Synopsis
Accident sends a hyperspace ship billions of years into future, where Earth has lost its atmosphere and become tidal-locked. They land and use the drive to re-spin the Earth, which will melt frozen air preserved at the night side.
Notes
In notes to Convergent Series publication, Niven says the story (as well as Bordered in Black) "does not belong to the Known Space universe. When I wrote [them] Known Space had not taken form. I was playing with some preliminary ideas [...] Hair styles and human colony worlds from this story later entered Known Space; but the story does not belong to that universe."
External Links
Publications (29)
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1965 | Galaxy Magazine, June 1965 | Galaxy Publishing Corporation | MAGAZINE | 171 |
| September 1969 | The Shape of Space | Ballantine Books | Collection | 95 |
| September 1969 | The Shape of Space | Ballantine Books | Collection | 95 |
| February 1973 | Inconstant Moon | Gollancz | Collection | 149 |
| April 1974 | Inconstant Moon | The Science Fiction Book Club (UK) | Collection | |
| October 1974 | Inconstant Moon | Sphere Books | Collection | 97 |
| May 1975 | Inconstant Moon | Sphere Books | Collection | 97 |
| June 1976 | Inconstant Moon | Sphere Books | Collection | 97 |
| 1977 | Inconstant Moon | Sphere Books | Collection | 97 |
| November 1977 | Alpha 8 | Berkley Medallion | Anthology | 124 |
| March 1979 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| March 1979 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| September 1979 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| 1980 | Convergent Series | Orbit / Futura | Collection | 25 |
| October 1980 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| 1981 | Convergent Series | Orbit | Collection | 25 |
| September 1981 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| May 1983 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| 1984 | Convergent Series | Orbit | Collection | 25 |
| August 1986 | Convergent Series | Orbit | Collection | 25 |
| August 1986 | Inconstant Moon | Sphere Books | Collection | 97 |
| February 1987 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| 1990 | Convergent Series | Orbit | Collection | 25 |
| 1991 | Convergent Series | Ballantine Books | Collection | 25 |
| August 1991 | Inconstant Moon | Orbit | Collection | 97 |
| October 1992 | Convergent Series | Del Rey / Ballantine | Collection | 25 |
| June 2011 | Convergent Series | Spectrum Literary Agency | Collection | |
| November 2022 | Alpha 8 | ReAnimus Press | Anthology | |
| November 2022 | Alpha 8 | ReAnimus Press | Anthology |