Across the Sea of Suns (Book 2 of The Galactic Center)

A classic novel of man's future and fate, written by the eminent American physicist and award-winning author of Timescape.2034. An indistinguishable sound is heard from the depths of space and one member of the search and survey team, Nigel, believes he knows its origins. 15 years earlier, he was the astronaut sent to implode a firey comet as it hurtled toward the Asian subcontinent. Once inside the fissure he made an unlikely discovery: an abandoned alien ship. Against his better judgment, Nigel carried out his mission, destroying the vessel-but not before clandestinely removing alien data and technology from on board. Now, as the team sets forth on a new adventure of discovery, Nigel's past will collide with the present, introducing him to wonders beyond human comprehension.

The Nebula Award-winning author's fifth installment of his classic Galactic Center series is reissued in this special edition that contains a teaser chapter from his new hardcover The Sunborn, scheduled for release in March 2005.

Publishers Weekly

This fifth installment (after Tides of Light ) in Benford's ``Galactic Center'' series, set thousands of years in the future, finds the remaining humans from the planet Snowglade fleeing the genocidal Mechs in the spaceship Argo . As the vessel speeds toward the Galactic Center, the refugees verge on mutiny as food becomes scarce, Mechs close in and Captain Killeen grows ever more determined to discover what lies at the Core. Even Killeen's adolescent son, Toby, begins to question his father's fitness for command, particularly when he discovers that his nervous system has been used as a repository for the skills and personality of the captain's slain lover. Meanwhile, unknown to the Argo crew and passengers, bodiless, perhaps egoless, intelligences muse none-too-benignly on the action at hand and whether they should destroy the shipbound humans as part of their ``ancient task'' of wiping out humanity. If the first half of the narrative is a chase, the second half is a discovery: an exploration of the universe that lies within the human heart, as well as a study of nonhuman beings and of the artifacts of space and time that Benford's fevered imagination has strewn through eons of human history. The author's fans won't be disappointed with this tautly plotted entry in the series, which by now has eclipsed even Asimov's Foundation saga in ambition, and which still has one more book to go. (July)

Contains Introduction Essay Cover Artist: Don Dixon 2019: NASA astronaut Nigel Walmsley is sent on a mission to intercept a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Ordered to destroy the comet, he instead discovers that it is actually the shell of a derelict space probe - a wreck with just enough power to emit a single electronic signal... 2034: Then a reply is heard. Searching for the source of this signal that comes from outside the solar system, Nigel discovers the existence of a sentient ship. When the new vessel begins to communicate directly with him, the astronaut learns of the horrors that await humanity. For the ship was created by an alien race that has spent billions and billions of years searching for intelligent life...to annihilate it. In the Ocean of Night is a 1977 hard science fiction novel by Gregory Benford. It is the first novel in his Galactic Center Saga. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1977. It was first published as a novelette in the May/June 1972 edition of Worlds of If Science Fiction. After the events of Across the Sea of Suns, small groups of humans have settled on other star systems. However, there is a constant threat from the Mechs, a civilization of machines left over from other civilizations and evolved to see all biological civilization as unstable and dangerous. Great Sky River tells the story of the Bishop family, who fight for their very existence on the planet Snowglade, which has been taken over by the Mechs. The Bishops are one of a number of families on Snowglade, all named for chess pieces. These "families" are more like clans or tribes. All use cybernetic implants and mechanical aids to enhance their perceptions and physical abilities. Personalities of dead members of the Family can be stored in memory tabs and accessed by plugging them into ports implanted in the neck. Bodily functions, such as the sexual drive, can be turned off to remove distractions. The Families seem to be equipped for long conflicts and periods of privation, continually migrating to avoid the Mechs. The third novel in the award-winning author's classic Galactic Center series is available once again.'A challenging, pacesetting work of hard science fiction that should not be missed'(Los Angeles Times).Nearly 100,000 years after first contact with the machines that dominate the universe, a few hundred humans survive. Trapped on Snowglade, a barren world near the center of the galaxy, people like Killeen of Family Bishop and his child Toby are primitive scavengers, homeless and hunted by the ruling'mechs.'Then suddenly, a strange cosmic entity-neither organic nor cybernetic nor living matter-reaches out from a black hole to speak with Killeen. But can this fallen descendant of starfarers understand this alien being in time-and seize his only chance to save his family and mankind from final annihilation? The Nebula Award-winning author's fifth installment of his classic Galactic Center series is reissued in this special edition that contains a teaser chapter from The Sunborn.Trying to escape the relentless mechs, the last humans from planet Snowglade take their ancient starship on a dangerous course straight into the Eater, the black hole at the galactic center. Hungry and desperate, the refugees begin to question the leadership of Captain Killeen, who believes the center holds their one hope of survival. Meanwhile, Killeen's son Toby struggles with the microchips that were implanted in his spine-a technology that now threatens his sanity. Caught between their genocidal pursuers and peril in the galactic center, Killeen and Toby bring humanity to its final destiny. From the back cover Warner paperback February 2004: 2019: NASA astronaut Nigel Walmsley is sent on a mission to intercept a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Ordered to destroy the comet, he instead discovers that it is actually the shell of a derelict space probe -- a wreck with just enough power to emit a single electronic signal... 2034: Then a reply is heard. Searching for the source of this signal that comes from outside the solar system, Nigel discovers the existence of a sentient ship. When the new vessel begins to communicate directly with him, the astronaut learns of the horrors that await humanity. For the ship was created by an alien race that has spent billions and billions of years searching for intelligent life... to annihilate it. Now in a new, revised edition, the fourth book of the Nebula Award-winning author's Galactic Center series is a classic tale of man's future and fate--and the greatest mystery from outer space that humanity has ever encountered.Piloting an ancient starship, Killeen and the Bishop tribe escape the mech-ruled world of Snowglade. Seeking refuge on a far away planet, they discover vast wonders-an organic life-form as large as a world, a planet-coring cosmic string, a community of humans ruled by a brutal tyrant, and ultimately an alien race more awesome than any they have encountered. As they battle for survival against these myriad dangers, Killeen and his crew will gain an unforeseen ally-one that may determine humanity's true destiny... This new, special edition of the classic concluding volume of this defining series by the eminent physicist and Nebula Award-winning author contains a teaser chapter from Benford's, The Sunborn.The final chapter of humanity's future has begun, and three men hold the key to survival. As the fierce, artificially intelligent mechs pursue their savage and unstoppable destruction of the human race, it soon becomes apparent that three men-three generations in a family of voyagers-are their targets. Toby Bishop, his father Kileen, and his longdead grandfather each carry a piece of the lethal secret that can destroy their relentless pursuers. There is only one problem: They have no idea they possess the only weapon that can save humanity. From the Nebula Award-winning author comes a newly revised edition of this story in his classic Galactic Center series. 2076: Technology has propelled the world into a new age of enlightenment. Nigel (from In the Ocean of Night) has left Earth to explore space for alien life. But while on this captivating mission, humanity's birthplace has fallen prey to attack and its seas are seeded with alien lifeforms. Now, Nigel is left to search for the only savior he knows-the one who saved him once before-the alien machine called the "Snark." Having left the solar system and turned traitor to its alien masters, Nigel is unsure of the Snark's new allegiance. Is the Snark a friend? Or will it also turn on Nigel... proving to be a deadly foe?

now In A New, Revised Edition, The Fourth Book Of The Nebula Award-winning Author's Galactic Center Series Is A Classic Tale Of Man's Future And Fate—and The Greatest Mystery From Outer Space That Humanity Has Ever Encountered.

library Journal

fleeing The Mech Civilization That Has Decimated The Human Population Of The Planet Snowglade, Cap'n Killeen Leads Family Bishop To A Distant World Only To Become Embroiled In Another Human-alien Conflict In Which The Sides Are Not So Neatly Drawn. This Sequel To Great Sky River Continues The Adventures Of A Courageous Group Of Survivors. Quick Pacing And Startling Imagery Produce A Welcome Mixture Of Action And Speculation. Recommended.-- Jc

From back cover Warner paperback March 2004: 2076: *Lancer*, Earth's first starship, is on a mission to find interstellar civilizations. Although astronaut Nigel Walmsley's experiences with alien encounters make him the expert, no one believes Nigel's theory that machines are the dominant intelligent beings left in the galaxy and that their purpose is to annihilate all organic life. Then the explorers discover once-living planets where only machines remain -- and ruined worlds where fugitive survivors must evade omnipresent and lethally advanced A.I. warships. By the time the crew of *Lancer* realizes that Nigel is right, it will be too late -- for the machines have already found *Lancer*... and Earth. From back cover Warner paperback August 2004: Nearly 100,000 years after first contact with the machines that dominate the universe, only a few hundred humans survive. Trapped on Snowglade, a barren world near the center of the galaxy, Killeen and his child Toby of the Bishop Tribe are primitive scavengers, homeless and hunted by the ruling "mechs." Then suddenly, a strange cosmic entity -- neither organic, nor cybernetic nor living matter -- reaches out from a black hole to speak with Killeen. But can the fallen descendant of starfarers understand this alien being in time -- and seize his only chance to save his family and mankind from final annihilation? From back cover Warner paperback February 2005: Trying to escape the relentless mechs, the last humans from the planet Snowglade take their ancient starship on a dangerous course straight into the Eater, the black hole at the galactic center. Hungry and desperate, the refugees begin to question the leadership of Captain Killeen, who believes the center holds their one hope of survival. Meanwhile, Killeen's son Toby struggles with the microchips that were implanted in his spine -- a technology that now threatens his sanity. Caught between their genocidal pursuers and peril in the galactic center, Killeen and Toby bring humanity to its final destiny. In 2021, radio astronomy on the Moon reveals the presence of life by a nearby red dwarf, on a tide-locked planet.[1] To investigate, Earth's governments convert a space colony into Lancer, a Bussard ramjet powered interstellar ship based on the design of a crashed alien ship discovered in the Mare Marginis. In 2061, it arrives and discovers a primitive race of nomads, broadcasting using organs adapted to emit and receive electromagnetic radiation. A curious satellite is discovered in orbit, at least a million years old, roughly when a meteor shower destroyed the EMs' civilization. From the back cover: Onboard an ancient starship, Killeen and the Bishop tribe escape the mech-ruled world of Snowglade. Seeking refuge on a faraway planet, they discover vast wonders -- an organic life-form as large as a world, a planet-coring cosmic string, a community of humans ruled by a brutal tyrant, and ultimately an alien race more awesome than any they have encountered. As they battle for survival against those myriad dangers, Killeen and his crew will gain an unforeseen ally -- one that may determine humanity's true destiny. The continuing war between humans and mechs, artificial intelligences dedicated to the destruction of the human race. In this episode, remnants of humans and aliens flee for a glorious last stand in the Esty, a world which uses the energy of a black hole. Sixth and final novel of the Galactic Center saga. The most powerful, most precisely tuned organization in the history of mankind, created to explore the solar system, depends on the judgment of a single man who finds that he must seek something which is beyond others' abilities to comprehend Now in a new, revised edition, the fourth book of the Nebula Award-winning author's Galactic Center series is a classic tale of man's future and fate, and the greatest mystery from outer space that humanity has ever encountered This new, special edition of the classic concluding volume of this defining series by the eminent physicist and Nebula Award-winning author contains a teaser chapter from Benford's new hardcover, "The Sunborn." The passengers on the spaceship Argo, pursued by hostile mechs," must face their doubts about their captain's obsession with finding the galaxy's True Center, an obsession that even troubles the captain's son Lancer, a spaceship built to specifications found in the computers of an alien derelict, journeys to the star, Ra, from which the Earth has received mysterious radio transmissions in English In a future dominated by a superior race of artificial minds, the last humans, in an attempt to save themselves from total extinction, flee across the barren wastes of a once-lush planet

A classic novel of man's future and fate, written by the eminent American physicist and award-winning author of Timescape.

A small human band flees from an enemy it cannot hope to combat--superior artificial minds in great insect like machines