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Summary
Summary
With prose "as clear and engaging as his ideas" (New York Times Book Review), award-winning author Joe Haldeman blends scientific fact and far-seeing fiction as he pulls readers into a mind-shattering undersea mystery-from outer space... An unidentified artifact, found seven miles below the surface of the sea, stumps the scientists examining it. But it calls out to the two immortal creatures who have wandered the Earth for centuries. Two creatures who have never crossed paths-until now...
Author Notes
Joe Haldeman has uniquely blended a strong interest in astronomy and with his love for writing to publish numerous novels, anthologies and short stories over three decades. He holds a B.S. in astronomy from the University of Maryland (1967), and an M.F.A. in English from the Iowa Writers Workshop (1975). An adjunct professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Haldeman has also taught at Michigan State, Larion West Seattle, SUNY Buffalo, Princeton, University of North Dakota, Kent State and the University of North Florida
Haldeman's works include War Year (1972), The Forever War (1975), Worlds (1981), Worlds Apart (1983), Tools of the Trade (1987), and The Hemingway Hoax (1990). He has also co-authored and edited numerous works of science fiction.
Born in Oklahoma on June 9, 1943, Haldeman grew up in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Alaska. He was drafted into the military in 1967, fighting in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a combat engineer with the 4th Division (1/22nd Airmobile Battalion), for which he received the Purple Heart, among other medals.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Joe Haldeman's Camouflage, a near-future SF thriller that alternates between the experiences of two different aliens who land on Earth, skillfully weaves its disparate plot threads until the cop-out, deus ex machina ending. This is a more sophisticated, if less than satisfying, handling of a similar situation in Hal Clement's Needle (1950). Agent, Ralph Vicinanza. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
In 2019, a mysterious, egg-shaped artifact is discovered on the ocean floor off the coast of Samoa. Denser than any known material, the object defies all attempts to either break through or communicate with it. Marine biologist Russell Sutton, whose last major feat was raising the Titanic, takes charge of the excavation, hoping to make a fortune by capitalizing on the artifact's probable extraterrestrial origin. Sutton little suspects that his destiny will soon intertwine with a pair of shape-shifting--and apparently immortal--aliens. One, known as the changeling, has been on Earth millions of years, assuming every identity from shark to human being, and slowly learning to love. The other, called the chameleon, has excelled in warlike roles and delights in killing. Neither knows of the other's existence, but their slowly merging paths will meet in a stunning climax that determines their ultimate fates--and that of the artifact. Award-winning sf veteran Haldeman proves as engaging a storyteller as ever, especially given this book's irresistible premise and page-turning action. --Carl Hays Copyright 2004 Booklist
Kirkus Review
Near-future aliens-among-us yarn, from the author of Forever Free (1999), etc. Russell Sutton owns a small but expert marine research company. He wants no military ties, but when about-to-be-ex-US Navy Admiral Jack Halliburton approaches him with a deep-water salvage proposal, he's inclined to listen. Seven miles down, at the bottom of an oceanic trench, reposes a small, metallic, impenetrable object. Russ and Jack soon join forces and raise it. On a site in Samoa, they attempt to probe its secrets, but the superdense, superheavy object proves impervious. Meanwhile, we learn, there are two aliens roaming the Earth, neither aware of the other but alert to the possibility that there may be another. One, the changeling, spent thousands of years in the sea before coming ashore in 1931 to learn about humanity; it can assume any form ("Back in the sixties I spent a week as a motel television set"). The other alien, the chameleon, can adopt any human semblance; a conscienceless killer, determined to survive at all costs, it has secretly become the world's richest person. When Russ and Jack zap the object with an ultra-high-powered laser, causing it to levitate, news of the artifact's existence begins to leak out, attracting spooks, newshounds, the changeling and the chameleon. Finally, by hitting the artifact with soundwaves, the investigators elicit a message--but it's in an indecipherable code. Russ, suddenly and startlingly, becomes aware of the changeling's existence. But where, and who, is the chameleon? Well-constructed and intriguingly set up, but ultimately a disagreeable surprise: the story slips away, and you're left holding an empty coat. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
When the navy discovers a mysterious artifact seven miles underwater in the depths of the Tonga-Kermadec Trench, it approaches marine biologist and former government scientist Russell Sutton for assistance. Reluctantly, Sutton agrees, unaware that a pair of immortal beings (shapechangers) has been summoned from its eternal wanderings to the presence of the artifact. With his customary economy of words, Haldeman (The Forever War) examines the differences and similarities between human and nonhuman nature as his protagonists face possible destruction. Superb storytelling and a panoramic view of history recommend this novel to most sf collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
