Hole in the Sky

Wilson (Robopocalypse) draws on his Cherokee heritage to meld Native American and scientific knowledge into a stunning phantasmagoric first contact tale. When an encounter with deep-space Voyager crafts triggers an alien probe to race toward Earth, a long-dormant alien mechanism on the planet awakens and begins to bring its dreams to life, alerting a handful of sensitive people to its existence. Gavin Clark, chasing UFO reports, links up with NASA scientist Mikayla Johnson, who deciphers the alien probe signal as a series of human voices shrieking. Meanwhile oil field worker Jim Hardgray, while trying to reunite with his estranged daughter, Tawny, begins to see visions of his Cherokee ancestors and to wonder if the burial mound near his single-wide trailer is as charged with spirits as his mother-in-law warned. Wilson neatly entangles the most modern tech, like quantum computers that accurately foretell the future, with ancient beliefs that retain enough power to motivate contemporary folks. Like the best X-Files episodes, this story uses the alien character to bring out the human elements in vivid detail. It’s a masterful feat. Agent: Laurie Fox, Linda Chester Agency. (Oct.)