The story in one page
Captain Bradley of the liner Hyperion grows suspicious after two ships vanish without leaving wreckage. Below decks, Conway Costigan abandons his post as a low-ranking private to reveal his status as a Triplanetary Service agent, bearing a secret golden meteor symbol that commands total authority. The threat is twofold: space pirates and the Nevians, a race of scaled, cone-headed amphibians from a red sun. These aliens require iron for survival and view Earth as a mere quarry, vaporizing Pittsburgh to claim its metal. To survive, Earth’s scientists must master the 'neutralization' of inertia, allowing ships to accelerate instantly to impossible speeds while keeping their crews from turning into jelly.
Who's who
- Conway Costigan
An undercover Triplanetary agent who infiltrates Nevian cities.
- Nerado
The Nevian commander leading the iron-harvesting expedition to Earth.
- Rodebush
A physicist who develops the critical inertialess drive technology.
- Clio Marsden
A passenger who survives the Hyperion attack alongside Costigan.
- Triplanetary Service
The governing and defense body of Earth, Venus, and Mars.
What it's really about
- Technological Escalation
- Success depends entirely on inventing superior energy beams and drives.
- Xenophobia
- Humans and Nevians find each other physically monstrous despite diplomacy.
Why it's memorable
- Costigan smuggling thirty pounds of allotropic iron inside a space-suit boot.
- The Boise erupting in flame when a torpedo detonates inside its own launch tube.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
After the Nevians destroy Pittsburgh and humans obliterate a Nevian city, both sides realize mutual extermination is inevitable and sign a peace treaty to trade Earth’s iron for Nevian technology.
For your book club
- Whether the Nevians' desperate need for iron justifies their initial destruction of human cities.
- The physical and psychological toll of 'inertialessness' on the human body during space combat.