In this first collaboration by science fiction masters Larry Niven (Ringworld) and Gregory Benford (Timescape), the limits of wonder are redrawn once again as a human expedition to another star system is jeopardized by an encounter with an astonishingly immense artifact in interstellar space: a bowl-shaped structure half-englobing a star, with a habitable area equivalent to many millions of Earthsโฆand itโs on a direct path heading for the same system as the human ship.
A landing party is sent to investigate the Bowl, but when the explorers are separatedโone group captured by the gigantic structureโs alien inhabitants, the other pursued across its strange and dangerous landscapeโthe mystery of the Bowlโs origins and purpose propel the human voyagers toward discoveries that will transform their understanding of their place in the universe.
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