The other end of time cover

The other end of time

by Frederik Pohl

Strange signals have reached the Earth, warning of its destruction by malevolent aliens known as the Horch. Within a year there is evidence that the aliens who sent the warning, known only as the Beloved Leaders, have taken over the Starlab, an abandoned orbital observatory. When a group of astronomers goes to investigate the observatory, they are taken light-years away, becoming prisoners and guinea pigs of the Beloved Leaders. Led by Dan Dannerman, cousin of the observatory's director and a spy for the U.S. government, the prisoners take stock of their situation and gradually discover the truth that their captors, who have told the prisoners they are at war with the monstrous Horch, are lying about their own diabolical aims. When the Horch attack the prison base, they inadvertently free Dannerman and his fellow prisoners, allowing the humans to turn the tables. The Beloved Leaders have committed the cardinal mistake: underestimating the ingenuity of their resourceful human prisoners. And they're going to pay dearly for that mistake!

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?