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This is the gripping story of the collision between two vastly different human civilisations. One is Earth in the early 21st century, rushing toward self-inflicted nuclear doom. The other is the distant world of Mollan, whose inhabitants have achieved great longevity and the power to transport themselves instantly from star to star. Bob Shaw's novel unfolds a tale which spans thousands of years and the reaches of interstellar space. On Earth's side, there is Denny Hargate, whose indomitable courage drives him to alter the course of history. On their side is the Gretana ty Iltha, working on Earth as a secret observer, who dreams of returning to the delights of her world's high society, but who gets caught up in a cosmic train of events leading to an explosive climax.
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This is my favourite book by Bob Shaw, though I haven't read many of his. It's an original and ingenious concept and plot, with a most unusual crippled and bad-tempered hero who comes over as real.
It also contains the Mollanians, who are human but somewhat different from us. They're less real to me, I don't find them entirely convincing; but I suppose it would be hard to describe such people convincingly.
Not one of the great big novels of sf, it's an enjoyable short novel that takes you briskly through the story. I find it refreshingly unusual and good to have in my collection; the characters are flawed as people normally are, but some of them are quite likeable.