In humankind’s Third Expansion, the species has spread throughout the galaxy and assimilated all challengers but the mysterious Xeelee; in a 20,000-year stalemate, humans have kept them at bay in the galaxy’s center. Time travel (used by both sides to gather intelligence) creates numerous “drafts” of time lines, but apart from this uncertainty the endless war has brought about a strangely static human society. Soldiers and pilots are bred in vats near the Front and taught only war; few survive past their teens. When Prius, a young pilot, captures a Xeelee ship and takes it to the recent past for study, an innovative program is begun to develop new weapons technology. While Prius Blue (the pilot from the future time line, now stuck in this one) is sent to the Front, the younger Prius Red (from this time line) must travel throughout the solar system with an eccentric but brilliant scientist in a quest for knowledge needed for the anti-Xeelee weapon. Working with widely differing elements of society, Red learns many secrets he’d rather not know, adjusts to new knowledge, and grows into a leadership role: he heads up Exultant, the elite squadron tasked with deploying the new weapon. Even in a genre characterized by unfettered imagination, Baxter’s future universe is extraordinary in its depth, breadth, and richness of invention. Cutting-edge physics, subtle humor, time-travel paradoxes, and loopy twists combine to give readers a wonderfully original sci-fi experience. It can be read independently of Coalescent, which is set in the same universe but mostly in the present age.

The Firstborn — the mysterious race of aliens who first became known to science fiction fans as the builders of the iconic black monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey — have inhabited legendary master of science fiction Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s writing for decades. With Time’s Eye and Sunstorm, the first two books in their acclaimed Time Odyssey series, Clarke and his brilliant co-author Stephen Baxter imagined a near-future in which the Firstborn seek to stop the advance of human civilization by employing a technology indistinguishable from magic.Their first act was the Discontinuity, in which Earth was carved into sections from different eras of history, restitched into a patchwork world, and renamed Mir. Mir’s inhabitants included such notables as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and United Nations peacekeeper Bisesa Dutt. For reasons unknown to her, Bisesa entered into communication with an alien artifact of inscrutable purpose and godlike power — a power that eventually returned her to Earth. There, she played an instrumental role in humanity’s race against time to stop a doomsday event: a massive solar storm triggered by the alien Firstborn designed to eradicate all life from the planet. That fate was averted at an inconceivable price. Now, twenty-seven years later, the Firstborn are back.This time, they are pulling no punches: They have sent a “quantum bomb.” Speeding toward Earth, it is a device that human scientists can barely comprehend, that cannot be stopped or destroyed — and one that will obliterate Earth.Bisesa’s desperate quest for answers sends her first to Mars and then to Mir, which is itself threatened with extinction. The end seems inevitable. But as shocking new insights emerge into the nature of the Firstborn and their chilling plans for mankind, an unexpected ally appears from light-years away.From the Hardcover edition.

A race of microscopic beings, who were genetically engineered to survive on the turbulent mantle of a neutron star and who vividly remember their superbeing creators, prepare for the biggest family reunion in history.

Transported to the Sky Steppe of Mars in the final, satisfying book in British author Baxter’s highly original Mammoth trilogy (Longtusk; Silverhair), his engaging wooly characters face an abandoned and potentially lethal terraforming experiment left there by humans (aka “the Lost”). Matriarch mammoth Silverhair’s daughter, Icebones, awakens from an unnatural slumber to find herself in a land and time far from her native Pleistocene earth. The mammoths here have no knowledge of their ancient culture, such as the teachings of their mighty progenitor, Kilukpuk. Mammoth tradition says the Sky Steppe is “the Island in the sky where... mammoths would one day find a world of their own, free from the predations and cruelty of the Lost, a world of calm and plenty” yet whatever promise Mars once held is fading now as the changes made by human engineers are reversed under the assault of the red planet’s uncompromising weather and geology. Icebones’s companions, used to depending on the Lost for everything, can’t possibly survive alone. Their only hope is to cross half the world to reach the Footfall of Kilukpuk, a rich valley full of all the sweet grass and water the mammoths need. The journey is long and treacherous, but as the beasts’ great Cycle says, “The mammoth dies, but mammoths live on.” Baxter fills the tale with taut adventure and splendid settings, making it easy to suspend disbelief.

Il Viaggiatore del Tempo nel grande capolavoro di H.G. Wells “La macchina del tempo” pensa con rimpianto a “come sia stato breve il sogno dell’intelletto umano”. Ma Stephen Baxter sa quello che Wells non poteva sapere, cioè proiettandosi nel tempo il Viaggiatore ha cambiato il futuro e sarà destinato a cambiarlo ancora. Svegliandosi nella sua casa di Richmond, il Viaggiatore non riesce a soffocare i rimorsi. Ha abbandonato la bella e indifesa Weena, del mite popolo degli Eloi, alle brame cannibalesche dei Morlock, la razza umana degenerata da cui è stato costretto a fuggire. Decide cosi di ripartire prontamente per un nuovo viaggio nell’anno 802.701 d.C., ma scopre con sgomento di essere entrato in un altro futuro. Approda infatti nell’anno 657.208 all’interno di una sfera di Dyson costruita da una razza di Morlock infinitamente più evoluta: il suo viaggio ha inevitabilmente innescato ramificazioni temporali che si aprono su nuovi universi paralleli. Non rimane quindi che tornare nel passato, affrontare una versione di se stesso più giovane e impedire l’invenzione della macchina del tempo. Ma non è cosi semplice, perché ecco apparire un’enorme e misterioso congegno, costruito per difendere a tutti i costi la macchina del tempo, che nel frattempo è diventata un’irrinunciabile arma segreta in una guerra futura... Ormai è chiaro, il destino del Viaggiatore non è solo quello di affrontare una sequela di avventure mozzafiato, ma di risolvere una catena di paradossi che si stanno moltiplicando attorno a lui. E soprattutto non ha abbandonato l’idea di ritrovare e salvare la sua Weena. Stephen Baxter reinterpreta le idee di Wells alla luce delle più recenti scoperte sulla natura dello spazio, del tempo e della meccanica quantistica, ma soprattutto, con estrema fedeltà e vigore narrativo, riscopre e rilancia verso nuovi orizzonti l’emozione che La macchina del tempo aveva saputo regalare.

El Viajero del tiempo de H.G. Wells despierta en su casa de Richmond la mañana posterior al retorno de su primera partida al futuro. Apesadumbrado por haber dejado a Weena en manos de los Morlock, decide realizar un segundo viaje al año 802.701 para rescatar a su amiga Eloi. Pero al entrar en un futuro distinto y radicalmente cambiado, el Viajero se ve irremediablemente atado a las paradójicas complejidades del desplazamiento a través del tiempo. Acompañado por un Morlock, se encontrará consigo mismo, para ser detenido después por un grupo de viajeros temporales procedentes de un 1938 en el cual Inglaterra lleva 24 años en guerra con Alemania... Una novela sorprendente, repleta de aventuras y especulaciones que ha pretendido, con éxito, homenajear y reexaminar La máquina del tiempo de H.G. Wells.

Stephen Baxter is one of preeminent science fiction writers of the current age. This collection showcases his work at its best.Last and First Contacts features ten exceptional stories personally selected by the author, none of which have been collected before and one of which, “Erstkontakt”, is brand new, having been written especially for this book. Also included is “Last Contact”, which was shortlisted for the Hugo Award.

La machine à explorer le temps est le texte fondateur de la science-fiction moderne. Lorsque s’achève le récit de H. G. Wells, le Voyageur se prépare à repartir dans le futur sauver Weena, la charmante Eloï, menacée par les cruels Morlocks…Par une chance extraordinaire, la narration de ce second voyage est parvenue à Stephen Baxter, un siècle exactement après la parution, en 1895, de La machine à explorer le temps.En voici la fidèle et surprenante transcription.Il n’est pas nécessaire pour le goûter d’avoir lu le récit du premier voyage.Reparti dans un lointain avenir, le Voyageur surpris découvre un monde différent de celui qu’il avait exploré, où les Morlocks disposent d’une civilisation technologique avancée et ne ressemblent plus aux barbares qu’il a connus.Flanqué du Morlock Nebogipfel, il s’aventurera sur les Vaisseaux du temps jusqu’aux confins du temps et de l’espace, des univers parallèles et des possibles.Sans jamais perdre l’espoir de retrouver la délicieuse Weena.Les vaisseaux du temps, dans la tradition de la plus haute science-fiction britannique, celle de Wells, de Stapledon, de Brunner, de Ballard, d’Aldiss et de Banks, est à la fois un roman d’aventures et un conte philosophique.C’est sans doute l’un des plus grands textes de science-fiction de la décennie. Il a obtenu le British Science-Fiction Award 1996, le John Campbell Memorial Award 1996 et le Philip K. Dick Award 1997, et il a figuré parmi les cinq finalistes du prix Hugo en 1996.

Lightspeed (www.lightspeedmagazine.com) is the critically-acclaimed, online science fiction magazine edited by bestselling anthologist John Joseph Adams. Lightspeed publishes all types of science fiction, from near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, and anything and everything in between. Each month, Lightspeed features a mix of originals and reprints, from a variety of authors—from the bestsellers and award-winners you already know to the best new voices you haven't heard of yet. Now, in Lightspeed: Year One, you will find all of the fiction published in Lightspeed's first year, from new stories such as Nebula Award finalists, Vylar Kaftan’s “I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno” and “Arvies” by Adam-Troy Castro, and Carrie Vaughn’s Hugo Award-nominee “Amaryllis,” to classic reprints by Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and more.

Lightspeed (www.lightspeedmagazine.com) is the critically-acclaimed, online science fiction magazine edited by bestselling anthologist John Joseph Adams. Lightspeed publishes all types of science fiction, from near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, and anything and everything in between. Each month, Lightspeed features a mix of originals and reprints, from a variety of authors - from the bestsellers and award-winners you already know to the best new voices you haven''t heard of yet. Now, in Lightspeed: Year One, you will find all of the fiction published in Lightspeed''s first year, from new stories such as Nebula Award finalists, Vylar Kaftan''s "I''m Alive, I Love You, I''ll See You in Reno" and "Arvies" by Adam-Troy Castro, and Carrie Vaughn''s Hugo Award-nominee "Amaryllis," to classic reprints by Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and more.

Meticulously researched, simply told and appropriate for readers of all ages, this second volume (after 1999’s Silverhair) in Baxter’s Mammoth trilogy brings to compelling life the complex culture of these giant creatures. It’s sixteen thousand years B.C., and woolly mammoths roam the earth, inhabiting the steppes of Beringia, the land bridge linking Asia and North America. Climactic changes have caused the steppes to recede, but humans, whom the mammoths call Fireheads, pose the greatest threat to their survival. Longtusk, whose coming-of-age story this is, must save the mammoths by spearheading an epic journey. Separated from his family, Longtusk is enslaved by the Fireheads, who make him a beast of burden. But a Dreamer (Neanderthal) woman foretells his future: Longtusk will die, along with the Dreamer who once saved his life and that of the Firehead matriarch, Crocus. Although Longtusk escapes his captors and finds a steppe that will support a small mammoth herd, years later Crocus and her people return, seeking to drive the mammoths away from their habitat. Longtusk embarks on a final heroic mission to save the mammoths and meet his fate. The book’s themes of ecological disaster, warfare and change resonate deeply with today’s concerns. When a mastodont tells Longtusk, "You and I must take the world as it is. [The Fireheads] imagined how it might be different. Whether it’s better is beside the point; to the Fireheads, change is all that matters," it’s clear that humans have not changed at all.

La historia de lo que sucede cuando un brillante industrial aprovecha los beneficios de la física cuántica. Así consigue que cualquier persona pueda ver lo que hace otra desde cualquier sitio en cualquier situación. Las esquinas y paredes ya no son barreras, todo momento de la existencia por muy privado o íntimo que sea queda expuesto a los demás. Esta nueva tecnología supone la súbita abolición de la intimidad humana… para siempre. Mientras que los hombres y mujeres afrontan el trauma de la nueva situación, esta misma tecnología demostrará ser capaz de mirar también en el pasado. Nada puede prepararnos para lo que vendrá después: el descubrimiento de lo que hay de verdad y mentira a lo largo de los miles de años de historia humana tal y como la conocíamos. Como consecuencia de este saber, los gobiernos son derribados, las religiones caen, las bases de la sociedad humana tiemblan desde su propia raíz. Marca un cambio fundamental en la condición humana provocando la desesperación, el caos, y quizás, también la oportunidad de trascender como raza. Luz de otros días es un tour de force, un evento para el próximo milenio y una narración que no olvidarás.

Wenn die Kugeln von Dallas John F. Kennedy verfehlt hätten, stünde die amerikanische Flagge heute nicht nur auf dem Mond, sondern auch auf dem Mars.Eine atemberaubende Vorstellung - doch der Aufbruch zum Roten Planeten steckt voller Gefahren und Rückschläge...Ein neues aufregendes SF-Abenteuer des gefeierten Autors von »Zeitschiffe« und »Das floß« Titel der englischen Originalausgabe "Voyage"

Stephen Baxter established himself as a major British sci-fi author with tales of exotic, far-future technology. More recently, in Voyage, Titan and now Moonseed, he shows his love for the hardware of the real world’s space programme. (Comparisons with Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff have been frequent.) Moonseed is a spectacular disaster novel whose threat to Earth comes from a long-forgotten Moon rock sample carrying strange silver dust that seems to be alien nanotechnology — molecule-sized machines. Accidentally spilt in Edinburgh, this ‘Moonseed’ quietly devours stone and processes it into more Moonseed. Geology becomes high drama: when ancient mountains turn to dust, the lid is taken off seething magma below. Volcanoes return to Scotland, and Krakatoa-like eruptions spread Moonseed around the world. A desperate, improvised US/Russian space mission heads for the Moon to probe the secret of how our satellite has survived uneaten. Baxter convincingly shows how travel costs could be cut, with a hair-raising descent on a shoestring lunar lander that makes Apollo’s look like a luxury craft. The climax brings literally world-shaking revelations and upheavals. Moonseed is a ripping interplanetary yarn.