Argonaut

by Stanley Schmidt

Stanley Schmidt's first novel in sixteen years!

Three decades in the future, in a public garden north of New York City, a man enjoying the seasonal blossoms, butterflies, and buzzing bees notices a strange flying insect unlike any he's ever seen before. When it stings him between the eyes, he is overwhelmed by a tidal wave of memories crashing through his mind in a flood of simultaneous sensations and emotions. As he collapses, he manages to catch and hold onto the bug.

At the hospital, medical technologist Pilar Ramirez watches as the creature is pried from Lester Ordway's hand. It releases a swarm of even smaller insects that sting her and several other people in the emergency room causing similar, if milder, cognitive effects. Frightened but fascinated, and frustrated by the hospital's attempt to dismiss what happened after the bugs disappear, Pilar befriends Lester and joins his quest for an explanation.

Pilar and Lester enlist the help of entomologist Maybelle Terwilliger, and the three soon begin to suspect that they have discovered a secret alien invasion of Earth. An incursion on a tiny scale but of global scope, it is pervasive reconnaissance that puts the legendary hundred eyes of Argus to shame. Somebody is literally bugging the planet. Can Pilar and her friends convince the government before it's too late?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published July 5, 2002

About the author

Stanley Schmidt is an American science fiction author. Between 1978 and 2012 he served as editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine.

Reviews

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read and a great ending! I want a spaceship like that

[Nick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit naive writing but entertaining. Just

[Jennifer Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, even though it was not at all what I had expected. Set in the not-too-distant future, the story line is actually quite plausible, and it was interesting to read through these pages while keeping in the back of my mind how old I would be when the action is to take place.

"Argonaut" explores both the pros and cons of nanotechnology and addresses the issue of "intelligence," specifically in how we determine sentience.

I understand the reference implied in the term "Argonaut," though I'm still puzzling over its use as the book's title.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing plot quite unlike anything I've encountered in alien-science fiction before. It was futuristic enough to be "far out" but written realistically enough that it could really be possible. And I loved how it ended.