The Goliath Stone
What happens when humans tamper with the natural course of evolution without anticipating the effect of their actions? Answer: absolutely nothing good. Niven and Harrington’s novel follows Dr. Toby Glyer, a brilliant scientist and the man responsible for creating nanonites. Early in his career, Glyer’s nanonites were shot onto an asteroid for the purpose of study and then promptly forgotten about. Twenty-five years later, the same asteroid is now on a collision course with earth, and driving the asteroid are evolved, now-sentient nanonites. If this impending doom at the hands of nanonites was not enough, Dr. Glyer suspects that humans, to amazing side effects, are unknowingly ingesting these evolved nanonites. Incredibly, across the nation, cancer is down, infant mortality is down, terrorism is down, and acts of violence are down. But a darker side is brewing; suicide of a very particular section of the population is skyrocketing. With witty dialogue and laugh-inducing prose, this is an incredibly fun read, sure to entertain sf fans. --Alison Downs