Manifold: Space
by Stephen Baxter
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen BaxterEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-01-02
ISBN: 0345430786
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Manifold: Space
Book Review: A full-blooded attempt at answering one of the BIG questions
Summary: 5 Stars
Manifold: Space is the second of three books dealing with some of the big questions about the universe. The first book Manifold:Time assumed that humans were the only intelligences in the cosmos, and looked at what might happen over the next 1,000,000,000 000,000, 000,000 000,000, 000,000 000,000, 000,000 000,000, 000,000 000,000, 000,000 000,000, 000,000 000,000, 000,000 000,000 years (and every zero counts!). It was awe-inspiring but with a few flaws.
This second book assumes that we aren't the only intelligence and it attempts to answer the question called Fermi's Paradox - if aliens exist, why aren't they here already ? After all, space is vast and the universe has already existed for thousands of millions of years. If they exist, what is holding them back?
The plot is long and stretches over millenia. The central character is an American called Reid Malenfant, who is involved in making First Contact with an alien species , the Gaijin. As he then travels from star to star he leapfrogs the centuries as Earth's society collapses. Conservative and constrained settlements on the asteroids, Triton and a hauntingly sad Moon mean that humanity still survive, but in the Gaijin's shadow.
As another set of aliens force the remnants of the human race into a final showdown, Malenfant gradually understands the nature of the cosmos and the motivation of the Gaijin. Life exists on almost any planet, but the physics of the universe means that death and extinction almost inevitably follow.
With such an cosmic setting , it's difficult to produce an adequate climax, but Baxter does not disappoint here. Despite what other reviewers have said, I think the book is well-written and I have read it twice. It's one of the best examples of Britcosmic - and I recommend it if you like serious SF.
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