Neptune Crossing Read online

NEPTUNE CROSSING:

  THE CHAOS CHRONICLES, Book 1

  What others have said about Neptune Crossing

  One of the best SF novels of the year —Science Fiction Chronicle

  “Jeff Carver is a hard sf writer who gets it right—his science and his people are equally convincing... from a chilling look at alien machine intelligence, to cutting-edge chaos theory, to the pangs of finite humans in the face of the infinite. If you like intriguing ideas delivered in an exciting plot, this is your meat.” —Gregory Benford

  “Masterfully captures the joy of exploration.” —Publishers Weekly

  “Reveals an alien encounter brushing hard against a soul, and takes us from there to the far reaches of the cosmos, all with the sure touch of a writer who knows his science. Jeff Carver has done it again!” —David Brin

  ...and about Strange Attractors

  “A dazzling, thrilling, innovative space opera...probably Carver’s best effort to date.” —Kirkus Reviews

  “An irresistibly readable story line reinforced by fascinating speculative science. Readers who come this far will be hooked for the series’ duration.” —Booklist

  “Carver’s latest novel showcases his own fertile imagination and his talent for creating a host of engagingly sympathetic characters.” —Library Journal

  “Carver is at his rousing best in this wild ride into the heart of an enigmatic world beyond the Milky Way. This is science fiction out at the frontier. Maybe beyond the frontier.” —Jack McDevitt

  ...and about The Infinite Sea

  “Another splendid adventure, with intriguing puzzles, first-rate problem-solving, and an impressive array of alien characters, motives, and methods.” —Kirkus Reviews

  “An absolutely terrific book. Carver is heir apparent to Larry Niven as the king of hard SF: his stories revolve around ideas that are every bit as big as Niven’s, and his aliens are every bit as fascinating. Chaos theory says outcomes are unpredictable, but here’s one that’s a sure thing: if you start reading The Infinite Sea, you won’t be able to put it down until the very last page.” —Robert J. Sawyer

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  NEPTUNE CROSSING

  Volume 1 of The Chaos Chronicles

  *

  Jeffrey A. Carver

  with an afterword by the author

  *

  Book View Café Edition

  in association with Starstream Publications

  www.bookviewcafe.com

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  Copyright Information

  NEPTUNE CROSSING

   

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.

   

  NEPTUNE CROSSING

  Copyright © 1994 by Jeffrey A. Carver

  Afterword copyright © 2010 by Jeffrey A. Carver

  First print edition: April 1994

   

  A Starstream Publications Ebook

  Discover other ebooks by Jeffrey A. Carver at

  www.starrigger.net/ebooks.htm

   

  Published in paper by Tor Books (Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.)

  Edited by James Frenkel for Tor Books

  Ebook formatting by Anne King and Jeffrey A. Carver

  Cover design by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

  Art by Digitalstudio and sgame

  Neptune image by JPL/Voyager

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  Dedication

  For Julia Dakota Carver . . .

  there’s a galaxy waiting for you out there.

   

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  Chaos . . .

  . . . (L. chaos < Gk. vast chasm, abyss, void) n. 1. Common usage. Disorder; infinite formlessness. 2. Human science. Seemingly disordered or turbulent systems from which hidden order may emerge. Consequences arising from sensitive dependence on initial conditions may be unpredictable, even theoretically. 3. Alien science. Energetic potential for growth and development in the Universal Order, which may be amplified by selective intervention in highly complex and apparently disordered systems, esp. living systems.