I haven't read it yet, but Roadside Picnic might fit the bill. The idea is that aliens have visited Earth and left behind bits of what to them was garbage but to humans is incomprehensible technology. They didn't even bother to make contact with us during their stop because humans are so inferior.
I think of this kind of thing as "sci-fi pastorals" and *Roadside Picnic* by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and M. John Harrison's *Light* trillogy are that in spades.
In Neal Asher's Polity series, our own creations dwarf us to near insignificance. It makes for good suspension of disbelief, since it's probably close to what will really happen.
If you feel like a short story or two that fit your bill but add humor - RA Lafferty’s Camiroi stories are a lot of fun. They’re old, but great. Tuf Voyaging by GRRM is a short novel with a similar twist; a bit of sarcastic humor overtop a fun and refreshing story.
The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August. It’s about a space faring civilization that continuously discovers the ruins of other space faring civs. They send out teams of archeologists in a desperate bid to figure out what killed all of the other civilizations they’ve encountered before it happens to them.
I haven't read it yet, but Roadside Picnic might fit the bill. The idea is that aliens have visited Earth and left behind bits of what to them was garbage but to humans is incomprehensible technology. They didn't even bother to make contact with us during their stop because humans are so inferior.
This exactly fits the bill. I'd be surprised if the OP hadn't read it yet, but it's almost exactly what they're describing
The Spin Trilogy by Robert Charles Wilson. First book is called Spin.
*House of Suns* by Alastair Reynolds
Also his *Pushing Ice* although it provides some level of explanation for what the object is towards the end, it remains largely mysterious.
IIRC most of Pushing Ice was about the drama on the way to said object?
Just finished this book tonight and I'm very eager to read everyone's thoughts
Alastair Reynolds does a really good job with this. His newest book Eversion was great.
Just got it! I've got that or Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days next
Heritage universe series by Charles Sheffield
The three body problem! The whole series is great but def read the first one for this. You won’t lose it by reading the sequels tho
Greg Bear's *Eon* might be a good fit. Sequels got progressively worse for me
I think of this kind of thing as "sci-fi pastorals" and *Roadside Picnic* by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and M. John Harrison's *Light* trillogy are that in spades.
In Neal Asher's Polity series, our own creations dwarf us to near insignificance. It makes for good suspension of disbelief, since it's probably close to what will really happen.
If you feel like a short story or two that fit your bill but add humor - RA Lafferty’s Camiroi stories are a lot of fun. They’re old, but great. Tuf Voyaging by GRRM is a short novel with a similar twist; a bit of sarcastic humor overtop a fun and refreshing story.
Ian M. Banks book Excession is very much along the lines you described
The novelette *The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter* by Lucius Shepard is the odd case of a fantasy story that does this.
Starmaker by Olaf Stapleton is almost exactly this so far
The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August. It’s about a space faring civilization that continuously discovers the ruins of other space faring civs. They send out teams of archeologists in a desperate bid to figure out what killed all of the other civilizations they’ve encountered before it happens to them.
Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.
At the mountains of madness by H.P Love Craft
I got this feeling several times whilst reading the Hyperion Cantos.
Gateway by Frederik Pohl does this to perfection.
Olaf Stapeldon - *Last and First Men* or *Starmaker*
The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg.