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Jerome is chosen for a secretive mission into space in the hopes he’ll find a solution to Earth’s rapidly dying sun. However, the day before he leaves, he is told the real reason he was originally chosen is because of a message which scientists received from outer space many years before he was even born. The message warned about a technologically superior alien race threatening all of humanity. More surprising, however, is that the voice on the message is Jerome’s. Armed with this confusing new knowledge, Jerome is rocketed into space where he will befriend an extraordinary alien and take command of an impressive spaceship which is apparently waiting for him. He’ll also find an advanced race traveling through time and space intent on destroying most other life in the universe.
Chamberlain’s science fiction novel has an epic scope. It deals with the mysteries of the universe, time, space, and the origin of life. Its plot involves the brave attempt of a few individuals to stop the nefarious plans of a superior species. This tale is not a typical space opera; it is much headier and written for those enthusiasts interested in theoretical physics, black holes, time travel, and other types of space speculation. The aliens and the technologies are interesting, and the scope of the story is immense, but this is closer in spirit to A Brief History of Time than it is to Star Wars or even Herbert’s Dune. While most science fiction fans will not have too much trouble with the theoretical side of the writing, the grammar issues, in particularly comma usage and word choice, will probably give them more pause. Ultimately, though, fans of speculative science fiction will find plenty of ideas on which to ruminate.