Peter F. Hamiltonβs superbly imagined, cunningly plotted
interstellar adventures are conceived on a staggeringly epic
scale and filled with fully realized human and alien
characters as complex as they are engaging. No mere world
builder, Hamilton creates entire universesβand he does so
with irresistible flair and intelligence. His previous
novel, the acclaimed Pandoraβs Star, introduced the
Intersolar Commonwealth, a star-spanning civilization of the
twenty-fourth century. Robust, peaceful, and confident, the
Commonwealth dispatched a ship to investigate the mystery of
a disappearing star, only to inadvertently unleash a
predatory alien species that turned on its liberators,
striking hard, fast, and utterly without mercy.
The
Prime are the Commonwealthβs worst nightmare. Coexistence is
impossible with the technologically advanced aliens, who are
genetically hardwired to exterminate all other forms of
life. Twenty-three planets have already fallen to the
invaders, with casualties in the hundreds of millions. And
no one knows when or where the genocidal Prime will strike
next.
Nor are the Prime the only threat. For more
than a hundred years, a shadowy cult, the Guardians of
Selfhood, has warned that an alien with mind-control
abilities impossible to detect or resistβthe Starflyerβhas
secretly infiltrated the Commonwealth. Branded as
terrorists, the Guardians and their leader, Bradley
Johansson, have been hunted by relentless investigator Paula
Myo. But now evidence suggests that the Guardians were right
all along, and that the Starflyer has placed agents in vital
posts throughout the Commonwealthβagents who are now
sabotaging the war effort. Is the Starflyer an ally of the
Prime, or has it orchestrated a fight to the death between
the two species for its own advantage?
Caught between
two deadly enemies, one a brutal invader striking from
without, the other a remorseless cancer killing from within,
the fractious Commonwealth must unite as never
before.
This will be humanityβs finest hourβor its
last gasp.
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