The Coming Silence

In one hundred and fifty years, a thing older than civilizations will arrive. It has consumed six previous regions of the spiral arm and left no survivors to name it. The galaxy's six intelligent species have fled from it, submitted to it, or died — none of them has ever coordinated against it. Until now. A trilogy about record-keeping as survival technology, about cultures learning each other's grammars, and about the long patient work of building something that will still be standing when it is finally needed.