Heart of the comet cover

Heart of the comet

by Gregory Benford

From inside front cover: EXILES from a world devastated by fear and political strife. HEROES who first must conquer their own conflicts before the greater goal can be won. PIONEERS, hundreds of men and women chosen to seek a new future, to chart a new destiny. They soared to the heart of a comet, led by three remarkable and very human people: CARD OSBORN: The troubled leader of an increasingly improbable mission. Silently, he calls upon his bottomless strength to carry the weight of hundreds of frightened, tormented lives. SAUL LINTZ: The brilliant biologist who works feverishly to heal the stricken crew. Ultimately, he undertakes a desperate experiment to delve into the very essence of life -- and death. VIRGINIA HERBERT: The gifted cybernetics technician, the woman both men love. She breaks the barrier of artificial intelligence and must now ho one step beyond into a melding of mind and machine.

More by Gregory Benford

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?