Rollback

"Rollback gets my vote as SF novel of the year. A joy to read." —Jack McDevitt

Canadian radio astronomer Dr. Sarah Halifax decoded the first-ever transmission received from aliens. Thirty-eight years later, a second message is received—and Sarah, now 87, may hold the key to deciphering this one, too ... if she lives long enough.

A tech billionaire offers to pay for Sarah to have a rollback—a hugely expensive experimental rejuvenation procedure. She accepts on condition that Don, her husband of sixty years, gets a rollback, too. The process works for him, but it fails for her.

While Don tries to deal with the suddenly vast age gap between himself and his wife, Sarah struggles to do again what she'd done once before: decode a signal from the very stars.

• Hugo Award finalist

• John W. Campbell Memorial Award finalist

• Aurora Award Finalist

• A Main Selection of the Science Fiction Book Club

• One of the American Library Association's Top-Ten SF Novels of the Year

"Canadian author Sawyer once again presents likable characters facing big ethical dilemmas in this smoothly readable near-future SF novel. Sawyer, who has won Hugo and Nebula awards, may well win another major SF award with this superior effort." —Publishers Weekly (starred review, denoting a work of exceptional merit)

"Above all, the author's characters bear their human strengths and weaknesses with dignity and poise. An elegantly told story for all libraries; highly recommended." —Library Journal (starred review, denoting a work of exceptional merit)

"Thoroughly entertaining (and accessible) science fiction. One of those books you can't put down ... truly engrossing human drama. A great springboard for philosophical discussions on morality and ethics, man's place in the universe, and more; there are several stop-and-think moments. All through this, Sawyer gives us characters that are totally realistic. The kind of book that can attract a wide audience: it's got mainstream appeal but is also a great read for fans of thought-provoking science fiction" —SF Signal

"While Rollback is, on the surface, a book about reaching out to those across the universe, it is at its heart an investigation of our very humanity, and how relationships are a fundamental key to defining who we are. Sawyer's crisp and accessible writing style allows for this interweaving of the personal and the scientific. The characters feel real, and their emotions and responses genuine. Beyond the SF trappings, this is a story about love and commitment, about humanity at its most basic — a novel to be savoured by science-fiction and mainstream readers alike." —The Globe and Mail

"Robert J. Sawyer has a way of taking familiar ideas, looking at them from new angles and in greater depth than almost anybody before him, and tying them together to create extraordinarily fresh and thought-provoking stories. Rollback is a thoroughly engaging story, with some of the most memorable people you'll ever meet." —Analog Science Fiction and Fact

Robert J. Sawyer is a member of the Order of Canada. He has won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Hal Clement Award, the John W. Campbell and E.E. "Doc" Smith Memorial Awards, an Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada, and a record-setting seventeen Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (Auroras). He lives near Toronto.