THE SHATTERED SPHERE

More galactic hi-jinks in this sequel to Allen's paperback The Ring of Charon (1990), in which the Earth was stolen by alien Charonians (they resemble cyborg social insects) and inserted into an artificial solar system known as the Multisphere. Hemmed in by deadly Charonian Special Guardians, the Earth prepares to do battle—but its only space resources are the lone warship Terra Nova and a space colony, the Naked Purple Habitat, full of dissidents who rejoice in such names as Eyeballer Maximus Lock-on. Yet another complication is presented by the Adversary, an alien scavenger life form that tunnels through Charonian space-time wormholes in search of sustenance and isn't fussy whether its food is human or Charonian. So, can the scattered human resisters learn the Charonian secrets of gravity and time control from the Shattered Sphere before one or another set of aliens destroys them? Hypercomplicated, bulging with ideas that unfortunately run way ahead of Allen's ability to express them.