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Jump to navigationJump to searchMeklyan and the Fourth Piece of the Artefact by Stephen Mark Norman (view source)
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{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=Meklyan and the Fourth Piece of the Artefact
|author=Stephen Mark Norman
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Science Fiction
|summary=Hard sci fi and space opera combine in this look at re-evolved humans in the distant future. Humanity, it seems, is sentenced to either defy or submit to its greedy and aggressive DNA, no matter what the galaxy. Enjoyable stuff. Stephen was kind enough to answer some [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Stephen Mark Norman|questions]] for us.
|rating=3
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=208
|publisher=Literary Cinema Company
|date=January 2011
|isbn=0956202713
|amazonukcover=<amazonuk>0956202713</amazonuk>|amazonusaznuk=0956202713|aznus=<amazonus>0956202713</amazonus>
}}
Four billion years after our Sun has become a red giant and died, taking all life with it, there are still humans in the universe. How so? By man-made panspermia. When Earth 's civilisation realised it couldn't master long distance space travel in sufficient time to avoid annihilation, they it sent out DNA probes filled with bacteria far out into space, to planets in the temperate zones of solar systems; planets that could potentially sustain life. And on eight planets, sustain life they did.
In the new galaxy, things are entirely recognisable to humans of today. Two superstates have emerged and are locked in a cold war. One is democratic and progressive, but the other is feudal and greedy for resources. Having burned through its own fossil fuels and damaged its planet beyond salvage through global warming, Tirune is looking to enslave the others. Only Alto Pannia can challenge it, but can Alto Pannia create a coalition of the willing in time?
My thanks to the Literary Cinema Company for sending the book.
If the combination of hard sci-fi and space opera floats your boat, you might also enjoy [[Saturn Returns by Sean Williams]] that looks more at individual identity than DNA determinism. We also loved [[Matter by Iain M Banks]], [[The Lost Art by Simon Morden]], and [[Earth Ascendant (Astropolis) by Sean Williams]]. You might enjoy [[Theatre of the Gods by M Suddain]] too.
{{amazontext|amazon=0956202713}} {{waterstonestextamazonUStext|waterstonesamazon=83715190956202713}}
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{{interviewtext|author=Stephen Mark Norman}}
