The Last Days of Good People

The prime directive from Star Trek meets The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. Bound by law, duty, and personal ambition the main character doesn't really much care about the alien race he's been assigned to watch and document die. Until he meets them.

Normally hidden behind an invisible shield, the government sees no real harm in establishing a connection with the alien race A.T. Sayre has cleverly crafted in the novel. They will be extinct soon enough. However, it would be impossible for almost anyone to switch from watching to interacting with a dying people and not be affected. Especially if those people were just as good as the title suggests.

Written from the perspective of one of the newer members assigned to watch and wait through the extinction-level event, I suspect most readers will feel the same building emotions the protagonist does. The transition from dry words on a report to living, breathing aliens with a distinct culture for both Warin and for us readers is expertly done.

This one will stick with you, but it does take a while to get there. After a somewhat rough start and an out-of-place romantic connection, the novel eventually blossoms into something both profound and morbidly beautiful.