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Across Real Time/The Peace War & Marooned in Real Time
Across Real Time/The Peace War Marooned in Real Time Author:Vernor Vinge Omnibus bookclub edition - The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime. Fifty years ago, back in 1997, the Peace authorityeliminated war. In one smashing worlwide coup, the Authority removed missiles, armies, governments, entire cities--everything that could oppose peace. — The Peace Authority's weapon was--and stillis--the "bobble," a unique sperical... more » state of stasis that can encapsulate an object in an impenetrable force field. Nothing can get in or out of a bobble, not even light or air; it's a prison--perfect, even beautiful. And permanent. Since the "peace war," all high technology has been banned, and civilization has fallen into semi-feudal state. What has replaced war is tyranny, but as Peace Authority Director Hamilton Avery would add, it is a benign tyrany, isn't it? A small price to pay for permanent peace. Only old timers like Paul Naismith, the reclusive leader of the Tinker underground, can recall a time before the Authority's reign. A mathematical genius, he's spent 50 years secretly developing his own extraordinary, illegal technology, far surpassing that of the Authority, hoping to strike back some day. But nothing can defeat the Authority's bobbler. Until now. Something is happening to the bobbles...something that theory said could never occur. And it means Paul can launch his revolution. He has a 16-year old vagabond for help--a natural genius as brilliant as himself--plus the network of Tinker misfits, and a secret about the bobbles the Authority does not guess. He also has a traitor in his midst....« less