Darkfire

E W Farnsworth's DarkFire at the Edge of Time brings together twenty-five visionary science fiction stories focusing on events leading up to and following the launch of the Spaceship Arcturus, destined to an epic voyage through space to the edge of the universe and back again. Avatars and AIs mature by programming themselves and acquiring human characteristics as they discover romance, sex, joy and pain. While alluding to works by Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Norbert Wiener, H P Lovecraft and Alan Turing, Farnsworth's brainy stories break new ground. Amongst the twenty-five stories, "The Joys of Rayovision" explores early experimentation in teleportation; "Shell Game" features using DNA for encoding messages in outer space; and numerous other stories postulate the practicality of a neutrino communicator. The reader can read sequentially or delve into this collection in any direction. The variety of perspectives caters for every mood, inclination and intellectual capacity.