SOLVED. Scifi book about an alien preemptive strike that follows different groups of survivors (one is a group of scientists who were in a deep sea submarine, another is a mining station) [s]

[Tri]

General info: I read this book around 2010. It looked like a typical paperback you'd find in an airport. It was pretty old at that time as the pages had turned yellow (I picked it up at a used bookstore).

Solved: It was The Killing Star by Charles Pelligrino and George Zebrowski.



Plot details (SPOILERS)





The book opened from the POV of someone at a monitoring station. He saw several objects that's been accelerated to a high percentage of light speed appearing on long-range sensor and realized that it was already too late to do anything to save humanity. The preemptive strike wiped out Earth and all of its colony. Only a few survived due to luck.

One of the group who survived was in a deep-sea submarine. They emerged to find a glassed Earth and had to decide whether to send an SOS signal or not (as the aliens might be listening for survivors). I don't remember what happened to this group.

Another group of people on some sort of mining ship/colony/station survived (I don't remember how). They decided to run by using a series of slingshot maneuvers. Unfortunately the alien ships (probes?) found them so they attempted to plunge into a gas giant, hoping the pressure would destroy the alien probe before it crushes their own ship. IIRC they died.

There might be one or two more groups but I don't remember any details. I do recall a particularly memorable analogy about how surviving as a race is like being alone at night in Central Park (so I think the author must be American); you must hide in the dark and wait until daylight, except daylight never comes.

[Andy]

I think this is The Killing Star by Charles Pelligrino and George Zebrowski The Killing Star

[Tri]

Ah that's the one. Thank you Andy!

[Andy]

Great. Glad to help.