The Starchild Compact: A novel of interplanetary exploration

by Robert G Williscroft

Overview

Revised Second Edition

NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner!

The Starchild Compact is an epic tale of beginnings, roots, what might have been, and what might be. It is an adventure of heroic proportions, commencing 500 light years away, arriving here just a few years from now, and ending in the distant expanses of the Universe.

Jon Stock takes his international exploration team to Saturn’s moon, Iapetus, that earth scientists have determined may be an artifact. Following launch, they discover Saeed Ismail, a Jihadist stowaway, who hopes to sabotage the mission.

They arrive at Iapetus, determine it is a derelict starship, and eventually meet with the Founders, descendants of the starship builders. Their revelations impact the entire Solar System with momentous implications going backward and forward in time, paving the way for a joint push to the distant reaches of the Galaxy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781732478817
Publisher:	Starman Press
Publication date:	08/18/2018
Series:	Starchild Trilogy , #2
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	806,689
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.93(d)

About the Author

Served 23 years in U.S. Navy and NOAA. Enlisted as a nuclear Submarine Sonar Tech in 1961, selected for the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program in 1966, and graduated from Univ of Wash in Marine Physics and Meteorology in 1969. Returned to nuc subs as the Navy's 1st Poseidon Weapons Officer. Subsequently, served as Navigator and Diving Officer on both catamaran mother vessels for the "Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle." Then joined SubDevGroup One out of San Diego as the Officer-in-Charge of the Test Operations Group, conducting "deep-ocean surveillance and data acquisition" - which forms the basis for his bestselling Cold War novel, "Operation Ivy Bells."

Directed NOAA diving operations in the Pacific & Atlantic. Taught 3,000 individuals basic & advanced SCUBA, wrote 4 diving books, developed the 1st NAUI drysuit course, developed advanced curricula for mixed gas & other specialized diving, and developed a NAUI course on the Math & Physics of Advanced Diving. His dissertation, "A System for Protecting SCUBA Divers from the Hazards of Contaminated Water" was published by the US Commerce Dept and distributed to Port Captains worldwide. Served 3 years in the Arctic on science projects, and 13 months at the geographic South Pole with the National Science Foundation.

Has written extensively on terrorism. Wrote a bestselling current events book, "The Chicken Little Agenda - Debunking Experts' Lies," and a children's series, "Starman Jones," in collaboration with Dr. Frank Drake, director of the Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe and the SETI Institute.

"Slingshot," the 1st book in the "Starchild Trilogy," is about building the first Space Launch Loop. Book 2, "The Starchild Compact," is based on the discovery that Saturn's moon Iapetus is a derelict starship, and how Earth explorers meet with the "Founders" who originally arrived on the starship and populated the Earth long ago. Book 3, "The Iapetus Federation," is about the World falling under the rule of a planet-wide Caliphate, where the Founders establish the Iapetus Federation, a loose federation of free off-world communities that carries on the traditions of free enterprise and individual accountability throughout the Solar System and beyond.

Member of the Adventurers' Club of Los Angeles and Editor of their magazine for 10 years. Member of Colorado Authors' League and editor of their InPrint. Member SF Writers of America. Lives in Centennial, Colo, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Hard sci-fi reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke or James P. Hogan, with a geopolitical twist worthy of Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler. - Alastair Mayer, Author of the T-Space Series

Williscroft tackles the germane and "heavy" issues of tomorrow's mores and the religious direction our society is taking while crafting a fascinating novel that is hard to put down. - Myron R. Lewis, Co-author with Ben Bova of several SF stories including parts of The Dueling Machine.

The crew's individual quirks and cultural traditions come face-to-face with the reality of a new paradigm with global repercussions when they discovers irrefutable evidence that the builders of Iapetus still have a presence in the Solar System. Highly recommended! - Matthew Severe Author of The Lariat Thief

Readers will be amazed at the depth of Williscroft's characters and the meticulous science and engineering that he brings to bear. The Starchild Compact is a remarkable story of politics, intrigue, science, engineering, and derring-do, driven by imaginative speculation. - Martin Bloom, Former President of the Los Angeles Adventurers' Club

This book brought me moments of wonder that I had experienced when I originally read CIark's Rendezvous with Rama. This does what science fiction is supposed to do: capture our attention, speculate about the wild possibilities, and take us just beyond our previous imaginings. - Jason D. Batt, 100 Year Starship, Author of The Tales of Dreamside series

From the Publisher