In the very far future, on top of a gigantic tree rooted in the ice ball of a comet, a young man's rite-of-passage journey leads to unexpected encounters that threaten to destroy his native civilization
In this brand-new cosmic adventure by the author of The Genesis Quest and The Jupiter Theft, Torris, son of the Facemaker, knows only his small community at the base of the great Tree and his daily struggle for survival, harvesting frozen air to keep breathing, dodging web beasts and flutterbeasts and hunting meatbeasts for food. When it comes time for his vision quest to the top of the Tree, he is completely unprepared for what he finds: first, a thieving and hostile fellow quester; then, Ning, a female hunter from a neighboring tree-bearing comet, who has catapulted across empty space in search of food to save her family; and ultimately, alien visitors in a massive starship that has spent billions of years crossing the galaxy.
Forced to kill a fellow human and then banished for it, shocked at the cultural differences between his home and Ning's, and stunned by the changes precipitated by the arrival of the spaceship, Torris must learn quickly, adapt even faster, and face an uncertain and rapidly changing future unlike anything he has ever imagined.
Donald Moffitt has created a fast-paced epic that delivers galaxy-sized surprises, an inventive and unique environment, and an astonishing prophecy for the future of mankind.
Industry Reviews
"A perfect companion for this new age of cometary exploration. Wildly imaginative but scientifically plausible, this is a perfect choice for those who love Niven and Pournelle, Gregory Benford, Vernor Vinge, or David Brin. Excellent!" -Greg Bear, author of The Forge of God and Eon
"Astonishing . . . [The scientific accuracy is that of a] professional scientist." -Arthur C. Clarke on The Jupiter Theft
"Enthralling, mind-boggling, magnificent! Science fiction in the grand tradition . . . a magical mystery tour." -Locus on the Genesis saga
"A really audacious idea." -Locus on A Gathering of Stars
"Fans of Larry Niven, Peter Hamilton, and Arthur C. Clarke will find more than ample excitement in Moffitt's novels-they're packed with ideas and the true spirit of high-tech adventure." -Greg Bear
"An author of numerate, physics-oriented, fast-moving hard sf adventures . . . a competence with mythopoeically large scales and calculations . . . The focus of the tales . . . is firmly on the wide-scale action and the physics." -The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction