"Lostetter remains at the forefront of innovation in hard science
fiction."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The mind-expanding journey that began with Noumenon and Noumenon Infinity continues in this wondrous mosaic tale of deep space exploration, adventure, and humanity that blends the awe, science, and speculative imagination of Arthur C. Clarke, Neal Stephenson, and Octavia Butler.
Deep in the heart of an alien mountain range, I.C.C. has lain dormant, its
ships silent, for eons. Now, after one hundred thousand years, the AI is
awakening. Someone is roaming the convoy's halls—someone that isn't human.
This planet, Noumenon—created by the megastructure known as the Web—is too
young and brutal to have evolved intelligent life. Its surface is bombarded by
unusual meteors. Crystal trees abruptly and violently arise from its bedrock.
Its solar system is surrounded by a frightening space-time anomaly. So where did
these visitors come from? What do they want? And do the people of Earth, whose
ancestors launched Convoy Seven, know they are here?
I.C.C. reaches out to the descendants of its convoy crew to help decipher
this primordial riddle. Noumenon was created and seeded by ancient aliens, and
clearly their plans for it are unfinished. Together, the AI, the new lifeforms
who have awakened it, and the humans will embark on an epic adventure of
discovery billions of years in the making.
