SFWA Grand Master C. J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher return to the
Hugo-award winning Alliance-Union Universe with a thrilling entry in her
far-reaching sci-fi saga.
For years, the stations of the Hinder Stars, those old stations closest
to Sol, have lagged behind the great megastations of the Beyond, like
Pell and Cyteen. But new opportunities and fears arise when Alpha
station, the oldest of them all, receives news of a huge incoming
faster-than-light ship with no identification. The denizens of Alpha
wait anxiously for news about the outsiders, each with their own
suspicions about the ship and its motivations.
Ross and Fallan, crew members of the Galway, believe the unidentified
ship belongs to Pell and has come to investigate another massive ship
docked at Alpha, The Rights of Man. Though Rights is under the
command of the Earth Company, it is not quite perfected--and its true
purpose is shrouded in mystery.
James Robert Neihart, the captain of the strange ship--finally
identified as one of the two largest ships of the Beyond, the Merchanter
vessel Finity's End--has heard whispers of The Rights of Man and
wonders at its design and purpose, especially as Sol has struggled to
rival the progress of the Farther Stars. Now docked at Alpha, he must
convince the crews that there is more to The Rights of Man than meets
the eye.
Because the reasons behind the creation of The Rights of Man, and its
true plans, could change everything--not just for Sol, but for the
Hinder Stars and the Beyond itself.
