The Fermi Paradox has a solution, and you’re going to like it.
Every once in a while, a science fiction novel comes along that reminds us why we fell in love with the genre in the first place. Eduardo Garbayo’s debut fiction novel, Res Silentis, is exactly that kind of book. If you are tired of space operas where the laws of physics are treated as mere suggestions, buckle up. This is a first-contact story driven by astrophysics, mathematical rigor, and the chilling reality of deep space. It is a love letter to the Golden Age of Sci-Fi, delivering a profound philosophical punch wrapped in edge-of-your-seat engineering tension.
The Ultimate Cold Case in the «Graveyard Orbit»
The premise hooks you immediately. High above the bustling traffic of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) lies the «Graveyard Orbit». Parked roughly 22,400 miles above the equator , this is the cosmic landfill where we send our dead, multi-million-dollar satellites once their fuel runs dry so they don’t cause catastrophic collisions.
A Crisis of Comprehension, Not War
What makes Res Silentis a potential classic is how humanity reacts. There are no laser-toting aliens or sudden invasions. Instead, the discovery triggers a massive crisis of comprehension. Garbayo brilliantly maps out the tension between those who want to study the universe and those who want to conquer it.
We follow Dr. Helena Barzos, an idealistic ESA astrophysicist who views space as a mirror for humanity’s future , and her American counterpart, David Talends, a NASA-turned-Space-Force engineer burdened by a family legacy of Cold War-era space dominance. When the American military complex, led by the pragmatic and paranoid General Haise, tries to claim jurisdiction over the anomaly, the race to decode the Sphere becomes a ticking clock.
The author doesn’t dumb down the science. When the global scientific community tries to decipher the exact diameter of the Sphere (a highly specific 2.909259 meters), the breakthrough comes from utilizing the Planck length—the fundamental «pixel» of the universe. The book argues that an advanced civilization wouldn’t use arbitrary human measurements like meters or yards; they would use the very fabric of reality to communicate.
The Verdict
Res Silentis is incredibly suspenseful, but the thrills come from the «eureka» moments in control rooms, the frantic international diplomacy, and the sheer terror of facing an intellect so vastly superior that it treats our greatest technological achievements with absolute indifference.
It’s hard sci-fi with a deeply philosophical soul. The novel constantly asks us to look in the mirror: In the threshold between the human and the infinite, the true question was never if we were alone. The question was whether we were actually ready to step out of our cosmic cradle.
If you loved the rigorous science of The Martian and the sweeping, existential wonder of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Contact, Res Silentis belongs on your shelf.
