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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.
From the Hardcover edition.
Though supposedly the last volume of Clarke and Baxter's Time Odyssey series (after 2005's Sunstorm), this intriguing and frustrating installment of the high-octane space opera ends with an astounding cliffhanger just as humans have begun to confront the ancient and super-powerful Firstborn, who attack any species that might become a rival. Having barely survived a Firstborn-created solar flare, Earth now must cope with a meteor bomb approaching from deep space. Tensions rise between secretive, paranoid forces on Earth and equally suspicious groups among the Spacers, whose identification with humanity's home is waning. Meanwhile, in a pocket universe created by the Firstborn for some inscrutable purpose, slices from different Terran eons nervously adjust to each other. The narrative leaps about too much to develop characters, but Clarke has never been as interested in individuals as in humanity's ability to accept change as a species. It's too early to tell whether that theme will be enough to carry the story to a coherent conclusion. (Dec.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationEver since the appearance of the black monolith in 2001 (as detailed in Clarke's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey), humanity has been fascinated with the creatures they call the Firstborn, possessors of technology far more sophisticated than earthly scientists can even imagine. In 2064, an anomaly-an object traveling through space-destroys a deep-space monitor and continues on a trajectory that will impact Earth in 2072 unless steps are taken. The Firstborn have arrived. SF Grand Master Clarke and Locus Award winner Baxter bring their "Time Odyssey" (Time's Eye; Sunstorm) series to a close while leaving room for yet another phase of their saga. Most libraries should purchase.
Born in 1917 in the seaside town of Minehad in Somerset, England, Clarke developed an early interest in both science and its literary sister, speculative science fiction. After secondary school he moved to London and joined the British Interplanetary Society, where he contributed articles to the Society's bulletin. During WWII, he joined the RAF, working in the experimental trials of Ground Controlled Approach Radar, the forerunner of today's air traffic control systems. (This experience inspired his only non-science fiction novel, 1963's Glide Path.) In a technical paper written in 1945 for the UK periodical Wireless World, he set out the principles of satellite communication that would lead to the global satellite systems in use today.
After WWII, he attended King's College, London, on scholarship and received first class honors in Physics and Mathematics. He sold his first sci-fi story to Astounding Science Fiction magazine in May of 1946. From that point on, he never stopped writing. Some of his more notable works include Childhood's End, Rendezvous with Rama, and The Fountains of Paradise.
In 1964, Clarke was approached by film auteur Stanley Kubrick to collaborate on a science fiction movie script. The material chosen for adaptation was Clarke's 1948 short story "The Sentinel," an eerie tale about the discovery of an extraterrestrial artifact. Over the next four years, he expanded the story into a full-length novel, while simultaneously writing the screenplay with Kubrick. In 1968, both versions of 2001: A Space Odyssey debuted to great acclaim. Clarke also worked in television -- as a consultant during the CBS news coverage of the Apollo 12 and 15 space missions and as creator of two distinguished series, "Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World" and "Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers."
In 1954, Clarke visited Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon). He fell in love with the country and settled there in 1956, founding a guided diving service and continuing to produce his astonishing books and articles. On March 19, 2008, he died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90, leaving behind an impressive literary legacy and millions of bereft fans.
Clarke was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998.
In 1986, the Science Fiction Writers of America bestowed on Clarke the title of Grand Master.
At home in Sri Lanka, Clarke survived the deadly Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 that caused the deaths of more than a quarter million people.
Clarke was an expert scuba diver and in 1956 founded a guided diving service in Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon.
In Profiles of the Future (1962), Clarke set forth his "Three Laws," provocative observations on science, science fiction, and society:
It wasn’t like waking. It was a sudden emergence, a clash of cymbals. Her eyes gaped wide open, and were filled with dazzling light. She dragged deep breaths into her lungs, and gasped with the shock of selfhood.
Shock, yes. She shouldn’t be conscious. Something was wrong.
A pale shape swam in the air.
“Doctor Heyer?”
“No. No, Mum, it’s me.” That face came into focus a little more, and there was her daughter, that strong face, those clear blue eyes, those slightly heavy dark brows. There was something on her cheek, though, some kind of symbol. A tattoo?
“Myra?” She found her throat scratchy, her voice a husk. She had a dim sense, now, of lying on her back, of a room around her, of equipment and people just out of her field of view. “What went wrong?”
“Wrong?”
“Why wasn’t I put into estivation?”
Myra hesitated. “Mum—what date do you think it is?”
“2050. June fifth.”
“No. It’s 2069, Mum. February. Nineteen years later. The hibernation worked.” Now Bisesa saw strands of gray in Myra’s dark hair, wrinkles gathering around those sharp eyes. Myra said, “As you can see I took the long way round.”
It must be true. Bisesa had taken another vast, unlikely step on her personal odyssey through time. “Oh, my.”
Another face loomed over Bisesa.
“Doctor Heyer?”
“No. Doctor Heyer has long retired. My name is Doctor Stanton. We’re going to begin the full resanguination now. I’m afraid it’s going to hurt.”
Bisesa tried to lick her lips. “Why am I awake?” she asked, and she immediately answered her own question. “Oh. The Firstborn.” What could it be but them? “A new threat.”
Myra’s face crumpled with hurt. “You’ve been away for nineteen years. The first thing you ask about is the Firstborn. I’ll come see you when you’re fully revived.”
“Myra, wait—”
But Myra had gone.
The new doctor was right. It hurt. But Bisesa had once been a soldier in the British Army. She forced herself not to cry out.
From the Hardcover edition.
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
Anonymous
Posted December 31, 2007
Firstborn is the concluding volume in Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter¿s Time Odyssey trilogy. The preceding two books in this science-fiction series are Time¿s Eye '2003' and Sunstorm '2005'. Each of the preceding novels was vivid, innovative, and compelling. I cannot say the same thing about Firstborn. The final installment is a disappointing capstone. (PP) Without spoiling the story, Firstborn leaves us with as many questions as it answers. It lacks finality. Readers are left wanting more. Yet there is nothing more for Clarke and Baxter to give, after they seem to write themselves into a corner. (PP) The concluding chapters of the book are increasingly ambiguous. Clarke and Baxter seem distracted by their own storyline. It becomes ever more complex as Firstborn unravels. As the end nears, Firstborn becomes tenuous and unconvincing. (PP) This is in contrast to most of Clarke¿s writing over the past 60 years. I credit Clarke and author Robert Heinlein '1907¿1988' as being the best at weaving science, engineering, physics, and futurism into their works of science fiction. Unfortunately, in Firstborn, the concepts Baxter and Clarke select ¿ particularly several concepts of theoretical physics ¿ are simply unrealistic. To the extent that any of it is credible, the writers fail to properly explain core principals. Unlike Clarke and Baxter¿s former works, the technology in Firstborn does not buttress the narrative. It detracts from it. (PP) I concede that there is lengthy discussion in the book of space elevators and anti-matter rocket motors. As to the first, it is a rehash of a concept Clarke wrote about 25 years ago in The Fountains of Paradise '1979'. As to the second ¿ anti-matter rockets ¿ the discussion of this technology is pedestrian and under-developed. Clarke and Baxter seem to know as much/little about it as some sophisticated readers know. It makes the technological application and discussion in Firstborn seem far-fetched and contrived. (PP) Character development in Firstborn is also disappointing. There are several strong female characters. We met some of them before in Sunstorm and Time¿s Eye. In Firstborn, however, they are not easy to warm up to. Their demeanors, amid massive catastrophes and suffering, are measured and stiff. Certain male protagonists exhibit the opposite problem: they are caricatures and impossible to identify with. Many lesser characters are unmemorable. This is despite excellent creative opportunities which could have been leveraged in the ¿Mir¿ universe. (PP) The writing in Firstborn simply does not compare with Clarke¿s past work. In other books, he more easily and vividly communicated joy, pain, courage, and suffering. He was at his best, for example, in Songs of Distant Earth '1986' and Childhood¿s End '1953', which better explore love, friendship, family and a range of human emotions in the context of a space-faring society. Firstborn falls far short of his own standards. (PP) Please do not let this review dissuade you from reading other Arthur C. Clarke novels. He is one of my favorite writers of all time. It is in fact difficult for me to write this less-than-favorable review of Firstborn. Clarke ties Heinlein in my mind for being the best science fiction writer in history. Significantly, Clarke¿s vision, including early work on geostationary satellites, transcends science fiction. He is legitimately celebrated for contributions to ¿science fact.¿ It is therefore not my opinion that Firstborn is a poorly-written book it is only lacking when compared to Clarke 'and Baxter¿s' prior works. (PP) J. Christopher Robbins Aviation & Space Law Department Robbins Equitas, P.A.
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Posted March 17, 2009
As a lifetime Clarke fan, I expected this trilogy to be awfully good--after all, the core idea was interesting. But Book I was only so-so; it can't really stand as a separate book, and has some storylines leading nowhere. Book II starts solving some of the riddles, getting better--and Book III was supposed to wrap it all up nice 'n good. Only it doesn't. Almost all of the loose ends from Book I remain loose, plus there are some new ones that make you want to cry. Not a book I'll probably reread like all those good Clarke classics I learned to love as a kid.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 10, 2008
The first book in this series was interesting and kept my attention. The second was tedious at first, picked up in the middle and then got lost in the author's endless scientific hypotheses, bits of religion and bits of politics. The third book was better than the second, but there was still too much science and not enough story line. When I finished it, I felt there should have been a lot more, particularly in the area of character development.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Firstborn previously attacked the earth with a solar flare this essence refuses to allow any sentient race to live that might have the potential one day to be an adversarial rival. The Earth surprised the Firstborn by surviving the assault as no one endures an attack by this super being. The Firstborn changes tactics by sending the Q-bomb from deep space towards Earth. When efforts to deflect the meteor like weapon fails, dissension on and off the planet slows down reactions as differing groups push forth an agenda. The Spacers on Mars and Mir are already cutting ties with the mother planet they want nothing to do with the confrontation with Firstborn as they feel they can endure the destruction of the Earth. Many of those living on Earth want to take the war to the Firstborn, but are not sure how. Meanwhile defrosted Bisesa Dutt has returned to the living after fifteen years of being cryogenically frozen and with her daughter Myra discover the government wants them. With the help of Spacer Alexei they escape and soon meet scientists studying the Eye, an artifact of the Firstborn, in hopes of finding a way to counter the invincible. --- The third Time Odyssey tale is an exhilarating science fiction thriller that targets fans who read the previous stories (see SUNSTORM and TIME¿S EYE). Newcomers will be confused (and some of us old timers too) by the world hopping between Mir, Mars, and Earth. The key to the tale is that life on Mars, Mir, future earth, and to a much lesser degree Venus seem genuine. Those living on the different orbs behave as expected as things that seem different to a reader is treated as normal even the time bending of people and species from different earth eras living in fragile co-existence. Fans who appreciate a strong dose of quantum physics will enjoy this fine entry although a cliffhanger leaves room for another novel in this entertaining saga and we still wait for that encounter of the first kind with Firstborn. --- Harriet Klausner
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Overview
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 ...