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Singularity (The Archon Sequence) Paperback – June 23, 2018

by Bill DeSmedt (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 107 ratings
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A cosmic collision, a thousand times more powerful and devastating than an atomic bomb, levels an ancient forest in Siberia. A hundred years of international scientific investigation are yet to reveal the cause.

June 30th, 1908 — In the trackless wastes of Siberia’s remote Tunguska river basin, the most devastating cosmic collision ever recorded flattens hundreds of square miles of ancient forest with a blast a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Yet, after more than a hundred years of international scientific investigation, the cause of the cataclysm remains shrouded in mystery.

Maverick astrophysicist Jack Adler thinks he’s fingered the culprit: the impact with the earth of a submicroscopic black hole, smaller than an atom, more massive than a mountain, older than the stars. What’s more, Jack believes that this fantastic object is still down there, deep inside the Earth, burrowing through its mantle in an ever-decaying orbit that will end only when it has devoured the entire planet. Small wonder if the Russians refer to the voracious black hole by their word for vampire — Vurdalak.
Rookie secret agent Marianna Bonaventure is tracking three missing Russian scientists suspected of involvement in weapons of mass destruction research. The trail leads her to the luxurious megayacht Rusalka, floating corporate headquarters of billionaire Russian industrialist Arkady Grishin. Determined to prove herself, Marianna creates an elaborate ruse in order to infiltrate the enormous vessel — a dangerous gambit that requires the coerced cooperation of a rather special civilian ...

Jonathan Knox is one of the country’s most sought-after management consultants; his knack for intuiting hidden relationships among seemingly disparate events serves his Fortune-50 clients well. But when Marianna compels the reluctant Knox to join her undercover on Rusalka, he must grapple with puzzles of a wholly different order of magnitude.

Together, these three must battle a globe-spanning conspiracy intent upon capturing Vurdalak and exploiting its awesome power, a power that can transform the world — or end it.

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  1. Print length
    458 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 23, 2018
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 1.15 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1614756252
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1614756255
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ WordFire Press (June 23, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 458 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1614756252
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1614756255
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.47 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.15 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 107 ratings

About the author

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Bill DeSmedt

Bill DeSmedt

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Bill DeSmedt draws on a checkered career history -- system designer, AI researcher, management consultant, knowledge engineer -- in creating his "Archon Sequence" technothrillers: the award-winning cult classic SINGULARITY, DUALISM, and, debuting in April 2022, TRIPLOIDY. Bill lives and writes in a hilltop aerie overlooking Milford PA, a town whose rich tradition in philosophical and speculative literature serves as a never-ending source of inspiration.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
107 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Marq N. Elliott
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good story on many levels
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2011
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I strongly recommend this book to anyone. The story starts out a little slow in terms of protagonists and plot, but pretty quickly starts to make sense and become very interesting.

And how can one not love a story about black holes, Russian Oligarchs, historical events and culture, corporate overreach, US politics, and a very sexy woman. The character development is excellent, and the tension building hard to resist. I quickly became interested in many of the characters and cared about what happens to them.

At least try a sample--you will get hooked.
One person found this helpful
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D. Wade
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for fan of the "thriller"
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2007
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This book was just what I had hoped for - a fun read. For my fiction fix I tend to read thrillers more than sci-fi novels, so the true science fiction fan may not think this is as strong as other books. But it was just enough science for me to give it plausibility (or perhaps I should say, to allow me to suspend disbelief for a while) and the action was non stop. Pondering his scientific theories are great fun, keeping in mind that this is simply the exploration as to the "what if it happened this way" of one particular theory.

And it had something many thrillers (and some famous Sci Fi directors) are starting to ignore more and more - characters one cares about enough to want to pull for.

After finishing the book I was surprised to remind myself that this is Mr. DeSmedt's first novel - a great accomplishment indeed. Take Singularity to the beach, on that cruise, or whenever else you want to disappear from the world for a bit.
4 people found this helpful
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S. Rizzi
5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2007
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This techno-thriller is the sort of book that I can't get enough of - and I wish there were more of them to read. If you love Crichton, Rollins, Brown, and Clancy this book is for you. It is written very well, and it is very believable. Many of these books frustrate me because they don't show an adequate understanding of the US government and its inner workings. This book does a great job in staying in the realm of possible while pushing as far as possible to the edge of belief.

I found myself purposely slowing down reading the book, because I didn't want to be done with it. I hope that his next book is just as good - and I hope it comes out soon.... I'm ready.
4 people found this helpful
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Margaret Howard
3.0 out of 5 stars A mind-stretcher
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2016
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I found the first part of the story hard to follow. Probably me - maybe I should re-read it now that I know the ending / characters better.
The last half of the story is a good, nail-biter yarn. Wrapping one's mind around the premise of changing the past to "arrange" the future was hard to follow. The chief protagonist had that problem too!
Definitely not an easy nor a comforting story. If you decide to read it, stick with it and don't give up. I think I did (give up) and when I returned to finish, it made more sense.
2 people found this helpful
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Justin
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, great listen
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2018
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I originally found this via online podiobooks, the story was good, and even as a science buff, it wasn't so out of line it was distracting, it was a very good story (with a little romance mixed in).

I have looked for his other book, but the price on Amazon is very high (too high), but I will continue to look for it (duality I think is the name). The way Bill writes is very enjoyable.
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Nicholas
4.0 out of 5 stars ... book up when it was on sale and was glad I did
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2015
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I picked this book up when it was on sale and was glad I did. I hadn't purchase this book before because I felt the price of $8 or $9 was high for a Kindle Book from an author I am unfamiliar with. After reading it I think the book is a good read but I still think it should be priced lower.

Why do I think it's worth reading?

It's a more hard science fiction read that could even be plausible if you consider primordial black holes and time travel plausible. So if you enjoy hard sci-fi physics coupled with International Plots, assassins, and time travel you should pick this book up. But maybe wait for a discounted price (the only reason it has 4 instead of 5 stars)
2 people found this helpful
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PDCLarry
5.0 out of 5 stars With a Consultant as a hero, it's gotta be a winner!
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2011
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I had read Singularity in hard cover when it first came out, and liked it so much I bought 2 more copies as gifts. Now that it's on Kindle I just bought it again. I have a special affinity for Jonathan Knox, Consultant, as I have been an IT consultant most of my working life. In Singularity Jon teams with Marianna, a US Government spook (or more correctly is shanghaied by her) to...well...save the world from evildoers. The book is extraordinarily well researched, from details of the Tunguska event through the physics of black holes (and is even endorsed by physicist Kip Thorne). While it starts with a hard science background, it is first and formost a great technothriller with believable characters, seriously villainous bad guys and and an ending gripping to the last page.
3 people found this helpful
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Blake Senftner
5.0 out of 5 stars I just discovered this fantastic book
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
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I just completed Singularity.

...

That was a moment of silence as I acknowledge being in the presence of greatness.

I read Hard Science Fiction for a reason. I seek the intersection between philosophy, physics, and fiction because the written novel seems to be the only vehicle capable of communicating the complete scope of periodic existential dreads which plague many people, myself included. Bill has done a phenomenal job of creating a main character who experiences such events and his first person description of the episodes are rare, honest and (best of all) integral to the story. And the story wrapped around these situations is a worthy counterpart to the metaphysical underpinnings.

Thank you, Bill, for the effort, persistence, and vision to write Singularity. And I doubly thank you for the afterwards; As I ended the book, I was all set to start looking up how much of the story is based on fact, and he includes all the references in the afterward. Bravo!
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Anita
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 2016
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Super fun read!
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Pink le Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2013
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Great book with some solid science behind most of it. Good characters and nice pacing. Well worth a read and a good addition to any sci-fi library. I just wish Bill would hurry up and get Dualism released!
One person found this helpful
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Mr. John V. Redfern
3.0 out of 5 stars A bit far fetched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2013
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The physics is dodgy but it was quite a good read even so. Not a patch om Ian M Banks though.
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