Click for the first two chapters.
Two unlikely heroes...
When survey pilot John Bandicut falls into a cavern on Triton, his life changes forever...and for an alien quarx, one hundred million years of solitude suddenly come to an end.
It is humanity's first contact with an alien presence--and Bandicut
can tell no one about the disembodied quarx that has taken up residence
in his mind. The quarx, part of an eons-old interstellar civilization
that uses advanced chaos theory to predict catastrophic events, seeks to
prevent a cometary collision that threatens the Earth. But it must have
help--and Bandicut must trust the alien, knowing that humanity's very
existence may be at stake. He must break all the rules, and sacrifice
everything he holds dear, to prevent a cataclysm that would destroy an
unsuspecting humanity.
Leaving friends and lover behind, hurtling across the solar system in a stolen spaceship, Bandicut can only hope that his desperate actions will save the Earth--even if he doesn't live to see it again.
Click for the first two chapters.
Quotes and Reviews:
"Jeff Carver is a hard sf writer who gets it right--his science and his people are equally convincing. NEPTUNE CROSSING combines his strengths, from a chilling look at alien machine intelligence, to cutting-edge chaos theory, to the pangs of finite humans in the face of the infinite. If you like intriguing ideas delivered in an exciting plot, this is your meat." --Gregory Benford
"Masterfully captures the joy of exploration...a fiery conclusion sets Bandicut up for further adventures in yet another alien world, where Carver may find greater room to employ his gift for the fine rendering of difficult scientific concepts." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Reveals an alien encounter brushing hard against a soul, and takes us from there to the far reaches of the cosmos, all with the sure touch of a writer who knows his science. Jeff Carver has done it again!" --David Brin
"Solid science, a complex and believable protagonist--an ordinary man rising to extraordinary circumstances--and an alien presence that is at once convincingly strange and deeply real. I'm really glad to have read this one." --Melissa Scott
"A roaring, cross-the-solar-system adventure of the first water. This is a winner, the kind of stuff that made us all love science fiction. Recommended with enthusiasm." --Jack McDevitt
"One of the very best things Carver has written, a traditional adventure filled with mystery and wonder and featuring a likable and believable protagonist thrust onto a stage for which he is ill prepared." --SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE
"High-octane space adventure: mystery, humor, theoretical physics, and one of the more interesting SF aliens you've likely encountered in a long while." --Allen Steele
For John Bandicut, Earth is but a memory.
Within Shipworld lurks a malign entity known as the "boojum," which is corrupting critical intelligence systems. Bandicut is inexorably drawn into battle with this force, which threatens to destroy them along with the rest of Shipworld.
For Bandicut, a long journey into the unknown has begun.
Click for the first of three chapters, At Eternity's Edge.
Reviews and quotes:
"Has all the ingredients for well-deserved popularity: an original creative angle using the budding science of chaos theory; an intriguing alien life-form in the symbiotic quarx, Charlie; and an irresistibly readable story line reinforced by fascinating speculative science. Readers who come this far will be hooked for the series' duration." --BOOKLIST
"A dazzling, thrilling, innovative space opera...probably Carver's best effort to date." --KIRKUS REVIEWS
"Carver's latest novel showcases his own fertile imagination and his talent for creating a host of engagingly sympathetic characters." --LIBRARY JOURNAL
"Carver is at his rousing best in this wild ride into the heart of an enigmatic world beyond the Milky Way. This is science fiction out at the frontier. Maybe beyond the frontier." --Jack McDevitt, author of THE ENGINES OF GOD.
In an alien sea...
Is this why the company was brought here--to help the Neri, as alien powers helped save Earth? For Bandicut, the discovery that the Maw of the Abyss is a stargate--perhaps a stargate gone wrong--is only the beginning of an answer.
Click for the Prelude and Chapter One, Into an Alien Sea.
Reviews and quotes:
"Another splendid adventure, with intriguing puzzles, first-rate problem-solving, and an impressive array of alien characters, motives, and methods." --KIRKUS starred review
"An absolutely terrific book. Carver is heir apparent to Larry Niven as the king of hard SF: his stories revolve around ideas that are every bit as big as Niven's, and his aliens are every bit as fascinating. Chaos theory says outcomes are unpredictable, but here's one that's a sure thing: if you start reading THE INFINITE SEA, you won't be able to put it down until the very last page." --Robert J. Sawyer, author of THE TERMINAL EXPERIMENT
"Carver scores again. Gives us mystery, high adventure, and the sense of wonder in the grand old tradition." --Jack McDevitt