Two hundred years ago, humans made a stunning discovery . . . In the far reaches of the solar system: a huge statue of an alien creature, with an inscription that defied all efforts of translation.Now, faster-than-light drive opens the stars to exploration, humans are finding other relics of the race they call the Monument-makers - each different, and each heartbreakingly beautiful. But except for a set of footprint on Jupiter's moon lapetus, there is no trace of the enigmatic race that has left them behind.Then a team of scientists working on a dead world discover an ominous new image of the Monument-makers. Somehow it all fits with other lost civilisations, and possibly with Earth's own future. And distant past. But Earth itself is on the brink of ecological disaster - there is no time to search for answers. Even to a question that may hold the key to survival for the entire human race . . .
