Best Selling Books by Greg Bear

Isaac Asimov''s renowned Foundation Trilogy pioneered many of the familiar themes of modern science fiction and shaped many of its best writers. With the permission and blessing of the Asimov estate, the epic saga left unfinished by the Grand Master himself now continues with this second masterful volume. With Hari Seldon on trial for treason, the Galactic Empire''s long-anticipated migration to Star''s End is about to begin. But the mission''s brilliant robot leader, R. Daneel Olivaw, has discovered a potential enemy far deadlier--and closer--than he ever imagined. One of his own kind. A freak accident erases the basic commandments in humaniform robot Lodovik Trema''s positronic brain. Now Lodovic''s service to humankind is no longer bound by destiny, but by will. To ensure his loyalty, Daneel has Lodovic secretly reprogrammed. But can he be trusted? Now, other robots are beginning to question their mission--and Daneel''s strategy. And stirrings of rebellion, too, are infecting their human counterparts. Among them is a young woman with awesome psychic abilities, a reluctant leader with the power to join man and robot in a quest for common freedom.or mutual destruction. The Foundation Saga Continues Read Gregory Benford''s Foundation''s Fear, the first novel in this bold new series and Secret Foundation, the concluding volume from David Brin.

In this near-future thriller, three FBI agents take on the Talos Corporation and its plan to destroy the government and constitutional law by means of a treatment program code-named Mariposa.

Fifty years after Professor Challenger''s discovery of the Lost World, America''s last dinosaur circus has gone bankrupt, leaving a dozen avisaurs, centrosaurs, ankylosaurs, and one large raptor abandoned. Now a daring expedition plans to do the impossible: return the Jurassic giants to the wild. Two filmmakers, a circus trainer, a journalist, and a young Peter Belzoni must find a way to take the dinosaurs across oceans, continents, rivers, jungles, up a mountain that has been isolated for seventy thousand years . . . Then, if they make it, all they will do is face the prehistoric wonders, dangers, and terrors of the Lost World. Greg Bear, author of more than twenty-five books that have been translated into seventeen languages, has won science fiction''s highest honors and is considered the natural heir to Arthur C. Clarke. The recipient of two Hugos and four Nebulas for his fiction, he has been called "the best working writer of hard science fiction" by The Science Fiction Encyclopedia. Many of his novels, such as Darwin''s Radio, are considered to be this generations'' classics. Bear is married to Astrid Anderson, daughter of science fiction great Poul Anderson, and they are the parents of two children, Erik and Alexandria. His recent thriller novel, Quantico, was published in 2007 and the sequel, Mariposa, followed in 2009. He has since published a new, epic science fiction novel, City at the End of Time and a generation starship novel, Hull Zero Three.

A veteran sergeant and his surviving team battle for survival on Saturn''s moon in this military science fiction sequel by a New York Times bestseller. A new planet. A new battle. Same war. Master Sergeant Michael Venn returns to the war zone of Mars to further his investigation into the Drifters—ancient artifacts suddenly reawakened on the red planet. But soon his team is driven to Saturn''s moon Titan, where they''ll discover new truths about the Drifters, the origin of life in our solar systems, and the plans of the supposedly benevolent Gurus, who have been "sponsoring" and supporting humanity in their fight against outside invaders . . . Killing Titan is the second book in the epic interstellar War Dogs trilogy from master of science fiction, Greg Bear. "[A] satisfying sequel. . . . Readers will appreciate the mix of fast-paced military fiction and eons-long mystery, a blend of brutal and sublime in which life is precious no matter how vast the scope—or the type of life." — Publishers Weekly "Does not disappoint, with both vivid planetology and traditional mil-SF attention to exotic-environment combat gear and operations. Add a cliffhanger ending and the promise of continuing, possibly cosmic vastening of the meta-story, and you have as strong a mid-trilogy volume as you could want." — Locus

MASTER AND APPRENTICE The Force is strong in twelve-year-old Anakin Skywalker . . . so strong that the Jedi Council, despite misgivings, entrusted young Obi-Wan Kenobi with the mission of training him to become a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan? like his slain Master Qui-Gon?believes Anakin may be the chosen one, the Jedi destined to bring balance to the Force. But first Obi-Wan must help his undisciplined apprentice, who still bears the scars of slavery, find his own balance. Dispatched to the mysterious planet of Zonama Sekot, source of the fastest ships in the galaxy, Obi-Wan and Anakin are swept up in a swirl of deadly intrigue and betrayal. They sense a disturbance in the Force unlike any they have encountered before. It seems there are more secrets on Zonama Sekot than meet the eye. But the search for those secrets will threaten the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin . . . and bring the troubled young apprentice face-to-face with his deepest fears?and his darkest destiny. Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

In the wake of the apparent self-destruction of the Forerunner empire, two humans – Chakas and Riser – are like flotsam washed up on very strange shores indeed. They find themselves on an inverted world where horizons rise into the sky and where humans of all kinds are trapped in a perilous cycle of neglect. They have become strategic pawns in a cosmic game whose madness knows no end – a game of ancient vengeance between the powers who seeded the galaxy with life, and the Forerunners. In the company of a young girl and an old man, Chakas begins an epic journey across a lost and damaged Halo in search of a way home, an explanation for the warrior spirits rising up within, and for the Librarian’s tampering with human destiny. This journey will take them into the domain of a powerful and monstrous intelligence who claims to be the Last Precursor, and who now has control of both this Halo and the fate of Forerunners and humans alike. Called the Primordial by ancient human warriors, this intelligence may control the fate of not only Chakas, Riser, and the rest of humanity, but all of sentient life.

The final novel of the Forerunner Saga trilogy by science fiction legend Greg Bear—set in the Halo universe and based on the New York Times bestselling video game series! One hundred thousand years ago. Chaos rules the final days of the Forerunner empire. The Flood—a horrifying, shape-changing, and unstoppable parasite—has arrived in force, aided by unexpected allies, and internal strife has desperately weakened Forerunner defenses. Facing the imminent collapse of their civilization, the Forerunners known as the Ur-Didact and the Librarian reveal what they know about the relationship between the long-vanished race of the Precursors and the Flood. While the Precursors created many technological species, including those of the Forerunners and humanity itself, the roots of the Flood may be found in an act of enormous barbarity, carried out beyond our galaxy ten million years before. Because of that savagery, a greater evil looms. Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian—husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict—hold the keys to a solution. As they face the consequences of a mythic tragedy, one of them must now commit the greatest atrocity of all time—a shocking act designed to prevent an insane abomination from dominating the entire galaxy…

This saga of parallel universes from a Hugo and Nebula Award – winning author "may be the best constructed hard SF epic yet" ( The Washington Post). One of the world''s preeminent New York Times –bestselling authors of hard science fiction mesmerizes readers with a mind-expanding, three-volume masterwork about the creation of an alternate universe that breaks down all barriers of time and space, and its consequences for future and past generations. Legacy: In the stunning prequel to Eon and Eternity, an agent of the masters of the Way—a man-made tunnel through countless dimensions—follows a renegade fanatic and his four thousand acolytes to a remarkable world of flora/fauna hybrids, where he is plunged into the terrible chaos of a raging civil war. Eon: As nuclear tensions rapidly reach a breaking point in a volatile twenty-first century, a hollowed-out asteroid appears, mysteriously hovering above the Earth''s surface. The asteroid contains the remains of Thistledown, an abandoned city that was once home to survivors of a nuclear holocaust. Scientists must race to unravel its secrets before the human race is annihilated in the impending apocalypse. Eternity: A devastating war has left Earth a nuclear wasteland. Orbiting the planet is an asteroid-starship containing the civilization of Thistledown, humanity''s future descendants. For decades, they have worked to heal their world and its survivors, but their resources are finite. They need to reopen the Way, a gate that would not only benefit Earth but also help the asteroid''s residents return home. Greg Bear''s classic Eon trilogy is an astonishing feat of the imagination that combines humanism, cutting-edge science, and brilliant extrapolation. This masterful science fiction saga has no equal in contemporary speculative fiction.

7 remarkable stories, newly revised for this collection, showcase the award-winning talents of one of the 21st century’s finest writers of speculative fiction Whether penning science fiction (Moving Mars, Queen of Angels, War Dogs), alternate history (the Mongoliad series with Neal Stephenson), or fantasy (Sleepside, The Infinity Concerto), Greg Bear tells stories that engage the reader’s intellect while gripping the imagination. His short fiction is no exception. Beyond the Farthest Suns takes readers to the far end of the universe and the borders of scientific understanding. The volume includes: · “The Way of All Ghosts,” set in the bestselling universe of Eon and Eternity; · “The Venging,” which takes a group of desperate fugitives fleeing alien dominance down into the awesome gateway of a black hole; · “The Fall of the House of Escher,” in which a world-famous illusionist is brought back from the dead for a terrifying command performance; · “Hardfought,” the critically acclaimed Nebula Award–winning story showcasing a far future in which a legendary female pilot and her alien captor are forced into a tapestry of echoing lives where they struggle to communicate and find the deepest secrets of their history. These works, along with 3 additional entries, stunningly illustrate how Bear interweaves the rationality of science with remarkable characters whose thoughts and emotions reflect our own.

The Force is strong in twelve-year-old Anakin Skywalker . . . so strong that the Jedi Council, despite misgivings, entrusted young Obi-Wan Kenobi with the mission of training him to become a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan--like his slain Master Qui-Gon--believes Anakin may be the chosen one, the Jedi destined to bring balance to the Force. But first Obi-Wan must help his undisciplined apprentice, who still bears the scars of slavery, find his own balance. Dispatched to the mysterious planet of Zonama Sekot, source of the fastest ships in the galaxy, Obi-Wan and Anakin are swept up in a swirl of deadly intrigue and betrayal. They sense a disturbance in the Force unlike any they have encountered before. It seems there are more secrets on Zonama Sekot than meet the eye. But the search for those secrets will threaten the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin . . . and bring the troubled young apprentice face-to-face with his deepest fears--and his darkest destiny.

Sixteen compelling tales of post-apocalyptic societies and dystopian worlds include stories by Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, W. E. B. Du Bois, Harlan Ellison, and others.

Ein Planet kämpft um seine Unabhängigkeit Durch Terraforming hat sich die Menschheit auf dem Mars eine zweite Heimat geschaffen. Jetzt, im 22. Jahrhundert, wird die Kluft zwischen Mars und Erde immer größer, nicht zuletzt durch die wissenschaftliche und politische Entwicklung auf dem roten Planeten. Dies ist die Geschichte von Casseia Majumdar, einer Marsianerin, die die Veränderungen hautnah miterlebt.

The New York Times Book Review hails this collection of thirteen dazzling stories and a rare screenplay by Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Greg Bear as a “solid introduction to the oeuvre of a classic writer.” Greg Bear—author of Queen of Angels, Eon, and Hull Zero Three, among many other hugely popular novels—has an ability to transform challenging scientific concepts into gripping fiction that has won him numerous awards and an avid following. He has written novels about interstellar war, human evolution, intelligent bacteria, international terrorism, and the exploration of deep space—but he doesn’t stop there. This brilliant collection of Bear’s stories, each newly revised by the author, proves he is a master of the short form as well. Just Over the Horizon offers thirteen mind-bending explorations of the near future . . . or just beyond the border of conventional reality. The volume includes: · “Blood Music,” a Hugo and Nebula award–winning classic and the basis for the novel of the same name—and the first science-fictional exploration of nanotechnology; · “Sisters,” in which high school students find maturity and family by confronting a tragic genetic destiny; · “Tangents,” winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, about a persecuted scientist who seeks refuge in a better world; · “Dead Run,” a tale of union truck drivers ferrying souls through Death Valley into Hell, adapted for an episode of the television series The Twilight Zone; · “Sleepside Story,” which Bear calls one of his favorite pieces, an urban fantasy tale that takes a music student by Night Metro to the Sleepside mansion of a magical woman of the night, inverting “Beauty and the Beast” in a very modern mirror; · “Genius,” the screenplay written for the television series Outer Limits, but never produced. Just Over the Horizon combines Bear’s intense concern with the human condition with a deep understanding of science, resulting in a collection long to be remembered.

Jonathan Strahan, the award-winning and much lauded editor of many of genre’s best known anthologies is back with his 10th volume in this fascinating series, featuring the best science fiction and fantasy from 2015. With established names and new talent this diverse and ground-breaking collection will take the reader to the outer-reaches of space and the inner realms of humanity with stories of fantastical worlds and worlds that may still come to pass. Featuring Paolo Bacigalupi • Elizabeth Bear • Greg Bear • Jeffrey Ford • Neil Gaiman • Nalo Hopkinson • Nisi Shawl • Simon Ings • Gwyneth Jones • Caitlin R. Kiernan • Anne Leckie • Kelly Link • Usman T. Malik • Ian McDonald • Vonda McIntrye • Sam J. Miller • Tamsyn Muir • Robert Reed • Alastair Reynolds • Kim Stanley Robinson • Kelly Robson • Geoff Ryman • Nike Sulway • Catherynne Valente • Genevieve Valentine • Kai Ashante Wilson • Alyssa Wong

In 1241, warriors try to stop the Mongols from invading Europe; in the nineteenth century, a group of martial artists provide a language expert with lost manuscripts to translate that chronicle their ancestors'' thirteenth century battles.

Hace cien mil años, la galaxia estaba poblada por una gran variedad de seres. Pero una especie –eones por delante tanto en tecnología como en conocimiento— predominó sobre las demás. Gobernaban en paz, pero eliminaban con contundencia a sus enemigos. Eran los Forerunners: los custodios del Manto, la siguiente fase de la vida en el Tiempo Vivo del universo. Y, entonces, desaparecieron. Ésta es su historia.

Welcome to the hottest pocket in Larry Niven’s Known Space: the time of the assault on pacifist humanity by berserker felinoids from the planet Kzin. This time humanity’s representatives to the Warrior Race are Donald Kingsbury, Greg Bear, and Steve Stirling. As is traditional in this war for species survival, in all cases “monkey cleverness” (i.e., human cunning) is more than a match for felinoid ferocity. But as is also traditional, victory never comes cheap to those out on the sharp edge of The Man-Kzin Wars. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Eine neue Generation Mensch Ein Virus, das im Erbgut des Menschen schlummerte, bringt jetzt Tausende genetisch veränderter Babys hervor, deren Sinne sich weiterentwickelt haben. Elf Jahre nach der Entdeckung des Virus werden diese sogenannten Darwin-Kinder von der zutiefst verunsicherten Gesellschaft verfolgt und weggesperrt. Eine kleine Gruppe Wissenschaftler entkommt dem engmaschigen Überwachungsnetz der Regierung und versucht, hinter das Geheimnis der Kinder zu kommen. Es scheint, als würde sich die Welt, wie wir sie kennen, ihrem Ende nähern ...

Hilflos dem Untergang geweiht Mitten im Death Valley erhebt sich über Nacht ein Aschekegel, der sich als getarntes Raumschiff entpuppt. Ein biotechnisch hergestelltes Kunstwesen warnt die Menschheit vor der drohenden Vernichtung ihres Planeten. In Australien landet ein Raumschiff, dem drei Roboter entsteigen, die der Menschheit eine sorgenfreie Zukunft versprechen. Gleichzeitig werden über dem Pazifik rätselhafte Lichterscheinungen beobachtet, begleitet von gewaltigen Gravitationsanomalien. Planen die Aliens, die Erde mit Wasserstoffbomben zu sprengen? Kreisen im Inneren der Erde zwei schwarze Löcher umeinander, die den Planeten zerreißen könnten? Hilflos müssen die Menschen mitansehen, wie ihr Planet zum Spielball der Außerirdischen wird.

Un brillant généticien est renvoyé de sa start-up en Californie pour avoir mené des expériences interdites sur les biopuces, des ordinateurs biologiques de la taille d’une cellule. Afin de sauver le produit de ses recherches, il s’injecte les précieux organismes modifiés, espérant pouvoir les récupérer aisément. Mais ceux-ci se multiplient, deviennent hors de contrôle et finissent par transformer tout son corps. Cette pandémie intelligente se répand alors à une vitesse fulgurante aux États-Unis, et bientôt dans le monde entier, provoquant une apocalypse d’un nouveau genre. Roman majeur de Greg Bear, La Musique du sang développe le thème de la nouvelle « Le chant des leucocytes », lauréate des prix Hugo et Nebula. À la fois thriller-catastrophe et spéculation scientifique très aboutie, ce récit explore les dangers des nanobiotechnologies et préfigure les dérives des mégacorporations du numérique, démontrant ainsi de façon éclatante le rôle de la science-fiction comme lanceur d’alerte. L’écrivain américain Greg Bear (1951-2022) est un géant incontesté de la science-fiction mondiale, avec des romans souvent prémonitoires, mêlant avec brio la rigueur scientifique et un imaginaire sans limite. Cet auteur enchaînera les succès tout au long de sa carrière, notamment avec son célèbre Cycle de l’Hexamone (Eon, Eternité et Héritage). « Ce que j’aime dans son œuvre, c’est qu’elle embrasse librement tout ce que la science-fiction peut offrir... Greg Bear nous emmène dans un grand tour de manège grâce à son imagination débordante. » - Robert J. Sawyer

Rache! Die Erde wurde von Außerirdischen vernichtet, und nur dank der Hilfe anderer Aliens konnte ein Teil der Menschheit überleben. Von ihren Rettern erhalten die Überlebenden den Auftrag, diejenigen zu finden, die für die Zerstörung ihres Planeten verantwortlich sind. An Bord der Dämmerungsgleiter macht sich eine Gruppe Menschen auf die Suche. Im System Leviathan werden sie schließlich fündig - doch einige der Planeten sind nur Projektionen, andere werden von friedliebenden Spezies bewohnt. Ist alles nur eine raffinierte Täuschung, um der Rache der Menschheit zu entkommen?

Das All ist nicht genug! Im Krieg zwischen Menschen, Gurus und Antags haben alte Bündnisse keine Gültigkeit mehr, Feinde sind zu Freunden und Freunde zu Feinden geworden. Während unser Sonnensystem von anhaltenden Scharmützeln und politischen Intrigen zermürbt wird, begibt sich Sergeant Michael Venn mit seinem Team von Skyrines auf eine Mission, die sie bis an die Grenzen des bekannten Universums führen wird – direkt zum Planeten X, der Heimatwelt der einst mit den Menschen verfeindeten Antags. Denn dort, Milliarden Kilometer von der Erde entfernt, wird sich das Schicksal der Menschheit entscheiden ...

In the Therapied world of the 21st century, love and sex take many forms. For Alice they relate to her work as a sex-vid star, but her intelligence makes her question her life. Her involvement in the death of a billionaire brings her into contact with Mary Choy, a character from Queen of Angels.

La Voie s''enfonçait dans l''infini. Par endroits, elle donnait sur des Portes. Celles-ci ouvraient sur des univers parfois entièrement différents et quelquefois sur des variations de la réalité que les humains de l''Hexagone considéraient comme la leur. Des mondes parallèles. D''une de ces portes avaient surgi les Jarts. Des étrangers absolus, des ennemis terrifiants. Il avait fallu condamner la Voie. Et aller si possible jusqu''au bout de l''éternité. Pour vaincre les Jarts. Ou, mieux, pour faire la paix. Eternité est le second volet de l''œuvre la plus ambitieuse de Greg Bear, commencée dans Eon, et qui a le souffle et l''envergure des inventions les plus audacieuses d''Arthur C. Clarke ou d''A. E. Van Vogt.

Onze ans après les événements relatés dans L''Echelle de Darwin, que sont devenus les enfants de SHEVA, ces mutants dont l''espèce remplacera peut-être l''homo sapiens sapiens ? Et d''abord Stella, la fille de Kaye, la généticienne qui la première a compris ce saut brutal de l''évolution, et de Mitch, le paléontologue qui a découvert les vestiges du passage comparable à celui qui va du néandertalien à l''homme moderne ? Provisoirement moderne. Les semblables de Stella sont redoutés parce que différents et parce qu''on les soupçonne d''abriter de redoutables virus. Pourchassés, regroupés dans des " écoles " qui sont en fait des camps, ils sont menacés d''extermination par les plus violents des extrémistes. L''Amérique, parce qu''elle a peur, semble devenue folle. La plupart de ses politiciens, à leur habitude, suivent l''opinion et parfois tentent de la devancer pour protéger leurs intérêts en choisissant le pire. Mais certains parents des Shevites, ces enfants de Darwin, n''ont pas baissé les bras, ils les cachent, les protègent jusque dans les camps. Même s''ils ne comprennent pas ces enfants qui sont les leurs et qui ne leur ressemblent pas. Ces enfants qui essaient de se créer un monde à eux. Différent. Proprement ineffable. Un roman poignant par l''un des maîtres de la science-fiction contemporaine.

In this prequel to EON, Greg Bear continues to explore the possibilities presented by the asteroid Thistledown, a remnant of a lost human civilization. The Way is a tunnel through space and time that leads to other worlds, some more like planet Earth than Earth itself. It is perhaps the most formidable discovery in Thistledown and with it come disputes as to the nature of the Way and how it should be used. The Way can be reached only through Axis City, the only space station of Thistledown. The ruling body of Axis City, the Hexamon, has decreed that other worlds reached by The Way must be left untouched as an insurance against future needs of the human race. But then the Hexamon hear of a group of clandestine colonists who have settled on one of the new worlds. Olmy Ap Sennon is an eager young career soldier who must go and investigate this illegal colony, and at the same time confront his own humanity. As he witnesses the hardship and beauty of the outlaw human colony, he learns what it means to struggle with war, ecological disaster, love, and death.

Après Fondation en péril, de Grégory Benford, voici le deuxième volet de la nouvelle trilogie inspirée par la saga d''Isaac Asimov, l''une des œuvres fondatrices de la science-fiction moderne. Agé et fragile, Hari Seldon, le fameux inventeur de la psychohistoire, est jugé pour avoir osé prédire la chute de l''empire. Le moment est venu de la migration si longtemps espérée vers Star''s End - " Là où finissent les étoiles ". Mais R. Daneel Oliwaw, le brillant robot auquel incombe cette mission, a découvert un ennemi potentiel, plus redoutable encore que les hommes de main d''un Empereur emblématique : l''un de ses pareils. Un robot humanoïde, comme lui. Lodovik Trema est le seul survivant d''un rarisssime accident interstellaire : son cerveau positronique a été exposé à un orage de neutrons et semble avoir effacé le critère holographique absolu des Trois Lois de la Robotique. Il ne serait plus soumis à aucune contrainte. Si tel est le cas, le service que Lodovik peut rendre à l''humanité n''est plus une question de destinée mais de volonté. Daneel, incapable de se passer de Lodovik, l''envoie à Eos, la planète secrète, où les robots sont réparés et perfectionnés afin de servir l''humanité. Lodovik prétend être guéri. Mais peut-on lui faire confiance alors que le mécontentement gronde un peu partout dans la galaxie ? D''autres robots remettent leur mission en cause. La stratégie de Daneel est très controversée. Les humains ne sont pas en reste. Dans les cavernes d''acier de Trantor se cache la jeune Klia Asgar, qui s''engage à mettre son pouvoir au service des hommes et des robots pour un destin commun - ou une destruction mutuelle.

Emmanuel Goldsmith est un poète. Il est aussi devenu un tueur. Il a égorgé les uns après les autres huit étudiants qui l''admiraient. Sans raison apparente. Même dans le Los Angeles de 2047, un tel crime n''est pas courant. Et Mary Choy, inspecteur de police, doit retrouver Goldsmith à tout prix et le soumettre à une thérapie obligatoire avant qu''il ne soit rattrapé par les Sélecteurs, des fanatiques qui pratiquent la torture mentale pour soi-disant régénérer la société. Mary Choy court. A travers La Reine des Anges, Los Angeles, où les intendants, esclaves mécaniques, sont devenus un luxe courant. Où les Krètes sont des montagnes artificielles, ruches luxueuses des riches et des puissants. Où la nanotechnologie réalise des miracles. Où l''on suit, comme dans le reste du monde, haletant, l''exploration par la première intelligence artificielle suprahumaine de la première étoile proche. Où l''on redoute les Sélecteurs et leurs couronnes d''enfer qui peuvent faire subir en cinq minutes une vie de torture neuronale à leurs victimes. Greg Bear, qui a reçu plusieurs fois les prix Hugo et Nebula, dresse un tableau à la fois inquiétant et fascinant d''une Amérique de l''avenir, violente, secouée par les bouleversements technologiques et aspirant à une paix utopique. Ce livre, âpre comme L''Orange mécanique, urbain comme Blade Runner, thriller comme Le Silence des agneaux, évoque Tous à Zanzibar par sa description éclatée et minutieuse d''un monde à la fois proche du nôtre et radicalement différent.

Aux confins de l''univers se trouve une étrange planète qui répond au nom de Zonama Sekot. On y construit, paraît-il, les vaisseaux les plus beaux et les plus rapides de toute la galaxie. Le Chevalier Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi et le jeune Anakin Skywalker, l''apprenti dont il a la charge depuis le blocus de la planète Naboo survenu trois ans auparavant, sont envoyés sur Sekot afin d''acquérir l''un de ces somptueux appareils et d''enquêter sur la disparition d''une jeune Jedi dont on est sans nouvelles. Ils découvrent une étonnante civilisation dont la haute technologie est en symbiose avec la nature. Tout ce qui se fabrique sur Zonama Sekot, du vaisseau le plus sophistiqué au plus élémentaire des tabourets, est vivant... Peut-être cela tient-il au fait que la planète est vivante, elle aussi. Une planète rebelle qui ne souhaite tomber sous le joug de personne et qui semble vibrer au rythme d''un curieux dérivé de la Force que l''on croyait disparu depuis des générations. Mais même dans les secteurs les plus reculés de l''espace, le mal rôde. Un ambitieux officier, secrètement épaulé par le Chancelier Palpatine, s''est juré coûte que coûte de s''emparer des technologies Sekotiennes. Son nom est Tarkin... Il n''est autre que le futur commandant en chef de la redoutable Etoile Noire...