I got this as part of a Humble Bundle. It starts off as a first contact story, but becomes something bigger. It has a big cast and I did lose track of people at times as I read this over an extended period. I didn't find them the most engaging of characters, but I still enjoyed the book.

There are some nice retro (80s) features when he talks about their computers. That may be intentional.

I think there's a sequel that I will have to look up some time.