Timelike Infinity (Paperback)

This works all to well, because Poole connects to an Earth that is occupied by an alien species called the Qax. The humans in this time are desparate to end the occupation and journey back in time to stop it from happening. Poole then finds himself fighting to preserve history.

"Timelike Infinity" is a wonderful book about the consequences of innovation and a very good read.

As for plot, this one is fascinating. I don't think that the topic of time-travel will ever lose its interest for me; in this case, Baxter was able to maintain my interest consistently throughout the book. Moreover, he adds other oft-used, but always interesting topics such as alien opressive rule and interplanetary communication. I have learned that there are more books about the Xeelee and now I want to find out more about these mysterious creatures who have such advanced technology. Baxter is indeed a master of "hard" sci-fi.

On the negative side, I was disappointed with the ending that in some ways was predictable and awkward. Nonetheless, he kept the theme provocative and thoughtful

I've just finished 'Timelike Infinity' and could not put the book down. It is hard SF with some deep descriptions of black holes, event horizons et al but it is a superb read. While this is hard SF, I think Michael Poole's character was well developed without giving away some secrets about how he knows all the astro-physics stuff (that comes later I hope).

All in all, a terrific read for SF'ers who want a good story, a quick read, threads to future books, and an imagination that is difficult to find nowadays.

Oh, by the way, I've read accounts of other Baxter books and there are references to the fact that the Xeelee Sequence books are standalone books. Perhaps, but my advice is to start at the beginning and work your way through the 5 books beginning with Raft. While the stories are definitely set in different era's, there are plenty of references made in each of the books I've read so far that the chronology is necessary