When an ancient alien machine race makes first contact with James, he expects a disaster but finds a promise of salvation. What they offer is knowledge and a deep, thorough assessment.
James names the aliens "The Collective." They are beings that value logic, skill, and the learning of lessons.
Although he learns much, James questions their motives hidden behind perfect diplomacy. They teach James to find the blessing within the curse of immortality. They teach him that he is immortal consciousness and that death is an illusion.
James is challenged to consider what it means to be human without mortality, he must face the sledgehammer mechanism of natural selection and he must defeat the great filter. Behind every conversation, James questions the true motive of "The Collective." He must question everything he ever understood about life, death, and the alien minds who claim they can deliver from both.
