- Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
- Publisher: Bantam USA (Jun 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 055357681X
- ISBN-13: 978-0553576818
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.7 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,938,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Clio Finn is a Dive pilot on a troubled Earth in 2019. Public paranoia about the AIDS virus and its successors has led to the imprisonment of the "subversives" of the society (namely, drug users and gays) in forced labor quarantine camps known as quarries. Meanwhile, Earth itself is dying from a progressive lack of greenery, as the UV irradiation from a successively depleted ozone layer is killing off all the plants, and therefore the planet's ability to sustain itself.
To counteract this problem, the powers of Earth have decided that new greenery must be found on alternate worlds, to supplement Earth's dying stock with heartier, alien strains. But since faster-than-light travel is still unavailable, a new method must be found to achieve this. Enter time travel, in which a quick jaunt down through time can bring ships into the position of planets which had rotated through Earth's present position in the distant past, due to the galaxy's extended period of rotation.
As most people are unable to remain awake during these temporal Dives, the guiding duty is left to an exclusive class of Dive pilots. Only dive pilots have a limited span before they burn out. Most can last thirty to forty Dives. Clio Finn has lasted fifty-five, and she is on the ragged end of burn-out, kept on track only by a handful of outlawed drugs.
But the potential rewards are great. A previous haul of greenery, once thought to be Earth's salvation, is dying off, and an illicit jaunt into the future taken by Clio and her colleagues has discovered the violent end of humanity itself. So her current destination, Niang, an Edenic tropical planet, seems the answer to mankind's prayers. Only, on Niang's surface, Clio discovers a desperate secret. The green which may save mankind also subsists on metals, and may therefore destroy all of mankind's existing technology. Clio's dilemma--whether to regreen Earth at the risk of driving man back into the dark ages--is only exacerbated when an accidental loop in time catches her in a paradox between two alternate futures, each of which is determined to eradicate the other completely and absolutely.
To counteract this problem, the powers of Earth have decided that new greenery must be found on alternate worlds, to supplement Earth's dying stock with heartier, alien strains. But since faster-than-light travel is still unavailable, a new method must be found to achieve this. Enter time travel, in which a quick jaunt down through time can bring ships into the position of planets which had rotated through Earth's present position in the distant past, due to the galaxy's extended period of rotation.
As most people are unable to remain awake during these temporal Dives, the guiding duty is left to an exclusive class of Dive pilots. Only dive pilots have a limited span before they burn out. Most can last thirty to forty Dives. Clio Finn has lasted fifty-five, and she is on the ragged end of burn-out, kept on track only by a handful of outlawed drugs.
But the potential rewards are great. A previous haul of greenery, once thought to be Earth's salvation, is dying off, and an illicit jaunt into the future taken by Clio and her colleagues has discovered the violent end of humanity itself. So her current destination, Niang, an Edenic tropical planet, seems the answer to mankind's prayers. Only, on Niang's surface, Clio discovers a desperate secret. The green which may save mankind also subsists on metals, and may therefore destroy all of mankind's existing technology. Clio's dilemma--whether to regreen Earth at the risk of driving man back into the dark ages--is only exacerbated when an accidental loop in time catches her in a paradox between two alternate futures, each of which is determined to eradicate the other completely and absolutely.
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First Sentence
"Clio Finn rested her face against the bulkhead of her cabin, listening to countdown over the intercom, trying not to pass out." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"Clio Finn rested her face against the bulkhead of her cabin, listening to countdown over the intercom, trying not to pass out." Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I think this is one of the best books written by that author. The main character Clio, is a Time Dive pilot (one that is capable of guiding a ship into a "time stream"), who with two other colleagues are making a forbidden time dive to the future - and stayed there long enough to record a dying Earth's final transmission. Returning from the other Earth like planet (planet Niang with a colossal forest and vast rivers) with a small payload, she is trying to plant those "seeds of life" back on Earth - so that they could stop Earth's demise (since the ozone layer is pretty much depleted, the planet is dying as the ultraviolet irradiation is killing off all the plants).
The book also presents an interesting view on:
One: "Alternative Realities"/"Alternative Worlds" - as these parallel worlds are unable to survive indefinitely in one universe, one dominant "reality" will eventually always triumph over the other. I won't say anything more here (as not to spoil the main story line), but I've found this concept quite thought-provoking/intriguing in itself.
Two: Time-traveling space ships - where by traveling back in time, the ships arrive at point when parts of the galaxy are passing through the same space as our solar system currently occupies (you could say the that galaxy rotates independently "under" the ship, and upon re-entering the "time stream" the Dive ship will have jumped a large distance of space). This allows the ships to overcome impossibly vast distances from Earth to other star systems without using FTL technology.
It is a pure and great sci-fi action adventure with very interesting and greatly developed main characters: obviously Clio Finn but also Harper Teeg and Peter Zee. The story of course, is not that simple as the one outlined above (the plot has many twists and turns along the way), but it is a very satisfying read. For fans of science fiction and time travel this is a must read.
The book also presents an interesting view on:
One: "Alternative Realities"/"Alternative Worlds" - as these parallel worlds are unable to survive indefinitely in one universe, one dominant "reality" will eventually always triumph over the other. I won't say anything more here (as not to spoil the main story line), but I've found this concept quite thought-provoking/intriguing in itself.
Two: Time-traveling space ships - where by traveling back in time, the ships arrive at point when parts of the galaxy are passing through the same space as our solar system currently occupies (you could say the that galaxy rotates independently "under" the ship, and upon re-entering the "time stream" the Dive ship will have jumped a large distance of space). This allows the ships to overcome impossibly vast distances from Earth to other star systems without using FTL technology.
It is a pure and great sci-fi action adventure with very interesting and greatly developed main characters: obviously Clio Finn but also Harper Teeg and Peter Zee. The story of course, is not that simple as the one outlined above (the plot has many twists and turns along the way), but it is a very satisfying read. For fans of science fiction and time travel this is a must read.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Put some time aside, because once you start this novel, you won't want to stop.
This is an great sci-fi action adventure with interesting characters. Although Clio does begin to feel a bit like Job at times, the author keeps you guessing as to how she will get out of yet another impossible situation. Good quick enjoyable
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A good action/adventure SF. It started on the first page and never let up. I kept thinking that this would make a great movie. There are great plot twists and the plot didn't get predictable till near the end. Be ready to finish this in one sitting, it's hard to put down once it gets going.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very great!!
Starts out very predictable, but by the middle of the book, the plot has many twists and turns. I ended up not being able to put it down and even spent two days of my Florida... Read more
Published on 4 April 1999
writing only so so
The plot was pretty good, but some of the characters and dialogue were silly. Does the author really think people selected for such sensitive missions will be violent, sexist,... Read more
Published on 6 Jan 1999
Intense, complex, moving; reminiscent of C.J.Cheryh
If you're a fan of Ms. Cherryh (and I certainly am), you'll be delighted with this book. It has a dark intensity, quite a few surprises, and strong characters of both genders-- it... Read more
Published on 9 Dec 1998
Beats with the pulse of the Millennium
If you want something you can't put down, try SEEDS OF TIME. In Kay Kenyon's world (and in our own?) we're running out of time, out of green earth, out of chances. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 1998
Losing sleep over this one was worth it!
What a great book! I didn't want it to end, and this is the first sci-fi I've read! I'm ready for more wild adventures from this author. Read more
Published on 20 May 1998
Make my cold worthwhile
Lieing around, sick as a dog (does the whole world have the flu this month?), I actually started to be thankful for having enough downtime to go through this book, almost in one... Read more
Published on 16 Jan 1998
Good story. Reads easily and quickly
This book is well thought out and well edited. The characters are believable and the story enjoyable. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 1997
memorable heroine and a gripping story
This Story of Time travel, sacrifice, and conflict grip me from the start. You have a memorable heroine, Clio Finn who comes from a troubled past.
She is a dive pilot. Read more
She is a dive pilot. Read more
Published on 29 July 1997
Intelligent use of time travel
At last, a time-travel story that incorporates the time travel aspect into the storyline! All too often, time travel is gratuitous to the story or explained to death and used to... Read more
Published on 27 Jun 1997
Cute time travel hook fleshed out by colorful characters
"The Seeds of Time" explores the idea of time travel as a form of space travel for a civilization whose technology cannot construct faster than light ships. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 1997
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