Deadman Switch

By Timothy Zahn

Book Overview

Death-row inmates are used for a lethal mining operation--but one is innocent--in this science fiction novel by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author. Only the recently dead can helm the "deadman switch" to pilot a ship through the Cloud, a mysterious solar entity that shields the Solitaire solar system and its valuable heavy metals. Two convicted murderers are routinely sacrificed for this task--one to enter the system, one to exit. Gilead Raca Benedar is a Watcher, employed by the wealthy head of an intergalactic mining company as a human lie detector of sorts. When Benedar is sent to Solitaire, with its metal-rich moons, to assist with the acquisition of its valuable mining rights, he and the crew are able to make it to Solitaire safely, and all goes well. That is, until Benedar's Watcher powers show him that the second convict they are traveling with--the one meant to helm the deadman switch on their return journey--is innocent.

• Format: MP3 CD
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F47JR22Y
• ISBN13: 9798228562738
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Tantor Audio
• Length: 1 Pages

Customer Reviews

Fascinating treatise on the value of life wrapped in wonderful space opera!

"Deadman Switch" is an immensely though-provoking book told in Zahn's typical style - which means the story flows beautifully, the characters are fleshed out nicely, the scenes are vivid and it all wraps together while becoming increasingly suspenseful. Mining companies and researchers had been trying to reach Solitaire for years in order to harvest the heavy metal from the rings around its moons. However, there was a cloud of sorts surrounding the area that rendered their Mjollnir (hyperspace) drive inactive, thus keeping them out. Finally a research ship managed to get in - not realizing until later that it was entirely by accident, because the man at the helm had died of a heart attack just as they entered the cloud. Once they figured that out, the difficult part came when it was time to leave . . . Now whenever a ship goes to Solitaire, they take two death row prisoners - one for entry, and one for exit. The moment of crisis comes when a new company takes over trade on Solitaire and the owner decides to send his Watcher - a member of a religious sect who train their members from youth to be ultra-aware of their surroundings, thus giving them an almost uncanny ability to sense the thoughts and emotions flickering across another person's face and behind his or her eyes. Watchers hold all life as valuable and believe that using them to gain entry to Solitaire is akin to human sacrifice. After being forced to watch the first prisoner killed, he is taunted by a crewmember and told he should go and check on the other prisoner. She, of course, insists she is innocent. To his surprise, he believes she is telling the truth. What follows in the book are his various attempts to save her life. Of course, nothing ever stays that simple and he ends up having to try to save the lives of most of the inhabitants of the system. But let's not spoil the surprise, shall we? This book is not especially easy to find, but it is well worth the search. Hopefully he will re-release it. This seems to be a fad as of late.

Saga In a Science Fiction Setting

Deadman Switch is a moral composition, dealing with non-violence, integrity and the value of life. All of these themes are played out in a galactic empire with all the problems of a modern government. The science fiction setting includes elements that are more in tune with meta-physics than hard physics. However, the story and its characters draw the reader into their world and their difficulties. I would compare it in style, and timelessness to the Odyssey, if not in scope and grandeur. An enjoyable read.

Alien enough

A bit creepy, but full of interesting ideas. In this sense comparable to "Warhorse", but the story line is a bit weaker here. Still well worth reading to those interested in unusual sci fi. Complete with two alien species, not counting the Watchers.

15 men on a dead Man's chest...

This one was pretty nifty. Interesting that there's a religious order capable of seeing the truth of things just because they better understand the will of god. Sounds vaguely familiar...

Zahn keeps you on your toes

Reading one of Timothy Zahn's books is always a pleasure. He has the abillity to put you in every scene in 3-D and full color. What makes this more amazing is he achieves this without bogging the reader down with laborious and tedious descriptions. He manages to keep the story flowing well and keep you fully aware of your surroundings. This book is also a good example of how he is able to keep readers on their toes. Everytime that you think you have it figured out and you know what the story is about he throws in a new element that keeps you wondering where it is going next. He keeps this up to the very end. In fact it seems the closer this book gets to the end the more he throws at you. I can just about gaurantee that you won't be disappointed by figuring it all out before the end.