Firstborn

Arthur C. Clarke · Stephen Baxter

Dec 2007 · A Time Odyssey Book 3 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

I throughly enjoyed this book, and was pleased when they brought back Mir in many of the chapters. The story was riveting up until the climax, but then it just fizzled out and ended with a cliffhanger. I would enjoy reading an entire series about the timeline of Mir, but overall I enjoyed this book series.

Fantastic combination of hard science speculation and more mystical philosophical ruminations on the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Plays to the best strengths of both Clarke and Baxter. Superb legacy for the late Clarke, and a deepening of Baxter's own existentialist viewpoint.

Was a little sluggish at times, but kept me interested most of the way. Needs a "next" now...

About the author

Arthur C. Clarke is considered the greatest science fiction writer of all time and is an international treasure in many other ways, including the fact that a 1945 article by him led to the invention of satellite technology. Books by Clarke–both fiction and nonfiction–have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. Mr. Clarke passed away March 19th, 2008.