Argonaut

by Stanley Schmidt

One pleasant day in the not-too-distant future, in a public garden north of New York City, Lester Ordway is enjoying the seasonal blossoms, butterflies, and buzzing bees. He notices a strange flying insect unlike any he's ever seen before. It stings him between the eyes, and he is overwhelmed by a tidal wave of memories crashing through his mind, a flood of simultaneous sensations and emotions. As he collapses, he manages to catch and hold onto his strange, small assailant.


At the hospital, medical technologist Pilar Ramirez see the creature being pried from Lester Ordway's hand. It releases a swarm of even smaller insects that attack her and several other people in the emergency room before vanishing. Frightened but fascinated, and frustrated by the hospital's attempt to explain away what happened, Pilar befriends Lester and joins his quest for an explanation.


Pilar and Lester enlist the help of entomologist Maybelle Terwilliger. The mounting evidence soon forces them to consider a seemingly impossible a secret alien invasion of Earth. It seems as if they have accidentally uncovered a planetary incursion on a tiny scale but of global scope. The pervasive reconnaissance puts the legendary hundred eyes of Argus to Someone is literally bugging the planet. But why? All they know for sure is that, when the invading force realizes that it has been discovered, its response bears all the earmarks of hostile intent….

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

ebook

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.