Fractal Noise. Christopher Paolini. 2023.

No one could prepare for the ultimate encounter. 

On the planet Talos VII, an anomaly is detected: a vast circular pit fifty kilometres wide, with dimensions so perfect that it must have been designed. But who could have built it? More importantly, why? A handpicked team of scientists is assembled to find answers… 

The bust land on the uninhabited planet, then journey on foot across the surface - all driven by their own internal demons. For one explorer, the mission is the opportunity of a lifetime. For another, a risk not worth taking. For, xenobiologist Alex Crichton, it’s a desperate attempt to find meaning in a uncaring universe. The small team finds itself on a hazardous trek to the very edge of existence, every step towards the mysterious abyss more punishing than the last. And the ghosts of their pasts follow.