Reckoning Infinity [Mass Market Paperback]

John E. Stith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1998

A fast-moving entity, the size of a small moon, has entered our solar system. Is it a ship? A new life form? An alien probe sent to destroy other sentient races? The answer to this enigma will change mankind's universe.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Alis Mary Nussem had a promising career aboard space station Tokyan. But when a shuttle accidentally rammed the station, it damaged much of her body and took away any chance she had at a normal life. Now as much machine as woman, Alis has sought isolation from humanity by taking remote assignments on the fringes of the solar system. Her strategy backfires when a new assignment brings her aboard the Ranger, a ship whose crew includes the Tokyan shuttle pilot. But personal conflicts fall by the wayside as the Ranger discovers what appears to be an alien ship. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Severely injured when a malfunctioning shuttle crashes on her space station, Lt. Commander Alis Nussem blames biologist Karl Stanton for pilot error. Now they must learn to work together as their ship encounters a mysterious moon-sized object hurtling toward Earth. Stith's (Reunion at Neverend, Tor, 1994) well-developed characters and the hard science propel this space-faring story. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; 1st edition (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812524845
• ISBN-13: 978-0812524840
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,292,678 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

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More fun than pulling teeth... almost, July 14, 2001

By 

Kelli Shaver (Morehead, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reckoning Infinity (Mass Market Paperback)

While the book presents a couple of interesting ideas, it is, overall slow and very drawn-out. The plot goes nowhere, with the characters (most of which you won't be able to stand) literally going around in circles time after time after boring time. Perhaps the most dissappointig part, though, is that after you've read through all the drudgery, you expect the ending to resolve some of the things that happened and questions that came up along the way. Does it? No..... It just kind of .... stops. If you're looking for a boring, go-nowhere attempt at sci-fi, then this is the book for you.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice concept, but poor execution, May 8, 2002

By 

Lee J. Stamm (Kennewick, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reckoning Infinity (Mass Market Paperback)

Starts out fairly strong, establishing the two main characters reasonably well, but flounders as the alien lifecraft is explored. Once inside it, the descriptions and action, what little there is of it, are tiringly repititious and uninspired. Loose ends of the story are left untied, and I wound up feeling that my reading time had been a bit wasted. May appeal to some readers, but I cannot honestly recommend it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great start; sluggish finish, August 4, 1998

By 

Kenneth R. Bridges "Siddhas" (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reckoning Infinity (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an "alien object approaches solar system" story. The begining, involving an accidental collision of a shuttle craft with an earth-orbit space station is quite good. The set-up of the two main characters, Alis and Karl, is done quite well. Things go downhill from there, however. The two are reunited by chance in a survey ship near Pluto, when the alien object comes onto the scene. The plot drags as the team sent to investigate the object stumbles through a series of mishaps. The characters, particularly the supporting cast to the two principals, are petty and peevish. The conclusion is painfully obvious. If you want to read about alien objects, Greg Bear's "Eon" or ACC's "Rendezvous with Rama" are much more fulfilling.