Lauded as -the natural heir to the hard-sci-fi crown of Arthur C. Clarke- (The Daily Telegraph, UK), Stephen Baxter delivers an unforgettable novel of an extraordinary world--and its untamed landscape.... Mankind's future in this galaxy could be all but infinite.... There are hundreds of billions of red dwarf stars, lasting trillions of years--and their planets can be habitable for humans. Such is the world of Proxima Centauri. And its promise could mean the never-ending existence of humanity. But first it must be colonized, and no one wants to be a settler. There is no glamor that accompanies it, like being the first man on the moon, nor is there the ease of becoming a citizen of an already-tamed world. There is only hardship...loneliness...emptiness. But that's where Yuri comes in. Because sometimes exploration isn't voluntary. It must be coerced....