The most interesting attempt to deal with The Fermi Paradox I know of is the Spin trilogy by Robert Charles Wilson. But if you don't like sci fi, you're not going to want to put three novels worth of effort into it.
I love Sci-fi. Must be the only genre I like. Except.. beside Frank Herbert, I never found some good sci-fi. Asimov is good, but with stupid character sometime. And most of the other, from Dan Simmons to C. Clark , F. Leiber (the one who wrote the same story twice, in 2 trilogy) , Jack Vance, Van vogt (at least, this one is funny for his personal heel face turn ), they all lack constructed clever story.. and as I said, I dont like sci-fi close in the future, like all the cyberpunk sub-genre. Ok Zelazny, get a pass. He is funny with real original setting. Herbert> Zelazny> Asimov > Every one else > K.Dick So thanks for the recommendation. I'll read the summary .... Ok I just read it on wiki Now, I remember!! I read that Book. I should have remember It has the same title in french. I loved the premise. and was disappointed by the solution. On the grip hand, at the time I read it (if I remember well, I took it in my small local library under the Sacré Coeur.. or my modern library in Strasbourg... or I should check in my bookcase if I bought it)... anyway , at that time, I had no idea of the Fermi paradox. But imho, it is still a lackluster resolution, so I never read anything else from the guy. That's the problem: when I love the basic mystery, the author better deliver on the resolution, or I get real pissed. Maybe the 2 others tome are better. Guess I'll never know
Which is interesting because I had a really hard time with Frank Herbert. Spin is a better book than the next two but Spin doesn't really resolve the Fermi Paradox. The other two books do. Right there with ya. That's probably why I hated Three Body Problem so much.That's the problem: when I love the basic mystery, the author better deliver on the resolution, or I get real pissed.