“In science fiction there is only a handful of books that stretch the mind—and this is one of them.”—Arthur C. Clarke In a moving story of sacrifice and triumph, human scientists establish a relationship with intelligent lifeforms—the cheela—living on Dragon’s Egg, a neutron star where one Earth hour is equivalent to hundreds of their years. The cheela culturally evolve from savagery to the … from savagery to the discovery of science, and for a brief time, men are their diligent teachers.
Praise for Dragon’s Egg
“Bob Forward writes in the tradition of Hal Clement’s Mission of Gravity and carries it a giant step (how else?) forward.”—Isaac Asimov
“Dragon’s Egg is superb. I couldn’t have written it; it required too much real physics.”—Larry Niven
“This is one for the real science-fiction fan.”—Frank Herbert
“Robert L. Forward tells a good story and asks a profound question. If we run into a race of creatures who live a hundred years while we live an hour, what can they say to us or we to them?”—Freeman J. Dyson
“Forward has impeccable scientific credentials, and . . . big, original, speculative ideas.”—The Washington Post
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Thought provoking science fiction, different take on scientific advancement.
PLAUSIBLE Concept explored intricately as good Scifi Should. Rate of Education is a function of clock speed; Evolution is dependent on Information acquisition. Fantasy ending that ethical benevolence is the natural result of advanced intelligence.
I will read this again,totally enjoyed
Imaginative hard SF written by a physicist!
Sometimes the contrast of the two species gets a little dragging, but worth sticking with it. Overall wonderful.
Forward writes some fabulous hard SF
It’s great reading just for the characters. The world-building is impressive.
Want to know how different world’s can be and still communicate?
Detailed scientific foundation for a thought-provoking story of alien life forms living on the surface of a neutron star.
Great re-read, as as the first time I read it. Pure hard science fiction writing and entertaining. Not written for juveniles.
Wonderful concept.
Slow getting started but then really took off. Stretches your imagination. Ending just right. If you’re a real science person, plenty in afterword to satisfy.
It is actually kind of stupid, but mildly entertaining. Not as good as I thought it would be, based on reading most other reviews.
One of the best SFs I’ve read in decades!
Great new world development. The book is thought provoking and a great read.
This book definitely stretches the mind through the building of a civilization in an environment totally hostile to human life. It was very enjoyable to see the evolution of their civilization yet when considering the comparison of time frames it was an amazing twist. My copy of this book is very old and falling apart but treasured. Time for yet …
Hard-science science-fiction, written by a physicist who also spins a pretty good yarn. My high rating for this book is primarily for the technical content and the innovative world that the author describes. Is the writing really 5-star? Probably not. But compared to most sci-fi books, Forwards science is several times better than even those …
A Universe unexplored
Bob Forward manages to make hard science into a page-turner of epic proportion, as we follow the interactions of a human research team and tiny creatures living on the surface of a neutron star! A great read, dense with realistic science and intriguing ideas. Science Fiction at the top of its game.
A truly brilliant book.