Heaven
Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen
(Reviewer - D. H. BROWN)
2004 Warner Books
ISBN: 0446529834

All Second-Best-Sailor wants is to sail his boat & trade with nomadic Neanderthals. But when his reefwife discovers a Cosmis Unity mission fleet is heading for their homeworld, his comfortable life suddenly vanishes.

Sr. Staff Reviewer D. H. BROWN writes:

I must say that I've only read one previous work by either of these authors, Messrs. Stewart & Cohen, that was Stewart's Does God Play Dice? & am happy to say that these writers' first foray into the field of science fiction is without doubt going to make the proverbial Big Splash!

I was thoroughly entertained! By the concepts & depth of this seminal work.

I felt that the originality of writing took me back to the science fiction of my youth. Heaven is set in a distant future where humanity is but an integral part of the Galaxy's web of life.

In reading Heaven I was reminded of John Barnes' works The Sky So Big and Black & Candle, where the future of mental viruses & memes are propagated much like they are in today's religions.

Heaven is about religion! With much of the same consequences & results as we have seen in our historical past. I am reminded of how the Spanish conquerors of the Incas & Aztecs decided that it was much to the Indians' benefit to be killed to save their immortal souls. Heaven is the story of one such war, & how the parts are definitely fragments of a greater wholeness.

Ecology is also a great part of this story, & how life is much more than we can even imagine.

I really liked these authors' work & hope to see much more from them in my not too distant future. Their visualizations of the strangeness of life, & its connections were both riveting & enthralling.

If you've ever had doubts. If you've ever asked the hard questions about such concepts as who we are, why we're here, & where we're going, you will enjoy Heaven. It's like no other place you've ever imagined!

I have no hesitation recommending Heaven as a must read for 2004!

More from Ian Stewart:
Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So
Galois Theory
Concepts of Modern Mathematics

More from Jack Cohen:
The Collapse of Chaos: Discovering Simplicity in a Complex World
What Does a Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life
Wheelers
(04/25/04)

D. H. BROWN
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Staff Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries.  In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow.  During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN).  While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam; day laborer; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Professional Hunting Guide; Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."

He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.
Visit him at: www.dhbrownbooks.com