One man must stop starship hijackers from using an unusual starship to plunder a wealthy colony. Aboard the Redshift, light moves so slowly you can see its passage, and relativistic tricks are an integral part of shipboard life. Flip a light switch and see the room slowly fill with light. Run fast, and the view ahead shifts into blue, and you can create sonic booms. One component of the book is this slow-light thought experiment, a la Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott or Mr. Tomkins in Wonderland by George Gamow. (The appendix separates actual Theory of Relativity principles from speculation and fabrication.) Science Fiction Book Club selection, HOMer Award winner, Science Fiction Chronicle best of year list, LOCUS recommended Reading List, Nebula Award nominee.
Description:
One man must stop starship hijackers from using an unusual starship to plunder a wealthy colony. Aboard the Redshift, light moves so slowly you can see its passage, and relativistic tricks are an integral part of shipboard life. Flip a light switch and see the room slowly fill with light. Run fast, and the view ahead shifts into blue, and you can create sonic booms. One component of the book is this slow-light thought experiment, a la Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott or Mr. Tomkins in Wonderland by George Gamow. (The appendix separates actual Theory of Relativity principles from speculation and fabrication.) Science Fiction Book Club selection, HOMer Award winner, Science Fiction Chronicle best of year list, LOCUS recommended Reading List, Nebula Award nominee.