The award-winning author of Timescape and Eater returns with a gripping new novel set in the same dynamic future as his wildly popular The Martian Race.
Their historic mission to Mars made Julia and Victor the most famous astronauts of all time. Now, decades later, they are ordered by the Consortium to Pluto, where they will rendezvous with another starship led by the brilliant, arrogant Captain Shanna Axelrod. Here, on the frozen ammonia shore of Pluto's methane sea, Shanna has discovered intelligent creatures thriving in the -300┬░ degree temperatures. But even as their findings shift from the amazing to the inconceivable, the two crews must overcome their own intense rivalry to work together, for the most remote reaches of the solar system are filled with unimaginable wonders … and countless forces that will crush all human life.
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“Gabrielle de Cuir opens the narrative with the voices of astronauts Julia, an Australian, and her husband, Victor…[and] succeeds beautifully in keeping both accents distinct and accurate and in giving the characters added dimension. Stefan Rudnicki’s rumbling tones seem to convey the majesty and expanse of deep space, which Richard Gilliland echoes with his own low timbre. Susan Hanfield rounds out the cast with a clipped, authoritative voice for Captain Axelrod…This stellar ensemble…makes the action sequences positively shine.”
— AudioFile
“Benford is a scientist who writes with verve and insight not only about black holes and cosmic strings but about human desires and fears.”
— New York Times Book Review“A novel about the discovery of anaerobic life on Mars? Trust physics professor and Nebula Award winner Benford to pull it off.”
— Library Journal“Working from a thrilling premise and with original, speculative science, Benford, a premier practitioner of hard SF, is in top form.”
— Booklist“Benford has always been fascinated by the possibilities inherent in extraterrestrial life, and he takes advantage of his own scientific specialty, plasma physics, to create some extraordinary creatures.”
— Publishers Weekly“Benford—here, as always, at his best when portraying scientists discussing ideas and hammering out hypotheses—offers up some absorbing scientific speculations.”
— Kirkus ReviewsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Gregory Benford is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, he received the Lord Prize for contributions to science in 1995 and the Asimov Memorial Award for popularizing science in 2007. He has written numerous works of science fiction, receiving a Nebula Award and a John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Timescape.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.
Richard Gilliland is a veteran television and film actor.
Susan Hanfield is an Audie Award–winning narrator who comes from a strong classical theater background and loves bringing deep characterizations to all of her work. She has narrated over twenty books, including Ru Emerson’s six-book Night-Threads series. On camera, she has been seen commercially and in numerous international, national, and regional network spots. She also played the title character in Magdalene, an award-winning short film.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.