by Wil McCarthy
“Wil McCarthy makes ideas jump. Bloom grabs you from the very first scene and doesn't let go till the last page. It's irresistible.” —Walter Jon Williams
“An ingenious yarn with challenging ideas, well-handled technical details and plenty of twists and turns.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Succeeds on many different levels, combining a unique literary style with complex scientific speculation and political intrigue. Wil McCarthy's most entertaining and thought-provoking novel yet.” —Preston Grassman, Locus
“McCarthy is an entertaining, intelligent, amusing writer, with Clarke's thoughtfulness [and] Heinlein's knack for breakneck plotting.” —John Mort, Booklist
“An intense narrative of survival. Bloom works on several levels even while beckoning the reader into deeper mysteries. McCarthy proves once again that he has the wit and narrative power to take us to the outer reaches of space and down into the vast unknown of human, and inhuman, consciousness.” —Barnes and Noble
“Complex and inventive. Hundreds of pages of smart, suspenseful science fiction. ‘Our Pick.'” —Curt Wohleber, Science Fiction Weekly
“The writing is vivid. Readers who can plug into the prose and navigate its dense circuitry will find themselves rewarded with a wallop of a finale that satisfies high expectations for high-concept SF.” —Publishers Weekly
“The science is consistent and integral to the story, and the characters are much more plausibly drawn than are so many folks in [other speculative] fiction. In nearly every passage, we get another slice of the science of McCarthy's construction, and a deeper sense of danger and foreboding.” —Jim Hopper, San Diego Union-Tribune
“An astonishingly original concept, one of the most chilling versions of nanotechnology yet envisioned. McCarthy is able to make the idea . . . seem quite believable. The pacing of the book is also excellent. McCarthy has a real talent for hard-SF concepts and thriller plotting.” —D. Douglas Fratz, SF Age
“A feast of exposition [that is] tasty as well as nutritious. His sworn agenda to balance hard science, adventure and characterization is vindicated by the completed product. Bloom is a fine synthesis between Hard and Literary SF, a trick many have tried, but few have managed.” —Ernest Lilley, SFRevu
“Technology gone wrong provides hard-SF terror in this fast-paced thriller of nanotech-as-mold. Recommended.”
—Russell Letson, Locus
“Ultimately [humanity] must learn to ask new questions. The book's message is [that] in a universe stranger than we know, ignorance may be inevitable, but it's definitely not bliss.” —Gerald Jonas, The New York Times
“Swiftly paced, consistently inventive and tightly written. This is a novel that knows its business.” —Gregory Feeley, The Washington Post
“McCarthy has worked out a bleakly dramatic future. This is the kind of broad view of mankind's future and the universe reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke.” —Fred Cleaver, The Denver Post
“The science is plausible, the narrative sinewy and taut. [McCarthy's] assurance and skill are evident throughout. Starlog Verdict: ***** [5 out of 5 stars]” —Starlog UK
“Bloom might be the wide-screen novel nanotech SF needs to kick-start itself. As soon as I read the cover blurb I couldn't wait to start reading, and then once I'd started reading I couldn't stop. Wil McCarthy's take on nanotech SF may be just about as far as we can go with the idea in fiction.” —Stuart Carter, Infinity Plus (UK)
“Destined to become the classic nanotechnology novel.”
—Bookman News
“Impressive. Believable. The story-telling and plot devices are tight, tight, tight. I regretted ever having to put the book down. I found it to be often insightful, in psychology, relationships, even philosophy. But the bottom line is that Bloom is fun. Complaints? Nope, can't think of one.” —Fantastica Daily
“Seriously original and inventive.” —Netsurfer Digest
LOST IN TRANSMISSION
A Bantam Spectra Book / March 2004
Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2004 by Wil McCarthy
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address: Bantam Books, New York, New York.
Visit our website at www.bantamdell.com
Bantam Books and the rooster colophon, and Spectra and the portrayal of a boxed “S,” are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Published simultaneously in Canada
eISBN: 978-0-553-89852-1
v3.0