A Time Odyssey

A Time Odyssey, a series of books co-written by Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Stephen Baxter. As of 2008, the series consists of:

• Vol. 1 – Time's Eye (March 3, 2003)
• Vol. 2 – Sunstorm (March 29, 2005)
• Vol. 3 – Firstborn (December 26 2007)

Premise

The story is based on Clarke's previous Space Odyssey novel series. In the introduction to the Time's Eye, Clarke describes the premise as "neither a prequel nor a sequel" to Space Odyssey, but an "orthoquel" (a neologism coined by Clarke for this purpose, combining the word 'sequel' with "ortho-," the Greek prefix meaning "straight" or "rectangular"). In Space Odyssey, a species of benevolent godlike entities with immensely advanced technology decides to use machines called "monoliths" to travel across the galaxy and seed planets with extremely scient species and "test" and "weed" species they believe have no potential for great science.

In the Time Odyssey series, not-so-benevolent godlike entities start an endless mission to regulate the development of sentience, in order to prevent all other genetic species from harnessing too much energy, which would only accelerate the inevitable entropic end of their astronomic realm, thus rendering biology impossible near the astrosphere's end. Consequently, these "Firstborn" are destroying all notably sentient species. To preserve a record of these eradicated species, the Firstborn make an alternate astronomical realm containing the species' home-world and dividing it into into different chronological periods. Since time is orthogonal to space in relativity, Clarke uses the term "orthoquel" to describe this series vis-a-vis his earlier one.