''Silicon Embrace'' is a 1996 English language science fiction novel by John Shirley. Set in the near future, it tells the story of a group of journalists in the course of a

Second American Civil War The "Second American Civil War" is an umbrella term used by academics in order to reclassify historical eras of significant political violence in the history of the United States as a "civil war" or, more commonly, to discuss the potential outbre ...

. The second civil war in the story is between "religious and ethnic" factions. The main characters get involved in a plot set by obscure entities within the US government together with an

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

race from

Zeta Reticuli Zeta Reticuli, Latinized from ζ Reticuli, is a wide binary star system in the southern constellation of Reticulum. From the southern hemisphere the pair can be seen with the naked eye as a double star in very dark skies. Based ...

, called the Zetans, who are supposedly friendly to Earth. A second group of aliens, called the Meta, are initially considered hostile. As the novel progresses, layers are peeled away and some of the truth, but not all of it, is revealed. ''Kirkus Reviews'' writes that the story has "thrills and spills" but that Shirley's own "private theology" is too obvious in the story. The ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' review considered the book a "marginal purchase" for libraries. The ''Washington Post'' called the novel a "hybrid sf/horror novel that may satisfy neither camp." '' Publishers Weekly'' was more friendly in their review, writing that readers who enjoy conspiracy theories and New Age myths, along with UFOs will enjoy the book.

References

1996 American novels 1996 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Novels about ancient astronauts {{1990s-sf-novel-stub