It has been nearly 100 years since the Apollo moon landings, when Jack
and Vladimir, two astronauts on a mission to Venus, discover a
mysterious void related to indigenous life on the planet. Subsequently
more voids are detected on Earth, Mars, Titan, and, quite ominously,
inside a planetoid emerging from the Kuiper belt.
Jack is sent to investigate the voids in the Solar System and intercept
the planetoid - which, as becomes increasingly clear, is inhabited by
alien life forms. Jack and his crew will have little time to understand
their alien biochemistry, abilities, behavior patterns, resilience, and
technology, but also how these life forms relate to the voids.
Humankind's first encounter with these exotic life forms couldn't be
more fateful, becoming a race against time to save life on Earth and to
reveal the true nature of the voids, which seem to be intrinsically
related to life and the universe itself. In this novel, the author
combines many topics related to state-of-the-art research in the field
of astrobiology with fictional elements to produce a thrilling page
turner.
This new version significantly develops the astrobiological denouement
of the plot and features an extensive non-technical appendix where the
underlying science is presented and discussed.
From the reviews of the first edition (Voids of Eternity: Alien
Encounter)
Here's a thrilling yarn in the best hard SF tradition of Asimov, James
Hogan, and Ben Bova, written by a scientist who knows all about the
possibilities of life in the solar system and beyond. Dirk
Schulze-Makuch weaves into his book all the astrobiological themes he's
worked on in recent years -- speculation about creatures in the
atmosphere of Venus and on and under the surface of Mars and Titan --
together with some well-informed Eastern philosophy and a cracking good
space battle. A great first novel from a rising talent. Highly
recommended. David Darling, on amazon.com, 2009
The research interests of Dr. Schulze-Makuch, currently a professor at
Washington State University, focus on evolutionary adaptation strategies
of organisms in their natural environment, particularly extreme
environments such as found on other planetary bodies. Dirk
Schulze-Makuch is best known for his publications on extraterrestrial
life, being coauthor of three books on the topic: We Are Not Alone: Why
We Have Already Found Extraterrestrial Life (2010), Cosmic Biology:
How Life could Evolve on Other Worlds (2010), and Life in the
Universe: Expectations and Constraints (2004). In 2011 he published
with Paul Davies A One Way Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet
and in 2012 with David Darling Megacatastrophes! Nine Strange Ways the
World Could End.
