 Clinton Lawrence described the last Sector General book , Double Contact ( 1999 ) , as " in a very positive way , a throwback to an earlier era in science fiction " since it is optimistic and depicts several advanced species working harmoniously . The struggle to build trust and produce a successful first contact is , he thought , as exciting and suspenseful as one could wish for . However he noted that the level of characterization was the minimum required to support the plot . 
