Search Worlds Without End

On the ocean world of No-Moon, mariner Second-Best Sailor learns that his planet is threatened by evangelists. A devoted acolyte of Cosmic Unity, Servant-of-Unity XIV Samuel lives to spread its gentle message of universal harmony... until he discovers a dark secret buried in his religion's memeplex.

Abandoning his faith, Samuel stumbles upon Second-Best Sailor, who is fleeing No-Moon in search of a new homeworld. Flung together by fate and joined by fascinating and bizarre creatures, the two new allies plot a kamikaze plan to fight off the invaders. But can they bring down an idea that has destroyed everything across tens of thousands of light-years?

In the year 2270, with travel to the nearby planets well established, a bizarre discovery is made on Callisto, the eighth moon of Jupiter. Dozens upon dozens of strange wheeled artifacts-wheelers- are found buried beneath the icy surface. No one knows what they were used for and who left them in our solar system. At the same time, it is discovered that the moons of Jupiter have moved from their age-old positions. A quickly formed expedition finds that Jupiter is inhabited by a race of balloon-like aliens, who defend their world against comet strikes by moving their moons using gravitational technology. This time, though, their redirection is aiming an incoming comet directly at Earth! Communication at first proves impossible, but an Earth child who has an intuitive understanding of animal behavior becomes the key to contacting them-and joining forces with them to save the world.

In 1884, Edwin A. Abbott published a brilliant novel about mathematics and philosophy that charmed and fascinated all of England. As both a witty satire of Victorian society and a means by which to explore the fourth dimension, Flatland remains a tour de force.

Now, British mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart has written a fascinating, modern sequel to Abbott's book. Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line, Flatterland explores our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications.

The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square's diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who becomes her guide and mentor through eleven dimensions. Along the way, we meet Schrödinger's Cat, The Charming Construction Entity, The Mandelblot (who lives in Fractalia), and Moobius the one-sided cow.