""A wholly satisfying conclusion." -- Publishers Weekly
The thrilling conclusion to the internationally bestselling Long Earth series explores the greatest question of all: What is the meaning of life?
2070-71. Nearly six decades after Step Day, a new society continues to evolve in the Long Earth. Now, a message has been received: "Join us."
The Next--the hyper-intelligent post-humans--realize that the missive contains instructions for kick-starting the development of an immense artificial intelligence known as The Machine. But to build this computer the size of an Earth continent, they must obtain help from the more populous and still industrious worlds of mankind.
Meanwhile, on a trek in the High Meggers, Joshua Valienté, now nearing seventy, is saved from death when a troll band discovers him. Living among the trolls as he recovers, Joshua develops a deeper understanding of this collective-intelligence species and its society. He discovers that some older trolls, with capacious memories, act as communal libraries, and live on a very strange Long Earth world, in caverns under the root systems of trees as tall as mountains.
Valienté also learns something much more profound . . . about life and its purpose in the Long Earth: We cultivate the cosmos to maximize the opportunities for life and joy in this universe, and to prepare for new universes to come.
The complete list of books in the Long Earth series include:
The Long EarthThe Long WarThe Long MarsThe Long UtopiaThe Long Cosmos
About the Author :
Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) is the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.
Stephen Baxter is an acclaimed, multiple-award-winning author whose many books include the Xeelee Sequence series, the Time Odyssey trilogy (written with Arthur C. Clarke), and The Time Ships, a sequel to H. G. Wells's classic The Time Machine. He lives in England.
Michael Fenton Stevens is an actor and comedian, as well as a founding member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees, a pop music group. He is known for his work in television and for his voice work on BBC Radio 4.
Review :
"The Long Cosmos shares the same sense of cosmic wonder and the utopian impulses of its predecessors...Readers...looking for an expansive and engaging read should give it a try."
-- "Booklist"
"Narrator Michael Fenton Stevens delivers this final book in the Lost Earth series with a feeling of familiarity. The phenomenon of 'stepping between parallel earths' is now in its sixtieth year. As the galaxy continues to broadcast its message--'join us'--the intrepid travelers continue their explorations and contemplations of the meaning of life...Stevens doesn't neglect the flashes of humor that are present as he portrays the fine-tuned relationships between the characters."
-- "AudioFile"
"Once again, the purpose is less to tell a story than to discover and explore, in both physical and philosophical senses, an infinite landscape of infinite possibilities."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"The story starts off slowly, but it quickly picks up speed as the mystery deepens and the myriad threads come together...It's a wholly satisfying conclusion to the series, though vast amounts of potential remain in the concept."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
