Emanuel Goldsmith, a famous poet, murdered eight people, then disappeared. Three people want to find him: an aspiring writer, an embittered scientist who wants to use him, and a policewoman who needs to put him in custody before the Selectors, a vigilante organization, get to him first.
Download and start listening now!
"I listened to this book on tape about 8 years ago and it has stuck with me. It was intricate and absorbing. The details of the plot and characters have faded in my memory but the questions and possibilities raised have not left me."
— Ocelot4 (4 out of 5 stars)
" Read like a bad Samuel Delany. "
— Andrew, 12/29/2013" The interweaving in this is incredible. So are the strands of world he created. I found myself wondering if he had written the full books excerpted, or just the excerpts, or... because some of them I wanted to read from the pieces. "
— Kei, 12/20/2013" Clearly Bear had a idea he wanted to share, about identity and sentience. To do this he wove together 4 or 5 different stories, but sadly it meant that none of the stories got enough time for me to care about them or the characters. "
— Jorgen, 12/16/2013" An excellent example of post-cyberpunk fiction, blending nanotechnology, virtual reality and police investigation. Recommended. "
— Florin, 9/27/2013" I just could not get into this book at all. The writing style was frustratingly archaic and the characters so far removed from this reality as to not excite much interest. I finally gave up after 10 chapters. "
— Dawn, 9/15/2013" If you think the definition of self is interesting, or loops, you'll like this. "
— Josh, 8/26/2013" Tedious and pretentious. Too much insipid technobabble and bad poetry to go with some good ideas. "
— Brett, 7/14/2013" One of the rare books that I've read many times. Haunting and strange. One of the best books ever written - imho. "
— Springuyen, 4/17/2013" Formatted with interesting (and remarkably effective) alternate grammar, esp. around speech/thought, Queen of Angels well-written. And fun, if you can dig on a murder mystery with a heavy dose of psychology. "
— Chris, 4/2/2013" freakin' aweseome. this is a definite buy. "
— Liz, 2/4/2013" A great mix of Blade Runner meets Sam Spade. "
— Dev, 1/21/2013" Surprisingly, I didn't like this as much as some other Greg Bear novels. Probably just me. "
— Clyde, 1/16/2013" Listened to on iPhone (18 hr, 41 min, 52 sec) "
— Jeff, 1/5/2013" to dense for me. still good but too dense "
— Sandyboy, 12/29/2012" I really didn't care to much for this book. While I do enjoy hard scifi this one just seemed to drag and have a really hollow story line and a shallow character set. "
— Greg, 4/28/2012" A good, solid sci-fi novel from one of the genre's best writers! "
— Marion, 4/21/2012" Confusing mess from Bear. A lot of the same concepts are better utilized in his other work. "
— Matt, 2/17/2012" I could not get into this book. The characters did not draw me in and hold me. The language was sometimes confusing and you get these + signs that I never quite got. I read about 100 pages of this and put it down. It may finish stronger but to me it was not worth the time to get there. "
— Budd, 2/10/2012" Surprisingly, I didn't like this as much as some other Greg Bear novels. Probably just me. "
— Clyde, 10/31/2011" Listened to on iPhone (18 hr, 41 min, 52 sec)<br/> "
— Jeff, 10/11/2011" Read like a bad Samuel Delany. "
— Andrew, 10/6/2011" to dense for me. still good but too dense "
— Sandyboy, 12/10/2010" freakin' aweseome. this is a definite buy. "
— Liz, 11/1/2009" One of the rare books that I've read many times. Haunting and strange. One of the best books ever written - imho. "
— Springuyen, 10/26/2009" Confusing mess from Bear. A lot of the same concepts are better utilized in his other work. "
— Matt, 12/27/2008Greg Bear is an American author of more than forty books spanning the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. His science fiction works have covered themes of galactic conflict, artificial universes, consciousness and cultural practice, and accelerated evolution. His fiction has garnered five Nebula Awards, two Hugo Awards, the Monty Award, and the Heinlein Award. He has also been an illustrator of science fiction works in both hardcover and paperback. He has written articles on film for the Los Angeles Times and book reviews for the San Diego Union. He is a founding member of the Association of Science Fiction Artists and of the San Diego Comic-Con. and has served as president and vice president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He has also served as a consultant for NASA, the US Army, the State Department, and other organizations on such matters as crime and criminal justice, virology and evolution, and bio security.
George Guidall, winner of more than eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards, has won three of the prestigious Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration. In 2014 the Audio Publishers Association presented him with the Special Achievement Award for lifetime achievement/ During his thirty-year recording career he has recorded over 1,700 audiobooks, won multiple awards, been a mentor to many narrators, and shown by example the potential of fine storytelling. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.