First Ark to Alpha Centauri (Paperback)

1. Vision, cross-cultural utopia and futuristic physics of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, with

2. Carl Sagan's dream that anything is possible, with the

3. Realism and human aspirations of Kubrik's 2001/2010. First Ark, should be the natural third in the trilogy.

I have read Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov etc. but this book is definitely a realistic manual on space travel. It retains some of the social issues we see on Earth, combined with some useful scientific information that would wet the appetite of any sci-fi buff. It is also a lesson for future space travel, i.e. issues that will need to be resolved such as source of fuel, how generations can survive for a long time spanning tens of thousands of years, how people get paid for their work, recreational activities in the Ark, how Earth's history would be taught, the importance of religion billions of miles away from Earth and also personality conflicts that would crop up. I cannot stress the last point enough. This would probably be the most important part of the voyage. An experiment was conducted (in Arizona I think) over a decade ago called, 'Biosphere II' which is an enclosed compound that mimics Earth (Biosphere I) in the vegetation, atmosphere etc. but is fully enclosed. It was an experiment to see if humans could survive in a similar setting on Mars. The experiment was a failure, not because of any technical issues, but because of personality conflicts. Orthodox sci-fi books tend to ignore such conflicts that could arise when humans are grouped together, but First Ark does deal with it realistically.

The book also exemplifies the fact that although the Alpha Centauri system is the closest star system to ours, it will take Man 50,000 years to get there. It is a humbling thought that 21st Century science, or even our perception of future science/technology has not progressed enough to master vast distances in a short period of time, yet we as a human species pride ourselves in our 'scientific progress' in the 21st Century which has apparently killed God. The reality is that we haven't even scratched the surface of space and there is so much that Man needs to explore in God's creation. We are still 'ancient' when it comes to scientific progress and the book highlights our limitations as the Ark ventures out to escape human arrogance.

Sense of humour is important in a long voyage and the book does have good humour sprinkled throughout. More importantly, the reader is a part of that momentous voyage and has the luck to partake in that voyage that would normally last 50,000 years. It truly is THE Space Odyssey. Read it. And then make a movie please Steven Speilberg!

But how will we get there, where shall we go, and what awaits us out there?

That is where the epic story of First Ark takes us. A voyage of discovery and answers to fundamental questions.
Using accepted scientific theory and unique storytelling, the author introduces us to a biosphere traversing the eons of time between our home and a New Earth that awaits us across the interstellar void.

The science is impeccable and could conceivably form a blueprint for a real mission in the near future of humanity.
But the book gives us more, a spellbinding encounter with an ephemeral alien race, threatened by the incursion, and raining terror on the inhabitants of the Ark.

With a towering imagination and notions tied to hard scientific fact, the author achieves a novel of distinction and worthy of a wide audience.