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The Trigger [Mass Market Paperback]

Arthur Charles Clarke (Author), Michael P. Kube-McDowell (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: Sep 2000
From Arthur C. Clarke, bestselling author of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Creator Of The Rama Series, and Michael Kube-Mcdowell comes a breathtaking new novel of bold scientific speculation and edge-of-your-seat suspense: a riveting thriller in which the fate of humanity depends on whose finger is on...The Trigger

It is the ultimate anti-weapon. A device that can render guns and bombs virtually harmless. At least that is how Dr. Jeffrey Horton, the brilliant young physicist who developed the Trigger, hopes his discovery will be used. Yet, like the scientists who first believed nuclear weapons would be the ultimate deterrent to war, could Horton and his colleagues be wrong? Will this new technology bring peace, or chaos? Will it be used to protect people, or control them? Will it mean the end of war, or a whole new kind of war? Not even Horton could have foreseen the fierce power struggle emerging for control of the Trigger. Soon it becomes clear that no one can be trusted. Not even those closest to him. Someone has already betrayed the project. Others will do anything to stop it--or co-opt it for their own ends. And the greatest enemy may be those with the best intentions.

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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 640 pages
  • Publisher: Spectra Books (Sep 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553576208
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553576207
  • Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 3.8 x 17.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,155,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Authors

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Arthur C. Clarke
Michael P. Kube-McDowell

Product Description

Amazon Review

Set in a future of in which virtual trials are a reality, and when a "Windows era" PC can be bought for 25 US dollars, The Trigger is a hi-tech science-fiction thriller which follows a discovery by physicist Jeffrey Horton which can render weaponry harmless. The promise is an end to warfare, and to the arms industry. Vested interests are not about to allow this to happen, and Horton finds himself caught in a deadly, escalating crisis, as the world spirals towards war and expediency comes face to face with morality. Horton's breakthrough offers a last chance for peace, but once the genie has been let out of the bottle, can it ever be contained again?

On the surface this is a most unusual book for Arthur C. Clarke. There is none of the interplanetary questing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, or Rendezvous With Rama, and while in the past Clarke's books have been almost totally devoid of violence, here is a direct confrontation with the subject. As such The Trigger reads less like Clarke's previous fiction than a liberal answer to the blockbusting adventure novels of Tom Clancy. Likewise, the flashes of humour, the sharp dialogue and the political intrigue will be more familiar to readers of Michael Kube-McDowell's Alternities and the Trigon Disunity. However, the result of this collaboration is an epic thriller, as well as a surprising change of direction for Arthur C. Clarke, undoubtedly the most famous science fiction writer in the world. --Gary S. Dalkin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

‘Arthur Clarke is one of the true geniuses of our time’
Ray Bradbury

‘Arthur C. Clarke is the prophet of the space age’
The Times

‘A one-man literary Big Bang, Clarke has originated his own vast and teeming futurist universe’
Sunday Times

‘Kube-McDowell is reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke at his best’
Newsday

‘Kube-McDowell is an author to be reckoned with’
Greg Bear

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
12 reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars THE Farewell to Arms 19 Oct 2001
By badahan@hotmail.com
Format:Paperback
First things first : The book deals with the human interaction with a major technological shift. This could be summed up as "THE Farewell to Arms". And the personal and social aspects of such a change are dealt with, in a great fashion. You won't regret buying this book - in fact, you'll wish there were a sequel.

Trigger also provokes many thoughts in the light of the latest terrorist attacks. The Trigger or the Silencer could not have stopped the September 11 attacks, because the only weapons used were knives. Also, biological warfare would be immune to the Trigger.

The book deals with the human soul with respect to its hunger for power and control, and its capacity to destroy. It would have been great to live in a world with The Trigger or the Silencer...

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but a little narrow 22 Mar 2000
By CJ TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
This is a good book, but concentrates too much on the issue of Americans rights to bear arms. This is a continuing theme throughout the novel; rather than showing the impact that a device which can 'trigger' explosive materiel would have on the whole world. It gets bogged down too much in moral implications at times, and most of the narrative is told through conversation, some of it too long-winded. Characters are, at times, woefully undeveloped and several plot threads are left dangling at the close, in favour of a snappy ending. BUT! For all that, the authors do a very good job of portraying our society, and our love for violence and guns. It makes you think a lot about our culture and where it is going, and that is no bad thing.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous and thought provoking new book. 25 Feb 2000
By Daniel K. Jarrell
Format:Hardcover
The discovery of the mechanism to detonate or defuse nitrate based explosives is the authors' springboard into the souls of the characters. Where is the military without bombs? Where is the terrorist without a machine gun? How do average Americans react to the idea of being disarmed? These are some of the themes that spiral through this wonderfully entertaining and thought provoking book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars What if..............
'The Trigger' seems to be one of Clarke's least known novels. Few people seem familiar with it. It's a well kept secret - this is some of his very best. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2006 by Wordy
5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put this book down!!
Imagine all bullets and bombs could be made harmless by 'The Trigger'.
Imagine the gun lobby in America's reaction.
Imagine the politicians' response. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2005 by A. J. Flynn
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
Gripping and moving, this book breaks the mould of works set in "the not to distant future". Superbly written and a real page turner. Read it.
Published on 28 Dec 2003 by samburrows
5.0 out of 5 stars If you do not read any other Clarke, read this one.
This is no Star Wars, Alien or ET. No space opera and no aliens, fearsome or friendly. No distant stars or far-flung future. Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars I cannot recommend this book enough
This really is a fantastic book - it goes without saying that it is engaging and well written, but it deals with the social and political ramifications in not only a realistic... Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging drama about the foundations of science & society
An awesome novel! Clarke and Kube-McDowell take on a challenge quite successfully; the greatest dream that science-fiction can offer meeting up with the stark reality of today's... Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars The Trigger
Browsing through the shelves of the science-fiction section of a bookshop, I came across an Arthur C Clarke collaboration with Michael Kube McDowell. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2000 by chris.hooley@lineone.net
5.0 out of 5 stars A first-class thriller
Clarke and Kube-McDowell have come up with an excellent novel and a gripping thriller. A group of scientists discovers a way to destroy explosives and weapons, and then tries to... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2000 by Gordon Arthur
5.0 out of 5 stars Turnabout is fair play
I'm going to start out by saying "Whoa." When the worst thing I can say about The Trigger is that the characters use bigger words in emergencies than I'd be able to think... Read more
Published on 13 Dec 1999
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