The search for the Builders, the legendary alien race whose unfathomable constructs continued to perplex scholars and explorers alike, had led Builder expert Darya Lang, adventurer Hans Rebka, and treasure hunters Louis Nenda and Atvar H’sial to an unknown Builder artifact far outside the spiral arm. There they found the Zardalu, once the greatest menace ever known to the worlds of the spiral arm, enslaving entire races and exterminating others, guided by an unswerving belief in their own supremacy.
The only chance to eliminate the Zardalu threat was to wipe them all out before they had time to breed back up to strength and once again threaten civilized beings everywhere. But as they closed in, it was becoming clear that the Zardalu and their world were closely entwined with the fate—and the plans—of the Builders themselves.
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"All three of the Heritage Universe trilogy are amazing. These are very cerebral books, but the plot(s) are very well put together and related. Sci Fi without all the hokey crap some authors get into..."
— Bill (5 out of 5 stars)
“The science is dead on, and the plot keeps listeners wonderfully tense, but there are moments of pure comedy throughout the piece that are simply delightful. [Cosham’s] reading is quite enjoyable; his ability to bring to life a wide variety of slaves and owners, rogues and scientists, deserves applause…This one is an absolute must for hard-core sci-fi fans.”
— Audiobookstoday.com“Sheffield’s narrative is smooth, and the joys, pitfalls, and dangers of exploration are conveyed well.”
— Publishers Weekly“Smart, hard science fiction adventure. This is a story that both awes and excites.”
— AudioFile" The characters and situations are getting kind of stale. I read 3 of 4 and have no desire to continue...that's a pretty damning statement. "
— Waltor, 6/27/2009Charles 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.