''AN EXCEPTIONAL BLEND OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, HARD SCIENCE, AND FIRST CONTACT'' Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series''MACLEOD''S BEST BOOK TO DATE'' SFXScience fiction legend Ken MacLeod begins a new space opera trilogy by imagining humankind on the precipice of discovery - the invention of faster-than-light travel unlocks a universe of new possibilities, and new dangers.When a brilliant scientist gets a letter from herself about faster-than-light travel, she doesn''t know what to believe. The equations work, but her paper is discredited - and soon the criticism is more than scientific. Exiled by the establishment, she gets an offer to build her starship from an unlikely source. But in the heights of Venus and on a planet of another star, a secret is already being uncovered that will shake humanity to its foundations.Discover this ground-breaking new space opera from multi-award winning author Ken MacLeodPraise for Ken MacLeod:''If you like science fiction, you will love this. . . a rollicking good read'' Scotsman ''MacLeod is up there with Banks and Hamilton as one of the British sci-fi authors you absolutely have to read'' SFX''Prose as sleek and fast as the technology it describes. . . watch this man go global'' Peter F. Hamilton on Star Fraction''Ken MacLeod has an enviable track record of extrapolating from current trends to produce mind-bending novels of ideas'' GuardianAlso by Ken MacLeod:Lightspeed Beyond the Hallowed SkyFall RevolutionThe Star FractionThe Stone CanalThe Cassini DivisionThe Sky RoadEngines of LightCosmonaut KeepDark LightEngine CityCorporation Wars TrilogyDissidenceInsurgenceEmergenceNovelsThe Human FrontNewton''s WakeLearning the WorldThe Execution ChannelThe Restoration GameIntrusionDescent