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The Long Cosmos

The Long Cosmos

Science FictionSpace Opera
Pages
464
Published
2016
Language
English

Synopsis

A signal from the depths of the Long Earth — 'JOIN US' — invites humanity into contact with an intelligence that spans multiple dimensions and realities. Lobsang has been reborn again. The Next continue to evolve. And Joshua Valienté, very old now, is drawn back for one final journey into the vastness that opened on Step Day. The fifth and concluding novel of the Long Earth series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, published posthumously after Pratchett's death in 2015.

Prose complexity
5/10

Vibe

AdventurousThought-ProvokingReflectiveAtmospheric
QuestFirst ContactSacrificeSurvival

Genres

Science Fiction Space Opera Alternate History

Authors

S
Stephen Baxter

Stephen Baxter (born 13 November 1957 in Liverpool, England) is an English hard science fiction author. He holds a degree in mathematics from Cambridge and a PhD in engineering from Southampton, and taught mathematics, physics and information technology before becoming a full-time writer in 1995. His work includes the Xeelee Sequence, the Manifold trilogy, The Time Ships (a sequel to H. G. Wells's The Time Machine), the Time Odyssey trilogy co-written with Arthur C. Clarke, and the Long Earth se...

T
Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English author best known for the Discworld series, a sequence of forty-one comic fantasy novels set on a flat world carried through space on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant turtle. Across four decades, the Discworld grew from a parody of sword-and-sorcery fantasy into one of the most sustained works of social satire in English literature, examining politics, religion, science, gender, race, capitalism, and the nature of stories themselves. Pra...

Characters

Joshua ValientéProtagonist

Old now, making his final journey — the human heart of a series about what humanity is capable of.

LobsangSupporting

Returned once more, in his characteristic way, with characteristic purposes.

All characters in The Long Cosmos

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Long Cosmos a standalone story?

    This book is the fifth and final installment in The Long Earth series. While it continues the overarching narrative, it also brings many of the series' long-running plot threads to a conclusion.

  • How does The Long Cosmos connect to Terry Pratchett's other works?

    The Long Cosmos is part of a science fiction series co-written with Stephen Baxter, a significant departure from Pratchett's well-known Discworld fantasy novels. It explores different themes and a distinct universe, showcasing a different facet of his writing.

  • Is The Long Cosmos the final Long Earth novel?

    Yes. The Long Cosmos is the fifth and concluding novel of the Long Earth series. It was published in June 2016 by Doubleday, posthumously after Pratchett's death in March 2015.

  • What is the signal in The Long Cosmos?

    The phrase 'JOIN US', transmitted across the Long Earth, forms the inciting mystery of the novel — an invitation from an intelligence far larger than anything humanity has encountered before.

  • Who completed the novel after Pratchett's death?

    Stephen Baxter continued the collaboration after Pratchett's death and completed The Long Cosmos. Baxter and Pratchett had been friends and creative partners for many years before the series began.

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