The Hunger of Time

Technology has started to accelerate at a terrifying rate. By mid 21st century, we might see a Singularity: a convergence of artificial intelligence, advanced nanotechnologies for building things at the atomic scale, precise genomics, other wonders. What happens after that? Will the descendents of today's humanity become gods or demons, or simply destroy themselves? And will we be among their number, carried along by rejuvenation and immortality treatments?For Natalie and her irritatingly beautiful young sister Fiona, these are no longer abstract questions. The familiar world is on the brink of crisis. Dumped by her live-in boyfriend and stuck back at home with her parents, Nat is not a happy person. And her father Hugh is acting like a mad scientist. What the hell is he building out there in the garage?When Hugh frog-marches his family into the garage, it looks as if he's really gone mad, and they're due to perish even before the plague wipes out all life on earth. But the machine Hugh has been working on hurls them all—not forgetting their dog Ferdy—ever farther into the future, and the escapade doesn't stop until the very end of time and space.Damien Broderick and Rory Barnes have collaborated on several novels in their native Australia, and Broderick's controversial writing about the Singularity (which he also dubs the Spike) has aroused keen interest around the world. Broderick's work is displayed at www.thespike.us, and Barnes at http://users.bigpond.net.au/rory.barnes/