Last Contact
"Last Contact" | |
---|---|
Short story by Stephen Baxter | |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Science fiction short story |
Publication | |
Published in | The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction 2007 |
Publication type | Book |
Publication date | January 2007 |
"Last Contact" is a 4,347-word science fiction short story published in 2007 by Stephen Baxter. It was nominated for the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.[1]
Plot
A mother and daughter, Maureen and 35-year-old Caitlin, live through the last few months of Earth's existence. Maureen and her late husband Harry are described as having substantial astrophysical knowledge. Caitlin, an astrophysicist herself, has been involved with the recent discovery of the
On June 5, amid their search for extraterrestrial intelligence as part of the Rip, distinctly shaped signals were detected. Caitlin reveals that she was invited to a shelter made by the University of Oxford which can make humans potentially outlive Earth, though not the universe, using special equipment.
The morning of October 14, the Sun rushes away within minutes. Maureen joins Caitlin in their
References
- ^ Denvention Hugo Nominee List Archived 2008-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Full story at Solaris Books
- Last Contact title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database