Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy is one of the highwater marks of science fiction.The monumental story of a Galactic Empire in decline and a secret society of scientists who seek to shorten the coming Dark Age with tools of Psychohistory, Foundation pioneered many themes of modern science fiction.Now, with the approval of the Asimov estate, three of today's most acclaimed authors have completed the epic the Grand Master left unfinished.
The Second Foundation Trilogy begins with Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear, telling the origins of Hari Seldon, the Foundation's creator. Greg Bear's Foundation and Chaos relates the epic tale of Seldon's downfall and the first stirrings of robotic rebellion. Now, in David Brin's Foundation's Triumph, Seldon is about to escape exile and risk everything for one final quest-a search for knowledge and the power it bestows. The outcome of this final journey may secure humankind's future-or witness its final downfall...
In this classic hard science fiction-thriller by the New York Times-bestselling author of Startide Rising, a man-made black hole threatens the future of Earth.
Scientist Alex Lustig has created a tiny, yet very destructive, problem--a microscopic black hole that he accidentally dropped into Earth's core. Now, racing to keep it from consuming the planet, he begins to suspect something even stranger is going on. Something linked to civilization's expanding information web.
And with the planet overpopulated and neglect taking its toll on the environment, there are those who demand a harsh solution: that Mother Earth would be better off without humanity at all . . .
A Finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel
The Moby-Dick of the whole Earth movement. --Locus
A powerful, cautionary tale. --San Francisco Chronicle
Brin has conceived his story on a supremely ambitious scale, and executed it with all of the skills at his command. --Chicago Sun-Times
It is indeed a book that anyone interested in the survival of our terrifying species should read. --Interzone
In New York and Baltimore, police cameras scan public areas twenty-four hours a day. Huge commercial databases track you finances and sell that information to anyone willing to pay. Host sites on the World Wide Web record every page you view, and smart toll roads know where you drive. Every day, new technology nibbles at our privacy.Does that make you nervous? David Brin is worried, but not just about privacy. He fears that society will overreact to these technologies by restricting the flow of information, frantically enforcing a reign of secrecy. Such measures, he warns, won't really preserve our privacy. Governments, the wealthy, criminals, and the techno-elite will still find ways to watch us. But we'll have fewer ways to watch them. We'll lose the key to a free society: accountability.The Transparent Society is a call for reciprocal transparency. If police cameras watch us, shouldn't we be able to watch police stations? If credit bureaus sell our data, shouldn't we know who buys it? Rather than cling to an illusion of anonymity-a historical anomaly, given our origins in close-knit villages-we should focus on guarding the most important forms of privacy and preserving mutual accountability. The biggest threat to our freedom, Brin warns, is that surveillance technology will be used by too few people, now by too many.A society of glass houses may seem too fragile. Fearing technology-aided crime, governments seek to restrict online anonymity; fearing technology-aided tyranny, citizens call for encrypting all data. Brins shows how, contrary to both approaches, windows offer us much better protection than walls; after all, the strongest deterrent against snooping has always been the fear of being spotted. Furthermore, Brin argues, Western culture now encourages eccentricity-we're programmed to rebel! That gives our society a natural protection against error and wrong-doing, like a body's immune system. But social T-cells need openness to spot trouble and get the word out. The Transparent Society is full of such provocative and far-reaching analysis.The inescapable rush of technology is forcing us to make new choices about how we want to live. This daring book reminds us that an open society is more robust and flexible than one where secrecy reigns. In an era of gnat-sized cameras, universal databases, and clothes-penetrating radar, it will be more vital than ever for us to be able to watch the watchers. With reciprocal transparency we can detect dangers early and expose wrong-doers. We can gauge the credibility of pundits and politicians. We can share technological advances and news. But all of these benefits depend on the free, two-way flow of information.
A woman faces danger on the high seas of another planet--and a mystery that will change her world--in this adventure by the bestselling author of Startide Rising.
On Planet Stratos, clans of genetically identical females dominate society. Natural conceptions are permitted, but only in summertime. Girls born this way--known for their despised uniqueness as 'vars'--must leave their clan homes to pursue their own distinct and hazardous fortunes in this world owned by clones.
That time has come for Maia and her sister, Leie, but as variants, they have limited prospects. Worse, when the sisters do find work on trading vessels, Leie is lost at sea.
And hence, Maia's arduous journey commences, accompanied by rumors that something . . . someone . . . has arrived from across the stars, perhaps ending the isolation of Stratos from the rest of humanity. Who would predict that a lonely var might stumble into a powerful secret? One that will challenge everything Maia knows about her society--and threatens the scientifically-engineered balance that holds it all together.
One of the most important SF novels of the year. --The Washington Post Book World
A rousing adventure story . . . brimming with surprises both wonderful and harrowing. --The San Diego Union-Tribune
Glory Season offers thrills, chills, political intrigue, and other good scientifictional fun, along with yet another round in the battle of the sexes. --Locus
Brin's prose echoes the influence of Asimov, Frank Herbert, and Aldous Huxley. . . . His world is so painstakingly drawn and is splashed with such radiant and varied hues. --The Christian Science Monitor
Prepare for a harrowing ride through the universe by the New York Times-bestselling author of Startide Rising and The Postman.
Book Three in the Uplift Storm Trilogy
The peaceful existence of six outcast races on Jijo has ended. Ancient enemies, the Jophur, have discovered them, preparing to subject the refugees to their dark, perverted plans.
The Jijoans' only hope is the same ship that accidently led their foes to the planet. The Earthship Streaker, with its crew of uplifted dolphins and a human commander, must somehow lure the Jophur into a chase through space . . . into the unknown. And then into the weird.
More than just the fate of Jijo--or that of distant Earth, also suffering a deadly siege--hangs in the balance. Some believe a terrifying prophecy is about to come true, one that involves Streaker's trove of artifacts coveted by factions throughout all Five Galaxies. As countless white dwarf stars verge on unexpected explosion, all sentient life in the universe appears to be at risk unless someone can save them.
Praise for the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Uplift Saga
The Uplift books are as compulsive reading as anything ever published in the genre. --The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
An extraordinary achievement. --Poul Anderson, award-winning author of Tau Zero, on Startide Rising
An exhilarating read that encompasses everything from breathless action to finely drawn moments of quiet intimacy. --Locus on The Uplift War
Tremendously inventive, ambitious work. --Kirkus Reviews on Brightness Reef
Strange visitors throw a planet of refugees into chaos in this science fiction adventure by the author of New York Times bestseller The Uplift War.
Book One in the Uplift Storm Trilogy
Centuries ago, the Buyur race abandoned Jijo. Now off-limits to settlers, it's warded by guardian machines who will protect the planet until the Institutes of the Five Galaxies declare Jijo ready--in another million years--for new civilization.
But mere laws and guardians can't keep out the desperate. Clandestine bands of sooners have sneaked down to the lonely planet. Six intelligent races--all refugees--have bickered . . . then built a new society in the wilds of Jijo, hidden beneath forest canopies. Together they live in harmony--and in fear of the day their illegal colony will be discovered and judgment from the Five Galaxies will rain down upon them.
One day a strange starship finally does appear on Jijo. But its owners do not bring law or judgment. Only dire secrets. And they'll do whatever it takes to keep them . . .
This book features a new introduction by the author.
Hugo Award Finalist
A captivating read . . . Brightness Reef leaves you looking forward to more. It's a worthy addition to what promises to be a great science fiction series. --Star Tribune
Brin is a skillful storyteller. . . . There is more than enough action to keep the book exciting, and like all good serials, the first volume ends with a bang. --The Plain Dealer
A universe that's immensely appealing, leaving readers hungry for more of this exciting, epic adventure. --Publishers Weekly
Tremendously inventive, ambitious work. --Kirkus Reviews
A timely, science fictional contemplation of the refugee experience.--Santa Fe Reporter
A once peaceful planet of refugees faces complete annihilation in this hard science fiction sequel to Brightness Reef.
Book Two in the Uplift Storm Trilogy
It's illegal to occupy the planet Jijo, but six castaway races have managed to coexist there for some time. They've successfully hidden from watchful law enforcers of the Five Galaxies--until now . . .
After making an amazing discovery far away--a derelict armada whose mere existence triggered interstellar war--the Terran exploration vessel Streaker and its crew of humans and dolphins arrive at Jijo in search of sanctuary from the Galactic forces out to destroy them.
But they were followed. As behemoth Galactic starships descend upon Jijo, heroic--and terrifying--choices must be made. Together, human and alien settlers must choose whether to fight the invaders or join them. The crew of the Streaker, meanwhile, discovers something that just might save Jijo and its inhabitants . . . or destroy every last one of them.
Well paced, immensely complex, highly literate . . . Superior SF. --Publishers Weekly, starred review
An imaginative drama of excitement and wonder . . . The sheer virtuosity of the prose alone makes this book worth reading. --SF Site
From carefully measured views on J.R.R. Tolkien to Brin's infamous, outraged rant about the Star Wars saga, to unusual appraisals of familiar and unfamiliar works, you are guaranteed to come away with perspectives you never imagined before.
As readers, we have enjoyed Brin's fiction - the Uplift universe, books like Sundiver and Earth. Now venture into the mind and world of the journey into the mind of one of the most popular authors alive today, and see what he sees through stranger eyes.
Can science fiction--especially sci-fi cinema--save the world? It already has, many times. Retired officers testify that films like Doctor Strangelove, Fail-Safe, On the Beach and War Games provoked changes and helped prevent accidental war. Soylent Green and Silent Running recruited millions of environmental activists. The China Syndrome and countless movies about plagues helped bring attention to those failure modes. And the grand-daddy of self-preventing prophecy--Nineteen Eighty-Four--girded countless citizens to stay wary of Big Brother.
It's not been all dire warnings. While optimism is much harder to dramatize than apocalypse, both large and small screens have also encouraged millions to lift their gaze, contemplating how we might get better, incrementally, or else raise grandchildren worthy of the stars.
Come along on a quirky quest for unusual insights into the power of forward-looking media. How the romantic allure of feudalism tugs at men and women who benefited vastly from modernity. Or explore why almost every Hollywood film preaches Suspicion of Authority, along with tolerance, diversity and personal eccentricity, and how those messages helped keep us free. No one is spared scrutiny! Not Spielberg or Tolkien or Cameron or Costner... nor Dune or demigods or zombie flicks. Certainly not George Lucas or Ayn Rand! Though some critiques are offered from a lifetime of respect and love... and gratitude.