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Transcendent (Destiny's Children) |  | Author: Stephen Baxter
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Seller: breaktimebooks
Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 620338
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 512
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345457927
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780345457929
ASIN: 0345457927
Publication Date: July 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Stephen Baxter’s gripping page-turners are feats of bold speculation and big ideas that, for all their time-and-space-spanning grandeur, remain firmly rooted in scientific fact and cutting-edge theory. Now Baxter is back with the final volume in his monumental Destiny’s Children trilogy, a tour de force in which parallel stories unfold–and then meet as humanity stands poised on the brink of divine providence . . . or extinction.
DESTINY’S CHILDREN
TRANSCENDENT
It is the year 2047, and nuclear engineer Michael Poole is still in the throes of grief. His beloved wife, Morag, died seventeen years ago, along with their second child. Yet Michael is haunted by more than just the memory of Morag. On a beach in Miami, he sees his dead wife. But she vanishes as suddenly as she appears, leaving no clue as to her mysterious purpose.
Alia was born on a starship, fifteen thousand light years from Earth, five hundred thousand years after the death of Michael Poole. Yet she knows him intimately. In this distant future, when humanity has diversified as a species and spread across the galaxy, every person is entrusted with the duty of Witnessing the life of one man, woman, or child from the past, recovered by means of a technology able to traverse time itself. Alia’s subject is Michael Poole.
When his surviving, estranged son is injured, Michael tries to reconnect with him–and to stave off a looming catastrophe. Vast reservoirs of toxic gases lie buried beneath the poles, trapped in crystals of ice. Now that ice is melting. Once it goes, the poisons released will threaten all life on Earth. A bold solution is within reach, if only Michael can convince a doubting world. Yet as Morag’s ghostly visitations continue, Michael begins to doubt his own sanity.
In the future, Alia is chosen to become a Transcendent, an undying member of the group mind that is shepherding humanity toward an evolutionary apotheosis. The Witnessings are an integral part of their design, for only by redeeming the pain of every human who has lived and died can true Transcendence be achieved. Yet Alia discovers a dark side to the Transcendents’ plans, a vein of madness that may lead to an unthinkable renunciation.
Somehow, Michael Poole holds the fate of the future in his hands. Now, to save that future, Alia must undertake a desperate journey into the past. . . .
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 It's really Transcendant if you can skip the environmental hooey October 24, 2009
Adam Missner (Roswell, GA United States)
I really liked Transcendent, even though I am as anti-environmentalist as anyone can be. I think a lot of the negativ reviewers were put off by (admittedly) ridiculous environmental disasters, but I thought it was kind of cute (in a silly way). Here we are 500,000 years in the future. Mankind is about to "transcend" into a god, and Baxter is crying that the old people in Florida have to sandbag their homes. You can almost imagine Baxter was really making fun of the global warming fearmongers (although I doubt he was). Anyway, I thought the universe he created and the concepts he explored greatly outweighted any minor worries with the earthbound components of the story.
Stephen Baxter - Transcendent July 20, 2009
J. McIntyre (Chicago, IL)
I haven't read this yet, but the book arrived in good condition and was exactly as described. I look forward to reading it as I have enjoyed other works by Mr. Baxter.
 Very disappointing March 7, 2007
Ian A. Langley (USA)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Global warming soapbox masquerading as science fiction. Like one of the previous reviewers said this guy used to be one of my favourite authors. This whole Destiny's Children series has been a waste of time for me
What is this crap? January 17, 2007
J. S. Harbour (Arizona)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have completely turned 180 degrees from being a fan of Baxtor to absolutely loathing the garbage he's been writing in recent years. He had a good run early on, but has totally lost touch with his base. I loved Ring, The Time Ships, Flux, all the way up to Vacuum Diagrams, which seems to have been a turning point in his career--for the worst. This novel, like all of his recent work, suffers from very weak character development, a highly suspect series of plots. In his early stories, the pathetic character development was entirely excusable because his science was rock solid and exciting! I loved his Xeelee stories and the whole dark matter creatures were very engaging. But lately, he's focused too much on personal interests that are completely non-interesting to this reader. His attitude is that of an informed and wizened academic, but he comes across in fictional form as foolishly optimistic that his ridiculous themes are believable.
Throughly enjoyed this one.... January 9, 2007
Matt S. Kojder (Canada)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
I'm not sure I understand the naysayers in this group of reviews. I really enjoyed this book - as good as anything a lot of other authors have written, like David Brin, or Greg Bear (also excellent writers!)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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