Synopses & Reviews
Known for superior science fiction" (The Philadelphia Inquirer), author John Varley returns to his Thunder and Lightning series with a novel of how one mans volatile genius could alter a starships epic plunge into a future where human survival is just a theory
On a voyage to New Earth, the starship Rolling Thunder is powered by an energy no one understands except for its eccentric inventor, Jubal Broussard. But now, on his emergence from a state of suspended animation, Jubal makes a shocking announcement: The ship must stop, or everyone will die.
These words from the missions founder, the man responsible for the very existence of Rolling Thunder, will send shock waves throughout the starshipand divide its passengers into those who believe and those who doubt. And it will be up to his twin daughters to stop a mutiny, discover the truth, and usher the ship into a new age of exploration
Review
"'Why read Jack McDevitt?' The question should be: 'Who among us is such a slow pony that s/he isn't reading McDevitt'"? -
Harlan Ellison "Superb storytelling." - Library Journal
"Ideas abound in McDevitt's classy riff on the familiar lost-colony theme. The novel delivers everything it promises with a gigantic wallop." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"Perhaps the best pure storyteller working in the field today." - Washington Post Book World
Review
Praise for Jack McDevitt “The Alex Benedict series is reminiscent of some of the work of Isaac Asimov.” —SFRevu
“The logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.”—Stephen King
“McDevitt hit a grand slam with this one…I’m still shaking my head and wondering how he pulled it off.”—Wired.com
“An intriguing mystery.”—SF Site
“A fast-paced thriller.”—Midwest Book Review
Review
“The logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.”—Stephen King
Praise for The Engines of God:
“Splendid. Not since Arthur C. Clarkes Rendezvous with Rama has the discovery of artifacts of alien intelligence been treated so skillfully.”—Baltimore Sun
“McDevitt gives us interstellar archeology rendered with mystery, deftly turned ideas, echoing atmosphere, and steady tension. He delivers a compelling tale with a steady hand.”—Gregory Benford
“McDevitt is at his best award-winning style in this intelligent and wide-ranging novel.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
Praise for John Varley: “There are few writers whose work I love more than John Varleys, purely love.”—Cory Doctorow
“John Varley is the best writer in America.”—Tom Clancy
“My life-experience of John Varleys stories has been that the great majority of them are literally unforgettable.”—William Gibson
“One of science fictions most important writers.”—The Washington Post
“Inventive.”—The New York Times
“One of the genres most accomplished storytellers.”—Publishers Weekly
“[Varley] excels in imaginative SF adventure, bringing together an intriguing premise and resourceful characters in a tale of mystery, suspense, and a voyage through time.”—Library Journal
“Science fiction doesnt get much better than this.”—Spider Robinson
Synopsis
A new Alex Benedict novel from "a master of describing otherworldly grandeur." (Denver Post)
Forty-one years ago the renowned physicist Chris Robin vanished. Before his disappearance, his fringe science theories about the existence of endless alternate universes had earned him both admirers and enemies.
Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath discover that Robin had several interstellar yachts flown far outside the planetary system where they too vanished. And following Robin's trail into the unknown puts Benedict and Kolpath in danger...
Synopsis
Chosen as One of the Five Best SF Novels of the Year by Library Journal. When a young physicist unveils an efficient star drive capable of reaching the core of the galaxy, veteran star pilot Priscilla ?Hutch? Hutchins finds herself back in the deepest reaches of space, and on the verge of discovering the origins of the deadly omega clouds that continue to haunt her.
Synopsis
With Polaris, multiple Nebula Award-nominee Jack McDevitt reacquainted readers with Alex Benedict, his hero from A Talent for War. Alex and his assistant, Chase Kolpath, return to investigate the provenance of the cup. Alex and Chase follow a deadly trail to the Seeker - strangely adrift in a system barren of habitable worlds. But their discovery raises more questions than it answers, drawing Alex and Chase into the very heart of danger.
Synopsis
To boost waning interest in interstellar travel, a mission is sent into deep space to learn the truth about "moonriders," the strange lights supposedly being seen in nearby systems. But Academy pilot Valentina Kouros and the team of the starship Salvator will soon discover that their odyssey is no mere public-relations ploy, for the moonriders are not a harmless phenomenon. They are very, very dangerous-in a way that no one could possibly have imagined.
Synopsis
Jack McDevitt brings back the daring Alex Benedict from A Talent for War, thrusting him into a far-future tale of mystery and suspense that will lead the prominent antiquities dealer to the truth about an abandoned space yacht called the Polaris.
Synopsis
Interstellar antiquities dealer Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase Kolpath travel to the most remote of human worlds and uncover a secret connected to a decades-old political upheaval-a secret that somebody desperately wants hidden.
Synopsis
A new novel of the fantastic unknown by the national bestselling author of Time Travelers Never Die. Eccentric Sunset Tuttle spent his life searching in vain for forms of alien life. Thirty years after his death, a stone tablet inscribed with cryptic, indecipherable symbols is found in the possession of Tuttle's onetime lover, and antiquities dealer Alex Benedict is anxious to discover what secret the tablet holds. It could be proof that Tuttle had found what he was looking for. To find out, Benedict and his assistant embark on their own voyage of discovery-one that will lead them directly into the path of a very determined assassin who doesn't want those secrets revealed.
Synopsis
Sunset Tuttle spent a lifetime looking for alien species. Twenty-five years after Tuttle's death, Alex Benedict discovers a stone tablet inscribed with cryptic symbols, now in the possession of Tuttle's one- time lover Rachel Bannister. Benedict is determined to decipher its secret-one Bannister doesn't want revealed. Could it be that Tuttle's obsessive quest was successful?
Synopsis
When physicist Michael Shelborne mysteriously vanishes, his son Shel discovers that he had constructed a time travel device. Following his father's trail through history-from the enlightenment of Renaissance Italy through the American Wild West to the civil-right upheavals of the 20th century-Shel makes a devastating discovery that sends him feeling back through the ages, and changes his life forever.
Synopsis
A civilization-destroying omega cloud has switched direction, heading straight for a previously unexplored planetary system--and its alien society. And suddenly, a handful of brave humans must try to save an entire world--without revealing their existence.
Synopsis
Forty-one years ago, the renowned physicist Dr. Christopher Robin vanished. Before his disappearance, his fringe science theories about the existence of endless alternate universes had earned him both admirers and enemies.
Now his widow has died and Alex Benedict has been asked to handle the auction of the physicist’s artifacts—leading the public to once again speculate on the mystery surrounding Robin’s disappearance. Did he finally find the door between parallel universes that he had long sought?
Intrigued, Benedict and Chase Kolpath embark on their own investigation as they follow the missing man’s trail into the unknown to uncover the truth—a truth people are willing to kill to protect…
Synopsis
A new novel of the fantastic unknown by the national bestselling author of Time Travelers Never Die. Eccentric Sunset Tuttle spent his life searching in vain for forms of alien life. Thirty years after his death, a stone tablet inscribed with cryptic, indecipherable symbols is found in the possession of Tuttle's onetime lover, and antiquities dealer Alex Benedict is anxious to discover what secret the tablet holds. It could be proof that Tuttle had found what he was looking for. To find out, Benedict and his assistant embark on their own voyage of discovery-one that will lead them directly into the path of a very determined assassin who doesn't want those secrets revealed.
Synopsis
Chosen as One of the Five Best SF Novels of the Year by Library Journal. When a young physicist unveils an efficient star drive capable of reaching the core of the galaxy, veteran star pilot Priscilla ?Hutch? Hutchins finds herself back in the deepest reaches of space, and on the verge of discovering the origins of the deadly omega clouds that continue to haunt her.
Synopsis
The first Priscilla Hutchins novel!
Humans call them the Monument-Makers. An unknown race, they left stunning alien statues on distant planets in the galaxy. Each relic is different. Each inscription defies translation. Yet all are heartbreakingly beautiful.
And for planet Earth, on the brink of disaster, they may hold the only key to survival for the entire human race.
About the Author
John Varley is the author of Slow Apocalypse, the Gaean Trilogy (Titan, Wizard, and Demon), Steel Beach, The Golden Globe, Red Thunder, Mammoth, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder. He has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for his work.