It was just before Summertide, when the planet Quake would orbit closest to its sun, subjecting itself to vast tidal forces. It was to be the most violent Summertide ever, creating something that only happened every 350,000 years.
Access to the unstable Quake was supposed to be prohibited, but some very insistent travelers were determined to make the trip. Professor Darya Lang, who studied artifacts left by the long-vanished aliens called the Builders, had a hunch that she might find the Builders themselves. And Councilor Julius Graves was hunting murderers. Planetary Administrators Hans Rebka and Max Perry had no choice but to go to Quake, risking their lives to protect the others—and to learn, just maybe, the secret of Summertide and the Builders.
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"A wonderful example of hard science fiction. Fascinating galactic artifacts left by long vanished builders. Humans and convincing aliens working side by side. I look forward to reading more Sheffield. " — Gendou (5 out of 5 stars)
"A wonderful example of hard science fiction. Fascinating galactic artifacts left by long vanished builders. Humans and convincing aliens working side by side. I look forward to reading more Sheffield. "
“The vaults of space echo to another epic voice.”
“This promising first installment of the projected Heritage Universe series stands on its own.”
“Political intrigue, mystery, and fast-paced action highlight this hard sf novel.”
" This was much slower and much less interesting than his other books. I was very disappointed. I missed the interesting characters, the solid story, and the scientific explanation I've come to expect from Sheffield. "
" Hard SF...with a little FTL travel thrown in to make the universe smaller. I still enjoy Sheffield though his characters are not deep. Worth the time. "
" A great book! It ended with an awful cliffhanger, though, and I don't have the next book of the series. :( "
" Good, solid hard SF. Enjoyable but not outstanding. We'll see what the second book brings. "
" More in the area of 3.5-3.75 stars but I like it enough to read the sequel. "
" Never disappointed in a Sheffield Novel. Good character development. Moving plot with just enough intrigue to pull you along. And a climax that is unexpected. "
" Mysterious powerful race once built huge artifacts that span whole solar systems. Yawn! "
" A wonderful example of hard science fiction. Fascinating galactic artifacts left by long vanished builders. Humans and convincing aliens working side by side. I look forward to reading more Sheffield. "
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.
Geoffrey Howard (a.k.a. Ralph Cosham) was a stage actor and an award-winning narrator. He recorded more than 100 audiobooks in his lifetime and won the prestigious Audio Award for Best Narration and several AudioFile Earphones Awards.
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