Science fiction at its sense-of-wonder best. A wild chase through the billion worlds of the Tenth Millennium in search of a mythical weapon that could save civilization--or doom it A DROID AND HIS BOY, ON A SEARCH FOR A LEGENDARY WEAPON Daslakh is an AI with a problem. Its favorite human, a young man named Zee, is in love with a woman who never existed -- and he will scour the Solar System to find her. But in the Tenth Millennium a billion worlds circle the Sun--everything from terraformed planets to artificial habitats, home to a quadrillion beings. Daslakh's nicely settled life gets more complicated when Zee helps a woman named Adya escape a gang of crooks. This gets the pair caught up in the hunt for the Godel Trigger, a legendary weapon left over from an ancient war between humans and machines--which could spell the end of civilization. In their search, they face a criminal cat and her henchmen, a paranoid supermind with a giant laser, the greatest thief in history, and a woman who might actually be Zee's lost love. It's up to Daslakh to save civilization, keep Zee's love life on the right track--and make sure that nobody discovers the real secret of the Godel Trigger. Praise for Arkad's World:
"Far-flung adventure . . . Cambias offers up an entertaining coming-of-age novel filled with action and surprises. His aliens are suitably non-human in mannerisms, attitudes, and objectives, and his worldbuilding suggests a vast universe ready for further exploration. Readers . . . will find this hits the spot."--Publishers Weekly ". . . a classic quest story, a well-paced series of encounters with different folk along the way, building momentum toward a final confrontation with Arkad's past . . . with] a delicious twist to the end."--ALA Booklist "Cambias has achieved a feat of world-building: an expansive, believable setting with fascinating aliens, compelling mysteries, and a rich sense of history."--Bookpage "Drop a teenage boy into a distant planet chock full of colorful aliens--with troubles all their own. Stir, flavor, apply heat. A tour de force in the field, and great, quick fun."--Gregory Benford Praise for the work of James L. Cambias: "Beautifully written, with a story that captures the imagination the way SF should."--Booklist, starred review "An engaging nail-biter that is exciting, fun and a satisfying read."--The Qwillery '"An impressive debut by a gifted writer."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "An exceptionally thoughtful, searching and intriguing debut."--Kirkus, starred review "James Cambias will be one of the century's major names in hard science fiction."--Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Red Planet Blues "Fast-paced, pure quill hard science fiction. . . . Cambias delivers adroit plot pivots that keep the suspense coming."--Gregory Benford, Nebula Award-winning author of Timescape