The Spheres of Heaven - Softcover

Charles Sheffield

Softcover

ISBN 10: 067131856X ISBN 13: 9780671318567

Publisher: Baen, 2002

Synopsis

Pacifist aliens who hold Earth under quarantine want Chan Dalton to find out why their starships are disappearing. But the aliens are opposed to taking intelligent life, even in self-defense. When Dalton discovers hostile invaders, he must choose between fighting, losing the stars forever, or letting the enemy destroy Earth.

About this title

About the Author:

Charles Sheffield (1935-2002) was a mathematician and theoretical physicist by training. His doctoral work was on Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. Dr. Sheffield worked as chief scientist for the Earth Satellite Corporation, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that specializes in the analysis of data gathered from space.

The author of many science fiction novels, including "Cold as Ice" and "The Ganymede Club" from Tor, Sheffield lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, author Nancy Kress.

From Publishers Weekly:

Nebula and Hugo winner Sheffield (Convergent Series) takes a thoughtful stab at pacifism and its attendant possibilities in this engrossing sequel to The Mind Pool. In the past, Chan Dalton was forced to disband his motley crew of spacefarers when the Stellar Group, an alien pacifist outfit, banned the human race from space exploration because of its violent tendencies. Twenty years later, without frontiers or aims, human society is stagnating and crumbling. Called upon to track down stolen starships, Chan and his group are given the chance to pick up where they left off and visit uncharted regions of space. When Chan's gang reassembles, they receive instructions to refrain from violence of any sort--even in self-defense. But the first intelligent aliens they meet are warlike: the Malacostracans (a species resembling a cross between lobsters and spiders) are interested in conquest at any cost. When they capture several members of Chan's group, Chan faces an impossible question--should he resort to violence to free his crewmates, forsaking humankind's access to space forever? Is there any other way? In several places, coincidences pile up unconvincingly, and certain dangerous situations are wrapped up too easily. But Sheffield incorporates quantum physics (he is a mathematician and physicist), well-documented space travel and plenty of action into a smooth narrative. Readers of hard science fiction will find the story right up their alley.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Baen
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 067131856X
• ISBN 13: 9780671318567
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 544
• Illustrator: Bob Eggleton