Madoc Tamlin is a man with an unusual problem. He wakes to find himself a thousand years in the future, in a space station on the far side of the sun. Or so he is told by the mysterious, sexless human who greets him. Madoc assures himself that he's still in his own time, trapped in advanced virtual reality by one of his foes, because if he isn't, he has no idea why he was cryogenically frozen--which would mean that he was a dangerous criminal. And he doesn't remember that either! Plus, the notorious serial killer Christine Caine has been defrosted to join him, and they, along with their strange rescuer, have just been captured in an impossible space battle by an unknown enemy.
The Omega Expedition is the sixth and concluding volume of Brian Stableford's grand future history, which explores the possibilities and perils of emortality (near-immortality). This is one of the most thoughtful, complex, and ambitious series ever produced in science fiction, and its final novel, a standalone work, masterfully orchestrates the numerous characters, themes, plot lines, and ideas to a bold conclusion. But newcomers to the series really shouldn't start with The Omega Expedition. Read the novels of this future history in the author's intended order, detailed in his informative introduction to The Omega Expedition. Start with --Cynthia Ward
From Publishers Weekly
In this cerebral novel, the capstone to British author Stableford's (Inherit the Earth, etc.) much praised six-volume future history concerning the search for "emortality" (technologically assisted near-immortality), Madoc Tamlin, a 22nd-century shyster with a heart of gold, is defrosted after more than 1,000 years in suspended animation, only to discover that his awakening has been nothing more than a trial run for a more important revival. The posthuman emortals of the 35th century are preparing to bring back Adam Zimmerman, aka the Man Who Stole the World. Zimmerman, whose takeover of Earth actually saved the planet from environmental collapse in the 21st century, is the near-mythic founder of the movement that led to the emortal, posthuman culture that now inhabits our solar system. As Tamlin learns more about the society into which he has newly awakened, he discovers that it contains a number of rival factions, each of which espouses a different sort of emortality. Stableford does a fine job of pulling together an enormous number of loose threads. If his characters are sometimes flat, his presentation of the possible marvels of posthumanity is quite compelling, as is his thoughtful examination of the potential involved in near immortality. Readers who stick with this complex, intellectually challenging series to the end will find their tenacity well rewarded. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Amazon.com Review
Madoc Tamlin is a man with an unusual problem. He wakes to find himself a thousand years in the future, in a space station on the far side of the sun. Or so he is told by the mysterious, sexless human who greets him. Madoc assures himself that he's still in his own time, trapped in advanced virtual reality by one of his foes, because if he isn't, he has no idea why he was cryogenically frozen--which would mean that he was a dangerous criminal. And he doesn't remember that either! Plus, the notorious serial killer Christine Caine has been defrosted to join him, and they, along with their strange rescuer, have just been captured in an impossible space battle by an unknown enemy.
The Omega Expedition is the sixth and concluding volume of Brian Stableford's grand future history, which explores the possibilities and perils of emortality (near-immortality). This is one of the most thoughtful, complex, and ambitious series ever produced in science fiction, and its final novel, a standalone work, masterfully orchestrates the numerous characters, themes, plot lines, and ideas to a bold conclusion. But newcomers to the series really shouldn't start with The Omega Expedition. Read the novels of this future history in the author's intended order, detailed in his informative introduction to The Omega Expedition. Start with --Cynthia Ward
From Publishers Weekly
In this cerebral novel, the capstone to British author Stableford's (Inherit the Earth, etc.) much praised six-volume future history concerning the search for "emortality" (technologically assisted near-immortality), Madoc Tamlin, a 22nd-century shyster with a heart of gold, is defrosted after more than 1,000 years in suspended animation, only to discover that his awakening has been nothing more than a trial run for a more important revival. The posthuman emortals of the 35th century are preparing to bring back Adam Zimmerman, aka the Man Who Stole the World. Zimmerman, whose takeover of Earth actually saved the planet from environmental collapse in the 21st century, is the near-mythic founder of the movement that led to the emortal, posthuman culture that now inhabits our solar system. As Tamlin learns more about the society into which he has newly awakened, he discovers that it contains a number of rival factions, each of which espouses a different sort of emortality. Stableford does a fine job of pulling together an enormous number of loose threads. If his characters are sometimes flat, his presentation of the possible marvels of posthumanity is quite compelling, as is his thoughtful examination of the potential involved in near immortality. Readers who stick with this complex, intellectually challenging series to the end will find their tenacity well rewarded.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.