Most Popular Books by Stephen Baxter

The Wheel. A ring of ice and steel around a moon of Saturn, and home to a mining colony supplying Earth. Itâe(tm)s a bad place to grow up. The colony has been plagued by problems and there are stories of mysterious creatures glimpsed aboard the Wheel. Many of the younger workers refuse to go down the warren-like mines anymore. And then young Phee Laws, surfing Saturnâe(tm)s rings, saves an enigmatic blue box from destruction. Aboard the Wheel, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves caught in a mystery that goes right back to the creation of the solar system. A mystery that could kill them all.

There is a secret passage through time ...and it leads all the way to the end of Eternity. But the journey has a terrible cost. It alters not only the future but he "present" in which we live. A century after the publication of H. G. Wells'' immortal The Time Machine, Stephen Baxter, today''s most acclaimed new "hard SF" author, and the acknowledged Clarke, returns to the distant conflict between the Eloi and the Morlocks in a story that is at once an exciting expansion, and a radical departure based on the astonishing new understandings of quantum physics.

The daughter of Silverhair, lcebones has awakened from her strange sleep of a thousand years in a place she does not recognize, surrounded by others of her gargantuan race who have grown soft and slow on the generosity of their captors. But the human masters are gone, abandoning the mammoths to the harsh realities of a distant, frozen world. And so it falls to Icebones to unite this ragged band and lead them on a remarkable quest for safety. But the journey must wind through a landscape of unimaginable dangers. And the safe haven they seek may be no more than legend. Still lcebones must persevere, for only she carries the accumulated knowledge of mammoth history -- and only she can achieve the glory foretold in songs older than time.

The first novel in a brilliant collaboration between the visionary Discworld® creator Terry Pratchett and acclaimed science fiction novelist Stephen Baxter, The Long Earth transports readers to an infinity of new worlds—a series of parallel “earths" with doorways leading to adventure, intrigue, excitement, and an escape into the furthest reaches of the imagination. All it takes is a single step. . . . The possibilities are endless. (Just be careful what you wish for. . . .) 1916: The Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong and the wind in the leaves. Where have the mud, blood, and blasted landscape of no-man''s-land gone? For that matter, where has Percy gone? 2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Police officer Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive—some say mad, others allege dangerous—scientist who seems to have vanished. Sifting through the wreckage, Jansson finds a curious gadget: a box containing some rudimentary wiring, a three-way switch, and . . . a potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way humankind views the world forever. The Long Earth is an adventure of the highest order and will captivate science fiction fans of all stripes, readers of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen, and anyone who enjoyed the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman collaboration Good Omens. Other books in the Long Earth series include: The Long War The Long Mars The Long Utopia The Long Cosmos

The third novel in legendary author and Discworld creator Terry Pratchett and award-winning science fiction writer Stephen Baxter''s “Long Earth” series, which Io9 calls “a brilliant science fiction collaboration.” 2040. The Long Earth is in chaos. . . . The cataclysmic Yellowstone eruption is shutting down civilization. Whole populations flee to the relative safety of myriad stepwise Earths. Sally Linsay, Joshua Valiente, and Lobsang have all been involved in the perilous post-eruption clean-up. But Joshua faces a crisis close to home. From a long childhood hidden deep in the Long Earth, a new breed of young, super-bright post-humans is emerging—but "normal" human society is turning against them, driven by ignorance and fear. For Joshua, caught up in the conflict, a dramatic showdown seems inevitable. Meanwhile, U.S. Navy Commander Maggie Kauffman embarks on an incredible journey, leading an expedition to the unexplored limits of the far Long Earth. And Sally is contacted by her long-vanished father, Willis Linsay, inventor of the original Stepper device. Ever the maverick, he is planning a fantastic voyage of his own—across the Long Mars. But what is his true motivation? For Joshua, for humankind, for the Long Earth itself—everything is different now. Joshua becomes embroiled in the plight of the Next: the super-bright post-humans who are beginning to emerge from their “long childhood” in the community called Happy Landings, located deep in the Long Earth. Ignorance and fear have caused “normal” human society to turn against the Next. A dramatic showdown seems inevitable. . . . The complete list of books in the Long Earth series include: The Long Earth The Long War The Long Mars The Long Utopia The Long Cosmos

“Wonderfully entertaining . . . a story that engrosses you with its dramatized ideas about the nature of existence . . . You won’t set the book down either to eat or sleep or work if you can help it.”—Chicago Tribune In an instant, Earth is carved up in time and reassembled like a huge jigsaw puzzle. Suddenly the world becomes a patchwork of eras, from prehistory to 2037, each with its own indigenous inhabitants. The explanation for this cataclysmic event may lie in the ancient city of Babylon, where two groups of refugees from 2037—three cosmonauts and three U.N. peacekeepers—have detected strange radio signals. The peacekeepers find allies in nineteenthcentury British troops and in the armies of Alexander the Great. The cosmonauts join forces with the Mongol horde led by Genghis Khan. Both sides set out for Babylon, vowing to win the race for knowledge—as a powerful and mysterious entity watches, waiting. Praise for Time’s Eye “A rousing adventure.”—The New York Times Book Review “By the end, when two of history’s most ambitious conquerors meet, we are so thoroughly invested in the characters, we can’t wait for the sequel.”—Entertainment Weekly (Editor’s Choice) “A fast and engaging read.”—Rocky Mountain News

The Firstborn–the mysterious race of aliens who first became known to science fiction fans as the builders of the iconic black monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey–have inhabited legendary master of science fiction Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s writing for decades. With Time’s Eye and Sunstorm, the first two books in their acclaimed Time Odyssey series, Clarke and his brilliant co-author Stephen Baxter imagined a near-future in which the Firstborn seek to stop the advance of human civilization by employing a technology indistinguishable from magic. Their first act was the Discontinuity, in which Earth was carved into sections from different eras of history, restitched into a patchwork world, and renamed Mir. Mir’s inhabitants included such notables as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and United Nations peacekeeper Bisesa Dutt. For reasons unknown to her, Bisesa entered into communication with an alien artifact of inscrutable purpose and godlike power–a power that eventually returned her to Earth. There, she played an instrumental role in humanity’s race against time to stop a doomsday event: a massive solar storm triggered by the alien Firstborn designed to eradicate all life from the planet. That fate was averted at an inconceivable price. Now, twenty-seven years later, the Firstborn are back. This time, they are pulling no punches: They have sent a “quantum bomb.” Speeding toward Earth, it is a device that human scientists can barely comprehend, that cannot be stopped or destroyed–and one that will obliterate Earth. Bisesa’s desperate quest for answers sends her first to Mars and then to Mir, which is itself threatened with extinction. The end seems inevitable. But as shocking new insights emerge into the nature of the Firstborn and their chilling plans for mankind, an unexpected ally appears from light-years away.

Stephen Baxter''s The Martian in the Wood, a Tor.com Original In the aftermath of the First Martian War, in the interim between it and what was to come later, England seemed to once again become a green and peaceful place, if one haunted by the terrible events in Surrey that had happened in those early years of the century. Although people hoped and prayed peace had come, they were wrong. Across the gulf of space, plans were being drawn for a return, but before they could bear fruit a terrible discovery was made deep in Holmburgh Wood, one that would tear a family apart and shock the world. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In 2145AD John Hackett''s adventure is just beginning. In Year 30, Mela''s story is coming to a close. Hackett, in his trusty ship the Perseus, is not just a space traveller - beginning his travels with an expedition to Neptune and back - but, thanks to the time-dilation effect, a time traveller as well. His new mission will take him to Andromeda, to get a close-up look at the constellation which will eventually crash into the Milky Way, and give humanity a heads-up about the challenges which are coming. A mission which will take him five million years to complete. Not only is Hackett exploring unknown space, but he will return to a vastly different time. Mela''s world is coming to an end. Erosion is eating away at the edges of every landmass - first at a rate of ten metres a year, but fast accelerating, displacing people and animals as the rising Tide destroys everything in its path. Putting more and more pressure on the people - and resources - which remain. She and her people have always known that this long-predicted end to their home, one of the Thousand Earths, is coming - but that makes their fight to survive, to protect each other, no less desperate . . . and no less doomed. A beautiful, page-turning story which interweaves the tale of these two characters, separated by both space and time, in a hopeful exploration of humanities'' future, this is Stephen Baxter at his best.

8,000 years ago Europe was a very different place. England was linked to Holland by a massive swathe of land. Where the North Sea is now lay the landmass of Northland. And then came a period of global warming, a shifting of continents and, over a few short years, the sea rushed in and our history was set. But what if the sea had been kept at bay? Brythony is a young girl who lives in Northland. Like all her people she is a hunter gatherer, her simple tools fashioned from flint cutting edges lodged in wood and animal bone. When the sea first encroaches on her land her people simply move. Brythony moves further travelling to Asia. Where she sees mankind''s first walled cities. And gets an idea. What if you could build a wall to keep the sea out? And so begins a colossal engineering project that will take decades, a wall that stretches for hundreds of miles, a wall that becomes an act of defiance, and containing the bones of the dead, an act of devotion. A wall that will change the geography of the world. And it''s history. Stephen Baxter has become expert at embedding human stories into the grandest sweeps of history and the most mind-blowing of concepts. STONE SPRING begins a trilogy that will tell the story of a changed world. It begins in 8,000 BC with an idea and ends in 1500 in a world that never saw the Roman Empire, Christianity or Islam. It is an eye-opening look at what history could so easily have been and an inspiring tale of how we control our future.

Audiences around the world have been enchanted by James Cameron''s visionary Avatar, with its glimpse of the Na''vi on the marvelous world of Pandora. But the movie is not entirely a fantasy; there is a scientific rationale for much of what we saw on the screen, from the possibility of travel to other worlds, to the life forms seen on screen and the ecological and cybernetic concepts that underpin the ''neural networks'' in which the Na''vi and their sacred trees are joined, as well as to the mind-linking to the avatars themselves. From popular science journalist and acclaimed science fiction author Stephen Baxter, The Science of Avatar is a guide to the rigorous fact behind the fiction. It will enhance the readers'' enjoyment of the movie experience by drawing them further into its imagined world.

“Clarke and Baxter have mastered the art of saving the world in blockbuster style.”—Entertainment Weekly Returned to the Earth of 2037 by the mysterious and powerful Firstborn, Bisesa Dutt is haunted by memories of her five years spent on the strange alternate Earth called Mir, a jigsaw-puzzle world made up of lands and people cut out of different eras of Earth’s history. Why did the Firstborn create Mir? Why was Bisesa taken there and then brought back just a day after her disappearance? Bisesa’s questions are answered when scientists discover an unnatural anomaly in the sun’s core—evidence of alien intervention more than two thousand years ago. Now plans set in motion by inscrutable observers light-years away are coming to fruition in a sunstorm designed to eradicate all life on Earth in a bombardment of radiation. As the apocalypse looms, religious and political differences on Earth threaten to undermine every countereffort. And all the while, the Firstborn are watching. . . . Praise for Sunstorm “An absolute must for science fiction fans.”—All Things Considered, NPR “Enthralling . . . highly satisfying.”—The New York Times Book Review “Will keep readers turning pages.”—Publishers Weekly

Beginning with an in-depth look at what the 21st century might bring in the way of technological advances and an examination of our past efforts to gain the future (the Apollo programme and the Space Shuttle) DEEP FUTURE takes you on a dizzying ride to the limits of time and space and looks at how mankind might overcome the unavoidable limitations of a physical universe and win the deep future. Only a writer as imaginatively gifted as Stephen Baxter could present a future history of mankind that incorporates space-faring genetically modified squid and the mining of black holes. DEEP FUTURE is a vivid travelogue of both the distant future and the far reaches of a solar system we must colonise and a galaxy we simply must inherit in order to survive. The logic of a vast universe in which we seem to be alone could be grim but in Baxter¿s hands the deep future is our only possible refuge. Even the chapter which charts how nature will leave us behind if we fail is a beautifully atmospheric cautionary tale.

A sequel to Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s Nebula Award–winning novella “A Meeting with Medusa,” this novel continues the thrilling adventure of astronaut Howard Falcon, humanity’s first explorer of Jupiter from two modern science fiction masters. Howard Falcon almost lost his life in an accident as the first human astronaut to explore the atmosphere of Jupiter—and a combination of human ingenuity and technical expertise brought him back. But he is no longer himself. Instead, he has been changed into an augmented human: part man, part machine, and exceptionally capable. With permission from the Clarke Estate, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds continue this beloved writer’s enduring vision and have created a fresh story for new readers. The Medusa Chronicles charts Falcon’s journey through the centuries granted by his new body, but always back to mysteries of Jupiter and the changing interaction between humanity and the universe. A compelling read full of incredible action right from the beginning, this is a modern classic in the spirit of 2001 and The Martian.

Human society continues to evolve on Datum Earth, its battered and weary origin planet, as the spread of humanity progresses throughout the many Earths beyond. Lobsang, now an elderly and complex AI, suffers a breakdown and, disguised as a human, attempts to live a "normal" life on one of the millions of Long Earth worlds. His old friend Joshua, now in his fifties, searches for his father and discovers a heretofore unknown family history.

Completed by the authors some eighteen months before Terry Pratchett''s untimely death, The Long Cosmos is the grand climax of the Long Earth series. Terry had always wanted to explore the question ''what''s it all for?'' -- and in this novel, we find an answer. 2070-71. Nearly six decades after Step Day and in the Long Earth, the new Next post-human society continues to evolve. For Joshua Valienté, now in his late sixties, it is time to take one last solo journey into the High Meggers: an adventure that turns into a disaster. Alone and facing death, his only hope of salvation lies with a group of trolls. But as Joshua confronts his mortality, the Long Earth receives a signal from the stars. A signal that is picked up by radio astronomers but also in more abstract ways -- by the trolls and by the Great Traversers. Its message is simple but ts implications are enormous: JOIN US. The super-smart Next realise that the Message contains instructions on how to develop an immense artificial intelligence but to build it they have to seek help from throughout the industrious worlds of mankind. Bit by bit, byte by byte, they assemble a computer the size of a continent -- a device that will alter the Long Earth''s place within the cosmos and reveal the ultimate, life-affirming goal of those who sent the Message. Its impact will be felt by and resonate with all -- mankind and other species, young and old, communities and individuals -- who inhabit the Long Earths.

A generation after the events of The Long Earth, mankind has spread across the new worlds opened up by Stepping. Where Joshua and Lobsang once pioneered, now fleets of airships link the stepwise Americas with trade and culture. Mankind is shaping the Long Earth – but in turn the Long Earth is shaping mankind ... A new ‘America’, called Valhalla, is emerging more than a million steps from Datum Earth, with core American values restated in the plentiful environment of the Long Earth – and Valhalla is growing restless under the control of the Datum government... Meanwhile the Long Earth is suffused by the song of the trolls, graceful hive-mind humanoids. But the trolls are beginning to react to humanity’s thoughtless exploitation ... Joshua, now a married man, is summoned by Lobsang to deal with a gathering multiple crisis that threatens to plunge the Long Earth into a war unlike any mankind has waged before.

« C’est à l’inauguration de la Nouvelle Grande Exposition, le 18 juillet 1870, que je fis la connaissance de Josiah Traveller en personne, même si j’avais entendu pendant mon enfance les histoires que racontait mon frère Hedley sur les diableries perpétrées par l’anti-glace de ce célèbre ingénieur au cours de la campagne...

In the eighteenth century, the received wisdom, based on biblical calculations, was that the Earth was just six thousand years old. James Hutton, a gentleman with a passion for rocks, knew that could not be the case. Looking at the irregular strata of the Earth he deduced that a much longer span of time would be required for the landscape he saw to have evolved. In the turbulent world of Enlightenment Scotland, he set out to prove it. Hutton''s entourage in Edinburgh comprised the leading thinkers of the age, including Erasmus Darwin, Adam Smith, James Watt, David Hume, and Joseph Black. But his geological theories would ignite decades of profound religious debate. Ultimately, Hutton''s discovery of deep time changed our view of the universe forever.

Arc, a new publication from the makers of New Scientist, explores the future through cutting-edge science fiction and forward-looking essays by some of the world’s most celebrated authors, alongside columns by thinkers and practitioners from the worlds of books, design, gaming, film and more.

This cutting edge science fiction anthology features stories by award-winning authors who imagine what would happen if the vastness of cyberspace was replaced by things surprising and strange. Authors include Stephen Baxter, David Brin, and S.M. Stirling.

RESPLENDENT is a collection of stories that encompasses mankind''s epic fight for survival against the Xeelee, a narrative of how man will change and evolve over our epic journey out into the universe. These tales will encompass the rise of sub-molecular empires in the first nanoseconds after the Big Bang to mankind''s final transformation. Full of cutting-edge science, descriptions of time and space on a mind-boggling scale and memorable, all-too-human characters. It is both the capstone to one of the most significant series in the history of SF and a remarkable achievement in its own right. This is a mature and uniquely talented writer at the height of his powers.

Trapped on an alternate Earth, the combined crews of a crashed Russian spaceship, a British expeditionary force and a group of strays from the future must work together to survive, escape, and discover what led them to this point. All are from parallel universes where small changes in history led to different realities, and the tensions between the groups are rising. But some changes were not small. The solar system has been altered, changed, shaped in the various realities, and the World Engineers - unspeakably powerful, completely unknown - are still active. Why have they populated this planet with humanity''s ancestors and dinosaurs? What is on the moon of Saturn that gives off such an odd light? And even if they can be found, can they be stopped - and should they be? Malenfant, Deidra and the rest of their party must find a way off the planet, back into space, and into the many dimensions seeking the answer...

This is an eclectic collection of all-original science fiction stories from some of the foremost luminaries in the genre. Featuring new tales of far future murder, first contact, love and war from such well-regarded and award winning authors as Peter F. Hamilton, Stephen Baxter, Adam Roberts, Jeffrey Thomas, Eric Brown, Paul Di Filippo, Neal Asher, Jay Lake and Ian Watson, this collection is sure to delight all fans of good science fiction.

In 1650, the theologian and scholar Bishop James Ussher announced that the world was created on 23rd October 4004 BC. This date had been carefully calculated by adding together all the ages and reigns of the monarchs recorded in the Bible. In the late eighteenth century, James Hutton set out to prove him wrong. A gentleman farmer with legal and medical training, Hutton was fascinated by the natural landscape and in particular by rock formations. He was also surrounded by some of the most brilliant men of his day - Erasmus Darwin, Adam Smith, James Watt and David Hume. Looking at the irregular strata in the layers of the earth, Hutton deduced that the world must be much, much older than Ussher''s prediction. His revelation was blasphemy - but it was also one of the most extraordinary defining moments in history, forming the framework for Darwin''s theory of evolution, and shaping our modern view of the world and our place in it.

Traces the life of the controversial Spanish director most famous for "Un Chien Andalou," "Belle de Jour," and "The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie"

La Machine à explorer le temps est le texte fondateur de la science-fiction moderne. Lorsque s''achève le récit de H.G. Wells, le Voyageur se prépare à repartir dans le futur sauver Weena, la charmante Eloï, menacée par les cruels Morlocks... Par une chance extraordinaire, la narration de ce second voyage est parvenue à Stephen Baxter, un siècle exactement après la parution, en 1895, de La Machine à explorer le temps. En voici la fidèle et surprenante transcription. Il n''est pas nécessaire pour la goûter d''avoir lu le récit du premier voyage. Reparti dans le lointain avenir, le Voyageur surpris découvre un monde différent de celui qu''il avait exploré, où les Morlocks disposent d''une civilisation technologique avancée et ne ressemblent plus aux barbares qu''il a connus. Flanqué du Morlock Nebogipfel, il s''aventurera sur les Vaisseaux du temps jusqu''aux confins du temps et de l''espace, des univers parallèles et des possibles. Sans jamais perdre l''espoir de retrouver la délicieuse Weena. Les Vaisseaux du temps, dans la tradition de la plus haute science-fiction britannique, celle de Wells, de Stapledon, de Brunner, de Ballard, d''Aldiss et de Banks, est à la fois un roman d''aventures et un conte philosophique. C''est sans doute l''un des plus grands textes de science-fiction de la décennie. Il a obtenu le British Science-Fiction Award 1996, le John Campbell Memorial Award 1996 et le Philip K. Dick Award 1997, et il a figuré parmi les cinq finalistes du prix Hugo en 1996.

Baxter''s future history, known as the Xeelee sequence, is an exemplar of the form: it comprises his first four novels, Raft, Timelike Infinity, Flux and Ring, and these marvellous linked stories.

George Poole, divorcé sans enfant, informaticien sans grand avenir, vit et travaille à Londres. Après l''enterrement de son père, il découvre un secret de famille : il a une sœur jumelle, Rosa, " disparue " alors qu''ils avaient trois ans. Ses recherches l''amènent à Rome, où Rosa a été élevée par une étrange institution, l''Ordre de Sainte Marie Reine des Vierges, fondé au début de l''ère chrétienne par une certaine Regina. George découvre un sanctuaire qui héberge des milliers de femmes, toutes très jeunes et qui lui ressemblent étrangement avec leurs cheveux blonds et leurs yeux gris, auto-organisées comme dans une ruche...