The Annals of the Heechee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Heechee Saga
Gateway trilogy
 Cover of the first edition, published by Del Rey Books. Art by Darrell K. Sweet. | |
| Author | Frederik Pohl |
|---|---|
| Series | Heechee The Heechee Saga Gateway trilogy |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books/Ballantine Books |
Publication date | 1987 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | (first ed.) |
| Preceded by | Heechee Rendezvous |
| Followed by | The Boy Who Would Live Forever |
The Annals of the Heechee is a science fiction novel by the American writer Frederik Pohl, published in 1987 by Ballantine Books. It is about a dead space explorer's machine-stored version who is trying to discover why the Assassins, a mysterious type of pure energy beings, are threatening the stability of the universe. It is part of Pohl's Heechee Saga, which is about the Heechee, a fictional alien race created by Pohl. The Heechee developed advanced technologies, including interstellar space travel, but then disappeared.
The novel is about the multimillionaire space explorer Robinette Broadhead's efforts to solve a mystery. Even though he died in a previous novel in the series, his personality is stored on a machine. Broadhead is trying to resolve the issue of the "Assassins", which are pure-energy beings that stopped the expansion of the universe and triggered its contraction. The Assassins have concealed themselves in a black hole. Broadhead and the Heechee are trying to find them. When the Assassins come out, they converse with one of Broadhead's data-gathering computer programs and they reveal that they are not enemies.