Resplendent (Destiny's Children 4) [Paperback]

Stephen Baxter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2007 | Series: Destiny's Children 4

RESPLENDENT is a collection of stories that encompasses mankind's epic fight for survival against the Xeelee, a narrative of how man will change and evolve over our epic journey out into the universe. These tales will encompass the rise of sub-molecular empires in the first nanoseconds after the Big Bang to mankind's final transformation. Full of cutting-edge science, descriptions of time and space on a mind-boggling scale and memorable, all-too-human characters. It is both the capstone to one of the most significant series in the history of SF and a remarkable achievement in its own right. This is a mature and uniquely talented writer at the height of his powers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Good, solid, hard SF"." STARBURST "The massive scale and ever-shifting cast make it pleasingly reminiscent of Asimov's 'Foundation'. " SFX "The stories are varied, intriguing and thought-provoking. Unmissable." -- Dave Golder BBC FOCUS --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Stephen Baxter is the pre-eminent SF writer of his generation. Published around the world he has also won major awards in the UK, US, Germany, and Japan. Born in 1957 he has degrees from Cambridge and Southampton. He lives in Northumberland with his wife.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (September 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575079835
• ISBN-13: 978-0575079830
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 1.4 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BIG Baxter fan, November 5, 2007

By 

Stephen Cooper (NZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Resplendent (Destiny's Children 4) (Paperback)

The previous three books in the "Children of Destiny" series were all structured so that they told the story along two different timelines, switching back and forth between them. Resplendant doesn't so much follow that format, and follows a seemingly linear timeline, albeit on a literally stellar scale.

Resplendent is essentially a collection of short stories, filling in the back story from before the setting of book two "Exultant" to after the end of the events outlined in Book Three "Transcendent". So while it is a very engrossing read, many of the themes and ideas are familier from the previous books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read for fans of Baxter, December 27, 2011

By 

K. B. Emmerling - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Resplendent (Destiny's Children 4) (Paperback)

Resplendent is an amazing ride that runs the course of nearly a million years. As a fan of Baxter's many books including those involving the Xeelee, I was more than curious to see how he would tie up the Destiny's Children saga. Some may bemoan the short story format which differs from the first three books in the series but the format works well with a view of history spanning such a huge time span. Those that have never read any of Baxter's earlier books on the Xeelee will probably want read those first.

The storyline covers the entire history of the human race and its explorations of the galaxy. From wars with alien species to the Xeelee, the book covers much of the material presented in earlier books but with a new angle. The main character throughout the book is a woman that happens to be immortal. Through her eyes and experiences, the reader acquires an amazing sense of humanity's tribulations, triumphs, and downfall.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as good as Vacuum Diagrams..., June 12, 2010

By 

T. Klassen "sustained in sonic bliss" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Resplendent (Destiny's Children 4) (Paperback)

I was so looking forward to reading this after reading all the other Baxter Xeelee books, and I purposely saved it since Vacuum Diagrams was my favorite and the first one I read. I still haven't read Timelike Infinity but it's on the way in the Xeelee omnibus I ordered. Anyway, even though most of the stories weren't up to the level of the VD ones they are still far superior to most Sci Fi writers today. 'In the Un-Black' may be the most awesome story Baxter has ever written, quite a morality tale, it didn't leave me for days. Think of the way 'Cilia of Gold' hit you at the end of that story and then make it human. Something like that. Still, even though it wasn't another 'Vacuum Diagrams' and some of the stories seem written just to fill in some history, I love it.