Xeelee Sequence: the complete series omnibus

by Stephen Baxter

Beginning with RAFT in 1991, Stephen Baxter's epic sequence of Xeelee novels introduced readers to perhaps the most ambitious fictitious universe ever created.

Beginning with the rise and fall of sub-quantum civilisations in the first nano-seconds after the Big Bang and ending with the heat death of the universe billions of years from now the series charts the story of mankind's epic war against the ancient and unknowable alien race the Xeelee.
Along the way it examines questions of physics, the nature of reality, the evolution of mankind and its possible future. It looks not just at the morality of war but at the morality of survival and our place in the universe.

This is a landmark in SF. And now, for the first time, all ten titles comprising the Xeelee sequence are collected together in one volume.

Includes: Raft, Timelike Infinity, Flux, Ring, Coalescent, Exultant, Transcendent, Resplendent, Vacuum Diagrams, Xeelee: Endurance

4899 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 11, 2016

About the author

Stephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like subtle characterization, you may want to look elsewhere. If you like spanner wielding heroics by scientists and engineers at the edge of imagination this might fit the bill.

The books tend to start strong and grab your imagination, often concerning humans hanging on to survival in bizarre environments.

4700 pages. God knows how many books and short stories later, what can I say?

This is not gung ho. It's not character driven. It is outrageous, huge ideas that span all time and space. There were a few slow stories that outstayed their welcome but nothing that made me want to stop reading.

To sum up, I think the individual books are about 3.5 stars on average but the overall work benefits from the overlap and references between the stories. Some books did drag a little but I always looked forward to dipping back into a spectacular universe. An incredible piece of work by Stephen Baxter who I regard as one of the great modern SF authors.