Ray Amic has crafted a complex work with enermous scope in his debut novel, "The Fate of Venus." This richly layered novel explores what it means to be human, encompassing life on Earth in the distant past and future, the small meaningful moments that make up our lives, and the scientific decisions that change our world forever. The United States of America launched the first message into space aboard Pioneer 10, hoping it would one day be found by intelligent beings. This hope is answered when the message is detected and captured by the inhabitants of the planet Sedik O Seven. The people of this planet are scientifically and technologically advanced, having set up a permanent outpost on Mars to observe the activities of Earth and Venus. But NASA doesn't know. Desirous of more information, a team of Sedikians are sent to Earth and chance upon Vladimir, a Russian police officer, whom they convince to guard a transmitter set up for communication Earth and the Sedikians outpost on Mars. But this responsibility, carried out with complete secrecy, begins to weigh heavily on Vladimir. Upon his retirement from the force years later, he comes clean with his closest friend, the famed writer Leonid. Upon hearing the details, Leonid determines to write a book detailing the correspondence between Vladimir and the Sedikians. Meanwhile, the Sedikians continue their probe of Earth and Venus, eventually stumbling upon evidence that Venus used to be a live planet inhabited by a species of human. Due to unknown reasons, however, Venus's environment had turned hostile within just a few decades, eradicating life from the planet. From information picked up via their Mars outpost, the Sedikians learn that a spacecraft piloted by Venusian defectors seeking refuge from their dying planet set off for Earth about 5,000 years before. The Sedikians once again head to Earth in search of the ship's decayed remains. What they find will forever change their world.......and ours.