Новинки Стивен Бакстер — стр. 2

A sequel to the H.G. Wells classic THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, brilliantly realized by award-winning SF author and Wells expert Stephen Baxter

It has been 14 years since the Martians invaded England. The world has moved on, always watching the skies but content that we know how to defeat the Martian menace. Machinery looted from the abandoned capsules and war-machines has led to technological leaps forward. The Martians are vulnerable to earth germs. The Army is prepared.

So when the signs of launches on Mars are seen, there seems little reason to worry. Unless you listen to one man, Walter Jenkins, the narrator of Wells' book. He is sure that the Martians have learned, adapted, understood their defeat.

He is right.

Thrust into the chaos of a new invasion, a journalist - sister-in-law to Walter Jenkins - must survive, escape and report on the war.

The Massacre of Mankind has begun.

2045 год. Пробуждение и последовавший взрыв древнего Йеллоустоуна вызывают необратимые изменения в климате Базовой Земли. Наступивший новый Ледниковый период вынуждает эмигрировать в параллельные копии Земли даже тех, кто много лет назад твердо решил остаться "дома". "Прирожденные Путники" — Джошуа Валиенте и Салли Линдси - готовы снова прийти на помощь растерянному человечеству. Только очень похоже, что кто-то заранее знал об извержении и постарался подготовить к этому людей. И этот "кто-то" неизвестен даже Лобсангу, великому разуму Бесконечной Земли. Поиски ответов не только приведут Путников на Марс, но и заставят иначе взглянуть…

Inspired by Sir Arthur C. Clarke's short story A Meeting with Medusa, this novel, with permission from the Clarke Estate, continues the story of Commander Howard Falcon over centuries of space-exploration, interaction with AI, first contact and beyond. All brought to life by two of our greatest SF authors, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds.

Howard Falcon almost lost his life in an accident . . . and a combination of human ingenuity and technical expertise brought him back. Not as himself, but as an augmented human: part man, part machine, and exceptionally capable.

The Medusa Chronicles charts his journey through time, the changing interaction between humanity and our universe, and combined moments of incredible action with unparalleled exploration of and expansion into space.

Эта книга, воскрешающая оптимистический дух фантастики Золотого века, посвящена давней мечте человечества о полетах в космос, о покорении других планет и исследовании Солнечной системы. Здесь в нечеловеческих условиях Юпитера зарождается новая ступень человеческой эволюции, рискованная афера оборачивается контактом с иной формой жизни, художники в качестве холстов используют целые планеты, а обычный день инструктора по управлению космическими кораблями превращается в настоящий триллер. От постсингулярности до проблем искусственного интеллекта, от настоящей утопии до новых форм общества – все это ""Край бесконечности"", твердая научная…

The fourth novel in Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter s internationally bestselling Long Earth series, hailed as a brilliant science fiction collaboration... a love letter to all Pratchett fans, readers, and lovers of wonder everywhere (Io9).
2045-2059. Human society continues to evolve on Datum Earth, its battered and weary origin planet, as the spread of humanity progresses throughout the many Earths beyond.

Сага об удивительных приключениях генов и их носителей. Действие романа разворачивается на просторах пространства, времени, в джунглях, тундрах, океанах и на ветвях генеалогических деревьев приматов и их соседей по планете. Отталкиваясь от современных палеонтологических знаний, смелых и порой неоднозначных теорий, Стивен Бакстер прослеживает возникновение и развитие видов начиная с эпохи динозавров и заканчивая далёким гипотетическим будущим.

2070-71. Nearly six decades after Step Day and in the Long Earth, the new Next post-human society continues to evolve.

For Joshua Valienté, now in his late sixties, it is time to take one last solo journey into the High Meggers: an adventure that turns into a disaster. Alone and facing death, his only hope of salvation lies with a group of trolls. But as Joshua confronts his mortality, the Long Earth receives a signal from the stars. A signal that is picked up by radio astronomers but also in more abstract ways – by the trolls and by the Great Traversers. Its message is simple but ts implications are enormous:

JOIN US.

The super-smart Next realise that the Message contains instructions on how to develop an immense artificial intelligence but to build it they have to seek help from throughout the industrious worlds of mankind. Bit by bit, byte by byte, they assemble a computer the size of a continent – a device that will alter the Long Earth’s place within the cosmos and reveal the ultimate, life-affirming goal of those who sent the Message. Its impact will be felt by and resonate with all – mankind and other species, young and old, communities and individuals – who inhabit the Long Earths…

Jest połowa XXI wieku. Po ogromnym wstrząsie Dnia Przekroczenia i po erupcji superwulkanu Yellowstone, ludzkość sięga wciąż dalej w Długą Ziemię. Społeczeństwo ewoluuje, na zniszczonej Ziemi Podstawowej i poza nią. Pojawiają się nowe wyzwania.
Podstarzały i gderliwy SI, Lobsang, zamieszkuje z Agnes na egzotycznym i dalekim świecie. Postanowili wieść normalne życie w New Springfield – adoptowali nawet dziecko. Wydaje się jednak, że nie trafili tam przypadkiem. Krążą pogłoski o dziwnych zjawiskach na niebie, o strachach... Coś jest w tym świecie nie tak…
Miliony kroków od tego miejsca, Joshua dowiaduje się o ojcu, którego nigdy nie znał, i odkrywa sekretną historię rodziny. Nagle niespodziewanie otrzymuje pilne wezwanie z New Springfield.
Lobsang zaczyna rozumieć wagę tego, co dzieje się pod powierzchnią jego świata – i zagraża wszystkim światom Długiej Ziemi. Aby z tym walczyć, potrzebne są połączone wysiłki ludzkości, maszyny i superinteligentnych Następnych. A niektórzy muszą złożyć ostateczną ofiarę.

Czwarta część bestsellerowej serii autorstwa mistrza fantasy Terry'ego Pratchetta oraz Stephena Baxtera.

Pärast Sammupäeva ja katastroofilist Yellowstone’i purset levivad inimesed aina kaugemale Pikkmaale. Kaugele Pikkmaale jõuab ka Lobsang, tiibeti mootorrattaparandaja peaaegu kõikvõimas uuskehastus, kes on võtnud nõuks jumalasarnaselt positsioonilt tagasi tõmbuda ja vaikselt talu pidama hakata. See plaan pööratakse aga pea peale, kui selgub, et nagu juhuslikult on just selles maailmas midagi väga viltu. Selle olukorra lahendamiseks ei piisa Lobsangi enda jõust, vaja on kutsuda appi superastuja Joshua Valienté, uus inimliik Järgmised ja Lobsangile ainuomaselt ka... Lobsang ise. Kaalul on Pikkmaa ja terve inimkonna säilimine, kõik peavad tegema, mida suudavad, ja paistab, et keegi peab tooma ülima ohvri...

A sequel to Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s Nebula Award–winning novella “A Meeting with Medusa,” this novel continues the thrilling adventure of astronaut Howard Falcon, humanity’s first explorer of Jupiter from two modern science fiction masters.

Howard Falcon almost lost his life in an accident as the first human astronaut to explore the atmosphere of Jupiter—and a combination of human ingenuity and technical expertise brought him back. But he is no longer himself. Instead, he has been changed into an augmented human: part man, part machine, and exceptionally capable.

With permission from the Clarke Estate, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds continue this beloved writer’s enduring vision and have created a fresh story for new readers. The Medusa Chronicles charts Falcon’s journey through the centuries granted by his new body, but always back to mysteries of Jupiter and the changing interaction between humanity and the universe. A compelling read full of incredible action right from the beginning, this is a modern classic in the spirit of 2001 and The Martian.

The thrilling conclusion to the internationally bestselling Long Earth series explores the greatest question of all: What is the meaning of life?

2070-71. Nearly six decades after Step Day, a new society continues to evolve in the Long Earth. Now, a message has been received: "Join us."

The Next - the hyper-intelligent post-humans - realize that the missive contains instructions for kick-starting the development of an immense artificial intelligence known as The Machine. But to build this computer the size of an Earth continent, they must obtain help from the more populous and still industrious worlds of mankind.

Meanwhile, on a trek in the High Meggers, Joshua Valienté, now nearing seventy, is saved from death when a troll band discovers him. Living among the trolls as he recovers, Joshua develops a deeper understanding of this collective-intelligence species and its society. He discovers that some older trolls, with capacious memories, act as communal libraries, and live on a very strange Long Earth world, in caverns under the root systems of trees as tall as mountains.

Valiente also learns something much more profound... about life and its purpose in the Long Earth: We cultivate the cosmos to maximize the opportunities for life and joy in this universe, and to prepare for new universes to come.

2045-2059. In spite of the world-changing upheavals of Step Day and the Yellowstone eruption -- humanity is spreading further into the Long Earth, and society, both on a battered Datum Earth and beyond, continues to evolve.
Lobsang, now an elderly and somewhat over-complex AI, seems to have suffered a breakdown of sorts. With Agnes, he now lives, in disguise, in an exotic High-Meggers world -- 'New Springfield' --- determined to lead a 'normal' life as a human colonist. They even adopt a child, a son. But it seems that Sally Linsay guided them there for a reason.
For it's at New Springfield that the Long Earth chain of worlds has become 'entangled' with another Long world -- an alien planet. Strange haunted-house sightings in a cellar reveal this alien world to be inhabited by voracious colonising cyborgs --- 'silver beetles' -- who seem to be modifying this world for their own terrifying purposes.
Elsewhere Joshua, now in his fifties, tries to track down the father he's never known. In so doing, he unravels a deeper history -- of natural steppers who banded together in Victorian London. At first they offered their services to the crown, but were eventually hunted down and their secret covered up. But their story didn't end there, and it would seem that an ancestor of Joshua's became embroiled in a clandestine 'Darwinian' programme involving these 19th century steppers.
Free from human control, the super-intelligent Next are growing up. As they debate how to 'manage' the vast herd of humans they live amongst, one of the brightest of them all begins to preach about the unity of all human kinds and in so doing stirs up both human and Next communities -- but then, still only young, he faces a new duty.
Meanwhile, on New Springfield, Lobsang has been joined by Joshua and they've discovered the ominous ultimate goal of the cyborg silver beetles and the vast machines they have created. The threat they pose to the Long Earth -- and other Long worlds -- convinces Lobsang and the others that the beetles' world has to be 'cauterised', taken out of the Long Earth chain, to prevent the spread of their kind. To achieve this will require super-stepping abilities -- and for some it will mean making the ultimate sacrifice.

2040-е. Спустя годы после чудовищного извержения Йеллоустоуна экономика планеты переживает тяжёлые времена из-за массовой миграции в многочисленные миры Бесконечной Земли.
Джошуа, Лобсанг и Салли участвуют в этом нелёгком процессе. С последней на связь выходит её давно пропавший отец, изобретатель первого Переходника Уиллис Линдси. Он сообщает ей, что планирует совершить невероятное путешествие к Бесконечному Марсу, и зовёт её с собой. Но тот ли он, за кого себя выдаёт?
Джошуа не нужно далеко ходить за неприятностями: на него сваливаются тягости, связанные с пробуждением Следующих, новой ступени человеческого развития. Их «бесконечное детство», проведённое в скрытом мире Бесконечной Земли, подходит к концу, но общество простых людей питает к ним явно недружелюбные предрассудки, поэтому, похоже, конфликта не миновать.
«Бесконечный Марс», роман Терри Пратчетта и Стивена Бакстера, станет великолепным подарком для поклонников творчества автора.
Роман продолжает цикл «Бесконечная Земля».
Книга на английском языке.
From the combined talents of the UK's bestselling novelist and a giant of British science fiction comes the dazzling new chapter in the extraordinary and bestselling Long Earth sequence.
'Imaginative, sense-of-wonder at its best . . . thrilling stuff from the masters' Independent on Sunday
2040-2045: In the years after a cataclysmic eruption there is massive economic dislocation as populations flee to myriad Long Earth worlds.
Sally, Joshua, and Lobsang are all involved in this perilous work when, out of the blue, Sally is contacted by her long-vanished father and inventor of the original Stepper device, Willis Linsay. He tells her he is planning a fantastic voyage across the Long Mars and wants her to accompany him. But he is not what he seems.
For Joshua, the crisis he faces is much closer to home. He becomes embroiled in the plight of the Next: the super-bright post-humans who are beginning to emerge from their 'long childhood' in a hidden community located deep in the Long Earth. Ignorance and fear are causing 'normal' human society to turn against the Next - and a dramatic showdown seems inevitable . . .

Yellowstone’i katastroofiline purse teeb tsivilisatsiooni jätkumise võimatuks. Terved rahvad põgenevad lugematute kõrvalmaailmade suhtelisse turvalisusesse. Sally Linsay, Joshua Valienté ja Lobsang tegelevad ohtliku purskejärgse puhastusega Null-Maal. Joshua peab aga hakkama saama kriisiga, mis on talle lähemal. Pärast pikka lapsepõlve Pikkmaa sügavustes on välja ilmumas uus inimese järglaste, noorte üliarukate olendite tõug. „Normaalne” inimkond pöördub rumalusest ja hirmust aetuna nende vastu. Joshua jääb kahe tule vahele ja paistab nii, et tema jaoks on dramaatiline lõpplahendus vältimatu. Samal ajal asub Ühendriikide mereväe komandör Maggie Kauffman uskumatule retkele ning juhib õhulaevaekspeditsiooni Pikkmaa läbiuurimata piirimaile. Sallyga võtab ühendust tema kaua kadunud olnud isa Willis Linsay, sammuri leiutaja. Ta on alati olnud isepäine uitaja, nüüd aga on ka temal kavas fantastiline reis – reis läbi Pikkmarsi. Kuid mis on tema tõelised motiivid? Nii Joshua, inimkonna kui ka Pikkmaa jaoks on kõik muutunud.

“Their trademark world building and questions of morality remain intact . . . The explosive cliffhanger ending—also now something of a trademark—promises one final return to the series.” — Booklist

The fourth novel in Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter’s bestselling series, which io9 calls “a brilliant science fiction collaboration.”

2045-2059. Human society continues to evolve on Datum Earth, its battered and weary origin planet, as the spread of humanity progresses throughout the many Earths beyond.

Lobsang, now an elderly and complex AI, suffers a breakdown, and disguised as a human attempts to live a “normal” life on one of the millions of Long Earth worlds. His old friend, Joshua, now in his fifties, searches for his father and discovers a heretofore unknown family history. And the super-intelligent post-humans known as “the Next” continue to adapt to life among “lesser” humans.

But an alarming new challenge looms. An alien planet has somehow become “entangled” with one of the Long Earth worlds and, as Lobsang and Joshua learn, its voracious denizens intend to capture, conquer, and colonize the new universe—the Long Earth—they have inadvertently discovered.

World-building, the intersection of universes, the coexistence of diverse species, and the cosmic meaning of the Long Earth itself are among the mind-expanding themes explored in this exciting new installment of Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's extraordinary Long Earth series.

The complete list of books in the Long Earth series include:

The Long Earth
The Long War
The Long Mars
The Long Utopia
The Long Cosmos

It's 2045-2059. After the cataclysmic upheavals of Step Day and the Yellowstone eruption, humanity is spreading farther into the Long Earth, and society, on a battered Datum Earth and beyond, continues to evolve.

Now an elderly and cantankerous AI, Lobsang, lives in disguise with Agnes in an exotic, far-distant world. He’s convinced they’re leading a normal life in New Springfield - they even adopt a child - but it seems they have been guided there for a reason. As rumours of strange sightings and hauntings proliferate, it becomes clear that something is very awry with this particular world.

Millions of steps away, Joshua is on a personal journey of discovery: learning about the father he never knew and a secret family history. But then he receives a summons from New Springfield. Lobsang now understands the enormity of what’s taking place beneath the surface of his Earth - a threat to all the worlds of the Long Earth.

To counter this threat will require the combined efforts of humankind, machine and the superintelligent Next. And some must make the ultimate sacrifice...

Rok 2040. Długa Ziemia pogrążona jest w chaosie.

Kataklizm erupcji Yellowstone zagroził cywilizacji. Ludzie uciekają do Miriadów, relatywnie bezpiecznych światów Długiej Ziemi. Sally Linsay, Joshua Valienté i Lobsang angażują się w ryzykowne działania ratownicze.

Joshua jednak zmaga się z innym kryzysem. Ze swego długiego dzieciństwa w ukryciu na Długiej Ziemi wyłania się nowa rasa superinteligentnych post-ludzi – jednak "normalne" społeczeństwo, powodowane ignorancją i lękiem, zwraca się przeciw nim. Dla wplątanego w konflikt Joshuy dramatyczne starcie wydaje się nieuniknione.

Tymczasem Maggie Kauffman z marynarki Stanów Zjednoczonych wyrusza w niesamowitą podróż, prowadząc swój sterowiec ku niezbadanym granicom Długiej Ziemi.

Z Sally zaś kontaktuje się jej dawno zaginiony ojciec, Willis Linsay – wynalazca oryginalnego krokera. Także on planuje fantastyczną wyprawę: przez Długi Mars. Ale jakie są jego prawdziwe motywy?

Dla Joshuy, dla ludzkości, dla samej Długiej Ziemi – wszystko teraz jest inne.

"ONE OF THE BEST SF WRITERS IN THE BUSINESS . . . [Manifold: Origin is] filled with marvelous scientific speculations, strange events, novel concepts, and an awe-inspiring sense of the wonders of the universe."
-Science Fiction Chronicle

In the year 2015, astronaut Reid Malenfant is flying over the African continent, intent on examining a mysterious glowing construct in Earth's orbit. But when the very fabric of the sky tears open, spilling living creatures to the ground and pulling others inside (including his wife, Emma), Malenfant's quest to uncover the unknown becomes personal. While desperately searching to discover what happened to the woman he loves, Malenfant embarks upon an adventure to the very fount of human development . . . on earth and beyond.

Stretching from the distant past into the remote future, from primordial Earth to the stars, Evolution is a soaring symphony of struggle, extinction, and survival; a dazzling epic that combines a dozen scientific disciplines and a cast of unforgettable characters to convey the grand drama of evolution in all its awesome majesty and rigorous beauty. Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, there lived a small mammal, a proto-primate of the species Purgatorius. From this humble beginning, Baxter traces the human lineage forward through time. The adventure that unfolds is a gripping odyssey governed by chance and competition, a perilous journey to an uncertain destination along a route beset by sudden and catastrophic upheavals. It is a route that ends, for most species, in stagnation or extinction. Why should humanity escape this fate?

Exultant