Free shipping on orders over $99
The Long Utopia

The Long Utopia

The Long Earth 4

by Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett
Paperback
Publication Date: 15/03/2016

Share This Book:

 
$14.99
The dazzling new science fiction adventure from the extraordinary imaginations of Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter -- the fourth novel in a collaborative series that has been hailed as 'sense-of-wonder SF at its best.' (Independent on Sunday).
     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.
ISBN:
9780552172813
9780552172813
Category:
Science fiction
Format:
Paperback
Publication Date:
15-03-2016
Language:
English
Publisher:
Penguin Random House
Country of origin:
United Kingdom
Dimensions (mm):
177.8x109.98x29.21mm
Weight:
0.24kg
Stephen Baxter

Stephen Baxter is the pre-eminent SF writer of his generation. With Terry Pratchett he has co-authored the Long Earth novels. Published around the world he has also won major awards in the UK, US, Germany, and Japan. Born in 1957 he has degrees from Cambridge and Southampton. He lives in Northumberland with his wife.

Terry Pratchett

Sir Terry Pratchett is a publishing phenomenon. Among his many prizes and citations are the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award, the Carnegie Medal, the BSFA Award, eight honorary doctorates and, of course, a knighthood.

In 2012, he won a BAFTA for his documentary on the subject of assisted suicide, 'Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die'. He is the author of fifty bestselling books but is best known for the globally renowned Discworld series.

In 2007, Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease. He died in 2015.

Click 'Notify Me' to get an email alert when this item becomes available

Reviews

Be the first to review The Long Utopia.