Manhattan Transfer [Mass Market Paperback]

John E. Stith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1994

Aliens remove Manhattan, encased in an artificial bubble, to another world, along with cities from other, extraterrestrial civilizations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this somewhat old-fashioned hard SF novel, aliens abruptly wrap the island of Manhattan in a cocoon, move it through space and plop it--lock, stock and populace--in the middle of an extensive plain. In the distance lie similarly transported communities, of alien origin. Civil authorities, led by the city's first black woman mayor, strive to maintain order in the face of panic and the exhortations of a religious fanatic, while techies and scientists try to find out what has occurred. An expedition to some of the other cities, led by masterful army officer Matt Sheehan and young computer genius Bobby Joe Brewster, discovers evidence that the municipalities are transported just before disaster strikes their home planets. In one such city, the expedition learns, the inhabitants have all committed suicide. On finding that the "plain" they occupy is actually part of a giant ship, the expedition attempts to contact its crew. Stith's ( Redshift Rendezvous) initial picture of disaster and some of his speculations on alien societies are intriguing, but the cliched and predictable actions of his main characters make for a dreary read.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Considerable ingenuity...Think of it as a visually spectacular movie...and a really outstanding, imaginative, and professional production staff and special effects crew working to bring off the big set-pieces and guarantee the thrills." -- Locus

"Fascinating, intelligent account of people--some ordinary, some extraordinary--struggling to define and confront events that are beyond anything they have dared to imagine. One of the better surprise endings to come down the cosmos in light-years." -- Chicago Tribune --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (October 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812519523
• ISBN-13: 978-0812519525
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,215,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Some resources and info that might be of interest to readers:

Stith's site is www.neverend.com.

Look for Naught for Hire, an upcoming webisode series starring Ben Browder as a private detective in a comic near future filled with AI-based appliances that exhibit a range of human-like personality disorders. Look for the original story from ANALOG, included in ALL FOR NAUGHT.

Naught for Hire: Lying clients, criminal minds, deranged appliances -- Who you gonna trust?

The Naught for Hire site is www.naughtforhire.com.

A Naught for Hire fan community is www.naughtpiagency.com.

John E. Stith has a Facebook page, and there is a Naught for Hire Facebook page.

Also look for MANHATTAN TRANSFER. Aliens kidnap Manhattan. Read all about it.

REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS is hard SF set in a hyperspace environment where the speed of light is 10 meters per second. Flick a light switch and see the room slowly fill with light. Run, and you can create a sonic boom. Against this background is a starship hijacking where one man stands in their way.

The video page includes part of the the public domain program Science Fiction--Science Fact: SF2 that aired on PBS. All six parts are available on YouTube.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big ideas from a writer who SHOULD be a big name, September 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Manhattan Transfer (Hardcover)

It always amazes me that John E. Stith --- author of such great books as REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS, and this one, MANHATTAN TRANSFER --- isn't often mention in the same breath as Brin, Bear, Benford, Card, and other major SF writers. He's every bit their equal, as this story demonstrates. It's a sort of melding of KIDNAPPED and James Blish's CITIES IN FLIGHT (in that the whole city of Manhattan in kidnapped by aliens, and torn right off the planet into space). Actually, if it reminds me of any other book, it's probably Arthur C Clarke's RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA. That won a Hugo --- why didn't this?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary, Bewildering, Intense!!, January 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Manhattan Transfer (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked this book up in the library onboard the USS Santa Barbara. Friday nights in the middle of the North Atlantic can be kind of boring. The cover was quite interesting and I wasn't about to read a book on new fishing tackle. Needless to say, the next 3 days were the most excitment I had during my 9 month cruise. I had always loved hard sci-fi, but never imagined anything of this calibre existed. That was 4 years ago. Today I proudly own Mr. Stith's entire collection. His characters become your best friends as they're molded into the story. By the book's end you're paralized with shock, terror, and excitement all at once. Manhattan? Ripped from Earh. What happens? Read the book! Stith gives you every detail in picturesque painting that only he can. A must read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What do you mean Manhattan is gone?, May 10, 2001

By 

S. Lawrenz "Lendorien" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manhattan Transfer (Hardcover)

I bought this book on a lark almost 5 years ago. I still reread it occasionally.

The Story follows Manhattan island in the near future, abjucted by aliens. Yup, the whole island. The book deals with the citizens of the city trying to figure out what the heck is going on and how to get out of it. I mean, who would abduct an entire city?

I found it an extremely entertaining read. The characters weren't too two dimentional, and it certainally captured the action/adventure, "Man against the universe" theme very well, with interesting (not totally cliche'd) alien interactions to boot.

It won't ever win any awards, but for a sci-fi fan, it's definately work checking out.