by Bob Shaw
First published 1987
Hutchman designs guidance systems for rockets. He goes to work each day, solves technical problems, and lives a quiet life without grand dreams. Then he makes a discovery that changes everything. The device he has created possesses the power to obliterate all human life. But it also offers a path to world peace, though using it would cost Hutchman his own life. He faces an impossible choice between global destruction and personal sacrifice. The world's governments learn about his invention and unite for the first time in history. They all share the same goal: kill Hutchman and destroy his machine before he can use it. They refuse his solution to humanity's conflicts. Hutchman becomes the most hunted man on Earth. Every major power wants him dead. He runs while carrying the weight of a decision that will determine whether civilization survives or perishes.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, thriller, action
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: hunted-protagonist, impossible-choice
187 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Grafton