From the author of FlashForward, a far-future spaceships-and-aliens hard-SF extravaganza in the tradition of Larry Niven

Starplex tells the story of the discovery of an ancient and apparently abandoned network of interstellar shortcuts or stargates that gives humanity access to the entire galaxy. During first contact with a newly discovered alien race, the human, dolphin, and extraterrestrial crew of the vast research vessel Starplex is sent on a mind-bending adventure that covers millions of light-years and billions of years. Along the way, Sawyer addresses virtually every question in modern cosmology, including the origin and ultimate fate of the universe.

Reviews:
"The ultimate grand tour!"
-- Jack McDevitt

"Starplex should gladden the hearts of readers who complain that nobody's writing real science fiction anymore, the kind of story that has faster-than-light spaceships and far-off planets and interstellar combat. Sawyer deftly juggles half a dozen sweeping questions of cosmology (not to mention everyday ethics and morality) while keeping the story moving ahead full speed. Enjoy."
-- Asimov's Science Fiction

"An epic hard-science adventure tempered by human concerns.
Highly recommended."
-- Library Journal

"Mind-boggling. A complaint often heard these days is that there’s not enough 'sense of wonder' in today’s science fiction. Starplex ought to lay that complaint to rest for quite a while."
-- Analog Science Fiction and Fact

"Sawyer is on a par with giants like Asimov and Heinlein - and, perhaps more than any other science fiction writer working today, he understands that it's a genre about ideas."
-- Mystery News