The Sparrow-Mary Doria Russell A first contact/survivor story. The Jesuit order sent a contact team to the planet Rakhat, which was broadcasting music into space. Only one man, Sandoz, survived, and his return to earth leads him to recount his story. Upon reaching Rakhat, the Jesuits tried to survive and mixed with the locals, eventually introducing agriculture to some of them. This proved to have disastrous results, and all of the team were killed except Sandoz, who was physically disfigured and forced to be the sexual slave of a planetary leader. Turns out that the music being broadcast was the tales of the Leader’s sexual conquests. Not exactly top 40 material, methinks.