Notes
First published by Gollancz in 1979.

Extracts published in Playboy magazine (January and February 1979 issues).

Publisher’s Blurb – Lower Cover
"A superbly crafted novel that may be his best"
- Tribune

"One of the few writers who still exemplifies the spirit of Jules Verne and the early H.G. Wells. In this latest tour de force he takes an improbable idea and makes it entirely credible"
- Financial Times

"An extraordinary dynamo of ideas that transcend science fiction"
- Evening Standard

"His literary stature is increasing all the time. A thrilling book . . . I’m sure millions of people will read this and enjoy it"
- BBC Kaleidoscope

"Delightfully written, always interesting and at times almost unbearably exciting"
- Kingsley Amis, New Statesman

"His enthusiasm is combined with his considerable literary and myth-making skills . . . the result is something special"
- Sunday Telegraph

WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD AND THE NEBULA AWARD FOR THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL OF THE YEAR