Book Excerpt for the Day

    “Remember I told you there was no Second World War here, and therefore no computer revolution?”

    “Yes.”

    “Well, it had even greater effects than that.  There was no Manhattan project either.  No one has the A-bomb here.  Without the A-bomb, there’s been no need to develop a ballistic-missile programme.  Without a ballistic-missile programme, there’s no space race.  There are no huge government-funded science agencies.”

    “But surely there’s still some scientific research and development going on.”

    “In dribs and drabs.  But it’s unfocused, underfunded, socially unpopular.”

    Auger managed a half-smile.  “No change there, then.”

    (from Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds)

  8½*/10.  The complete review is here.

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