The Trigger - Softcover

Clarke, Arthur C.; Kube-McDowell, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006483836 ISBN 13: 9780006483830

Publisher: Voyager, 2000

Synopsis

Without war, we’d hardly have any history. Without murder, we’d hardly have any fiction. Then along came the Trigger … the only true promise of peace that technology has ever devised.

From the legendary Arthur C. Clarke, in collaboration with Michael Kube-McDowell of Star Wars fame, comes a chilling day-after-tomorrow thriller.

Jeffrey Horton of Terabyte Laboratories is the brilliant, driven and idealistic scientist responsible for the discovery of the Trigger. It was an accidental discovery. When Horton fired up his prototype analogue of a laser it triggered all nearby explosive material. In that moment, an end to the power of the gun became feasible. In future, a firearm – or a bomb – could be made powerless to harm the innocent. The Trigger might even mean an end to war.

Patriotism dictates that Terabyte hands over the science to the Pentagon. Idealism demands the invention be given to the whole world, regardless of politics.

But in a world where violence has reached epidemic proportions, too many people have a stake in the business of violence to give peace a chance. Clarke and McDowell offer a startling vision of the future in which the fate of humankind depends on who controls THE TRIGGER.

About this title

About the Author

Arthur C. Clarke has written over sixty books, among them the science fiction classics Childhood’s End, The City and the Stars and Rendezvous with Rama (which was unique in winning all three major science fiction trophies, the Hugo, Nebula and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards). He has for many years made his home in Sri Lanka. He was awarded the CBE in 1989 and knighted in 1998.
Michael Kube-McDowell was born in 1954 and grew up in southern New Jersey. His novels include the Trigon Disunity future history and the Star Wars trilogy The Black Fleet Crisis. His novel The Quiet Pools was nominated for the Hugo Award.

From the Back Cover

THIS MORNING ALL THE GUNS WILL STOP WORKING. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT?

KILLER BEWARE

When brilliant, driven and idealistic scientist Jeffrey Horton discovers the Trigger effect, he knows at once that he's changed the world. He is in possession of the ultimate weapon: a device that can disarm an enemy's entire arsenal, from rifle bullets to nuclear warheads. But the trigger is not just a weapon. It can be used to end forever the power of the gun. Except that, in a world in which violence is epidemic, anyone proposing an end to the use of weapons is a target for killers.

BEWARE KILLER

"A technothriller and an exploration of the influence of technology on social change. Readers will certainly keep turning pages. This is solid, intelligent, serious entertainment"
BOOKLIST

"Told in the tradition of the best thrillers. An enjoyable read that explores an interesting dilemma; given the choice, do we 'really want peace?'
SFX

Edition details

• Publisher: Voyager
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0006483836
• ISBN 13: 9780006483830
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 560