Gift from the Stars »

James Gunn is the author of 38 books, including The Dreamers, The Immortals, The Joy Makers, and Kampus. He has served as the president of the Science Fiction Writers of America and the Science Fiction Research Association. He has won Eaton, Hugo, and Pilgrim awards and has been a professor at the University of Kansas for 40 years. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

The age-old question about alien existence and human contact is explored in a new way in this collection of six novellas, previously anthologized in Analog magazine. When disillusioned aerospace engineer Adrian Mast buys a book at a remainder sale, the last things he expects to find in its appendix are alien spacecraft designs. With the help of the bookstore owner, Adrian tracks down the author—only to find him in a mental institution anguishing over the intentions of the aliens who sent the designs to him. By bluffing a bureaucrat intent on thwarting their progress, the two friends continue their quest for the stars and go ahead with the spacecraft designs. Having successfully launched their ship 15 years later, the questions that remain are What were the intentions of the aliens? and Is mankind ready to face what's out there?

Publishers Weekly

James Gunn (The Listener) takes a realistic if lighthearted look at man's first contact with aliens in Gift from the Stars, a novel originally published in six parts in Analog. Gregory Benford provides an appreciative introduction. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.