Generation Ship
A Novel
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this riveting, stand-alone novel from Michael Mammay, author of Planetside, the beginning of a new human colony must face tyrannical leaders, revolution, crippling instability, and an unknown alien planet that could easily destroy them all.
In 2108, Colony Ship Voyager departed Earth for the planet of Promissa with 18,000 of the world’s best and brightest on board. 250 years and 27 light years later, an arrival is imminent.
But all is not well.
The probes that they’ve sent ahead to gather the data needed to establish any kind of settlement aren’t responding, and the information they have received has presented more questions than answers. It’s a time when the entire crew should be coming together to solve the problem, but science officer Sheila Jackson can’t get people to listen.
With the finish line in sight, a group of crewmembers want an end to the draconian rules that their forebearers put in place generations before. However, security force officer Mark Rector and his department have different plans. As alliances form and fall, Governor Jared Pantel sees only one way to bring Voyager’s citizens together and secure his own power: a full-scale colonization effort. Yet, he may have underestimated the passion of those working for the other side...
Meanwhile, a harsh alien planet awaits that might have its own ideas about being colonized. A battle for control brews, and victory for one group could mean death for them all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It takes a village to colonize a planet and the villagers are getting restless in this impressive hard SF epic from Mammay (The Misfit Soldier). After a journey of more than 250 years, the colony ship Voyager is finally approaching its target, the planet Promissa. Advance probes mysteriously fail shortly after reaching the planet, leaving the ship's chief scientists concerned. They recommend delaying colonization up to 20 years, but the governor, knowing his people are growing antsy, wants to land in force. He reasons that he can make the landing "too big to fail," compelling the crew to commit to the colony's success. As political divides over this issue deepen aboard Voyager, no one considers that the planet's inhabitants and even the ship itself have opinions of their own. Mammay dives deep into specifics about labor, negotiation, and conflict aboard a generation ship, crafting a realistic society populated by farmers forced to become party leaders and cops chasing (or more frequently working with) black market operators. The climax leans a bit on a deus ex machina, but the resolution ultimately rings true, with a variety of winners and losers built neatly off the preceding action. Equally entertaining and intelligent, this nuanced tale is sure to please sci-fi fans.