Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo - A Science Fiction Novel

The story is told through the eyes of Bartolomeo, a prickly fellow born deformed and raised by adults whom he assumes knew his parents. He lives on a starship that has been wandering throughout the galaxy for centuries. All those on board had been born there. The purpose of their voyage remains elusive, and the archives that would give the passengers a sense of their past have been destroyed. It has been 14 years since the ship called the Argonos has visited a human habitation.As the story begins a signal is detected from a nearby planet. Bartolomeo leads a team to explore an area of the planet that looks to have once held a human colony. Now, though, it appears deserted. In a deep cavern beneath an odd star shaped building the team discovers the remains of the colonists and are sickened by the hideous manner of their deaths. Hours later the Argonos intercepts another signal, this one coming from deep space. The source is a barren, alien spaceship at once fascinating and frightening.I read this book about 3 years ago and the story stayed with me. I recently read it again, and the last hundred pages held me enthralled even though I knew what was going to happen. The characters and plot are very well developed. Yes, there are unresolved issues as some critics have pointed out. The aliens remain an elusive mystery, but that is part of what makes this novel ring true. Like real life some questions are never answered. dr seuss book collection