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"Fascinating Sci Fi"

Asgard is not a planet, but instead is a man made edifice consisting of a series of shells with spaces called levels between them. Each level contains habitats with their own ecosystem, but no one has found a way to traverse past level five. Levels one through five are for practical purposes dead and no portal to go beyond has been found though various species from across the galaxy have come here seeking the way in to the legendary treasure supposedly at level six and beyond.

Mike Rosseau has been on Asgard for more than twenty-five years seeking the access beyond the known levels. Mike's friend Saul has found the key to level six, but before he can mount an expedition he is killed and the newcomer Myrlin he was mentoring has vanished. Star Forces convince Mike to travel through the levels using Saul's book and glyphs as a guide. They seek the death of Myrlin, an android, who, if not stopped, could end human civilization.

Asgard is a fascinating place with worlds within worlds and by book's end the exciting story line has barely scratched the surface of the artifact sort of like a contained string theory. There is plenty action that in some ways will remind readers of Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Brian Stableford shows why he is regarded as a grandmaster of science fiction with this terrific novel and it is no secret that more treks to uncover ASGARD'S SECRET will follow soon.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 12, 2004

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 24, 2007

(aka Journey to the Center)

From acclaimed science fiction author Brian Stableford (Year Zero, Designer Genes: Tales from the Biotech Revolution) comes the first book in a staggering new trilogy featuring the most incredible backdrop of all — an entire planet. Asgard is a planet-sized artifact presently orbiting a star on the edge of the galaxy. It seems to consist of a series of concentric spheres, each of which was once host to several complex civilizations. Since its discovery by the Tetrax, scavengers from dozens of other species have accumulated in a hastily improvised city, busily scouring the outer layers for artifacts that might offer clues to the advanced technologies involved in the construction of Asgard. One of the few humans involved in this hectic search is Mike Rousseau. Michael must fend off predatory aliens, militant humans, and the rest of the races that are vying to be first into the hollow core of Asgard. But everything changes when he discovers that Asgard is still inhabited by another alien race — and who knows how they will react to the realization that there is an entire outside world above their heads?