New York: TOR / Tom Doherty Associates, (2005.) dj. Hardcover first edition - Winner of the 2006 Hugo Award. An artificial barrier has been placed around the Earth by aliens, the moon and stars disappear (the Great Blackout), and scientists discover that time is passing faster outside the barrier than it is on the planet. One review called this a combination of a tender love story, science fiction thriller, ecological parable and apocalyptic fable; it is a novel at once thought-provoking and entertaining. 362 pp. ISBN: 0-765309386.