Fun read!

Hole in the Sky is a fast-paced first contact thriller. It follows four point-of-view characters: The Man Downstairs, a techno-oracle of sorts that the government keeps hidden away; Jim Hardgray, a Native American father who has a chance to reconnect with his daughter; Gavin Clark, the director of Emerging Weapons Technology for the US; and Mikayla Johnson, a NASA analyst monitoring the all-but-defunct Voyager spacecraft.

This book is more Independence Day than Arrival. I'm probably more of an Arrival guy, but there was enough mystery here to keep me invested. Things certainly go in a unique direction. I did expect something a little more cerebral based on the marketing, but I enjoyed the action and the suspense nonetheless. The plot moves along at a steady clip, and each of the POV characters brings a different perspective to the unfolding events in a way that keeps things fresh.

Wilson did a great job giving his characters distinct voices and personalities. They were all compelling if not all that developed. My only complaint here was Mikayla. She reads like a cringey caricature of a terminally-online mad scientist. I think the author might have intended this, but it didn't land for me. She felt too exaggerated to be believable.

I'd recommend this for anyone interested in an action-packed first contact story with a few surprises up its sleeve. This would be a great summer porch read, although it doesn't come out until October!

Thanks NetGalley and Doubleday books for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

Hole in the Sky is a genre-bending, brainy collision of indigenous worldview and alien first contact, with a sharp undercurrent of dread and mystery. The structure can feel uneven—some perspectives grip more than others—but the concept is electric, and Wilson delivers a deeply original story that lingers.

This science fiction novel captured my attention and imagination at the very beginning! It had thriller vibes and I found it to be very thought provoking and entertaining. This is a fast paced, easy to read book. While it started off great, it did get somewhat not as entertaining near the end of the book. I really enjoyed the themes, especially the discovery and cultural understanding themes. This story follows different characters whom all experience the same big mysterious event that occurs. I really liked the premise and the diverse cast of characters in this story. It had a clear thesis and was well executed!

The cultural elements really stands out! The first contact between humans and the unknown was quite interesting. The different reactions between the humans with different cultural backgrounds had me really immersed in the story! I think that anyone who loves reading science fiction, along with multicultural interests would enjoy reading this story! Be sure to read the content warnings. Overall, I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Daniel H. Wilson and Doubleday Books for this electronic ARC to read in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on October 7, 2025!

Hole in the Sky is a story about first contact with aliens, told from the perspective of four people: The Man Downstairs, an anonymous genius whose sole job is sitting in a government basement interpreting messages in the form of strange poetry from something known only as The Entity; Gavin Clark, a government spook who is designated to track any such contact with alien life forms and to be there firsthand should first contact ever come to Earth; Mikayla Johnson, a girl who works for NASA who behaves oddly and has always known she didn't quite belong, aided by specially augmented glasses that speak to her; and Jim Hardgray, a Native man trying to reconcile with his young daughter who happens to live near where the incoming anomaly is destined to impact Earth.
Told in the style of Robopocalypse, the alternating perspectives of the main characters come together as an alien craft heads to Earth. At times the different characters' stories varied from interesting to confusing to, if I'm being honest, not that interesting. Gavin's story line was the strongest and most consistent, somewhat reminding me of The X-Files. It was certainly a different take on the prospect of aliens appearing, mixing sci-fi with a bit of weird fiction and Native folklore. Overall it was solid, I just found I didn't always care for where certain plot elements led. 3.5/5*

2.5 stars

Jim Hardgray, a member of the Cherokee National (as is the author) has just taken custody of his 13 year old daughter, Tawny and they are trying to connect. Dr. Mikayla Johnson, a staffer a NASA in Houston, works on the Voyager projects and observes something odd with those faraway crafts. Gavin Clark, high up in the Defense Department, is investigating a huge number of anomalies reported by people all around the world and, in an undisclosed bunker, threat forecaster (that sounds like a good job. Couldn’t I just stick my head out the door and shout, “They’re everywhere!,” then go back in and take a nap?) known as The Man Downstairs declares that First Contact is coming. And he’s never wrong.

Well, I really liked the first half of this book and had little use for the second. The blurb for the book said it’s based in “real science” and setting aside the aliens, I’m not sure in what part of real science we find the Pattern, the Nix, bombs you can stand really close to…I could go on. It was all pretty outlandish for me and from the description I was hoping for better.

What a great read. Glad I was not really informed what I was in for, made it that much more interesting. The fantasy thriller combo kept me reading pretty much straight through. Fantasy creates space for abrupt change as needed and the author seemed to take good care of me the reader in the changes as they happened. Highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the opportunity to read this book!

WOW. This one blew me away. I wasn't sure what to expect and yet I had high hopes and was still pleasantly surprised.

Me, to a colleague: Think indigenous eldritch horror meets Nope meets Independence Day.
Him: Whoa, I'm in.

Exactly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the Advanced reader copy of Hole in the Sky. What a great and innovative sci-fi novel.. If you are someone who enjoys sci-fi featuring government scientists, or origin stories of First Nation people, or who has ever watched the Netflix series, Ancient Apocalypse, you will really enjoy Hole in the Sky.

I wanted to like this, and there was initially so much promise, but it just didn't stick the landing.


Review copy provided by publisher.