2008-09-28 A propable answer to the fermi paradox

This is the second book in Baxter's tetralogy "Manidold" the scope of which is to find answers to the Fermi paradox. But Space is the only one which really provides a propable answer (if we except "Time"'s answer that yes we are alone) while the third and fourth books (origins and Phase Space) give abswers that are interesting but scientifically not so propable.
But Space do give a propable answer: telling a story with a journey through thousands of years in the future the answer is yes there are many aliens in the universe but most of them are destroying themselves through war or ecological distructions (humans are a candidate for such a future!!). But some of them escape this fate and they finally make it to the stars as the expansion in space is the only means to sustain themselves finding new recources. But travelling in sublight speeds they need thousands of years to cover some hundreds of light years and so the possibility to meet eachother is rather small. It does happen but not everyday. But even they will be finally destroyed from cosmic events like supernova explosions or the collapase of neutron stars which can destroy life across many light years! To say it in one world allthough many life forms exist in the universe the is no TIME to meet eachother and even if they will meet others the most propable result will be the anihillation of one race from another in this continuing expansion for recources.
But Baxter also tells us another story embedded in the first one: the story of the continual fail of humanity to see in the long term to make longterm planning in one world the story of a blinkered humanity. And this is also, unfortunatelly, true.
All in all this a book that will make you rethink our place in the universe and our future.