Emilio travels with a number of friends he has cultivated during his life and who are all uniquely qualified to be a part of the manned mission. The team, traveling by the speed of light, spend 7 months on the trip to the new planet - which is in actuality 17 earth years.
When they get there, they meet a very friendly race of people that have fur covering their bodies and tales. These people take in the travelers and begin to learn their language.
It isn't until they meet another race that lives on the planet that they find the people who were playing the music they could hear on earth. It is here that Sandoz ends up in captivity and is finally rescued by another ship from earth. I'm not giving anything away in the plot by telling you this last paragraph because the story is told by Sandoz when he makes it back to earth.
While this book is an excellent sci-fi book, it is also a book about a man who has lost his faith in God and is trying to find his faith. It is this struggle that is the best thing about this book.
Rating: 10 / 10
ISBN: 0679451501
Publisher: Villard
Edition: 1st Edition