InterstellarNet: Origins

When the First Call from the Stars Comes, Do We Even Dare to Answer? Life changes for everyone in general--and for physicist Dean Matthews in particular--when astronomers detect a radio signal from a nearby star. First Contact forces humanity to face hard questions, and do it fast. Every answer spawns new questions. Every solution sets in motion a new and more daunting crisis to challenge Dean, his family--and an expanding number of interstellar civilizations--for generations to come.

Praise for InterstellarNet: Origins:

"Lerner mixes physics, computer science, and economics into a series of very intellectually satisfying puzzles. Some of the puzzles involve understanding the alien, and some depend on understanding ourselves ... A very satisfying read, especially for the intellectually inclined."
--Mike Brotherton, author of Spider Star

"One of the most original, believable, thoroughly thought-out, and utterly fascinating visions ever of what interstellar contact might really be like."
--Dr. Stanley Schmidt, Editor, Analog Magazine"

Edward Lerner takes us from a first SETI detection to full scale interstellar net economics, with thrills along the way. No one had thought through what a working interstellar net would be like. Lerner has the professional heft to make sense of it, tell a story, and make us care. Good stuff, told in clear, quick prose. A groundbreaking job!"
--Gregory Benford, author of Timescape.