The Far Shore of Time
The Far Shore of Time is a 1999 science fiction novel by American writer Frederik Pohl. It concludes The Eschaton Sequence and the adventures of Dan Dannerman, an American government agent of the near future who becomes involved with the discovery of advanced and warring aliens.
Plot
American government agent Dan Dannerman has been imprisoned, tortured, and repeatedly duplicated by his jailers, the "Beloved Leaders", a species that enslaves or destroys the other species they meet. The Far Shore of Time opens with the "Horch", rivals of the Beloved Leaders, occupying the zoo planet where Dannerman is being held captive. Dannerman is rescued, although initially the Horch treat him in much the same way the Beloved Leaders did: keeping him isolated and under interrogation. Eventually he is treated as a guest, given medical attention, and begins to make friends with the other freed prisoners.
Dannerman recovers from his ordeal and learns more about the Horch, the Beloved Leaders, and other species involved in their war. He collects information and technology, while looking for an opportunity to return to Earth and warn humanity about the coming of the Beloved Leaders. When Dannerman is asked to assist in preparing one of the former prisoners to infiltrate the Beloved Leaders he sees an opportunity to return home. He presents the plan to the Horch, and although they do not agree to it he is able to bluff his way through. He ends up back on Earth aboard one of the stealth submarines that the Beloved Leaders have placed on Earth.
Dannerman is able to make contact with his government, and discovers that they are already aware of the Beloved Leaders and are taking precautions against them. However, they are not aware of the stealthed submarines. Dannerman and his alien friends are again interrogated by the American government and representatives of the United Nations, although more gently than his previous interrogators. Dannerman must serve as a translator between the humans and the aliens, because he has a translation implant from the Horch.
With information from Dannerman and help from Horch technology, the Beloved Leader's submarines are cut off from their masters and captured before they are able to unleash pockets of undersea methane gas. This attack strategy is the Beloved Leaders standard practice for dealing with planets that will not submit to them. Having survived the initial contact, the President of the United States prepares to release all information about the aliens and the confrontation to the world, so that humanity can prepare to defend themselves in the future.
References
- ^ "Publication: The Far Shore of Time".
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(with Jack Williamson)
- Undersea Quest (1954)
- Undersea Fleet (1956)
- Undersea City (1958)
- Gateway (1977)
- Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (1980)
- Heechee Rendezvous (1984)
- The Annals of the Heechee (1987)
- The Gateway Trip (1990)
- The Boy Who Would Live Forever: A Novel of Gateway (2004)
- The Other End of Time (1996)
- The Siege of Eternity (1997)
- The Far Shore of Time (1999)
- Man Plus (1976)
- Mars Plus (1994) (with Thomas T. Thomas)
(with Jack Williamson)
- Farthest Star (1975)
- Wall Around a Star (1983)
(with Jack Williamson)
- The Reefs of Space (1964)
- Starchild (1965)
- Rogue Star (1969)
- The Space Merchants (1953) (with Cyril M. Kornbluth)
- The Merchants' War (1984)
- Venus, Inc. (1985 Omnibus) (this is a two-in-one volume containing The Space Merchants and The Merchants' War)
- Search the Sky (1954) (with Cyril M. Kornbluth)
- Gladiator-At-Law (1955) (with Cyril M. Kornbluth)
- Preferred Risk (1955) (with Lester del Rey)
- Slave Ship (1956)
- Presidential Year (1958) (with Cyril M. Kornbluth)
- Wolfbane (1959) (with Cyril M. Kornbluth)
- Drunkard's Walk (1960)
- A Plague of Pythons (1964)
- The Age of the Pussyfoot (1965)
- Day Million (1970)
- The Best of Frederik Pohl (1975)
- Jem (1979)
- The Cool War (1981)
- Syzygy (1981)
- Starburst (1982)
- The Years of the City (1984)
- Black Star Rising (1985)
- The Coming of the Quantum Cats (1986)
- Terror (1986)
- Chernobyl (1987)
- Land's End (1988) (with Jack Williamson)
- The Day the Martians Came (1988)
- Narabedla Ltd. (1988)
- Homegoing (1989)
- The World at the End of Time (1990)
- Outnumbering the Dead (1990)
- Stopping at Slowyear (1991)
- The Singers of Time (1991) (with Jack Williamson)
- Mining the Oort (1992)
- The Voices of Heaven (1994)
- O Pioneer! (1998)
- The Last Theorem (2008) (with Arthur C. Clarke)
- All the Lives He Led (2011)