Crucible of a Species

ISBN-13: 9781519348890 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 310 str.

Terrence Zavecz

Opis

Can Humans Survive in a World
Dominated by Dinosaurs?
2032 c.e. - 'First Contact' was not what most people on Earth expected. The Asteri transmitted gifts of knowledge to Earth. Unrequested offerings that satisfied humanity's long dream for unlimited energy and a pollution free environment. Their parting bequest was the complete design for an interstellar ship. Humans call them the "Asteri" but no one knows their true name for they answered no questions. Their final transmission demanded a single payment ... a simple physical task. Earth must build the ship immediately and take it to Tau Ceti? Construction of the ship pushes forward under the draconian leadership of the Argos Project director, Colonel Daniel Drake. Many don't trust the Asteri and they oppose wasting limited resources for a trip to the stars when so much work remains on Earth. Colonel Drake finds himself battling growing political pressure and deadly sabotage to complete the ship's construction at the far end of the space elevator. The Argos launches and it responds flawlessly, as do all the Asteri designs. That is, until a terrorist's bomb detonates onboard. Colonel Drake manages to limp the Argos back to Earth - only to discover everything has changed. The Argos and its crew find themselves 99 million years in the past, orbiting a planet dominated by dinosaurs. What they see on the planet below is both beautiful and frightening. So terribly frightening that most of the crew want to risk an attempt to return home rather than try to land and repair the ship. Colonel Drake however is determined to continue the mission for he is one of the few who knows the horrible threat that accompanied the Asteri's single demand. The colonel forces a landing and the survivors of the Argos quickly discover the cretaceous era of Earth's past is not the world presented by paleontologists. It is a world of much greater beauty, it is also a planet where predators and their prey have been evolving to perfect their chances of survival for more than a hundred million years -- a place in time where a small band of humans stands little chance of survival. Colonel Drake knows the future existence of the entire human species depends upon this voyage and he must overcome sabotage, mutiny and a ship badly in need of repairs to satisfy the Asteri demand. He also realizes how difficult it will be for the crew of the Argos to complete major repairs on a primitive, deadly savage world; how small the chances are for them to survive and finish their mission. However, Colonel Daniel Drake is a very determined man. ..".the author sees the human-dinosaur interaction through a new perspective - one that keeps the reader turning pages."
--Steve Alten
NY Times best-selling author of
MEG & VOSTOK