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Order
today from Amazon.com in
either hardback
or paperback
The reviews are in:
"Old-fashioned
cerebral science fiction, with a huge array of fascinating aliens,
subtle interactions between them, and knotty problems for them to
solve."
—
Kirkus Reviews
"Combines
sparkling wit and 'old school' hard sf with masterly storytelling and
cosmic vision ... enjoy the return of good, old-fashioned sf, packed
with ideas, philosophical musings, and plenty of space action."
—
Library Journal
"Fun, fast, and full of ...
remarkable aliens."
— SFrevu
"... An absorbing
mix of
problems and puzzles and conflicts, space battles and interrogations
and negotiations, shot through with fresh takes on familiar tropes and
themes. It more than holds its own in the Known Space canon,
which ought to be recommendation enough."
— Locus
"This episode, the
best in the
[Ringworld] prequel series so far, ends with a zinger that sets the
scene nicely for more. I'm looking forward to it."
— Bookloons
"... Packs
excitement, action, and inter-species conflict into this wonderfully
realized adventure."
— Cover to Cover
"Paranoia can be a
wonderful
thing, both as a tool for self-preservation and a little lever of
understanding. In Lerner and Niven's hands, it's fun.”
— San Diego Union-Tribune
"You'll find
plenty here to
enjoy. There are bizarre aliens both old and new; there's more advanced
technology than you can shake a neutron star at; there are ideas to
make your head spin."
— Analog Science Fiction and Fact
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The
scariest aliens in the galaxy follow a simple rule: destroy all
opposition.
The brilliant, xenophobic Pak are fleeing the chain reaction of
supernovae at the galaxy's core. Nothing and no one is going to impede
their migration. Devastated worlds -- any civilization that could
possibly have interfered -- lie shattered in their wake. And now the
Fleet of Worlds is in their sights....
The trillion Puppeteers who inhabit the Fleet might have the resources
to confront the threat -- but Puppeteers are philosophical cowards.
They don't confront anyone. They need allies to investigate the
situation and then take action. Who better than the Puppeteers' newly
independent one-time slave world, New Terra?
Sigmund Ausfaller, former Earth intelligence agent and current
paranoid, finds himself leading the war against the Pak. With his own
allies, the enigmatic, aquatic Gw'oth, Sigmund prepares to face
everyone's mutual enemy. And neither humans nor Gw'oth have any
intention of becoming cannon fodder....
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