Coalescent: A Novel

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Lean, taut storytelling . . . breakneck stuff . . . Arguably his most accessible book to dateBaxter [is] resplendent.SFX magazine

When his father dies suddenly, George Poole stumbles onto a family secret: He has a twin sister he never knew existed, who was raised by an enigmatic cult called the Order. The Order is a hivea human hive with a dominant queenthat has prospered below the streets of Rome for almost two millennia. After Poole enters the Orders vast underground city and meets the disturbing inhabitants, he uncovers evidence that they have embarked on a divergent evolutionary path. These genetically superior humans are equipped with the tools necessary to render modern Homo sapiens as extinct as the Neanderthals. And now they are preparing to leave their underground realm.

[Excels] at both action-packed storytelling and philosophical speculation.Library Journal

Utterly fascinating . . . constantly surprising . . . Coalescent reveals a new side to Baxters vast talent.Locus

Reviews

PRAISE FOR STEPHEN BAXTER

Evolution
GRIPPING . . . THE PERFECT SCIENTIFIC ROMANCE OF OUR TIME . . . The miracle of Evolution is that it makes the triumph of life, which is its story, sound like the real story.
The Washington Post Book World

EVOLUTION IS A WORK OF OUTRAGEOUS AMBITION. . . . What is astonishing is how successfully he brings to life a wide range of facts and conjectures, and how entertaining as well as informative this bookan episodic novel with evolution as its protagonistmanages to be.
The New York Times Book Review

Manifold: Time
A STAGGERING NOVEL! If you ever thought you understood time, youll be quickly disillusioned when you read Manifold: Time.
SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE

Manifold: Space
BREATHTAKING IN ITS ORIGINALITY AND SCOPE . . . [AN] IMPRESSIVE PARADE OF WONDERS.
The Washington Post

Manifold: Origin
UTTERLY ENGROSSING . . . A book that challenges and provokes . . . Origin leads you to ask questions about sentience and existence.
SFX magazine

Author Bio

Stephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke.