Doorway to the Stars

"The stars are ours. Again. After an effort to disable an ancient stargate discovered on Sioux land was stymied, the local people cooperated with Federal officials and others in exploring the strange worlds linked by the alien technology. Secrets old and new are uncovered but prove difficult to explain. Who built the stargate? What connection do the builders have with the worlds and intelligent species the various doors open to reveal? A millennia-old danger is uncovered by some of Jack McDevitt's meticulously drawn characters in Doorway to the Stars, which is loosely connected to the author's highly-praised novel Thunderbird. The exact nature of the danger is only slowly revealed, and exactly what humanity can do about it is a question weighing heavily on the minds of, eventually, everyone in the world. Scientists, bureaucrats, clergymen, and even a science fiction writer all have their ideas, but firm evidence is hard to come by. Jack McDevitt, whose novel Seeker won the Nebula Award in 2006, has been exploring first contact situations and xenoarchaeology for over forty years. His many readers have grown to anticipate more questions than answers, and to find deep satisfaction with the mysteries of McDevitt's universe."--Publisher's description.