Hydrogen Steel (ePub)

Do you think THEY are so different from US?It's rare to see a genuine mystery embedded into the rich fabric of a science fiction setting, but HYDROGEN STEEL accomplishes both."e;Bedford has crafted a strong Science Fiction title filled with excellent dialogue, action at every turn, a compelling story, a dash of philosophy and somewhat surprising ending"e; - Tim Adamec, The Dragon Page"e;This is a gem of a novel. It's also quite mind blowing, and is very much worth reading."e; - Paul Lappen"e;Hydrogen Steel is a highly readable and entirely convincing book."e; - Lucy Schmeidler, reviewerAurealis Award Finalist"e;Hydrogen Steel is a tense and thrilling mystery within a mystery, a tale of secrets and truth, and a journey to the limits of existence - and a bit beyond!"e;The keeper of truth is a firemind named Hydrogen SteelWhen retired top homicide inspector Zette McGee, late of Winter City, Ganymede, gets called out of her mysterious retirement to help Kell Fallow, a desperate former android accused unjustly of murdering his wife and children, she knows she has to help him, for Zette has a secret she is desperate to keep, and Fallow knows all about it.With the help of her best friend, the elderly but very suave former secret agent Gideon Smith, and his ridiculously impressive personal starship, the Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, Zette sets out (a) to help the accused man, but also (b) to keep Gideon from finding out her own awful secret, even as everything they learn in the investigation keeps pointing to it.But when Kell Fallow is killed by a bomb he didn't know was buried in his guts, and when a homebrew android identical to Zette destroys her home on the luxurious Serendipity habitat, Gideon and Zette go on the run, only to run afoul of sabotage, spies, nasty infections, and bad guys galore and ordinary machines come to relentless, murderous life.The case will take Zette and Gideon on a terrifying journey into the darkest reaches of human space, in pursuit of an ancient truth - and will bring her into deadly contact with that truth's keeper, the awesomely powerful firemind, Hydrogen Steel, an artificial consciousness evolved far beyond its original design, and which is utterly determined to keep that same truth from getting out, at any cost.Hydrogen Steel is a tense and thrilling mystery within a mystery, a tale of secrets and truth, and a journey to the limits of existence - and a bit beyond!About the Author:K. A. Bedford lives in Perth, Western Australia. All of his novels have been shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for Best Australian Science Fiction Novel, and he has twice won, for Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait, which was also shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award, and Eclipse.Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait (A Spider Webb Novel) was subsequently released in Australia by Fremantle Press after its initial success in North America.Paradox Resolution (A Spider Webb Novel) won the Australian Tin Duck Award.Bedford attended Curtin and Murdoch Universities, where he studied Writing, Theater, and Philosophy.Other books by K. A. Bedford:Orbital BurnEclipseHydrogen SteelTime Machines Repaired While-U-Wait (A Spider Webb Novel)Paradox Resolution (A Spider Webb Novel) Praise:"e;Hydrogen Steel is an enjoyable read, littered with powerfully godlike Fireminds (the Hydrogen Steel of the title), complex technologies, action and noir mystery. The characters are believable and sympathetic, the setting is intricately planned out ... It's not surprising that Hydrogen Steel was nominated for an Aurealis Awards."e; - Liz Grzyb, editor Ticonderoga Online"e;If you're looking for a bit of a space adventure, an exploration of self and identity and a hint of romance, Hydrogen Steel will be a pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon."e; - Alisa Krasnostein, AsIF"e;Bedford amasses plenty of high-flown SF concepts. (I particularly like his notion of turning whole planets into computers ...)"e; - Paul Di Filippo, SCI FI WeeklyHydrogen Steel is a must-read Sci-fi adventure novel!