What is this science fiction book I bought in the airport in the 1990's?
May 29, 2022 8:17 PM Subscribe
The book had a male author and male protagonist, set approximately in the present day. It involved physics, string theory, and some mystery that the male protagonist has to unravel.
Distinctive elements of the book included "blue babies" or maybe they were purple, or indigo or something. These turned out to be really super smart kids, and the government collected them all in one spot to work together doing higher math and generally figuring out advanced things that no one else could understand. Eventually they end up on a base in the moon, or maybe a space station, going somewhat rogue?
The conclusion of the book is that there are infinite universes being created and succeeding each other, each with their own variation of fundamental physical laws. There was a danger of this natural progression of universes ending, and in order to prevent that, these blue babies (no longer babies) need to end our universe. That eventually happens, and the conclusion of the book involves the protagonist (unrealistically) experiencing a succession of new universes being born.
I believe the author was billed as "New York Times Best Selling" though I'm not certain of that bit. Various attempts at googling over the years have not resulted in figuring out what book it was. I would like to recommend it to someone, but need to find out what book it was before I can do that.
TIA!
Distinctive elements of the book included "blue babies" or maybe they were purple, or indigo or something. These turned out to be really super smart kids, and the government collected them all in one spot to work together doing higher math and generally figuring out advanced things that no one else could understand. Eventually they end up on a base in the moon, or maybe a space station, going somewhat rogue?
The conclusion of the book is that there are infinite universes being created and succeeding each other, each with their own variation of fundamental physical laws. There was a danger of this natural progression of universes ending, and in order to prevent that, these blue babies (no longer babies) need to end our universe. That eventually happens, and the conclusion of the book involves the protagonist (unrealistically) experiencing a succession of new universes being born.
I believe the author was billed as "New York Times Best Selling" though I'm not certain of that bit. Various attempts at googling over the years have not resulted in figuring out what book it was. I would like to recommend it to someone, but need to find out what book it was before I can do that.
TIA!
Best answer: Manifold: Time by Stephen Baxter.
posted by Daily Alice at 5:37 AM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Daily Alice at 5:37 AM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: The cover looks right and the name of the author sounds right. The plot description seems pretty different, but that's not all too surprising. I'll check it out from the library and see.
Thanks.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:33 AM on May 30, 2022
Thanks.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:33 AM on May 30, 2022
Response by poster: I got the book from the library and flipped through it enough that I think it's the same one. The ending looks different, though. Maybe he rewrote the end when it turned into the first book in a series?
Anyway, thanks!
posted by Winnie the Proust at 4:33 PM on June 6, 2022
Anyway, thanks!
posted by Winnie the Proust at 4:33 PM on June 6, 2022
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posted by thatwhichfalls at 8:50 PM on May 29, 2022 [3 favorites]