The Dark Side of the Sun

The Dark Side of the Sun is a comic science fiction novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1976. It is largely unrelated to Strata and the Discworld series, with much less comedy and parody than these. The Dark Side of the Sun makes many light-hearted references to famous science fiction works, such as those of Isaac Asimov.

The plot concerns the search for the homeworld of a mysterious alien race that disappeared centuries ago, leaving behind a variety of astounding feats of engineering (such as a pair of stars shaped into rings and joined together like links in a chain), but no hints about their form or day-to-day life. Specifically, it follows the adventures of Dom Sabalos, destined to be the discoverer of the homeworld, beginning with the first assassination attempt by an organisation that is determined to prevent the homeworld being discovered (and which has already dealt with a number of earlier destined discoverers, including Dom's father).

The plot is, however, largely an excuse for the protagonists to pass rapidly from planet to planet, showing off a variety of fascinating alien worlds, races, and characters.

External links

• Annotations and quotations for The Dark Side of the Sun