Tau Zero (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Poul Anderson
- First Published: 1967
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—cosmic voyage
- Time of Work: The third millennium to the end of the universe
- Setting: Aboard the spaceship
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: Future, Space flight or travel, Space ships, stations, or vehicles, Space and time
- Locales: Space
The Plot
Tau Zero has been considered by some to be the ultimate science-fiction novel because its scope reaches to the end of the universe. After some exploratory missions to other stars, Earth decides to send a ship to Beta Three to establish the first extra- solar colony. Because of the vast distance involved, the ship travels at near-light speed, using a Bussard ramscoop to gather hydrogen particles as fuel. As the ship continues to accelerate, relative time slows down for those inside, so that years pass while the crew experiences mere days.
The Leonora...
[The entire page is 969 words long]
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