Russ Colson’s A People Joined Asunder follows Quelly Clary, a self-taught geologist investigating a mysterious alien vessel hidden inside a ceramic artifact small enough to hold in one hand. Its enormous interior contains sleeping beings and miles of rocky corridors that Quelly suspects preserve a record of ancient events. Earth has received a cryptic warning from Wolf Star, and the threat of another alien attack makes that record crucial. Meanwhile, Barry “Barn” McAdams, who runs Quelly’s investigative agency in Fargo, travels to Jupiter’s moon Callisto with engineer Shanyah Teske and communications specialist Donner Albott. Their mission is to reconnect with the inhabitants beneath the moon’s frozen crust, whose history may hold answers about Earth’s future. As rival groups vie for the artifact, Quelly and Barn must piece together what the sleeping vessel means for humanity’s future.

Russ Colson’s A People Joined Asunder is excellent first-contact science fiction, with alien mysteries that feel entirely believable. The suspense is handled with real skill, particularly during Quelly’s ninety-minute search of a vessel, where each corridor offers the prospect of another discovery. The characters are drawn with genuine fleshing out, something I especially appreciated in Barn, whose dry humor comes with a tender side. His fondness for Bonnie Bovine, a cow carved by his grandfather, says plenty about him. Bren has a refreshing honesty when she discusses faith with Corbin beneath a Red River bridge. The scientific imagination is impressive, as shown by the Callistans’ ability to see through magnetic fields. The overhead view of the Asgard impact basin’s rings is beautifully rendered. Readers who appreciate intelligent space adventures and the likes of Weir's Project Hail Mary and Tchaikovsky's Children of Time are in for a treat. Very highly recommended.

Russ Colson’s A People Joined Asunder takes us to the near-future world of Fargo, where self-taught geologist Quelly Clary studies a ceramic alien artifact. A message from Wolf Star 359 predicts an alien attack on humanity. She must decode relationships among basaltic intrusions, ice dikes, and unconformities before the sleeping crew in the vessel awakens. Humanity is divided in their approach, yet everyone, from government to rogue factions, is determined to fight back. On the ice plains of Callisto, Shanyah Teske, a Kiln engineer, collaborates with an immortal Callistan called Hrvak. Their connection may be what it takes to repair the ship. When the battle station artifact is stolen, Quelly, her big-hearted boss Barn McAdams, and her friend Bren must convince humanity that the ship might not be an enemy. Could it be an Ark built by humanity’s ancestors?

Russ Colson's science fiction novel kept me turning the pages, fascinated by the imaginative storytelling and the exceptionally developed characters. Quelly is prickly, a heroine haunted by her father’s abandonment at the time she needed him most. She is intelligent, and her relationship with Barn McAdams illuminates the story and infuses it with humanity. Barn is eccentric and smart, but genuinely flawed, and his desire to match his heroic brother, who won't give him any affection or affirmation, made me feel for him. A People Joined Asunder examines what happens when humanity refuses to unite in the face of imminent danger. I was treated to immersive worldbuilding with Kiln ceramic technology, a water world hidden beneath Callisto's crust, magnetic-field vision, and the 250-mph Radial Rail. This fast-paced story takes you from geological riddles to kidnappings, murder, and a bomb countdown. It was a propulsive read.