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5.0 out of 5 stars
faster than the speed of light, 29 July 2003
There are not many books that span the entire age of the universe, and still have the same heroes at the end - but this is one of them.
Sheffield fans will notice familiar themes, world war, the fragmentation of society, space travel, biological medling -they are all here.
Starting not to long from now, part one of the novel tells the fortunes of a group of sleep research scientists, who witness the end to the world, by a violent nuclear free for all, from the relative saftey of a space platform.
Part two, deals with a group of young talented winners of a global competition called 'Planetfest', the planet in question being 'Pentecost', and the year being around 27,000 A.D. The group's prize is to get to meet and work with 'the immortals', legendary beings who peridically return to Pentecost after many years away, travelling light years in days, and generally keeping as aloof and mysterious as they can.
The fun in the novel starts when the characters in parts one and two meet, and the mystery of the immortals - and their own vital mission concerning the future of the galaxy - is revealed.
I'll not give away the central plot device here, but this novel rally does show how we could travel faster than light, and how we could one day see the stars for ourselves.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
BRILLIANT, METICULOUSLY CONSTRUCTED HARD SCI-FI THAT WILL ZAP YOUR MIND!, 11 Jun 2011
This review is from: Between the Strokes of Night (Paperback)
I can't believe that hardly anyone has ever heard of this novel!
Charles Sheffield was a physicist, so of course this novel is meticulously well thought through scientifically, but it's also shot through with a sense of wonder at time, space and living beings which added to the context of the plot ultimately leaves you changed somehow, as good science fiction should. And the hard science is still correct!
This is quite simply one of my favourite science fiction novels of all time. I can't believe this novel is out of print! You should read it, now or sooner.
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