Singularity's Ring,Used

Product DescriptionThe debut novel from a exciting new voice in SFabout what happens after ninety percent of humanity leaves EarthThere is an artificial ring around the Earth and it is empty after the Singularity. Either all the millions of inhabitants are dead, or they have been transformed into energy beings beyond human perception. Earths population was reduced by ninety percent. Human civilization on Earth is now recovering from this trauma and even has a vigorous space program.Apollo Papadopulos is in training to become the captain of the starship Consensus. Apollo is a unique individual in that he/she/it is not an individual at all, but five separate teenagers who form a new entity. Strom, Meda, Quant, Manuel, and Moira are a pod, as these kinds of personalities are called, genetically engineered to work as one and to be able to communicate nonverbally. As a rare quintet, much relies on the successful training of Apollo, but as more accidents occur, the pod members struggle just to survive.From Publishers WeeklyThis superior debut initially resembles a straightforward YA adventure but abruptly veers into much stranger territory. Various factions struggle for control of the Ring, a colossal space station built around Earth by engineers who turned most of humankind into a group mind called the Community, which promptly figured out how to access other realities and vanished from this one. The few remaining humans genetically engineer their children to form pods of individuals so closely bonded that they function as one person. After stumbling on secret research during a training exercise, the teenage pod called Apollo Papadopulos soon find themselves on the run from shadowy forces who want to seduce or kill them. The setting extends from Earth orbit to the Amazon jungle, and the action ranges from a tense space rescue to an almost idyllic trek through the Rockies with a family of genetically altered bears. Though some loose plot ends dangle a bit, the ingenious character development and startling images and ideas are deeply satisfying. (Feb.)Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.From BooklistEarth is surrounded by an artificial ring, former home of the humancybernetic Community, which vanished in the Singularity, years after which multiple person Apollo Popadopulos (a pod of five individuals) is one of several competitively training to captain the starship Consensus to search for the vanished preponderance of humanity. Training is arduous, and returning to Mother Redds farm to await assignment proves harder. Apollo meets Malcolm Leto, recently removed from stasis, who was once part of the Community. As Apollo falls victim to more and more accidents, and Leto schemes to bring back the Community, harsh truths come to light about Apollos origins and the bleak reality of the Communitys disappearance. Melkos world is a fascinating one, in which single humans are increasingly rare, pods like Apollo are the norm, and the Singularity did not necessarily improve the human condition. This strong first novel boasts engaging characters and tight, fastpaced action sustained through some acrobatic plot stunts. Regina SchroederReviewSingularitys Ring is a distinctive vision of a postsingularity future, where group minds and human singletons struggle to control the sinister consequences of a failed transcendence. Melko gives us an absorbing tour of a world where humanity isnt what it used to be. Hes got a distinctive voice that shows a lot of promise. Charles StrossBursts forth like a new universe exploding into being; a major book that happens to also be the debut novel of a stellar new talent. Robert J. SawyerAccessible and engaging postsingularity fiction, driven by engaging characters and fabulous world building. Paul Melko may be our next Vernor Vinge or Bruce Sterlingengaging and tough to put down. Brenda Cooper, coauthor of Buildi