Tau Zero
A landmark of hard science fiction, Tau Zero chronicles the harrowing journey of a Bussard ramjet spacecraft and its fifty-man crew as they attempt to colonise a distant star system. When a failed deceleration manoeuvre leaves the ship unable to slow down, the crew is trapped in an ever-accelerating vessel, hurtling through the universe at relativistic speeds as time itself dilates around them. Poul Anderson constructs a rigorous and scientifically grounded narrative, drawing on real physics to present a tale of survival, human endurance, and existential dread on a cosmic scale. Tense and intellectually exhilarating, the novel illustrates how Anderson masterfully balances hard science with deeply human drama, making it one of the most celebrated works in the SF Masterworks canon.
Author: Poul Anderson
Format: Paperback
Published: 2006, SF Masterworks (Gollancz)
Genre: Science fiction
A landmark of hard science fiction, Tau Zero chronicles the harrowing journey of a Bussard ramjet spacecraft and its fifty-man crew as they attempt to colonise a distant star system. When a failed deceleration manoeuvre leaves the ship unable to slow down, the crew is trapped in an ever-accelerating vessel, hurtling through the universe at relativistic speeds as time itself dilates around them. Poul Anderson constructs a rigorous and scientifically grounded narrative, drawing on real physics to present a tale of survival, human endurance, and existential dread on a cosmic scale. Tense and intellectually exhilarating, the novel illustrates how Anderson masterfully balances hard science with deeply human drama, making it one of the most celebrated works in the SF Masterworks canon.