Transcendence (Heritage Universe) - Hardcover

Charles Sheffield

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0575052643 ISBN 13: 9780575052642

Publisher: GOLLANCZ, 1992

Synopsis

The search for the Builders, the legendary alien race whose unfathomable constructs continued to perplex scholars and explorers alike, had led Builder expert Darya Lang, adventurer Hans Rebka, and treasure hunters Louis Nenda and Atvar H'sial to an unknown Builder artifact far outside the spiral arm. There they found the Zardalu, once the greatest menace ever known to the worlds of the spiral arm, enslaving entire races and exterminating others, guided by an unswerving belief in their own supremacy. The only chance to eliminate the Zardalu threat was to wipe them all out before they had time to breed back up to strength and once again threaten civilized beings everywhere. But as they closed in, it was becoming clear that the Zardalu and their world were closely entwined with the fate--and the plans--of the Builders themselves.

About this title

About the Author:

Charles Sheffield (1935-2002) was a mathematician, physicist, and author of both nonfiction and science fiction. For his novel Brother to Dragons, he won the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. He won the Nebula Award in 1993 and the Hugo Award in 1994 for his novelette Georgia on My Mind. He was a president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronautical Society. He served as chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company that processed remote sensing satellite data. He was a distinguished lecturer of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a board member of the National Space Society. Born and educated in England, he held bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics and a doctorate in theoretical physics.

From Kirkus Reviews:

The latest (and certainly not the last) in Sheffield's far- future space-adventure series (Summertide, Divergence). Here, scholarly Darya Lang--just back from an encounter with the few remaining Zardalu (an especially horrid race of squid-like aliens that once ruled much of the galaxy) inside the Builder artifact called Serenity (one of many bits of mysterious super-tech left behind by a long-vanished race)--is swept up again into adventure by Hans Rebka and now ex-Councilor Julian Graves. It seems the Alliance Council will not believe their report of living Zardalu, and so, along with alien servants J'merlian and Kallik and the reluctant rogues Louis Nenda and Atvar H'sial, they set out after the Zardalu to get proof. The search leads into the dreaded Torvil Anfract, where physical laws are bent beyond recognition, and thence on to Genizee, where our heroes confront more Builder leavings (they litter the galaxy like old tin cans) and, of course, the fearsome Zardalu. Aside from the Builder wonders, there's little here for the mind but action-adventure bubble gum. Despite the vast passage of time, this future society is hardly changed from our present, and the plot (consisting mainly of inept chases by the Zardalu and comical exchanges between the characters) wears thin. Sheffield ought to have wound up this fading series with this book. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: GOLLANCZ
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0575052643
• ISBN 13: 9780575052642
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240