Properly weird cerebral sci-fi. I mean this would be weird without the vampires, but vampires we have. Weird here is a term of endearment. This is a fantastic book.
The setting is the near future, where some seriously strange alien stuff has started happening on Earth and the edges of the solar system. Our motley crew is formed of cyborgs, a person who deliberately split their mind into other personalities, the narrator who is missing half his brain, led by the aforementioned vampire who, like the others, calls the ship's quiet AI "captain". They are sent far, far away to investigate. You will be unsurprised that what they find is strange.
First the vampires. I think the writer often puts them into his stories. Here they're an extinct offshoot of humanity that we brought back, their predatory nature reduced by science and their incredible intellect used to further the progress of our shared nature. Rare, they are viewed with deep suspicion.
This is hard sci-fi so the space flight is long to get out past the planets...and they find another lifeform. They go through various stages of first contact...radio...in person. It is brilliantly done, vivid, grotesque, strange. The mystery and danger build to a satisfying physical and philosophical conclusion.
Just how different could other species be? Given the scope of the universe, it must be immense. Chilling. "They're not even hostile. Not even capable of hostility."
There's much more here too, the mundane stuff on Earth is anything but. A romantic relationship with a girl who edits memories and a mother who went to "Heaven", a very popular simulated world of mental bliss...with some downsides...
Recommended for hard sci-fi and/or philosophy fans, but probably no one else despite the excellent writing. It can be heavy going if this is not your space!