Synopses & Reviews
The gods of Olympus offered a fateful choice to the warrior, Achilles--a short, glorious life, or a long, dull one.
Achilles chose glory.
This is the story of the Eleventh Olympiad in the late 21st century--a contest not only for glory but for survival--and of the woman who dared to compete for the highest stakes of all.
The future of humanity.
Review
"
Achilles' Choice transcends science fiction. As one formerly shortlisted for the Olympics, I recognize the truth in Niven's and Barnes' depicion of the sports world. They understand the intense competitiveness that overrides all else, that turns people into something more, and less, than human.
Achilles' Choice is about believable people who must make that choice." --Morgan Llywelyn
"A masterpiece!" --Andrew M. Greeley
"Larry Niven and Steven Barnes seem to bring out the best in each other. Achilles' Choice is ample proof of that." --Mike Resnick
"Set in an all too plausible, sinister near future, Achilles' Choice not only tells an exciting story, it gives us a great deal to think about." -Poul Anderson
"Achilles' Choice is a rousing tale of men and women pushed beyond competition--into evolution or extinction." --Jerry Pournelle
"An intriguing idea, strikingly presented!" -Gordon R. Dickson
Synopsis
When the rows of Olympians march in Achens, Jillian Shomer will have to make a terrible decision--life, death, victory. With victory comes glory. But an intense price will be extracted from both the winners and the losers, because within seven years, 97% of them will be dead. For Jillian, the stakes are the entire world.
About the Author
Larry Niven is the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Ringworld series, along with many other science fiction masterpieces. His
Beowulf's Children, co-authored with Jeery Pournelle and Steven Barnes was a
New York Times bestseller. He lives in Chatsworth, California.
Born in Los Angeles in 1952, Steven Barnes began writing at the age of five, and since that time has published over two million words. His first published collaboration, "The Locusts," was nominated for the 1980 Hugo award, and his Outer Limits episode "A Stitch In Time" was nominated for a Cable Ace Award and won an Emmy for Amanda Plummer. He also wrote a one-woman show based on the life of Bessie Coleman (the first Black Aviatrix), been the Kung-Fu columnist for Black Belt Magazine (he holds dan rankings in Judo and Karate), and served as the host of the world's longest-running science fiction radio show, Hour 25. Currently living in Washington State with his wife, Novelist Tananarive Due and his daughter Lauren Nicole, Steven is working on a series of novels set in prehistoric Africa, for which he recently spent two weeks on Tanzania's Serengeti plain.