Spectrum (novel)
A Walker must save identical women across alien worlds.
Spectrum is a science fiction novel by Russian writer Sergei Lukyanenko, set in a near future where humanity travels between planets through portals provided by the Keymaster civilization. The cost of passage is an unusual story told to a Keymaster, and the protagonist is a private investigator known as the Walker for his skill in crafting such tales.
Quick Facts
- Title orig
- Spectr, Спектр (Russian)
- Author
- Sergei Lukyanenko
- Country
- Russia
- Language
- Russian
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Publisher
- AST
- Released
- 2002
- Format
- Print (Hardback)
Facts from the source article.
Plot summary
A wealthy man hires the Walker to track down his missing daughter. The investigator finds her on the planet Library, a world of ancient ruins, but she dies in a freak accident before he can bring her home. Following a clue to another alien world, he discovers the same woman alive and well. He learns that identical copies of her exist on several interconnected planets. One by one, they are killed in random, unrelated events. The Walker, surprised to find himself attracted to his client’s daughter, races to save the last copy. In doing so, he uncovers a massive, thousand-year-old conspiracy centered on the Keymasters.
Features
Each of the novel's seven parts begins with a word from the Russian mnemonic for spectrum colors: Kazhdy Okhotnik Zhalaet Znatj Gde Sidit Fazan. Each part includes content about food, cooking, and gourmet ideas. Every planet features something of the corresponding color; for example, the Preria has an orange sky and a red-orange-covered kid. In the Orange part, a cowboy appears whose name is hidden in capital letters within the paragraph, spelling Semetskiy. This references a real Russian SF fan and friend of the author, who was traditionally killed off in stories by various writers.
Planets
The Walker visits seven alien planets, plus the Keymasters' homeworld. Library is a world of rocky islands separated by thin canals, each island bearing stone obelisks with letters. About a thousand sentients live there, three hundred of them human scientists trying to decipher the writings; many cannot leave due to poor storytelling skills. Native life consists of three algae species and nine marine animals, all inedible and non-aggressive. Another planet, colonized by the United States, resembles an idealized American Old West with over 20,000 colonists and a native humanoid race called Indians living in a primitive agrarian society. The Aranks are a humanoid race physically identical to humans, with technology centuries ahead of Earth and second only to the Keymasters. They are wise and good-natured but do not understand concepts like the meaning of life, religion, or God, finding other races' obsession with these ideas ridiculous. Arank law forbids giving technology to less advanced races, except that attempted murderers forfeit all property, including their spouse, to the intended victim, which overrides the non-proliferation law.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Spectrum (novel) published?
Spectrum was published in 2002.
Who published Spectrum (novel)?
Spectrum was published by AST.
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