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Sunstorm (A Time Odyssey, Book 2) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Author) "Bisesa Dutt gasped, and staggered..." (more)
Key Phrases: particle storm, mass ejection, space elevator, Prime Minister, Toby Pitt, Eugene Mangles (more...)
2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)

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Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition, March 29, 2005 $6.39 -- --
  Library Binding, May 28, 2008 $16.99 $16.99 $36.67
  Hardcover, March 29, 2005 -- $12.45 $0.01
  Paperback, Import, April 12, 2006 -- -- $1.40
  Mass Market Paperback, February 27, 2006 $7.99 $0.97 $0.02

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the same universe as Clarke's 2001 and its sequels, Clarke and Baxter's second and final Time Odyssey book (after 2004's Time's Eye) will especially appeal to fans of hard SF who appreciate well-grounded science and humans with a can-do attitude to problem solving. In 2037, the same day the enigmatic alien Firstborn return Bisea Dutt, the heroine of Time's Eye, to her home in London, the city grinds to a halt as a sun storm sends a massive surge of energy to Earth, temporarily destroying the world's electronic infrastructure. This surge presages another, much larger sun storm, due to hit in 2042, which will utterly annihilate life across the globe. Against all odds, the nations of Earth come together to construct a huge space umbrella that will shield the planet from the worst of the barrage. The answer to why the sun's activity is being manipulated to wipe out life on Earth must wait, given the day-to-day difficulties and politics of the construction project. The five-year sweep of events, the plethora of characters and the cuts from Mars to Earth to the moon during the climactic sun storm give the story a movie montage feel, but the focus on the enormously challenging task at hand will keep readers turning the pages. Agent, Scovil, Chichak, Galen. (Mar. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Bookmarks Magazine

Two giants—Clarke, one of the greatest SF writers, and award-winning Evolution (2003) author Baxter—have collaborated on an insidious vision of the future that’s sure to thrill fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey and other SF classics. It may help to first read Time’s Eye, which provides the back story to the aliens’ cruel experiments and desire to wipe out Earth, but each book stands alone. Convincing characters, including a British astronomer and doomsday physicist, lead the collective countdown to destruction. The authors’ scientific details (why the Earth’s shield must be made of glass manufactured on the moon, for instance) complement the plot. But it’s the climax, although flawed, that’s sure to blow your mind.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Del Rey (March 29, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 034545250X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345452504
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #733,359 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #55 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Clarke, Arthur C.
    #64 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Baxter, Stephen

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Stephen Baxter
Stephen Baxter
Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke

Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Bisesa Dutt gasped, and staggered. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
particle storm, mass ejection, space elevator, geomagnetic storm, comms links
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Prime Minister, Toby Pitt, Eugene Mangles, Bud Tooke, Astronomer Royal, London Time, Rose Delea, President Alvarez, Miriam Grec, Mikhail Martynov, Royal Society, Bisesa Dutt, Clavius Base, United States, Space Weather Service, Colonel Tooke, Eurasian Union, Tin Lid, Sri Lanka, London Dome, British Army, Cold War, Helena Umfraville, Legal Persons, Long March
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Sunstorm (A Time Odyssey, Book 2)
79% buy the item featured on this page:
Sunstorm (A Time Odyssey, Book 2) 2.9 out of 5 stars (50)
Firstborn
7% buy
Firstborn 3.2 out of 5 stars (18)
$7.99
Time's Eye (A Time Odyssey)
7% buy
Time's Eye (A Time Odyssey) 3.6 out of 5 stars (56)
$7.99
The Time Ships
4% buy
The Time Ships 4.2 out of 5 stars (86)
$7.99
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Customer Reviews

50 Reviews
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2.9 out of 5 stars (50 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Sunburned, April 24, 2005
By James Tepper (Boonton Township, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This is my week for sunny sequels that weren't (very good or much like real sequels). First Greg Benford's, "Sunborn" and now Clarke and Baxter's "Sunstorm". Both follow-ups to excellent novels ("The Martian Race" and "Time's Eye", respectively) by top-notch SF authors, both terribly disappointing.

"Sunstorm" is a sequel to "Time's Eye" in the sense that one of the main characters from the former novel, Bisesa Dutt, is also one of the main chracters in the new novel. It also has something to do with the Firstborn. But there the sequelity ends. In this respect the dust jacket blurb was astonishingly misleading. It reads in part, "Why did the Fristborn create Mir? Why was Bisesa taken there and then brought back on the day after her original disappearance? Bisesa's questions receive a chilling answer..." Not! None of these questions was addressed, nor was anything else from the first novel including the fate of Mir and those left there, the purpose of the "eyes", the motives behind the actions of the Firstborn etc.

As a short (~330 pages) hard SF novel by two greats, "Sunstorm" was just OK. But as a sequel that very clearly promised to answer all those intriguing mysteries set up in the first novel it fails badly. The (already shown to be inaccurate) dust jacket says that "Clarke and Baxter draw their epic to a triumphant conclusion...", further suggesting that this is the end, but the book's subtitle "A Time Odyssey:2" sugests that maybe there is more to come. If there is, it almost has to be better than this one.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A letdown, 1.5 '*', graded on a curve...., April 13, 2005
By B. Davis "HakMajik" (Fort Mill, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
After the exhilirating joyride which was 'Time's Eye', I can't help but state how disenchanted, disappointed, and saddened I was by the near-tripe that is Sunstorm.

I'll attempt to do so with minimal/no spoilers.

First, there's the obvious: Bisesa is nearly non-existant. While this itself is acceptable, her minimal presence is, at best, distracting; at worst: disappointing. Where is the headstrong lady from the first book? Where is the go-getter? Heck, where is the presence of mind to weep for your lost love, grab your daughter, and do something. Instead....

Second, there's the more obvious: the book, unlike it's predecessor, piles on the science at the cost of the fiction. While this is fantastic in the sense of addressing a major (for sci-fi) shortcoming of the first book, it cost it's enjoyability. Within the first few pages, we (the readers) are aware of the situation and 'the cause'. We don't need 200+ more pages describing it, and the solution. Along those lines, at the cost of the (occassionally nauseating while pleasantly liberating) PC vestiges of the book: "increase the humanity". Make me, the reader, *care* for Siobhan. Or Bud. Or Eugene. Anybody.

Well, I take that back: Athena was a *worthy* addition. I empathized with her. I would have like to have more time spent on her. Of course, 'her' portion was itself limited. To the degree that became, itself discouraging, but, at the least, in line with the rest of the novel.

Finally, the resolution was... anything but. Minimal details on the First Born emerged, and the post-storm section was glossed over.

Hopefully, being the optimist, Clarke and Baxter will revisit the world a third time. Hopefully, if so, it will be the charm.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars DOES NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS LEFT FROM "TIME'S EYE", September 17, 2007
By Possum-Bread (Pasadena, California) - See all my reviews
"Sunstorm by by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter is the sequel to their successful collaboration on "Time's Eye." I thoroughly enjoyed "Time's Eye." When I began reading "Sunstorm" I expected a seemless transition from one book to the other. I was sadly disappointed.

There is only one character in "Sunstorm" who comes from "Time's Eye." But the lack of characters from "Time's Eye" was only part of the problem. In "Time's Eye" there is plenty of action when people of differing eras meet. The images and ideas of time travel are craftily written by Clarke and Baxter.

In "Sunstorm" I struggled to read the first few chapters because the pace of the story drags. It lacks the energy and excitement of the first book. Certainly the catastrophe of the sun's demise is enough of a plot for one book. However, set as a sequel to a time travel novel, it fails.

I strongly recommend reading "Time's Eye" for fans of time travel science fiction. I recommend skipping the sequel "Sunstorm."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Endlessly Ending His Career
FirstBorn has a great many plots all running at once and all leading to a final great climax. Very well written until the author ran out...... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Joseph A. Ross

3.0 out of 5 stars Lacks continuity from the first book of the trilogy.
First book was much more of an interesting concept. I thought this would carry over into the second book. Hopefully it raps things up with a little more interest in the third book.
Published 13 months ago by L. Martin

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool Core Ideas
Obviously you have to read "Time's Eye" first.

This book, as with most Clarke books, has some future tech that is more than a bit intriguing. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Shannon Norrell

1.0 out of 5 stars weak, counterintuitive, and left wing
an old civilization in a nearby star, recognizing that Earth will give rise to Energy craven Humans, plan Man's extinction by hurling a large planet into our Sun at 4 BC. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Arthur I. Davida

2.0 out of 5 stars Worst Clarke book ever...
This is probably the worst Clarke's book (because, admit it, who cares about Baxter? he said, jokingly.) I've read. Read more
Published 15 months ago by T. A. Papassilekas

1.0 out of 5 stars lack of imagination
The authors' imagination is poor in science and technology, and worse in geo-politics.
Starts with science. Besides of flaws indicated by other readers, I add
1. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Lack of Imagination

4.0 out of 5 stars Epic tale of using science to save the earth.
I would like to review Sunstorm as a standalone book as it can definately be read that way. The idea of the people of earth coming together to save the planet is not a new one,... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C. Juliet

3.0 out of 5 stars Sunstorm just a sun shower...
I have to agree with the other reviewers in that "Sunstorm" does not tie up any of the loose ends left by the first book in the series. Read more
Published 21 months ago by W. Brown

4.0 out of 5 stars Sunstorm (A Time Odyssey)
Book two of the Time Odyssey trilogy is almost as good a read as the first book in the series. It continues the story arc from the first book but tends to be more introspective... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Bryan J. True

4.0 out of 5 stars A Time Odyssey: Sunstorm: not quite a sequel
General Outline:
This book picks up where the first one left off with Biesa waking up in her appartment one day after she was taken to Mir, but for her 5 years have passed... Read more
Published on September 29, 2007 by Morgan Cahall

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