He was a survivor - a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war.But when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker, his life changes forever. As he journeys from one isolated community to the next, the old, worn uniform becomes far more than a protection against the unrelenting cold: it becomes a reminder of how things were before the world collapsed - and a symbol for how things might be again. And his story becomes one of a lie that turns into the most important kind of truth.Against a background of global failure, THE POSTMAN is a powerful and affecting novel of the survival of the human spirit from the author of the award-winning Uplift novels.

On the distant planet of Jijo, six exiled races live side by side. Only ancient relics from their home planets, fragments of half-forgotten stories and the crumbling ruins of the mysterious and god-like Buyur remind the dispossessed of a more noble past, whe they were full citizens of the Five Galaxies. The races of Jijo, it seems, have been forgotten, along with whatever crimes thay committed. But for how long?It is at the time of the Gathering, the council of the sages, when the spacecraft is first spotted. For some, it offers a new hope. For others, it heralds a time of reckoning.Brightness Reef is the compelling story of a world threatened by its past and fighting for its future. With a gallery of extraordinary characters, and awealth of thought provoking ideas, it is a novel fuelled by the spirit of adventure and discovery. David Brin at his very best.

Al Morris is a private investigator. Actually, he''s lots of private investigators. For he lives in a world in which every person, every day, can be in any number of places at the same time. It''s the world of dittos. It is our world. Welcome to the future.In a business where information is the currency, Al''s dittos are loaded. And with a number of cases on the go at once, it is crucial that Al keeps track of what''s going on. What he doesn''t know is that he is about to be drawn into a plot that could throw this delicately balanced world into chaos. It seems that the technology has been developed for dittos to replicate themselves. It seems that real people may no longer be necessary. And, suddenly, it seems that mankind''s dream of immortality could turn into a nightmare.Look out for more information about this book and others at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

TIME IS RUNNING OUTDecades from now, an artificial black hole has fallen into the Earth''s core. As scientists frantically work to prevent the ultimate disaster, they discover that the entire planet could be destroyed within a year.But while they look for an answer, some claim that the only way to save Earth is to let its human inhabitants become extinct: to reset the evolutionary clock and start over.Earth is the Hugo and Locus Award-nominated novel that, with countless accurate predictions, earned David Brin his reputation as a visionary futurologist.

As for me, I am finished.'' With these words, a frail, dying Hari Seldon completes his life''s work. The old man has just recorded messages for the Time Vault of the First Foundation. Psychohistory''s Seldon Plan is unleashed, propelled by the ponderous momentum of destiny. Younger hands will now take up the task. For the first time in his life, Seldon is no longer watched, nurtured and guided by robots and he retires to a corner of the Imperial Park to garden. The Seldon plan has three possible outcomes. None of them fills him with joy but he is consoled by the thought that any of the three is better than the chaos that would have happened without him. But the future still holds some surprises for Hari Seldon...

Long ago, the Founding Mothers left old Earth and the Phylum Worlds, seeking a hidden place to reforge human destiny. Through genetic wizardry, they have altered human sexual patterns. For most of the year, any child born on the planet Stratos is a clone of her mother, identical to all the sisters in her veritable clan. Only in summer are ''vars'' conceived - old-fashioned, gene-mixed girls, and even sometimes boys - each one garishly, ignobly unique. Maia, one lonely young var, grows up knowing she must summon all her skill to win a place in this world run by and for high-caste clanswomen, a world far gentler than those of the old Phylum . . . except for those rare seasons of change, when the planet seems to call its people forth to glory. Rich in texture, universal in theme, monumental in scope, GLORY SEASON is a saga of remarkable passion and drama, set in a faraway place and time but shining light upon issues vexing our own confused era.

Circling the Sun, under the caverns of Mercury, Expedition Sundiver prepares for the most momentous voyage in our history. A journey into the boiling inferno of the sun, to seek our destiny in the cosmic order of life.For in a universe in which no species can reach sentience without being ''uplifted'' by a patron race, it seems that only mankind has reached for the stars unaided. And now, the greatest mystery of all may be explained...Sundiver is the first book in David Brin''s magnificent Uplift series.

As galactic armadas clash in quest of the ancient fleet of the Progenitors, a brutal alien race seizes the dying planet of Garth. The various uplifted inhabitants must battle their overlords of face ultimate extinction. At stake is the existence of Terran society and Earth and the fate of the entire Five Galaxies.THE UPLIFT WAR is the third book in David Brin''s magnificent Uplift series. Winner of the Hugo award when it was first published, it is a sweeping, brilliantly crafted story of adventure and wonder from one of the greatest writers of science fiction.

A wide-ranging and thought-provoking collection of short stories which confirms David Brin as one of the foremost writers of science fiction. It brings together stories like ''The Giving Plague'' and ''Dr Pak''s Preschool'' which are among the most powerful and affecting of recent years. Brin''s is an eloquent, incisive voice, always dealing with profound ideas and important issues, taking the genre to new heights.

David Brin''s first Uplift trilogy - SUNDIVER, STARTIDE RISING and THE UPLIFT WAR - stands as one of the most extraordinary science fiction sagas ever written. In 1995, BRIGHTNESS REEF, the first book in a second trilogy, marked a long-awaited return to the Uplift universe, followed by INFINITY''S SHORE. Now, with HEAVEN''S REACH, David Brin concludes his epic tale of passion, imagination and adventure.

He was a survivor - a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war.But when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker, his life changes forever. As he journeys from one isolated community to the next, the old, worn uniform becomes far more than a protection against the unrelenting cold: it becomes a reminder of how things were before the world collapsed - and a symbol for how things might be again. And his story becomes one of a lie that turns into the most important kind of truth.Against a background of global failure, THE POSTMAN is a powerful and affecting novel of the survival of the human spirit from the author of the award-winning Uplift novels.

On the distant planet of Jijo, six exiled races live side by side. Only ancient relics from their home planets, fragments of half-forgotten stories and the crumbling ruins of the mysterious and god-like Buyur remind the dispossessed of a more noble past, whe they were full citizens of the Five Galaxies. The races of Jijo, it seems, have been forgotten, along with whatever crimes thay committed. But for how long?It is at the time of the Gathering, the council of the sages, when the spacecraft is first spotted. For some, it offers a new hope. For others, it heralds a time of reckoning.Brightness Reef is the compelling story of a world threatened by its past and fighting for its future. With a gallery of extraordinary characters, and awealth of thought provoking ideas, it is a novel fuelled by the spirit of adventure and discovery. David Brin at his very best.

Al Morris is a private investigator. Actually, he''s lots of private investigators. For he lives in a world in which every person, every day, can be in any number of places at the same time. It''s the world of dittos. It is our world. Welcome to the future.In a business where information is the currency, Al''s dittos are loaded. And with a number of cases on the go at once, it is crucial that Al keeps track of what''s going on. What he doesn''t know is that he is about to be drawn into a plot that could throw this delicately balanced world into chaos. It seems that the technology has been developed for dittos to replicate themselves. It seems that real people may no longer be necessary. And, suddenly, it seems that mankind''s dream of immortality could turn into a nightmare.Look out for more information about this book and others at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

TIME IS RUNNING OUTDecades from now, an artificial black hole has fallen into the Earth''s core. As scientists frantically work to prevent the ultimate disaster, they discover that the entire planet could be destroyed within a year.But while they look for an answer, some claim that the only way to save Earth is to let its human inhabitants become extinct: to reset the evolutionary clock and start over.Earth is the Hugo and Locus Award-nominated novel that, with countless accurate predictions, earned David Brin his reputation as a visionary futurologist.

As for me, I am finished.'' With these words, a frail, dying Hari Seldon completes his life''s work. The old man has just recorded messages for the Time Vault of the First Foundation. Psychohistory''s Seldon Plan is unleashed, propelled by the ponderous momentum of destiny. Younger hands will now take up the task. For the first time in his life, Seldon is no longer watched, nurtured and guided by robots and he retires to a corner of the Imperial Park to garden. The Seldon plan has three possible outcomes. None of them fills him with joy but he is consoled by the thought that any of the three is better than the chaos that would have happened without him. But the future still holds some surprises for Hari Seldon...

Long ago, the Founding Mothers left old Earth and the Phylum Worlds, seeking a hidden place to reforge human destiny. Through genetic wizardry, they have altered human sexual patterns. For most of the year, any child born on the planet Stratos is a clone of her mother, identical to all the sisters in her veritable clan. Only in summer are ''vars'' conceived - old-fashioned, gene-mixed girls, and even sometimes boys - each one garishly, ignobly unique. Maia, one lonely young var, grows up knowing she must summon all her skill to win a place in this world run by and for high-caste clanswomen, a world far gentler than those of the old Phylum . . . except for those rare seasons of change, when the planet seems to call its people forth to glory. Rich in texture, universal in theme, monumental in scope, GLORY SEASON is a saga of remarkable passion and drama, set in a faraway place and time but shining light upon issues vexing our own confused era.

Circling the Sun, under the caverns of Mercury, Expedition Sundiver prepares for the most momentous voyage in our history. A journey into the boiling inferno of the sun, to seek our destiny in the cosmic order of life.For in a universe in which no species can reach sentience without being ''uplifted'' by a patron race, it seems that only mankind has reached for the stars unaided. And now, the greatest mystery of all may be explained...Sundiver is the first book in David Brin''s magnificent Uplift series.

As galactic armadas clash in quest of the ancient fleet of the Progenitors, a brutal alien race seizes the dying planet of Garth. The various uplifted inhabitants must battle their overlords of face ultimate extinction. At stake is the existence of Terran society and Earth and the fate of the entire Five Galaxies.THE UPLIFT WAR is the third book in David Brin''s magnificent Uplift series. Winner of the Hugo award when it was first published, it is a sweeping, brilliantly crafted story of adventure and wonder from one of the greatest writers of science fiction.

A wide-ranging and thought-provoking collection of short stories which confirms David Brin as one of the foremost writers of science fiction. It brings together stories like ''The Giving Plague'' and ''Dr Pak''s Preschool'' which are among the most powerful and affecting of recent years. Brin''s is an eloquent, incisive voice, always dealing with profound ideas and important issues, taking the genre to new heights.

David Brin''s first Uplift trilogy - SUNDIVER, STARTIDE RISING and THE UPLIFT WAR - stands as one of the most extraordinary science fiction sagas ever written. In 1995, BRIGHTNESS REEF, the first book in a second trilogy, marked a long-awaited return to the Uplift universe, followed by INFINITY''S SHORE. Now, with HEAVEN''S REACH, David Brin concludes his epic tale of passion, imagination and adventure.