Manifold: Time Information & Manifold: Time Links at HealthHaven.com

Manifold: Time
Author	Stephen Baxter
Cover artist	Tony and Daphine Hallas/Science Photo Library
Country	Great Britain
Language	English
Series	Manifold
Genre(s)	Science fiction
Publisher	Voyager (UK) & Del Rey Books (USA)
Publication date	1999
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	456 p. (UK hardback edition) & 456 p. (UK paperback edition)
ISBN	ISBN 0-00-225768-8 (UK paperback edition) & ISBN 0-00-651182-1 (UK paperback edition)
OCLC Number	41258602
Followed by	Manifold: Space

Manifold: Time is a 1999 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. It is the first of Baxter's Manifold trilogy (the others being Manifold: Space and Manifold: Origin), although the books can be read in any order because the series takes place in a multiverse.

The book was nominated for the 2000 Arthur C. Clarke Award.^[1]

[edit] Plot summary

Time is set on Earth, the inner part of the Solar System and various other universes onwards from the 21st century. The novel covers a wide range of topics, including the Doomsday argument, Fermi paradox, genetic engineering, and humanity's extinction.

cover to the first edition

The book begins at the end of space and time, when the last descendants of humanity face an infinite but pointless existence. Due to proton decay the physical universe has collapsed, but some form of intelligence has survived by embedding itself into a lossless computing substrate where it can theoretically survive indefinitely. However, since there will never be new input, eventually all possible thoughts will be exhausted. Some portion of this intelligence decides that this should not have been the ultimate fate of the universe, and takes action to change the past, centering around the early 21st century. The changes come in several forms, including a message to Reid Malenfant, the appearance of super-intelligent children around the world, and the discovery of a mysterious gateway on asteroid 3753 Cruithne.

[edit] Characters

Reid Malenfant – main protagonist
Emma Stoney – Malenfant's ex-wife and employee
Cornelius Taine – brilliant eschatologist mathematician
Sheena – a genetically engineered squid
Maura Della – concerned politician
Michael – a "Blue" child savant and guide to Reid
Dan Ystebo – marine scientist
Anna – oldest of the "Blue" savant children

[edit] Style

Time is split into four parts and then into smaller sections that each focus on a different character.

[edit] Release details

1999, UK, Voyager (HarperColins) ISBN 0-00-225768-8 , Pub date 2 August 1999, hardback
2000, UK, Voyager (HarperColins) ISBN 0-00-651182-1, Pub date 7 August 2000, paperback
2000, USA, Del Rey Books ISBN 0-345-43075-1, Pub date ? January 2000, hardback
2000, USA, Del Rey Books ISBN 0-345-43076-X, Pub date ? November 2000, paperback

[edit] References

^ "2000 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2000. Retrieved 2009-08-03.

[edit] External links

Free download at Suvudu Free Book Library
Manifold Time at Worlds Without End

[WWE-2000-0] "2000 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2000. Retrieved 2009-08-03.

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