"This book is worth reading if you are taking yourself too seriously. If you don't take yourself too seriously it is an even better read." — Amazon.com review
cover by Patrick Farley
© David Brin, 2020
read the first two chapters online, or scroll down to purchase The Ancient Ones
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Vince Gerardis
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We never expected that inventing Star-Drive would lead to this!
We were first! Humans invented star drive, bringing light and movement to the galaxy, forging a grand alliance with all races. (Well, most of them.) It seemed the galaxy was ours to lead and to share!
Till we met demmies.
Oh, they’re not so bad. They mean well. Impulsive and exasperating, sure. Often brilliant, cheeky, moronic, volatile, always astonishing... did I mention exasperating?
And lucky.
Gradually, it dawned on humanity —
Hey, that’s what WE wanted to be! In ancient sci-fi dreams, we pictured ourselves as the impulsive-lucky ones, not wise-patient elders. Only now...
... they reverently call Earthlings "the Ancient Ones." And demmies are having all the fun!
Dr. Alvin Montessori is Human Advisor aboard the mostly demmie-crewed star cruiser Clever Gamble, orbiting Oxytocin 41, where something weird is going on. It starts when the crew unreels a humongous hose down to the surface and their first contact team discovers a whole lot of 'something weird.'
Life... death... and the living dead... will never be the same.
purchase Ancient Ones
read the first two chapters online, or scroll down to purchase The Ancient Ones
Amazon.com US: paperback and Kindle ebook
Amazon.ca Canada: paperback and Kindle ebook
Amazon.co.uk UK: paperback and Kindle ebook
#AmazonCommissionsEarned
Apple Books US: iBook
Barnes and Noble US: NOOK Book
Kobo.com US: ebook
Mysterious Galaxy San Diego: (Kobo) ebook
Smashwords: ebook
meet David Brin's other exasperating aliens
Begin with Existence, when earthlings meet aliens, or Sundiver, where aliens teach us what it means to be a Progenitor...
Or check out Startide Rising, when earthlings uncover a forbidden secret about the first Progenitors, or The Uplift War, where our status as Progenitors is threatened...
Or dive into the ultimate Client rebellion in Brin's Uplift Trilogy.
a brief intro to science fiction author DAVID BRIN
To learn more, visit his books page, or see his "about me" page or detailed biography.
novels
David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!). Learn More
shorter fiction
Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form. Learn More
Contrary Brin blog
Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore. Learn More
social media influencer
Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages. Learn More
scientist
David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research. Learn More
transparency expert
Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy. Learn More
speaker & consultant
Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 200 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings.Learn More
future/tech advisor
Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was cited as one of the top 10 writers the AI elite follow. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Learn More
