Pandora's Star

CriticshavecomparedtheengrossingspaceoperasofPeterF.HamiltontotheclassicsagasofsuchsfgiantsasIsaacAsimovandFrankHerbert.ButHamilton'sbestsellingfiction—poweredbyafearlessimaginationandworld-classstorytellingskills—hasalsoearnedhimcomparisontoTolstoyandDickens.Hugelyambitious,wildlyentertaining,philosophicallystimulating:thenovelsofPeterF.Hamiltonwillchangethewayyouthinkaboutsciencefiction.Now,withPandora'sStar,hebeginsanewmultivolumeadventure,onethatpromisestobehismostmind-blowingyet.Theyearis2380.TheIntersolarCommonwealth,asphereofstarssomefourhundredlight-yearsindiameter,containsmorethansixhundredworlds,interconnectedbyaweboftransport"tunnels"knownaswormholes.AtthefarthestedgeoftheCommonwealth,astronomerDudleyBoseobservestheimpossible:Overonethousandlight-yearsaway,astar...vanishes.Itdoesnotgosupernova.Itdoesnotcollapseintoablackhole.Itsimplydisappears.Sincethelocationistoodistanttoreachbywormhole,afaster-than-lightstarship,theSecondChance,isdispatchedtolearnwhathasoccurredandwhetheritrepresentsathreat.IncommandisWilsonKime,afive-timerejuvenatedex-NASApilotwhoseglorydaysarecenturiesbehindhim.OpposedtothemissionaretheGuardiansofSelfhood,acultthatbelievesthehumanraceisbeingmanipulatedbyanalienentitytheycalltheStarflyer.BradleyJohansson,leaderoftheGuardians,warnsofsabotage,fearingtheStarflyermeanstousethestarship'smissionforitsownends.PursuedbyaCommonwealthspecialagentconvincedtheGuardiansarecrazybutdangerous,Johanssonflees.Butthedangerisnotaverted.AboardtheSecondChance,Kimewondersifhiscrewhasbeeninfiltrated.Soonenough,hewillhaveotherworries.Athousandlight-yearsaway,somethingtrulyincredibleiswaiting:adeadlydiscoverywhoseunleashingwillthreatentodestroytheCommonwealth...andhumanityitself.