Gregory Benford Knihy

Proti pádu noci se odehrává v daleké budoucnosti ve městě Diaspar, jehož prakticky nestárnoucí obyvatelé mají k dispozici všechny vymoženosti, které lidstvo za miliony let své existence vytvořilo. Přesto se neodvažují vyjít za hranice Diasparu a prozkoumat pustinu, v níž se obrátil zbytek celé planety, natož aby obrátili oči ke hvězdám. Až mladý Alvin se vydává na cestu do neznáma. Napínavý příběh ani za několik desetiletí v ničem nezastaral a dokazuje ohromnou míru autorova talentu. Profesor astrofyziky a poradce NASA Gregory Benford je rovněž úspěšným autorem sci-fi, dokonce držitelem ceny Nebula za román Timescape. Po dohovoru s Clarkem napsal pokračování původního příběhu pod názvem Po pádu noci, v němž představuje novou Zemi, která již není pustinou, ale oplývá ohromným bohatstvím. Přesto jí hrozí smrtelné nebezpečí. -- zdroj: legie.info --

Set in a declining Galactic Empire, the story follows Hari Seldon, who reluctantly becomes the First Minister, tasked with managing 25 million worlds from Trantor. Alongside his bio-engineered wife Dors and alien companion Yugo, Seldon continues his work on psychohistory, a science aimed at altering the course of history to prevent a looming Dark Age. As he navigates the challenges of power and fate, he faces an unprecedented threat that challenges his vision for the future.

The most powerful, most precisely tuned organization in the history of mankind, created to explore the solar system, depends on the judgment of a single man who finds that he must seek something which is beyond others' abilities to comprehend.

Across the Sea of Suns is a 1984 hard science fiction novel by Gregory Benford. It is the second novel in his Galactic Center Saga, and continues to follow the scientist Nigel Walmsley, who encountered a machine extraterrestrial in the previous book, In the Ocean of Night aboard an expeditionary spaceflight to find other life. Eventually Nigel discovers evidence of the major conflict in the galaxy.

Glorious continues the hard science fiction Bowl of Heaven series from multi-award-winning authors Gregory Benford and Larry Niven... Audacious astronauts encounter bizarre, sometimes deadly life forms, and strange, exotic, cosmic phenomena, including miniature black holes, dense fields of interstellar plasma, powerful gravity-emitters, and spectacularly massive space-based, alien-built labyrinths. Tasked with exploring this brave, new, highly dangerous world, they must also deal with their own personal triumphs and conflicts.

The greatest quest man will ever undertake . . . The original story from which If the Stars are Gods grew won the Nebula Award. Now the long-awaited magnificent full-length novel is complete. It tells the unforgettable story of the century-long search of a scientist-monk for the secret of alien intelligent life - a quest which leads him from the time-scoured deserts of Mars to the vast holes in the raging cloud-cover of Jupiter; from the radio winds of Titan to the true centre of a universe where Beings are collected like songs . . .

Short stories.

SHAPESHIFTER!The Changeling could become anyone or anything--man, woman, child, animal. It was endowed with an inborn lust for disorder and destruction. Now it had chosen the plague-ridden planet of Alvea for its next mission--to throw an entire world into eternal chaos and madness.The Earth Consortium could send only an embittered killer and an untrained anthropologist to hunt down the Changeling. Yet, dangerous though it was, the Changeling was not the only peril the Earthmen faced on Alvea, or the worst--for the Alveans feared and hated Earth. Even a hint of the hunters' identities would leave them dead and dismembered within minutes....

This collection features a diverse array of speculative fiction from 1989, showcasing both established and emerging voices in the genre. The contents include a mix of novellas, novelettes, and short stories, each offering unique narratives and imaginative worlds. Notable contributions include Judith Moffett's "Tiny Tango," a thought-provoking novella, and Mike Resnick's "For I Have Touched the Sky," which continues the Kirinyaga series. Gregory Benford's "Alphas" and Connie Willis's "At the Rialto" present engaging explorations of human experience and societal themes. The anthology also includes works by Kathe Koja, Steven Popkes, and Robert Silverberg, each adding depth and variety to the collection. From William King's "Visiting the Dead" to Bruce Sterling's "Dori Bangs," the stories reflect a range of styles and subjects. Lucius Shepard's "The Ends of the Earth" and Nancy Kress's "The Price of Oranges" further exemplify the creativity of the time. Additional highlights include S. P. Somtow's "Lottery Night," Alexander Jablokov's "A Deeper Sea," and Megan Lindholm's "Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man." The collection concludes with Gardner Dozois's insightful essay summarizing the year's contributions to the genre, alongside honorable mentions that acknowledge other noteworthy works. This anthology serves as a testament to the richness and diversity of speculative fiction during this period.

Collection of short stories. The aliens strap him in. He cannot feel the bindings but he knows they must be there; he cannot move. Or perhaps it is the drug. They must have given him something because his world is blurred, spongy. He tries to move but his body is lethargic, painless, suspended. He cannot remember being captured. How many people do they have? When he tries to focus on the memory it dissolves and slips away. He knows they are experimenting on him.

Glorious continues the hard science fiction Bowl of Heaven series from multi-award-winning authors Gregory Benford and Larry Niven... Audacious astronauts encounter bizarre, sometimes deadly life forms, and strange, exotic, cosmic phenomena, including miniature black holes, dense fields of interstellar plasma, powerful gravity-emitters, and spectacularly massive space-based, alien-built labyrinths. Tasked with exploring this brave, new, highly dangerous world, they must also deal with their own personal triumphs and conflicts.

An odyssey of discovery, from a shattered society through the solar system with a handful of men and women who ride a cold, hurtling ball of ice to the shaky promise of a distant, unknowable future.

Since 1953, the annual Hugo Awards presented at the World Science Fiction Convention have been as coveted by SF writers as is the Oscar in the motion picture field--and SF fans recognize it as a certain indicator of the finest in science fiction. Now bestselling author Gregory Benford presents the Hugo winners for 1992, 1993, and 1994 in a book that will be a must-buy for all SF readers.

Capt. Ling Sanjen suffers thru a mutiny that dishonors him, an illness that nearly destroys him & a war that redeems him. A Caucasian in a post-apocalyptic world where Orientals rule, Sanjen's a social misfit. His career as a fleet captain ends when he makes the mistake of being right while everyone else is wrong & gets courtmartialed on the word of his trusted 2nd-in-command, the unscrupulously ambitious Tonji. Ignoring Sanjen's advice, the Empire gets embroiled in a one-sided war with the mysterious beings known as the Quarn, with catastrophic results. Only after surviving a long bout with despair is Sanjen able to function again. It's at this point that Tonji, now his superior, sends him to supervise the defense of a remote planet called Veden, where the real story begins. Sanjen must survive assassination attempts, civil unrest, religious fanatics, mind control and seemingly endless treachery.

Collection of twelve short stories taken from Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Authors are Gregory Benford, Michael Bishop, Orson Scott Card, Jack Dann, Lisa Goldstein, Alexander Joblokov, Marc Laidlaw, Tanith Lee, Lisa Mason, Lucius Shepard and Howard Waldrop.Contents 7 • Foreword (Transcendental Tales) • (1989) • essay by Charles Ardai9 • Bad Medicine • (1984) • novelette by Jack Dann35 • Of Space-Time and the River • (1985) • novelette by Gregory Benford66 • Deathbinder • (1988) • novelette by Alexander Jablokov90 • America • [The Mormon Sea] • (1987) • novelette by Orson Scott Card119 • Shalamari • (1987) • shortstory by Marc Laidlaw133 • Chand Veda • (1983) • shortstory by Tanith Lee147 • The Calling of Paisley Coldpony • (1988) • novelette by Michael Bishop184 • Guardian • (1988) • novelette by Lisa Mason204 • He-We-Await • (1987) • novelette by Howard Waldrop226 • Death is Different • (1988) • shortstory by Lisa Goldstein243 • Close Encounter With the Deity • (1986) • shortstory by Michael Bishop255 • Nomans Land • (1988) • novella by Lucius Shepard

The final chapter of humanity's future has begun. And three men hold the key to survival. As the fierce, artificially intelligent mechs pursue their savage and unstoppable destruction of the human race, it soon becomes apparent that these three men - three generations in a family of voyagers - are their targets. Toby Bishop, his father, Killeen Bishop, and his long-dead grandfather each carry a piece of the lethal secret that can destroy their relentless pursuers. There's only one problem: they have no idea they possess the only weapon that can save humanity.

Continuing the story begun in Great Sky River, Benford creates a stunning novel of the last band of humans fleeing extinction in the Galactic Center. And with one enemy behind them, the humans are dismayed to discover on a remote planet an alien race more awesome than any they have encountered. Reprint from Spectra.

Sono passati vent'anni dalla scoperta dei wormhole, misteriose anomalie del cosmo che permettono di viaggiare nello spazio e nel tempo, e l'esplorazione dell'universo ha raggiunto vette imprevedibili. Durante una missione il comandante Keith Lansing e la sua nave si imbattono in una stella più vecchia dell'universo stesso e in una razza sconosciuta che minaccia una guerra intergalattica. L'unico modo per salvare la Starplex e il suo mondo è entrare nel wormhole per tornare indietro di miliardi di anni e scoprire il segreto della misteriosa stella...

An alternate cover for this isbn can be found here.1962: a young Californian scientist finds his experiments spoiled by mysterious interference. Gradually his investigations lead him to the shattering truth that scientists from the end of the century are using subatomic particles to send a message into the past to try and avert disaster.

In a future dominated by a superior race of artificial minds, the last remnants of humanity begin a desperate flight to save themselves from total extinction, crossing the barren wastes of a once-lush planet called Snowglade. A masterwork of contemporary science fiction. Reprint from Spectra Books.

Gregory Benford expands Arthur C. Clarke's novella, Against the Fall of Night, into a novel-length adventure set billions of years in the future about human destiny among the stars.

The third part of the "Galactic Centre" sequence, following "Great Sky River" and "Tides of Light". On the run again, Killeen and his group are approaching the heart of the galaxy - the Core - where most life-forms are predatory.

An accidental explosion in a laboratory creates a wormhole, a space-time tunnel, which black physicist Alicia Butterworth uses to visit another universe. Time is so fast in this other world, Alicia can observe cosmic evolution as it happens. By the author of Sailing Bright Eternity.

A collection of stories that look at ways the discovery and opening up of the New World might have been different.

When a distinguished astrophysicist is presented with evidence of a new artefact approaching the solar system, his initial reaction is that the figures must be wrong. But they are not. The mysterious object is not only real, it is heading towards us at an incredible velocity.Then the data indicates that the visitor is a black hole. A black hole that can change direction. A black hole that is sending us a message... I DESIRE CONVERSE Eater is a fast-paced thriller from an author who is both a great storyteller and a highly respected scientist. It is a combination that makes for classic SF.

In Bowl of Heaven , the 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 bowlshaped structure half-englobing a star, with a habitable area equivalent to many millions of Earths…and it's 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 separated—one group captured by the gigantic structure's alien inhabitants, the other pursued across its strange and dangerous landscape—the mystery of the Bowl's origins and purpose propel the human voyagers toward discoveries that will transform their understanding of their place in the universe.

This landmark anthology presents thirty groundbreaking stories from the masters of speculative fiction heralding the future of the genre with original and revolutionary works. All-new, original stories by � Ursula K. Le Guin � Gregory Benford � Joe Haldeman � Joyce Carol Oates � and many others On K2 with Kanakaredes by Dan Simmons The Building by Ursula K. Le Guin Froggies by Laura Whitton What We Did That Summer by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg A Slow Saturday Night at the Surrealist Sporting Club by Michael Moorcock In Xanadu by Thomas M. Disch Commencement by Joyce Carol Oates Unique Visitors by James Patrick Kelly BIack TuIip by Harry Turtledove Belief by P. D. Cacek In the Un-Black by Stephen Baxter Weeping Walls by Paul Di Filippo Anomalies by Gregory Benford Captive Kong by Kit Reed Feedback by Robert E. Vardeman Between Disappearances by Nina Kiriki Hoffman Resurrection by David Morrell Cleopatra Brimstone by Elizabeth Hand Burros Gone Bad by Peter Schneider Pockets by Rudy Rucker and John Shirley Ave de Paso by Catherine Asaro Road Kill by Joe Haldeman Ting-a-Ling by Jack Dann ‘Bassador by Catherine Wells Ssoroghod’s People by Larry Niven Two Shot by Michael Marshall Smith Billy the Fetus by Al Sarrantonio Viewpoint by Gene Wolfe Fungi by Ardath Mayhar Rhido Wars by Neal Barrett, Jr.

On the poisonous, icy surface of Ganymede, a man and a boy are on a deadly hunt. Their prey is the Aleph - an unknowable, alien artifact that has roamed and ruled Ganymede for countless millennia. Indescribable, infinitely dangerous, the Aleph haunts men's dreams and destroys all efforts to terraform Ganymede into a habitable planet. Now in a modern world an ancient struggle begins, as a boy seeks manhood, a man seeks enlightenment, and a society seeks the power to rule the universe. In Gregory Benford's first novel since Timescape, men discover that the Aleph is their prey - and their destiny!

Shadows of Eternity is legendary author Gregory Benford’s return to interstellar science fiction as a discovery within the SETI library on the moon turns out to be deadly.Shadows of Eternity is a novel set two centuries from now. Humanity has established a SETI library on the moon to decipher and interpret the many messages from alien societies we have discovered. The most intriguing messages are from complete artificial intelligences. Ruth, a beginner Librarian, must talk to alien minds—who have aggressive agendas of their own. She opens doors into strangeness beyond imagination—and in her quest for understanding nearly gets killed doing it. Gregory Benford is one of science fiction’s iconic writers, having been nominated for four Hugo Awards and twelve Nebula Awards. Shadows of Eternity marks Gregory Benford’s return to the sweeping galactic science fiction that readers have been waiting for.

Noch genau 10 Monate, 9 Tage, 8 Stunden und 12 Minuten trennen die Welt von ihrem Untergang. Ein Milliarden Tonnen schwerer Himmelskörper nähert sich der Erde: Schiwa. Computerberechnungen lassen keinen Zweifel daran, daß er auf dem dritten Planeten einschlagen wird. Eine Vorhut aus größeren und kleineren Meteoren hat die Erde bereits erreicht und richtet gigantische Verwüstungen an. Ganze Städte werden ausgelöscht. Während der drogenabhängige US-Präsident handlungsunfähig seinen sexuellen Interessen nachgeht und die Anhänger des Weltuntergangskultes nackt in den Straßen tanzen, um Schiwas Ankunft zu begrüßen, kämpft ein Team von amerikanischen und sowjetischen Astronauten einen einsamen Kampf gegen den herannahenden Koloß. Der erste Rettungsversuch schlägt fehl. Ein Atomschlag wirft Schiwa nicht aus der Bahn, sondern bringt ihn nur zum Glühen. Sein feuriger Atem leckt nach der Erde. Und weiter schiebt sich die ungeheure Masse auf den leidgeprüften Planeten zu.

Leben auf dem Kometen Als im Jahr 2062 der Halleysche Komet erneut wiederkehrt, fliegen ihm nicht nur ein paar Robotsonden entgegen, sondern eine gut ausgerüstete bemannte Expedition. Ihre Aufgabe ist es, den zehn Kilometer durchmessenden Kometenkern zu einer Art „Raumschiff“ umzubauen, um ihn während der nächsten 76 Jahre auf seiner Reise in die fernen Regionen des äußeren Sonnensystems zu begleiten, seine Zusammensetzung und seinen Aufbau zu studieren und Beobachtungen und Messungen an den äußeren Planeten durchzuführen. Sowie der Photonensturm der Sonne nachlässt, werden die ersten Bauwerke auf der Oberfläche errichtet und die ersten Tunnel ins Eis gegraben. Da machen die Expeditionsteilnehmer eine ebenso wunderbare wie fatale Entdeckung: Auf Halley gibt es Leben! Niederes, aber uraltes Leben, das in Jahrmillionen gelernt hat, die kurzen Sommer zu nutzen und auf jeden Wärmekontakt mit explosionsartiger Vermehrung zu reagieren. Es ist zu spät: Eine Rückkehr zur Erde ist nicht mehr möglich – und auch alles andere als wünschenswert. Die Forscher sind auf sich allein gestellt …

Die Geheimnisse des Ringweltuniversums enthüllt! Wie ist es einer so anarchischen und gewalttätigen Rasse wie den Kzinti gelungen, ein interstellares Reich aufzubauen? Was steckt hinter der auf den ersten Blick primitiven, aber doch so erfolgreichen Waffentechnologie der Menschen? Warum sind die Puppenspieler so am Schutz der Menschheit interessiert? Und warum hassen einige der Outsider sie so sehr? Die Antworten darauf wurden oft schon angedeutet. Nun nehmen sich der Physiker Gregory Benford und der Molekularbiologe Mark O. Martin der Fragen in einem spannenden Roman an. Doch seien Sie gewarnt: Das Ringweltuniversum ist dunkler als Sie ahnen. Dieser Roman stellt die stark erweiterte Fassung der gleichnamigen Kurzgeschichte aus den Kzin-Kriegen dar. Es ist ein Schlüsselwerk der Ringwelt-Reihe.

Zum Mars-Jahr 2004 - der eindrucksvollste Roman, der je über den ersten bemannten Flug zu unserem Roten Nachbarplaneten geschrieben wurde! Physik-Professor und Bestsellerautor Gregory Benford schildert das riskante Unternehmen, wie es wohl tatsächlich einmal vonstatten gehen wird - als Wettrennen multinationaler Konzerne.

Kurz vor Abschluß eines amerikanisch-griechischen Ausgrabungsprojekts auf der Peloponnes entdeckt die amerikanische Archäologin Claire Anderson in einem mykenischen Kuppeigrab einen seltsamen Kalksteinblock, der in der Mitte, einen Bernsteinzapfen trägt, in dem rätselhafte Lichterscheinungen zu beobachten sind. In den Wirren eines Militärputsches gelingt es den Amerikanern, das Fundstück, das der griechische Ausgrabungsleiter gern für sich beansprucht hätte, außer Landes zu bringen und nach Boston zu transportieren, wo es gründlich untersucht werden soll. Man stellt in seinem Umkreis Schwerkraftanomalien fest und registriert starke radioaktive Strahlung, die aus dem Innern des Blocks dringt. Als man ihn anbohrt, stößt man auf ein Vakuum, das Stunden um Stunden, Tage um Tage unersättlich Luft ansaugt. Ist man auf eine Singularität, ein mikroskopisch kleines Schwarzes Loch gestoßen, das in dem Block eingeschlossen war, das nun wächst und wächst und sich unerbittlich vergrößert? Könnte das Ding mit der Katastrophe von Santorin in Verbindung stehen, die die mykenische Kultur vernichtete? Haben die Wissenschaftler den sagenhaften Minotaurus vor sich? Es ist weit schlimmer, als alle Beteiligten zunächst ahnen.

KontaktaufnahmeDie SunSeeker befindet sich auf der größten Mission in der Geschichte der Menschheit: Erstmals verlässt ein Expeditionsteam unser Sonnensystem, um die Weiten des Universums zu erforschen. Doch auf dem Weg zu den Sternen stößt die Besatzung der SunSeeker auf einen künstlichen Stern, der um ein Vielfaches größer als die Erde ist – und außerdem bewohnt! Das Team macht sich auf, das gigantische Objekt zu erkunden, und stößt dabei auf Geheimnisse, die die Rolle der Menschheit im Universum grundlegend infrage stellen.

Edited by one of SF's outstanding writers and critics, Far Horizonscontains new works by eleven of the most acclaimed authors in the field, set in their best-known worlds and each with an introduction by the author. This volume is a showcase of breathtaking imagination, challenging ideas, compelling storytelling and the sense of wonder inspired by science fiction at its very best.

Juri und Matt, die beiden erbitterten Konkurrenten, sind in der "Büchse" - wie das Weltraumlabor allgemein genannt wird - aufgewachsen. Für beide geht es nicht nur um einen Sieg im Squashspiel oder um eine einzelne gute oder schlechte Note. Es geht um die Gesamtbewertung, die Voraussetzung ist für einen interessanten Ausbildungsplatz im All. Daß es bei diesem Kräftespiel dem eher besinnlichen Matt gelingt, nicht nur seine Situation, sondern die des ganzen Forschungsprojekts wesentlich zu verbessern, ist für ihn selbst die größte Überraschung.

Ein riesiger Komet steuert auf die Erde zu, was Panik und Chaos auslöst. Regierungen, Wissenschaftler und Militärs kämpfen verzweifelt gegen die Zeit, um die Menschheit und den Planeten zu retten. Der Countdown bis zum unvermeidlichen Ende hat begonnen.