An archaeologist discovers a mysterious ancient object in Greece that could destroy the world in this science fiction adventure. A small cube of black rock has been unearthed in a 3,500-year-old Mycenaean tomb. An incomprehensible object in an impossible place; its age, its purpose, and its origins are unknown. Its discovery has unleashed a global storm of intrigue, theft, and espionage, and is pushing nations to the brink of war. Its substance has scientists baffled. And the miracle it contains does not belong on this Earth. It is mystery and madness—an enigma with no equal in recorded history. It is mankind’s greatest discovery . . . and worst nightmare. It may have already obliterated a world. Ours is next.Praise for Artifact “What do you get if you cross a James Bond movie with an Indiana Jones movie? A Gregory Benford novel. That seems to be a pretty accurate description of the pace and theme of Artifact. It’s an engaging tale. . . . Artifact skillfully blends physics and archeology with a fast-paced plot worthy of any blockbuster action flick.” —SF Site

Matt Bohles was content with the pleasures of low-g life in the Jovian Orbital Lab. Even if a young man did get to feel a bit squeezed, growing up in a tin can 600 million klicks from Mother Earth...But the International Space Administration was losing its patience with the slow advance of science. There was talk of closing down the lab. The Earthside pols wanted publicity, adventure and profits - and not necessarily in that order.So Matt had a bright idea. He figured he''d steal a spacesuit. Grab a spare shuttlecraft. And discover life on Jupiter...

The Family had never seen a manhunter like it. And when its machine-mind engulfed Cap''n Fanny, they knew Mantis was no simple killing-mech. A collector of human minds, a plunderer of living personalities, Mantis was a weaver of complex, murderous illusions. But why, Killeen wondered, did it indulge in such elaborate variations on slaughter when in a single blast it could destroy the remnants of Mankind?His answer lay waiting in Mantis''s extraordinary sensorium, in the museum of living ghosts and defiled spirits which drove the heart of the machine . . .

The last humans from the planet Snowglade have taken flight from the genocidal mechs aboard the spaceship Argo. As the shop hurtles toward the Galactic Center, hunger and desperation are taking their toll among the refugees, who are beginning to question the leadership of Captain Killeen. Convinced that his people''s only hope of survival lies in the True Center of the galaxy, he is determined to find it, with a will bordering on obsession.As the crew of the Argo, an even Killeen''s own son Toby, find their faith in their captain''s brilliance tested to the limit, Toby faces his own perilous journey into the unknown, into the mysterious of adulthood. Like the others in this Family of voyagers, Toby''s spine contains microchip implants holding the memories - the legacy - of his race. But just as the technology is designed to save his people may tear Toby himself apart, so his father''s desperate gamble to save the Argo may plunge the ship and its inhabitants into a cosmic fit of all-consuming fire.

The final chapter of humanity''s future has begun and one man, Nigel Walmsley, has been alive through it all. An ancient scientist from the distant past, Walmsley had been marooned inside an anomaly of time and space. From here he recalls Earth''s desperate struggle against the mechs, a violent artificial intelligence dedicated to total annihilation.In a strange space-time continuum called the Esty, the last few survivors from humanity''s ravaged planets have taken refuge, readying themselves for a final stand against their ruthless executioners.Three generations of men stand between the mechs and total oblivion for the human race: Toby Bishop, a young warrior-in-training; Killeen Bishop, Toby''s father and leader of the last remnants of humanity; and Killeen''s own father, long believed dead, but now mysteriously returned to his family.As the mechs continue to carve their swathe of destruction through the galaxy, these three men hold the sole hope for the survival of the human race.

The greatest quest man will ever undertake . . .The original story from which If the Stars are Gods grew won the Nebula Award. Now the long-awaited magnificent full-length novel is complete. It tells the unforgettable story of the century-long search of a scientist-monk for the secret of alien intelligent life - a quest which leads him from the time-scoured deserts of Mars to the vast holes in the raging cloud-cover of Jupiter; from the radio winds of Titan to the true centre of a universe where Beings are collected like songs . . .

The Changeling could become anyone or anything - man, woman, child, animal. It was endowed with an inborn lust for disorder and destruction. Now it had chosen the plague-ridden planet of Alvea for its next mission - to throw an entire world into eternal chaos and madness.The Earth Consortium could send only an embittered killer and an untrained anthropologist to hunt down the Changeling. Yet, dangerous though it was, the Changeling was not the only peril the Earthmen faced on Alvea, or the worst - for the Alveans feared and hated Earth. Even a hint of the hunter''s identities would leave them dead and dismembered within minutes

The year is 1998, the world is a growing nightmare of desperation, of uncontrollable pollution and increasing social unrest. In Cambridge, two scientists experiment with tachyons - subatomic particles that travel faster than the speed of light and, therefore, according to the Theory of Relativity, may move backwards in time. Their plan is to signal a warning to the previous generation.

In 1962, a young Californian scientist, Gordon Bernstein, finds his experiments are being spoiled by unknown interference. As he begins to suspect something near the truth it becomes a race against time - the world is collapsing and will only be saved if Gordon can decipher the message in time.

Winner of the Nebula Award for best novel, 1980Winner of the John W. Campbell Award for best novel, 1981Winner of the BSFA Award for best novel, 1980

A small cube of black rock has been unearthed in a 3500-year-old Mycenaean tomb. An incomprehensible object in an impossible place; its age, its purpose, and its origins are unknown. Its discovery has unleashed a global storm of intrigue, theft andespionage, and is pushing nations to the brink of war. Its substance has scientists baffled. And the miracle it contains does not belong on this Earth.It is mystery and madness -- an enigma with no equal in recordedhistory. It is mankind''s greatest discovery ... and worst nightmare. It may have already obliterated a world. Ours is next.

They were fighting death.Through their scientific breakthroughs, one of humanity''s oldest dreams could be coming true. With cryonics, the body could be preserved at superlow temperatures for future revival.But Death was fighting back.In the hospital there were senior staff determined to destroy careers and work.And on the streets, Death''s Agent hears the whispered commands of the preacher and knew he must seek out and kill the blasphemers...

An archaeologist discovers a mysterious ancient object in Greece that could destroy the world in this science fiction adventure. A small cube of black rock has been unearthed in a 3,500-year-old Mycenaean tomb. An incomprehensible object in an impossible place; its age, its purpose, and its origins are unknown. Its discovery has unleashed a global storm of intrigue, theft, and espionage, and is pushing nations to the brink of war. Its substance has scientists baffled. And the miracle it contains does not belong on this Earth. It is mystery and madness—an enigma with no equal in recorded history. It is mankind’s greatest discovery . . . and worst nightmare. It may have already obliterated a world. Ours is next.Praise for Artifact “What do you get if you cross a James Bond movie with an Indiana Jones movie? A Gregory Benford novel. That seems to be a pretty accurate description of the pace and theme of Artifact. It’s an engaging tale. . . . Artifact skillfully blends physics and archeology with a fast-paced plot worthy of any blockbuster action flick.” —SF Site

Matt Bohles was content with the pleasures of low-g life in the Jovian Orbital Lab. Even if a young man did get to feel a bit squeezed, growing up in a tin can 600 million klicks from Mother Earth...But the International Space Administration was losing its patience with the slow advance of science. There was talk of closing down the lab. The Earthside pols wanted publicity, adventure and profits - and not necessarily in that order.So Matt had a bright idea. He figured he''d steal a spacesuit. Grab a spare shuttlecraft. And discover life on Jupiter...

The Family had never seen a manhunter like it. And when its machine-mind engulfed Cap''n Fanny, they knew Mantis was no simple killing-mech. A collector of human minds, a plunderer of living personalities, Mantis was a weaver of complex, murderous illusions. But why, Killeen wondered, did it indulge in such elaborate variations on slaughter when in a single blast it could destroy the remnants of Mankind?His answer lay waiting in Mantis''s extraordinary sensorium, in the museum of living ghosts and defiled spirits which drove the heart of the machine . . .

The last humans from the planet Snowglade have taken flight from the genocidal mechs aboard the spaceship Argo. As the shop hurtles toward the Galactic Center, hunger and desperation are taking their toll among the refugees, who are beginning to question the leadership of Captain Killeen. Convinced that his people''s only hope of survival lies in the True Center of the galaxy, he is determined to find it, with a will bordering on obsession.As the crew of the Argo, an even Killeen''s own son Toby, find their faith in their captain''s brilliance tested to the limit, Toby faces his own perilous journey into the unknown, into the mysterious of adulthood. Like the others in this Family of voyagers, Toby''s spine contains microchip implants holding the memories - the legacy - of his race. But just as the technology is designed to save his people may tear Toby himself apart, so his father''s desperate gamble to save the Argo may plunge the ship and its inhabitants into a cosmic fit of all-consuming fire.

The final chapter of humanity''s future has begun and one man, Nigel Walmsley, has been alive through it all. An ancient scientist from the distant past, Walmsley had been marooned inside an anomaly of time and space. From here he recalls Earth''s desperate struggle against the mechs, a violent artificial intelligence dedicated to total annihilation.In a strange space-time continuum called the Esty, the last few survivors from humanity''s ravaged planets have taken refuge, readying themselves for a final stand against their ruthless executioners.Three generations of men stand between the mechs and total oblivion for the human race: Toby Bishop, a young warrior-in-training; Killeen Bishop, Toby''s father and leader of the last remnants of humanity; and Killeen''s own father, long believed dead, but now mysteriously returned to his family.As the mechs continue to carve their swathe of destruction through the galaxy, these three men hold the sole hope for the survival of the human race.

The greatest quest man will ever undertake . . .The original story from which If the Stars are Gods grew won the Nebula Award. Now the long-awaited magnificent full-length novel is complete. It tells the unforgettable story of the century-long search of a scientist-monk for the secret of alien intelligent life - a quest which leads him from the time-scoured deserts of Mars to the vast holes in the raging cloud-cover of Jupiter; from the radio winds of Titan to the true centre of a universe where Beings are collected like songs . . .

The Changeling could become anyone or anything - man, woman, child, animal. It was endowed with an inborn lust for disorder and destruction. Now it had chosen the plague-ridden planet of Alvea for its next mission - to throw an entire world into eternal chaos and madness.The Earth Consortium could send only an embittered killer and an untrained anthropologist to hunt down the Changeling. Yet, dangerous though it was, the Changeling was not the only peril the Earthmen faced on Alvea, or the worst - for the Alveans feared and hated Earth. Even a hint of the hunter''s identities would leave them dead and dismembered within minutes

The year is 1998, the world is a growing nightmare of desperation, of uncontrollable pollution and increasing social unrest. In Cambridge, two scientists experiment with tachyons - subatomic particles that travel faster than the speed of light and, therefore, according to the Theory of Relativity, may move backwards in time. Their plan is to signal a warning to the previous generation.

In 1962, a young Californian scientist, Gordon Bernstein, finds his experiments are being spoiled by unknown interference. As he begins to suspect something near the truth it becomes a race against time - the world is collapsing and will only be saved if Gordon can decipher the message in time.

Winner of the Nebula Award for best novel, 1980Winner of the John W. Campbell Award for best novel, 1981Winner of the BSFA Award for best novel, 1980

A small cube of black rock has been unearthed in a 3500-year-old Mycenaean tomb. An incomprehensible object in an impossible place; its age, its purpose, and its origins are unknown. Its discovery has unleashed a global storm of intrigue, theft andespionage, and is pushing nations to the brink of war. Its substance has scientists baffled. And the miracle it contains does not belong on this Earth.It is mystery and madness -- an enigma with no equal in recordedhistory. It is mankind''s greatest discovery ... and worst nightmare. It may have already obliterated a world. Ours is next.

They were fighting death.Through their scientific breakthroughs, one of humanity''s oldest dreams could be coming true. With cryonics, the body could be preserved at superlow temperatures for future revival.But Death was fighting back.In the hospital there were senior staff determined to destroy careers and work.And on the streets, Death''s Agent hears the whispered commands of the preacher and knew he must seek out and kill the blasphemers...