Bowl of Heaven
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3.6 • 145 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this first collaboration by science fiction masters Larry Niven (Ringworld) and Gregory Benford (Timescape), the limits of wonder are redrawn once again as a human expedition to another star system is jeopardized by an encounter with an astonishingly immense artifact in interstellar space: a bowl-shaped structure half-englobing a star, with a habitable area equivalent to many millions of Earths…and it’s on a direct path heading for the same system as the human ship.
A landing party is sent to investigate the Bowl, but when the explorers are separated—one group captured by the gigantic structure’s alien inhabitants, the other pursued across its strange and dangerous landscape—the mystery of the Bowl’s origins and purpose propel the human voyagers toward discoveries that will transform their understanding of their place in the universe.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
SF doyens Benford (Chiller) and Niven (the Ringworld series) collaborate on a strong SF series launch. Something goes wrong with Earth's SunSeeker space expedition, leaving the crew without enough fuel or supplies to reach their destination. Just as things get serious, they spot a curious phenomenon in space: an enormous bowl-shaped object, larger than any planet, cupping and half-encircling a star. Its inner surface is oddly Earth-like, and already inhabited. The Bird Folk watch the humans' every move, trying to decide whether to allow them to colonize or kill them all. Much of the book is written from the point of view of Memor, the Bird Folk representative assigned to study the humans; Benford and Niven helpfully give her a soap opera of primate behavior to observe, as Cliff loves Beth but sleeps with Irma because she's more convenient, and the various exploration teams bicker over leadership. While hardly groundbreaking, this is a solid work that will appeal to fans of classic hard SF.
Customer Reviews
No doubt similarities to ringworld
It's a fun read and has an interesting concept and ideas. I didn't get attached to the characters. It's all over the place in that department. Waiting for book two as this one just ends in the middle of nothing really.
Rip-off, part 1 of series
I enjoyed this book until the end or rather, the lack of one. It turns out this is part one of a series that ends abruptly without any resolution. Sort of like the cable cutting out in the middle of a movie. Very artificial and not at all satisfying. Apparently the authors and their publisher are far more interested in profit than good writing. Since this eBook does not stand on its own- it lacks any sort of ending- it should be priced much lower.
A shallow little mud-puddle of a story
Utter garbage. I have enormous respect for Niven’s past work, but this one’s a pure cash grab.