Hard Contact

Few writers have successful blended hard science and speculation with fully realized characters as Gregory Benford has in his critically acclaimed novels. Now he draws us into a vortex of mystery and danger at the heart of the galaxy in his dazzling epic drama, Furious Gulf.

Robert Baxter once reveled in the intoxicating delights of Atopia - the man-made island where humans lose themselves in a world of boundless virtual realities. Now, Bob has returned to immerse himself in this mind-altering, consciousness-sharing refuge from the eroding Earth. But something is very wrong. Bob feels a tidal wave of doom cresting above the pleasure dome that is Atopia. As alternate universes perish, the salvation of all he loves - and all that exists - rests with Bob alone.

Years ago, one starship and its crew discovered an alien entity which changed everything. Its discovery finally bought an end to the interstellar war being fought between the masses of humanity and the few pockets of genetically engineered colonists. An uneasy peace was negotiated as the human race realised there was something else sharing our universe. Something that had plans for us. But the aliens have remained silent. The earthers have begun to test the edges of the peace treaty.

Esen's back! And the dear little blob is in trouble, again. Things began so well. She and her human friend Paul Ragem are ready to celebrate the first anniversary of their greatest accomplishment, the All Species' Library of Linguistics and Culture, by welcoming his family back. He hopes. Having mourned his supposed death years ago, understandably, feelings are bent. Instead, they’ve unexpected guests, starting with an old acquaintance.

Amber Houston was born light-years away from Earth aboard the enormous colony starship Dandelion. By the age of 14, she has spent her entire life training as a Ranger, ready for the day when she will be among the first humans ever to set foot on an alien world and build a new civilization. When Dandelion suffers an emergency toward the end of its journey, Amber and her fellow young rangers are evacuated and land on the planet Newhome years ahead of schedule.

Now the planet faces a brutal alien conquest. The Spirit of Destiny lies wrecked on the moon On Earth, the crew of the alien behemoth Lightbringer spread destruction across a planet racked by conflict. But Jack and his fellow survivors of the Europa mission, trapped in Earth's ramshackle little moon colony, haven't given up. Exposed to the constant threat of attack, they come up with a perilous plan to return to Earth and fight the aliens.

Millennia of conflict between humans and mechs have driven the human race to near-extinction. Now, as the fierce AI mechs begin their final assault on mankind, it soon becomes apparent that three men – three generations in a family of voyagers – are their targets. Toby Bishop, his father, Killeen Bishop, and his grandfather, Nigel Walmsley, each carry a piece of the lethal secret that can destroy their enemies. But hunted through space and time by relentless assassins, they have no idea that they possess the only weapon that can save humanity.

Bearing Earth's hopes for deliverance from the alien threat, Jack Kildare and his fellow astronauts successfully complete the long journey to Jupiter. But someone on board is trying to sabotage the mission. As they approach the mysterious alien spaceship orbiting Europa, the crew fractures into rival factions. Without warning, a long-range attack cripples the human ship. Now the broken crew is the least of Jack's worries. The alien spaceship isn't a wreck, after all. And whoever is on board wants the humans dead.

During a classified mission to the ISS, astronaut Jack Kildare picks up an eerie signal. An alien spaceship is orbiting distant, icy Europa. It looks derelict...but is it? As fear sweeps across Earth, NASA spearheads a frenzied effort to build a ship capable of traveling to Jupiter to confront the alien menace. Technology intertwines with espionage and sabotage in a race against the clock. Fighting for his rightful place in the mission, Jack finds himself submerged in a world of secrets, international power games, and cold-blooded murder.

Two years have passed since comet Anduru skimmed the clouds of Saturn on its way to Earth. Kath and Nolan are looking for answers, trying to find ways to protect Earth from the possibility of an invasive alien species overrunning the planet.

Nothing in Kalinda's plans includes crash-landing on a backwards sand planet full of lizard-aliens. But when she spots Warlord Nakan, she's willing to take a little detour. He's a sexy, muscular scaled creature that she wouldn't mind...studying. But no matter how interested she is, and no matter how much he lights her up inside, she's determined to get off his godforsaken planet.

Copilots Msizi and Tariro are testing a newly constructed wormhole jump that presumably leads to unsettled habitable worlds. Then an explosion sends them off course, far from where they started and with little chance of ever making it back. Now they’re stranded on their new home for the diaspora. It’s called Malcolm X-b. But they’re beginning to wonder how many light-years from civilization they really are.

What would intelligent life—forms on another planet look like? Would they walk upright? Would they wear clothes? Or would they be hulking creatures on six legs that wallow in their own excrement? Upon first contact with the Utod—intelligent, pacifist beings who feel no pain—mankind instantly views these aliens as animals because of their unhygienic customs. This leads to the slaughter, capture, and dissection of the Utod. But when one explorer recognizes the intelligence behind their habits, he must reevaluate what it actually means to be "intelligent."

Humanity stands on the precipice of a great change. Cassie Voges has made it back to Earth, but her return opens a Pandora’s box that will irrevocably change humankind. The world is in the grip of a new pandemic that may be alien in origin. Politicians, researchers, and soldiers grapple with this new reality. If a solution cannot be found, will it herald a new age, or will it be the end of civilization?

It is the year 2051, and the International Space Institute has just sent two rival astrobiologists to search for extraterrestrial life on Europa, the mysterious ice moon of Jupiter. What they encounter could not only revolutionize science, it might make one of them the most famous person on Earth. Or does the Universe have other plans?

Tras sobrevivir a mil y un peligros en el espacio exterior, nuestra tripulación de exploradores ha regresado por fin a casa. Sin embargo, su alivio durará poco. Un magnate ruso les ofrece la posibilidad de regresar a Encélado con una oferta demasiado tentadora para poder rechazarla. Por desgracia, pronto descubrirán que el magnate tiene otros motivos ocultos para financiar su nueva misión... unos motivos que podrían costarles la vida.

Año 2031. Se encuentran rastros de actividad biológica en Encélado, una luna de Saturno. La noticia corre como la pólvora: es posible que exista vida extraterrestre. Una misión estelar parte rumbo a Encélado en busca de respuestas. Sin embargo, un accidente hará que toda la misión se vea alterada. Ya no es posible volver, y lo que aguarda al frente no es nada alentador.

Dr. Tahira Piriyeva has the world's attention as she expounds the true danger of the riebeckite threat. When an old friend unexpectedly offers her the chance to be the first to examine a new sample retrieved from the moon, she puts her speaking tour on hold and hastens to investigate. But the journey is not what it seems, the sample is not what she expects, and the even more horrifying truth about the riebeckites' origins begins to reveal itself.

Nearly a year has passed since Kyle and Alex Wimberly's daughter, Kayla, was born. She has already begun manifesting the gift of the mist. After two years of silence, the Dominion launch a devastating attack on planet Aarde, killing over one hundred thousand Katswiri, the native population. As Kai and Alex retaliate by destroying a Dominion core world, a metal sphere plows through Earth's atmosphere, making a fiery entry and sending a message: Kyle Wimberly. We know who you are. We know where you live. We are coming for you, but we will take your wife and your daughter first.

Nova ist ein einsamer Planet, seit ewigen Zeiten unterwegs zur Andromeda-Galaxie. Und doch ist er bewohnt – von Menschen, die nie etwas anderes kennengelernt haben als die Höhlen unter der Oberfläche, die sie vor dem Vakuum und der kosmischen Strahlung schützen. Eine überraschende Begegnung ändert alles. Der Planet bekommt Besucher, die ihre eigenen Pläne zu haben scheinen und dabei so fremdartig sind, dass Kommunikation aussichtslos erscheint.