The River of Time [Kindle Edition]

David Brin (Author)

Book Description

The River of Time brings together twelve of David Brin’s stories , including The Crystal Spheres, which won the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Short Story of the year. Here are powerful tales of heroism and humanity, playful excursions into realms of fancy, and profound meditations on time, memory, and our place in the universe.

Who guides our fate? And can we ever hope to wrest control for ourselves? The Loom of Thessaly merges classical mythology with impudent modern spirit in a science fiction classic that speculates on the nature of reality.

Thor Meets Captain America offers an alternate history exploring a chilling scenario behind the Holocaust. In this parallel world, the Nazis narrowly avoid defeat in World War II when they are championed by the gods of the Norse Pantheon.

Read these and other speculations into the future of humanity in The River of Time.

Product Details

• File Size: 533 KB
• Print Length: 281 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007EISOKY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,421 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This collection made a believer of me July 2, 2012

By James Crain

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Prior to reading this anthology, I'd read two of David Brin's 'Uplift' novels. Those were OK but could have been better, I thought. Nonetheless, they were good enough I decided to try this collection.

I'm glad I did. Brin is *great* in the short story format. I enjoyed all the stories here and I have concluded (for the time being) that Brin's a better short story writer than a novelist.

I don't say that to take anything away from Brin. In my view, Larry Niven fits into that same category. Niven's novels are entertaining but his short stories are outstanding. Brin and Niven's short tales remind me of Ted Chiang's (who's the ne plus ultra of sci-fi short story authors IMO).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Some fascinating short stories. November 25, 2012

By William T. Reynolds

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

David Brin is a cleaver writer and the short story genere is an excellent medium for new ideas unencumbered by the character and plot development in a longer work. I liked Brin's commentary on each short story. Only 4 stars because one short story was shifted in my Kindle so it was unreadable. It is worth 5 stars in paper.

5.0 out of 5 stars The short story is reborn April 15, 2013

By Sean Reilly

Format:Kindle Edition

I have been avoiding SF short stories, but this one changes my mind. Each story is well developed, and the short form actually supports a more focused approach to writing. Well worth it.

More About the Author

David Brin is a scientist, public speaker and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages.

David's latest novel - Existence - is set forty years ahead, in a near future when human survival seems to teeter along not just on one tightrope, but dozens, with as many hopeful trends and breakthroughs as dangers... a world we already see ahead. Only one day an astronaut snares a small, crystalline object from space. It appears to contain a message, even visitors within. Peeling back layer after layer of motives and secrets may offer opportunities, or deadly peril.

David's non-fiction book -- The Transparent Society: Will Technology Make Us Choose Between Freedom and Privacy? -- deals with secrecy in the modern world. It won the Freedom of Speech Award from the American Library Association.

A 1998 movie, directed by Kevin Costner, was loosely based on his post-apocalyptic novel, The Postman. Brin's 1989 ecological thriller - Earth - foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends such as the World Wide Web. David's novel Kiln People has been called a book of ideas disguised as a fast-moving and fun noir detective story, set in a future when new technology enables people to physically be in more than two places at once. A hardcover graphic novel The Life Eaters explored alternate outcomes to WWII, winning nominations and high praise.

David's science fictional Uplift Universe explores a future when humans genetically engineer higher animals like dolphins to become equal members of our civilization. These include the award-winning Startide Rising, The Uplift War, Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore and Heaven's Reach. He also recently tied up the loose ends left behind by the late Isaac Asimov: Foundation's Triumph brings to a grand finale Asimov's famed Foundation Universe.

Brin serves on advisory committees dealing with subjects as diverse as national defense and homeland security, astronomy and space exploration, SETI and nanotechnology, future/prediction and philanthropy.

As a public speaker, Brin shares unique insights -- serious and humorous -- about ways that changing technology may affect our future lives. He appears frequently on TV, including several episodes of "The Universe" and History Channel's "Life After People." He also was a regular cast member on "The ArciTECHS."

Brin's scientific work covers an eclectic range of topics, from astronautics, astronomy, and optics to alternative dispute resolution and the role of neoteny in human evolution. His Ph.D in Physics from UCSD - the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) - followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Space Institute. His technical patents directly confront some of the faults of old-fashioned screen-based interaction, aiming to improve the way human beings converse online.

Brin lives in San Diego County with his wife and three children.

You can follow David Brin:
Website: http://www.davidbrin.com/
Blog: http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidBrin1
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/cab801

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#100 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#100 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction