Books Like Gateway

Since their discovery, black holes have fascinated scientists and science fiction authors. These mysterious and invisible points in space can range from the size of an atom to ones that are millions of times more massive than our sun. The mystery and danger surrounding black holes have meant that many science fiction authors have come up with their own explanations about what would happen if humans ever ventured near one. For example, a black hole is at the center of the classic science fiction novel Gateway by Frederik Pohl. For more stories where black holes play an essential role, check out the following books like Gateway. Flies from the Amber by Wil McCarthy Flies from the Amber by Wil McCarthy is set forty light years from Earth on the planet of Unua. It is located in a double-sunned solar system that is located right next to a black hole. Despite having inferior technology compared to their mother planet and having to suffer through twice daily earthquakes, the colonists on Unua have been able to keep their struggling civilization going. The discovery of an alien mineral by an Unuan mining expedition piques the interest of Earth scientists. Still, when they arrive to investigate, they find more than what they bargained for. Upon arrival, they discover something that can’t possibly exist; an alien artifact on the verge of the black hole’s event horizon. Black Hole Oblivion by Kumar L Black Hole Oblivion is the third book in the Earth to Centauri series by Kumar L. It is set in the future, where a faster-than-light spaceship named Antariksh was sent to Proxima Centauri to investigate the source of a signal. Unfortunately, after the events of the previous two books, a massive black hole was created that could swallow Earth in less than a year. Antariksh, along with the crew, is caught in the event horizon of this black hole as they are inexorably drawn toward their doom. It is up to Captain Anara to save her ship and safeguard Earth from the black hole before it is too late. The Black Hole by Ray Hammond The Black Hole by Ray Hammond features a story that explores what would happen if a black hole formed on Earth. It begins with American military scientists secretly developing a new weapon of mass destruction that can devastate target areas without leaving behind radiation. However, during a live demonstration of such a miniature black hole, something goes wrong, and it grows beyond its designated limits. The US President immediately ordered the project’s cancelation and the destruction of all data and records associated with it. Unfortunately, a new threat emerges twenty years later as a rogue terrorist cult gets its hands on the technology and threatens to use it for global destruction. The Hole by Brandon Q. Morris The Hole is a hard science fiction novel by Brandon Q. Morris based on events that could become a reality. When a young astrophysicist named Maribel Pedreira tries to warn humankind that they are at risk of a mysterious object threatening to destroy our solar system, nobody takes her seriously. However, by the time other scientists finally acknowledge her discovery, there’s not much that can be done. As the hole hurtles inexorably towards the sun, the final hope to save the world lies with an exiled crew of outcasts who were busy mining for rage minerals on a lone asteroid. Eater by Gregory Benford Gregory Benford has his own unique take on a black hole in his hard science fiction novel Eater. The story follows renowned astrophysicist Dr. Benjamin Knowlton; his ex-astronaut turned astronomer wife, Channing, and a British Astronomer Royal, Kingsley Dart. Benjamin struggles to cope with the fact that Channing is dying from cancer, but then the two discover an eons-old black hole anomaly. They name it Eater, as it devours stars and worlds, but soon realize that it is heading straight for Earth at an alarming speed. Even more troubling is that the black hole appears intelligent and wants to “converse” with the people of Earth. The Krone Experiment by J. Craig Wheeler The Krone Experiment is a techno-thriller by J. Craig Wheeler that is set at the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union. The tension between Russia and the United States ramps up after a Russian aircraft carrier is damaged. The two countries use space-based weapons in a deadly face-off in orbit while back on the ground, Robert Isaacs, Deputy Director of Science Intelligence for the Cia, and his top aid, Dr. Patricia Danielson, risk their careers to uncover the truth. As they connect the carrier damage with a mysterious seismic signal, their investigation leads them to a New Mexico laboratory where they find a danger that is far greater than the international crisis that is unfolding.