Symphony for Sitara

By Donald a Nolte

In this realistic sci-fi novel, a large object collides with the star Altair, causing it to spew deadly levels of radiation. Beings on its third planet ('the Altairians') seek a new home. Their scout ship takes 80 years to reach to the Solar System. All members of the crew die en route, leaving their artificially intelligent computer ('Alta') to negotiate with Earth authorities. Protagonists Sitara ('Tara') and Jonathan ('Jon') meet at an astrophysics lecture. As mission specialist, Jon makes first contact. Media frenzy and public paranoia ensue. Congress and the UN are not keen on refugees. Alta goes to Mars, to prepare it for settlers. The love story of Tara and Jon spans a century, including a honeymoon aboard Alta's vessel at the Earth-Moon L1 point. They fight for approval of Altairian settlements on Earth. Antagonist billionaire Cornelius Staunton, lies, cheats and steals, and sexually molests Tara. The book highlights the need to fend off threatening asteroids, and addresses the entire range of global catastrophic risks. It considers the fragility of the environment, noting that space is not infinite in terms of its accessibility. At the conclusion, large vessels are observed coming from the planet Proxima-b, and Altairians ally with Earth in preparing for second contact. This novel looks at technologies of the future while peering into human motivations. It underscores the need for world unity, space as a common heritage, and love as the unifying force.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1730906818
• ISBN13: 9781730906817
• Release Date: November 2018
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 6.0"