Read by Kristin Allison

Hugo and Nebula award winner Anderson incorporates two stories he wrote
for the Asimov's Universe series into this absorbing posthumous novel,
a fast-paced space opera that never lets the reader forget that aliens
are alien. At a time when nearly immortal humans have colonized the galaxy,
various space-faring species commingle freely and the residents of Earth
have become as alien to other humans as true ETs, an astronomical event
that may affect all existence is about to take place. Unfortunately, only
one set of aliens knows what that event is and their ruling dictatorship
is hell-bent on keeping it that way. Lissa Windholm, an Earth woman with
a spirit of adventure men find attractive, is determined to uncover
the mystery and share the knowledge with everyone. Lissa and her partner
Karl, a tyrannosaurus-like scientist, make some startling archeological
discoveries on the planet Jonna about beings known as the Forerunners,
but a psychologically scarred starship captain and an impressively ancient
and profit-minded human rogue have other plans for the relics. Moving from
one key sequence to another, Anderson omits much of the buildup and back
story customary for such epic-scale SF, yet his protagonists and the worlds
they explore always feel rich and real. FYI: Anderson died in 2001.

Download File Size:463.07 MB

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