44









                  Gert

                  1418




                  1418






















                      up vote
                      -1
                      down vote













                      Rendezvous with Rama was written by Arthur C Clarke in the 1970s and was also made into a movie. It fits your description, through there may be other novel as people have suggested.






                      share|improve this answer

















                      • 3




                        This answer is a bit on the brief side could you edit to explain why this is the correct book? However, it is also worth mentioning that this has already been suggested by another user with more detail so you may wish to delete this as it isn't adding anything new at the moment.
                        – TheLethalCarrot
                        Dec 6 at 13:16















                      up vote
                      -1
                      down vote













                      Rendezvous with Rama was written by Arthur C Clarke in the 1970s and was also made into a movie. It fits your description, through there may be other novel as people have suggested.






                      share|improve this answer

















                      • 3




                        This answer is a bit on the brief side could you edit to explain why this is the correct book? However, it is also worth mentioning that this has already been suggested by another user with more detail so you may wish to delete this as it isn't adding anything new at the moment.
                        – TheLethalCarrot
                        Dec 6 at 13:16













                      up vote
                      -1
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      -1
                      down vote









                      Rendezvous with Rama was written by Arthur C Clarke in the 1970s and was also made into a movie. It fits your description, through there may be other novel as people have suggested.






                      share|improve this answer












                      Rendezvous with Rama was written by Arthur C Clarke in the 1970s and was also made into a movie. It fits your description, through there may be other novel as people have suggested.







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered Dec 6 at 13:13









                      GrahamJ

                      991




                      991








                      • 3




                        This answer is a bit on the brief side could you edit to explain why this is the correct book? However, it is also worth mentioning that this has already been suggested by another user with more detail so you may wish to delete this as it isn't adding anything new at the moment.
                        – TheLethalCarrot
                        Dec 6 at 13:16














                      • 3




                        This answer is a bit on the brief side could you edit to explain why this is the correct book? However, it is also worth mentioning that this has already been suggested by another user with more detail so you may wish to delete this as it isn't adding anything new at the moment.
                        – TheLethalCarrot
                        Dec 6 at 13:16








                      3




                      3




                      This answer is a bit on the brief side could you edit to explain why this is the correct book? However, it is also worth mentioning that this has already been suggested by another user with more detail so you may wish to delete this as it isn't adding anything new at the moment.
                      – TheLethalCarrot
                      Dec 6 at 13:16




                      This answer is a bit on the brief side could you edit to explain why this is the correct book? However, it is also worth mentioning that this has already been suggested by another user with more detail so you may wish to delete this as it isn't adding anything new at the moment.
                      – TheLethalCarrot
                      Dec 6 at 13:16


















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