Book Review: Manifold Origin

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Manifold Origin     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Stephen Baxter
Class/Genre:   Science Fiction
Series: Manifold # 3
Del Rey, Feb 2002, $26.00, 576 pp.

Reid Malenfant has wanted to be an astronaut since he was a little boy. When NASA accepted him into the space program as a pilot, he was ecstatic. He flew a few missions and was a great spokesperson for the agency until he was scrubbed from his latest assignment.

While flying with his wife Emma over Africa in a T-38, he saw a new red moon appear in the sky. Emma and Reid eject from the plane but while he floats back to Earth, Emma floats through a blue wheel that suddenly appears and lands her on the new moon. Not expecting help to arrive anytime soon Emma does her best to survive, learning many shocking facts about the human race along the way. Reid, in the meantime, mounts a public outcry to allow him to visit the red moon and get his wife back.

This final installment in the Manifold series is a fascinating tale that delves into multiple dimensions, the evolution of mankind and the true reality of the Red Moon. The emphasis in this science fiction novel is the science and Stephen Baxter does a fabulous job of keeping this work realistic within the framework of modern technologies and astrophysics.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner

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