A Time Odyssey

"A Time Odyssey" is a series of novels co-written by Arthur C. Clarke (author of "") and Stephen Baxter. As of 2008, the series consists of:
*Vol. 1 – "Time's Eye" (March 3, 2003)
*Vol. 2 – "Sunstorm" (March 29, 2005)
*Vol. 3 – "Firstborn" (December 26 2007)

The 2008 Gollancz edition of the book describes itself on the cover as the "Conclusion" of the series, but the plot is not concluded in the book. The immediate threat is averted but the enemy is not defeated, suggesting that further novels in the series were intended. With the death of Clarke, one of the two authors, it is not clear whether these will be written.

Premise

The story is based on Clarke's previous "Space Odyssey" novel series. In the introduction to the "Time's Eye", Clarke describes the premise as "neither a prequel nor a sequel" to "Space Odyssey", but an "orthoquel" (a neologism coined by Clarke for this purpose, combining the word "sequel" with "ortho-", the Greek prefix meaning "straight" or "perpendicular", and alluding to the fact that time is orthogonal to space in relativity theory). In "Space Odyssey", a race of benevolent godlike aliens with highly advanced technology decides to use machines called "monoliths" to travel across space and seed the universe with intelligent life (including Earth) and "test" and "weed out" species that have no possibility for intelligence.

In the "Time Odyssey" series, not-so-benevolent godlike aliens start an endless mission to regulate the development of sentient life in the Universe, in order to prevent all other species from harnessing too much of its energy, which would only accelerate the inevitable entropic death of the Universe, thus rendering sentient life impossible at the end of the universe. Consequently, these "Firstborn" are destroying all intelligent species. To preserve a record of these eradicated species, the Firstborn create a new alternate universe containing the species' homeworld in different time periods.