SOLVED. scifi: aliens give spaceship a disease/meme so everyone becomes agoraphobic [s]

[Justanotherbiblophile]

SOLVED: _Deeper than Darkness_ or _The Stars in Shroud_ (rewrite) by Gregory Benford

I think this may be part of the Mauri series by Anderson, but I've looked at (some of) those, and can't seem to place it by name, and/or description? But it is definitely:
NOT "Sky People"
NOT _Orion Shall Rise_

I'm thinking it was a big name (Andre Norton?) or someone like that.

Perhaps I read this in Asimov's or Analog? No idea what date it was published on (I pick up old stuff from yard sales/etc), but don't think it could be much prior later than 2005.

It seemed pretty long (and kinda tedious), but I don't think it was a novel. Could be wrong, however.

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Humans encountered some aliens, and they gave us a disease/meme. Perhaps premeditated biowarfare? The humans in the story mostly appeared to believe this was so.

So, longer-term space ship - people away for many, many months (years?) on a trip.

Symptoms: everyone wanted to burrow up into small tunnels (and maybe fear of other people?). The people on the spaceship turned their cabins into burrows (where did they get the dirt? They definitely broke up furniture) and the main protag (who was Caucasian - because it was post-apoc and Polynesian / Asians were the dominate races) wanted to destroy the spaceship instead of returning to/communicating with Earth (ie: stopping the spread of the disease).

Nobody listened to him, sure that experts on earth could cure this hostile attack. (view spoiler)[Turns out they couldn't and Earth is in trouble after catching it. Eventually, protag makes a recovery - and Earth gov asks him to serve again (after having dismissed him in disgrace for being right). Turns out some humans are able to overcome the disease. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Hey Just--I vaguely recognize your book--not from something I've read myself, but I think from a blurb I saw in another book/magazine.

I can tell you it's NOT anything by Norton. She tended to be a bit more optimistic than your story seems to be.

I think it was a novel--but, again--I'm more basing this on what I really, really vaguely remember from reading about it.

I'll be adding this to my TBR pile when it's found. :o)

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump* Happy 2014!

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump*

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump*

[Ann aka Iftcan]

I can't believe that this hasn't been found yet. I really want to read/re-read this too Just. Well, keeping the toes crossed that someone will come in and ID it for us.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump uglies*

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*Happy Mother's Day (on Sun)*

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump* Happy Father's Day

[Andy]

Found it (I think) The Stars in Shroud

"The alien Quarn struck suddenly at the heart of Earth's interstellar Empire; their weapon a deadly plague, a soul-twisting assault that stripped away the veneer of civilization, and sent its victims fleeing back a million years to the safety of the ancestral caves"

[Andy]

Andy wrote: "Found it (I think) The Stars in Shroud

"The alien Quarn struck suddenly at the heart of Earth's interstellar Empire; their weapon a deadly plague, a soul-twisting assault that strip..."

P.S. Also published as "Deeper than Darkness" I think

Here's the review I just read, that made me say "I think someone was looking for this one other day on Goodreads" http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/5...

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Thanks, I'm looking into this book.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

FYI, this was Benford's first book, published as _Deeper than Darkness_

He re-wrote it, like 8 years later, as _The Stars in Shroud_