An extraordinary new thriller of the future from #1 New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning author John Sandford and internationally known photo-artist and science fiction aficionado Ctein.
Over the course of thirty-seven books, John Sandford has proven time and again his unmatchable talents for electrifying plots, rich characters, sly wit, and razor-sharp dialogue. Now, in collaboration with Ctein, he proves it all once more, in a stunning new thriller, a story as audacious as it is deeply satisfying.
The year is 2066. A Caltech intern inadvertently notices an anomaly from a space telescope—something is approaching Saturn, and decelerating. Space objects don’t decelerate. Spaceships do.
A flurry of top-level government meetings produces the inescapable conclusion: whatever built that ship is at least one hundred years ahead in hard and soft technology, and whoever can get their hands on it exclusively and bring it back will have an advantage so large, no other nation can compete. A conclusion the Chinese definitely agree with when they find out.
The race is on, and a remarkable adventure begins—an epic tale of courage, treachery, resourcefulness, secrets, surprises, and astonishing human and technological discovery, as the members of a hastily thrown-together crew find their strength and wits tested against adversaries both of this earth and beyond. What happens is nothing like you expect—and everything you could want from one of the world’s greatest masters of suspense.
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"Utterly captivating! With the heart of a breakneck thriller and the mind of the best science fiction (Bradbury and Heinlein come to mind), Saturn Run keeps us enthralled from beginning to end. Sandford and Ctein have brilliantly pulled off the difficult task of making a very different world very familiar, proving that a born storyteller is a storyteller, whether he sets his books on mean streets or in deep space. I, for one, want more. — Jeffery Deaver"
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John Sandford is an amazing, protean writer, and Saturn Run is a terrific story of alien first contact. It’s a book Michael Crichton would have enjoyed, but never could have written; he didn’t have Sandford’s gift of good humor and his uncanny ear for dialogue. With the able partnership of Ctein, it’s fast, scientifically believable, and peopled by characters who become good friends. Fans of Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers will eat this up.
— Stephen KingThree things to know: First, I’m the world’s biggest John Sandford fan. Second: I saw this book and thought ... what? Third: I needn’t have worried. It’s vintage Sandford all the way, with all his trademark strengths and insights, except set in the future, not the present. You won’t be disappointed.
— Lee ChildMy compliments to Ctein and John Sandford for Saturn Run. I enjoyed it greatly. It's a meticulous novel, 100 percent hard science fiction. A space war is the most difficult thing to portray, and the authors have pulled it off. I was reminded of Footfall, my and Jerry Pournelle's own work, and Carl Sagan's Contact.
— Larry Niven, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Ringworld seriesSandford and Ctein conjure up some delightful chemistry among these characters, making their journey as harrowing as it is entertaining. Here is a prime example of the principle that in a sci-fi novel about space travel, half the fun is in getting to the destination.
— Washington PostThe combination of both hard and soft sciences makes this story an excellent read. The central characters are well developed, compelling, and realistic. Highly recommended for the multitudes of Sanford fans and all those who revel in speculative fiction.
— Library JournalJames Bond meets Tom Swift, with the last word reserved for…international piracy, state secrets, and a spot of satisfyingly underhanded political pressure.
— KirkusA must-read…Scenes of beauty collide with catastrophes, as technology takes over in this incredible tale [with] a fabulous ending for all Sandford fans to thoroughly enjoy.
— Suspense MagazineScenes of wonder and beauty are joined with moments of helpless calamity at a pace that leaves the reader no time to look back and consider what just happened. The authors include plenty of fascinating technology and inside jokes for SF fans, and the conclusion is inevitable and satisfying.
— Publishers Weekly, Starred ReviewTraveling vicariously with these daring space pioneers makes for a riveting read....And it isn't a spoiler to reveal that it has a perfect ending.
— St. Paul Pioneer PressA gripping, futuristic tale. The overall experience of "Saturn Run" is like a mixture of Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: a Space Odyssey" and "Rendezvous With Rama." Readers looking for a great sci-fi story won't be disappointed. At almost 500 pages, the pace and compelling characters keep things moving and nothing seems padded.
— Associated PressAmbitious and alluring, “Saturn Run” is sci-fi in the Arthur C. Clarke tradition, but stepped-up and updated. It’s still powered by romance—not of the unknown, but of what could—just possibly—be within our reach.
— The Wall Street Journal“John Sandford is an amazing, protean writer, and Saturn Run is a terrific story of alien first contact…With the able partnership of Ctein, it’s fast, scientifically believable, and peopled by characters who become good friends. Fans of Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers will eat this up.”
— Stephen King“It’s vintage Sandford all the way, with all his trademark strengths and insights, except set in the future, not the present. You won’t be disappointed.”
— Lee Child“Sandford has always been at the top of any list of great mystery writers.”
— Huffington Post“One of the most gifted thriller writers at work in this country or any other.”
— Richmond Times-Dispatch“John Sandford writes entertainment that is not to be missed. He is consistently brilliant.”
— Cleveland Plain DealerJohn Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of more than thirty Prey novels, as well as novels in the Kidd series and the Virgil Flowers series, among other books.
Ctein is an award-winning photographer and science fiction aficionado. He has degrees in English and Physics from Caltech, and has written over five hundred articles, columns, books, and manuals.
Eric Conger is a stage actor, voice artist, and award-winning audiobook narrator. He has narrated more than 125 fiction and nonfiction audiobooks and was a four-time finalist for the Audie Award, both as a sole narrator in 2007 and 2008 and as part of a multicast reading in 2001 and 2012. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards. His extensive voice-over work includes more than 5,000 narrations for commercial ventures. A graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Paris, he also works as a writer and playwright. He has appeared in over fifty plays and has also translated plays of Molière and Feydeau for regional theaters.