Resurgence (Heritage Universe) [Mass Market Paperback]

Charles Sheffield (Author)

Book Description

Series: Heritage Universe | Publication Date: March 30, 2004

Hans Rebka, interstellar trouble-shooter, had solved the mystery of the gigantic Artefacts built by a race that vanished millions of years ago, and at the same time had defeated the warlike Zardalu, onetime tyrannical rulers of the galaxy. But that was only a warm-up for the main event. In one arm of the galaxy, something is destroying whole stellar systems. Investigating the wave of stellar destruction, Rebka and his motley crew of humans and aliens discover a battle beginning that may determine the ultimate fate of the galaxy itself. Rebka and company must act quickly. Unfortunately, they are trapped on a planet directly in the path of destruction...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The third book in Sheffield's Heritage Universe series (Convergent Series; Transvergence) further explores the magnificent artifacts and philosophy of the omnipotent Builders, but too many stock characters are introduced only to be killed off or to be funny. Survival experts and an administrator for the Fourth Alliance, Julian Graves, join the series' heroes-idealist Hans Rebka, Builder expert Darya Lang, adventurer Louis Nenda and his alien entourage, and the embodied computer, E. Crimson Tally-in a rescue mission to a galaxy in the Sagittarius Arm. During the voyage, Hans and Louis pursue their rivalry for Darya, while other crew members express their mutual dislike in a series of lame exchanges. Then, as they near their objective, the team splits up to maximize the adventures and provide, alternately, serious scientific investigation and low comedy. However, the multiple perspectives and plot leaps only fragment the gestures toward hard science, while the dramatic potential inherent in such characters as E. Crimson Tally goes undeveloped. The primary appeal will be to Sheffield devotees who feel compelled to finish a series that they've started. of The Amazing Dr. Darwin.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A few years after the disappearance of the mysterious Builder Artifacts salted throughout the inhabited regions of the universe, a new phenomenon appears in the unexplored Sagittarian Arm of the galaxy, a force with the power to destroy planets. Capt. Hans Rebka and his team of galactic troubleshooters travel to the threatened Marglot system only to find themselves directly in the path of destruction. Veteran sf author Sheffield's third installment in his "Heritage Universe" series (after Convergent Series and Transvergence) continues his tale of a universe populated by both humans and aliens and filled with evidence of an ancient, vanished race whose legacies still direct the course of galactic events. Hard science, well-paced plotting, and likable characters combine to make a strong addition to most sf collections.
Copyright 2002 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: 448 pages
• Publisher: Baen (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743488199
• ISBN-13: 978-0743488198
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Charles Sheffield's Resurgence Ending, November 3, 2004

By 

A. Bahnmiller "beetsme" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurgence (Heritage Universe) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was published in 2003, and Charles Sheffield died in 2002... The book was going great then the ending (last hundred or so pages) didn't add up... I really believe someone else wrote the ending to this book... Someone who didn't know the characters of Hans Rebka & Darya Lang at all...

Point: Hans Rebka gets out of jail and just barely escapes a death sentence and then shows no sexual interest in Darya Lang when he sees her? In fact, he ignores her for 100's pages and makes no attempt to rekindle their relationship (he alludes that he has plans about her, but they drop from existence)... Not exactly behaving like a man from the Phemus Circle & Teufel who has just escaped death now is he...

Point: Darya Lang who prides herself on being an intellectual at the end of the book stoops so low as to use her body to get what she wants instead of her brains & logic... Sorry whoever wrote the ending only Glenna Omar would have done that... Never, never in a million years would Darya Lang think about sleeping her way to anything. Not with Louis (even though she is strangly attracted to him), certainly not Julian Graves, or anyone. But she would want to find out what happened between her & Hans...

And as great as the survival team specialist were, there is no way any of them knows a darn thing about The Builders and Darya wouldn't have to beg to be a part of the expedition to the Sagittarius Arm... She would be a required part of the team... That is logical, and Julian Graves knows logic...

Why the person who wrote the ending of this book would want to dismiss Hans Rebka is also beyond me (unless the person who wrote the ending is looking for a spin off series)... However, they got Louis right, and his band of aliens pretty well fleshed out...

CS knows his characters, he wouldn't have made these mistakes...

1.0 out of 5 stars Resurgence-OwlsBooks NO STARS, October 10, 2011

By 

Peter N. Blackwell (Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Resurgence (Hardcover)

THIS BOOK HAS NOT YET ARRIVED, so is impossible to review.
two books ordered on 8 sept, one arrived after 11 daYSS, NOT BAD.the other not here after 5 weeks!!! pretty poor!!!
Why doesnt your feedback provide for this sort of problem???

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, But That's As Far As It Goes, August 11, 2003

By 

Emil L. Posey (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Resurgence (Hardcover)

This was a mildly entertaining book. Sheffield places the action at an indeterminate time in the future at the interstellar level, with travel between our Orion arm of the Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Sagittarius arm. He's big on aliens (although he doesn't go overboard) and on robotics. He does not show his strength in science in this novel.

The action centers on an ancient, largely unknown super race called the Builders that left a large number of enigmatic artifacts through the Orion arm. These artifacts date back some two million years. The Builders themselves have never been encountered, and are theorized to be either extinct or to have moved on to some other destiny. A scratch, motley team of somewhat disconnected characters is pulled together following the arrival of a ship from the Sagittarius arm. The ship contained two kinds of aliens, all of whom were dead. The team is asked to go to the Sagittarius arm to discover the aliens' purpose. There they find a huge, and growing, dead zone that stems either from the Builders or yet another super race.

The action is good, and the story flows. There was nothing that leapt out at me begging my interest other than just the general unfolding of events. It was fun to read, but will not leave much of a mark - certainly not like some of Sheffield's other books. Three stars, and that's being generous.