Charles Sheffield is one of the premiere voices in contemporary hard science fiction. A native of Great Britain, he earned his doctorate in physics from Cambridge University before coming to the United States to work in the space industry. He has worked on projects connected with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is the chief scientist and board member of the Earth Satellite Corporation. Sheffield has also served in the past as president of the American Astronautical Society.

Sheffield took up writing science fiction somewhat late in his career, with his first novel in the genre, Sight of Proteus, seeing print in 1978. He has since become prolific in the field, and continues to produce stories and novels as well as nonfiction books and articles about space. Many critics agree that the scientific ideas explored in Sheffield's fiction are often spectacular, and his works have garnered him...