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Supernova Alpha #2
Starfire
The year is 2053. As the inhabitants of Sky City struggle to complete the protective shield that will guard Earth against the coming sleet of particles from Alpha Centauri's 2026 supernova, Pres. Celine Tanaka receives shattering news. Incredibly, Alpha C's explosion was no accident. What's more, the lethal barrage of high-energy particles will enter Earth's atmosphere not 17 years hence, as anticipated - but in 2 months' time or less. Add to this a string of unsolved murders among Sky City's 80,000 inhabitants - all of the victims young girls - and an unsavory alliance between the CEO of the biotech Argos Group and the leader of the World Protection Federation, and the situation looks increasingly dire. What is the connection?
401 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Charles Sheffield
225 books177 followersCharles A. Sheffield (June 25, 1935 – November 2, 2002), was an English-born mathematician, physicist and science fiction author. He had been a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronomical Society.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 9, 2021
Starfire is a very enjoyable sequel to Aftermath, Sheffield's popular catastrophe novel. We learn who is responsible for the disaster, and what the reasons were. We have an almost likable main character who happens to be a serial killer. In 2053, in the middle of a Holmes-worthy attempt to solve a string of unsolved child murders, and with a threatening alliance between the World Protection Organization and biotech leader Argos, it comes to light that Alpha Centauri's nova was engineered and that the lethal barrage of high-energy particles that was expected to arrive in seventeen years will be here in only two months... It's a very well plotted wild ride of a novel, a real page turner.
April 6, 2013
The characters range from wooden to annoying to abhorrent. The nastiness between the two physicists is presented as if it's sweet and endearing, but it's not. The murder mystery subplot does keep the suspense going but it's kind of stupid. I guessed the murderer and the motive separately, but thought I must be wrong because it just wouldn't happen that way. I still thought that after reading the resolution. The underground Jurassic Park built by a lunatic dwarf who's one of the world's most powerful people was, well, does that sound anything like realistic? Plus, as a vertically challenged person myself, I hated that the character's shortness was presented as if it was an ugly flaw. And his longtime henchwoman was supposed to be a sympathetic character? Nope.
And, I liked the book. It kept me turning pages--I stayed up later than I should have to finish it. The race to shield Earth from the supernova pulse, with the fancy footwork to change the whole project as more data comes in, was gripping. The description of the actual event was a satisfying climax, and the ending was happy, well, considering that lots of people died. I like happy endings.
And, I liked the book. It kept me turning pages--I stayed up later than I should have to finish it. The race to shield Earth from the supernova pulse, with the fancy footwork to change the whole project as more data comes in, was gripping. The description of the actual event was a satisfying climax, and the ending was happy, well, considering that lots of people died. I like happy endings.
April 4, 2013
A satisfying conclusion which resolves questions raised in the previous book. Namely, an explanation as to why it occurred. I enjoyed the grand engineering project to build a space shield to protect the Earth from the supernova particles. This involved some good rocket science, which was fun. Also, some of the characters developed further, and my favorite duo is Seth and Oliver. They're both gruff killers, but they make such nice friends! So cute!
Of course, some things bugged me, like the continued theme of violence against children. The whole Sherlock Holmes in space thing seemed like filler. So did the Jurassic Park made by some crazy guy underground (not kidding!!!). That crazy guy was the inventor of automated robots which became an integral part of the space shield project. But he turned out to be an incredibly evil character. In fact, that was a very disturbing theme running throughout the book: demonetization of intellectuals. Many times, a non-technical character wouldn't get the physics, and the reader gets to feel special knowing more than them. This is actually belittling to the educated reader, because it brings the reader out of the story and onto the topic of the reader's own ego. A horrible choice for a science fiction writer. Sheffield should know better.
But he takes it a step further by being outright derogatory and prejudice to the class of people who chose engineering! Multiple times in the book, "good guys" monologue their disdain for callous engineers. Stuff like, "Engineers have no room for emotion". I was less insulted reading the N word in Hick Finn. On behalf of engineers everywhere, fuck you Charles Sheffield. Demented self-loathing codger. Oh, he's dead? Good.
Actually, I was the most offended by the book when the infallibly smart theoretical physicist Wilmer started talking about his predictions for the final wave front of particles. He concluded that, since they'd been wrong in their predictions thus far (nobody anticipated the gamma pulse that knocked out electronics, that the particle waves consisted of bundles, or the converging "blip" preliminary wave front of particles), that his best guess (that the last wave would be huge) was also doomed to be wrong. As it turned out, because the author decided to let him be right, the final strike wasn't so bad after all. The reason for this was really cool and interesting. But Wilmer's and the author's own philosophical argument is right fucked. Bad luck doesn't mean you throw reason out the window. Serial mistakes aren't a pattern of nature. A theory that says our best theories are wrong isn't really a theory, it's just pessimism. Sheffield via Wilmer is just showing that he's a sucker for the bliss of ignorance. It's stupid and I hate it.
Oh, and I hate the really bad Australian accents had by Wilmer and aboriginal his girlfriend. Her character was pretty offensive, she was made out to be a "savage native" with no manners, but a perfect grasp of physics. Just because Sheffield is a physicist himself, don't give him the right to write a character driven by such rude, negative stereotypes.
One thing I found odd, characters kept talking about mirror matter rockets, but I think he meant antimatter? Because antimatter is good for making rockets, and actual mirror matter would not be, as it only weakly interacts with normal matter. No boom. Maybe Sheffield was trying to show off and be clever, ignoring the actual physics. Wouldn't be the first time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_m...
Of course, some things bugged me, like the continued theme of violence against children. The whole Sherlock Holmes in space thing seemed like filler. So did the Jurassic Park made by some crazy guy underground (not kidding!!!). That crazy guy was the inventor of automated robots which became an integral part of the space shield project. But he turned out to be an incredibly evil character. In fact, that was a very disturbing theme running throughout the book: demonetization of intellectuals. Many times, a non-technical character wouldn't get the physics, and the reader gets to feel special knowing more than them. This is actually belittling to the educated reader, because it brings the reader out of the story and onto the topic of the reader's own ego. A horrible choice for a science fiction writer. Sheffield should know better.
But he takes it a step further by being outright derogatory and prejudice to the class of people who chose engineering! Multiple times in the book, "good guys" monologue their disdain for callous engineers. Stuff like, "Engineers have no room for emotion". I was less insulted reading the N word in Hick Finn. On behalf of engineers everywhere, fuck you Charles Sheffield. Demented self-loathing codger. Oh, he's dead? Good.
Actually, I was the most offended by the book when the infallibly smart theoretical physicist Wilmer started talking about his predictions for the final wave front of particles. He concluded that, since they'd been wrong in their predictions thus far (nobody anticipated the gamma pulse that knocked out electronics, that the particle waves consisted of bundles, or the converging "blip" preliminary wave front of particles), that his best guess (that the last wave would be huge) was also doomed to be wrong. As it turned out, because the author decided to let him be right, the final strike wasn't so bad after all. The reason for this was really cool and interesting. But Wilmer's and the author's own philosophical argument is right fucked. Bad luck doesn't mean you throw reason out the window. Serial mistakes aren't a pattern of nature. A theory that says our best theories are wrong isn't really a theory, it's just pessimism. Sheffield via Wilmer is just showing that he's a sucker for the bliss of ignorance. It's stupid and I hate it.
Oh, and I hate the really bad Australian accents had by Wilmer and aboriginal his girlfriend. Her character was pretty offensive, she was made out to be a "savage native" with no manners, but a perfect grasp of physics. Just because Sheffield is a physicist himself, don't give him the right to write a character driven by such rude, negative stereotypes.
One thing I found odd, characters kept talking about mirror matter rockets, but I think he meant antimatter? Because antimatter is good for making rockets, and actual mirror matter would not be, as it only weakly interacts with normal matter. No boom. Maybe Sheffield was trying to show off and be clever, ignoring the actual physics. Wouldn't be the first time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_m...
December 18, 2024
Lu en anglais
Suite de Aftermath du même auteur
L'étoile Alpha du Centaure, l'étoile la plus proche, a explosé en supernova. La terre a traversé l'effet de chaleur et l'effet EMP qui a grillé les circuits électroniques. Mais voilà que, 50 ans plus tard, la troisième vague (des particules plus massives et plus lentes) arrive et menace d'être mortelle pour la terre. Mis au pied du mur, la terre a investi d'énormes ressources dans un bouclier spatial dans l'espoir de dévier les particules. Mais la réalité est difficile à prévoir.
Le roman se compose de différentes intrigues, en plus de la construction du bouclier spatial, on a aussi un meurtrier en vadrouille dans la cité orbitale ainsi qu'un mégalomane génial à moitié fou qui mise sur la catastrophe pour s'enrichir.
Le roman est intéressant mais dilué par les différentes intrigues ainsi que par les circonvolutions du récit sans compter l'histoire d'amour qui est plutôt plaquée sur l'intrigue principale. Le combat pour finir le bouclier spatial est prenant sans compter les ajustements pour s'ajuster aux découvertes des drones d'exploration. Mais les sous intrigues sont peu satisfaisantes et paraissent accessoires.
J'ai aimé, mais le suspense plutôt dilué.
Suite de Aftermath du même auteur
L'étoile Alpha du Centaure, l'étoile la plus proche, a explosé en supernova. La terre a traversé l'effet de chaleur et l'effet EMP qui a grillé les circuits électroniques. Mais voilà que, 50 ans plus tard, la troisième vague (des particules plus massives et plus lentes) arrive et menace d'être mortelle pour la terre. Mis au pied du mur, la terre a investi d'énormes ressources dans un bouclier spatial dans l'espoir de dévier les particules. Mais la réalité est difficile à prévoir.
Le roman se compose de différentes intrigues, en plus de la construction du bouclier spatial, on a aussi un meurtrier en vadrouille dans la cité orbitale ainsi qu'un mégalomane génial à moitié fou qui mise sur la catastrophe pour s'enrichir.
Le roman est intéressant mais dilué par les différentes intrigues ainsi que par les circonvolutions du récit sans compter l'histoire d'amour qui est plutôt plaquée sur l'intrigue principale. Le combat pour finir le bouclier spatial est prenant sans compter les ajustements pour s'ajuster aux découvertes des drones d'exploration. Mais les sous intrigues sont peu satisfaisantes et paraissent accessoires.
J'ai aimé, mais le suspense plutôt dilué.
May 29, 2017
This is a well written book with an excellent ending and I'd give 4.5 stars if I could.
Humanity is working in space to create a shield for the deadly particles from an alpha centauri supernova. This work encounters many technical difficulties- after all, humanity's understanding to date said it wasn't possible for alpha centauri to go supernova. On top of those technical difficulties are the political intrigues pursued on one hand by those who wish to profit from the catastrophe and on the other hand by the rich seeking to use their power to insure their own survival. Humanity has overcome all difficulties to date to create a space habitat of 80,000 to support the work on the shield. However, on top of everything else, a serial killer is lose on that habitat.
All distractions, even those of serial killer, have to take second place to the work intended to save humanity. Yet someone needs to consider how all this came to pass and what, if anything, can be done when the answer to that question might just be an alien intelligence.
Humanity is working in space to create a shield for the deadly particles from an alpha centauri supernova. This work encounters many technical difficulties- after all, humanity's understanding to date said it wasn't possible for alpha centauri to go supernova. On top of those technical difficulties are the political intrigues pursued on one hand by those who wish to profit from the catastrophe and on the other hand by the rich seeking to use their power to insure their own survival. Humanity has overcome all difficulties to date to create a space habitat of 80,000 to support the work on the shield. However, on top of everything else, a serial killer is lose on that habitat.
All distractions, even those of serial killer, have to take second place to the work intended to save humanity. Yet someone needs to consider how all this came to pass and what, if anything, can be done when the answer to that question might just be an alien intelligence.
March 15, 2025
I recall reading this sequel to Aftermath back in the early 2000s, finally finding a copy after hunting for it for a couple years. (This was before we had Amazon and could easily order harder to find books.)
The plot jumped ahead about 30 years after Aftermath where the humans of Earth are busily trying to build defenses against the incoming shockwave from the Alpha Centauri supernova. But they're also fighting each other. There was a plot line with the serial killer Oliver Guest who had managed to figure out that the supernova had been engineered (and who likely pulled it off.) But then he's drawn into the investigation of a series of murders on the Star City (space station) that may be part of a plot to allow all projects against the incoming cataclysm to fail.
I remember getting about halfway in this and honestly can't remember what happened! I may have to reread.
The plot jumped ahead about 30 years after Aftermath where the humans of Earth are busily trying to build defenses against the incoming shockwave from the Alpha Centauri supernova. But they're also fighting each other. There was a plot line with the serial killer Oliver Guest who had managed to figure out that the supernova had been engineered (and who likely pulled it off.) But then he's drawn into the investigation of a series of murders on the Star City (space station) that may be part of a plot to allow all projects against the incoming cataclysm to fail.
I remember getting about halfway in this and honestly can't remember what happened! I may have to reread.
August 25, 2019
I gave this two stars because I believe that there might be a legitimate science fiction story in here. Certainly, you can tell that the author was a mathematician, but...
It must be really hard to come up with likable characters, because so many authors fail so miserably at it. In this case, Mr. Sheffield really overachieved: not one person in here (as far as I got) is remotely likable. I'm sorry, but I really don't want to know what goes on in the head of a serial-killing pedophile. I couldn't get past the first quarter of the book before I had to bail, feeling like I wanted to wash my brain out with soap.
All the entertainment value of week-old roadkill. Avoid.
It must be really hard to come up with likable characters, because so many authors fail so miserably at it. In this case, Mr. Sheffield really overachieved: not one person in here (as far as I got) is remotely likable. I'm sorry, but I really don't want to know what goes on in the head of a serial-killing pedophile. I couldn't get past the first quarter of the book before I had to bail, feeling like I wanted to wash my brain out with soap.
All the entertainment value of week-old roadkill. Avoid.
October 28, 2019
2nd in the Supernova series and while the story is still intriguing enough (the third time around), it is by far not the greatest. I think anyone that is almost at the end of he 2nd book in the series, no longer needs an explanation of what a Supernova is. He also does not explain how the new president of the US is foreign born, yet made it to office.
October 25, 2019
Wow what a weird direction this sequel went. A new supernova emergency, cloning, a murder mystery, a pointless Jurassic Park subplot?, I wanted more focus on the world coming together in space to save the world and less murder mystery with dinosaurs?
March 7, 2017
This was just a thrift store find, which are usually just "mind candy", but this was a very intelligent surprise. I liked it enough to reread, and order more from Mr Sheffield.
September 28, 2011
Having read and enjoyed the first 3 books of the Heritage series, I thought I'd give another book by Charles Sheffield a go. Right from the beginning this book struck me as disjointed. There's a murder investigation, an incoming particle wave from a star that went nova and a shield that was supposed to protect the earth that needs repairing. The subplots don't blend well and one almost reads like a seperate short story. As this is a work of hard science fiction, there are loads of scientific data, yet the fact that earth was nearly destroyed by the initial shock wave from the star is summed up in a few sentences. Writing about characters was never the author's strong suit and it shows in this novel. If you want to try a book by this author start with Summertide, the first in the Heritage books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2011
The aftermath of a supernova has our characters desperately scrambling to build a space shield to protect Earth from supercharged particles.
I'm a sucker for apocalyptic/catastrophe books and have read this one three times now. A lot of these books come up with a 'reason' for the catastrophe - there's an asteroid/virus/evil occurrence - but spend no time talking about how that could happen. I like that the author spends a decent amount of time discussing supernova and their limitations. Weirdly, I like Oliver Guest, the serial killer, who is brought in to solve a series of murders on the space station. I like Celine Tanaka, the president who has to deal with a new crisis. I did not like Gordy Rolfe, the 'mad scientist' who creates a mini Jurassic Park in his quarters deep underground. I'd say this sequel is a smidge under the quality of 'Aftermath' but still worth reading.
I'm a sucker for apocalyptic/catastrophe books and have read this one three times now. A lot of these books come up with a 'reason' for the catastrophe - there's an asteroid/virus/evil occurrence - but spend no time talking about how that could happen. I like that the author spends a decent amount of time discussing supernova and their limitations. Weirdly, I like Oliver Guest, the serial killer, who is brought in to solve a series of murders on the space station. I like Celine Tanaka, the president who has to deal with a new crisis. I did not like Gordy Rolfe, the 'mad scientist' who creates a mini Jurassic Park in his quarters deep underground. I'd say this sequel is a smidge under the quality of 'Aftermath' but still worth reading.
January 23, 2017
One wonders if the author believes the same delusional fallacy as his character Oliver Guest--that the clone of a person is that same person.
Nature knows the difference. It creates clones all the time. They're called twins, triplets, excetera.
Guest is a scientist. He's not the type to believe in reincarnation or the transmigration of souls. Which means he is raising the sisters of all the girls that he murdered. His self-serving delusion is to be expected from a psychotic murderer. The fact that the girls believe it as well is the author's flippant shrugging off of evil, and it makes the ending of an otherwise interesting sequel completely disturbing.
Nature knows the difference. It creates clones all the time. They're called twins, triplets, excetera.
Guest is a scientist. He's not the type to believe in reincarnation or the transmigration of souls. Which means he is raising the sisters of all the girls that he murdered. His self-serving delusion is to be expected from a psychotic murderer. The fact that the girls believe it as well is the author's flippant shrugging off of evil, and it makes the ending of an otherwise interesting sequel completely disturbing.
April 12, 2013
Very good, fun read.. Mattie is a bit oversimple, but likable.. My only issue with the story, why, except to enable the plot, did Olivar kill the original darlings? Clone them, yes, but kill them? I guess that's what makes him a "monster".
July 7, 2013
I know now that this book is objectively not that great, but I read it in my teens and it's the book that got me into sci-fi, so I'm very attached to it. It's a quick, easy, formulaic read, and fantastic for anyone looking for a little escapism. It's not great if you want to think deeply.
May 6, 2014
It has been a long time since I have so enjoyed a Sci Fi book. Hard SciFi at its best, hints of alien attack, technology, massive destruction on Earth, and all the loose ends nicely tied up. No Dystopia pseudo-psycho bable one so often gets today.
January 30, 2015
It's an irony that some trilogies are too long, yet the gap between these two books could have easily held another title. Still, this was a totally rewarding read, and I found it compelling to the end and utterly enjoyable all the way through.
August 2, 2007
This is a simple mystery with an intriguing twist, mixed with a classic sci-fi good-golly-the-world-is-doomed based plot. Nothing phenomenal, but simply and truly entertaining.
August 6, 2007
I guess this was Sheffield trying to go wide-appeal. It's okay, but far from his best stuff. Seems cranked out.
October 10, 2007
10/10/07
April 16, 2009
A very enjoyable follow-up to the sci-fi disaster novel Aftermath.
July 27, 2012
Space station murder mystery interleaved with alien conspiracy theory.
May 22, 2013
A very different read from the first part so far, much faster paced and deeper into the space/science areas. My inner geek is enjoying this book!
October 1, 2014
I read the first book in the series years ago. But I missed the conclusion. This is a three ring circus of a book, and I really enjoyed it.
August 13, 2015
listened to an audio version and it was a mess; the story line was not that great to begin with skip it readers and the one before arrrrr
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews