Eternal Frontier

Ape Man, Space Man

Earth's colonists have spread throughout the cosmos, and have almost divided into two separate species. One is the Swimmers, who have adapted to living in zero-gravity, and regard themselves as the next step in evolution, and those who prefer to live on the surface of a planet as little better than apes. The latter group, the Walkers, are not about to say farewell to the planets they grew up on, and think the Swimmers are not so much advanced as deranged.

Crowell, born a Swimmer but now a Walker by choice, is caught in the middle as the two sides seem headed for war. Then he discovers the true cause of the altercation: a hidden alien race moving behind the scenes to provoke a war so that they can pick up the pieces after the two sides have obliterated each other. And if Crowell cannot head off the war and convince both sides of the existence of the real enemy, both branches of the human race may be headed for untimely extinction.

This full-length novel and much more, fill a huge volume from the master of science fiction adventure.

"Much has been made of the 'sense of wonder' that science fiction evokes, and believe me, there was nothing to evoke that sense quite like the worlds of James Schmitz. . . . Thank you, James Schmitz, wherever you are. And thank you, Eric Flint and Jim Baen, for bringing his Right Stuff back again."
Mercedes Lackey

"Take my advice and buy TWO copies of this book! You'll want to lend it to friends and (trust me on this: I have years of experience to back up the observation) once people get their hands on a Schmitz book, they don't let go!"
Janet Kagan, Hugo-winner and author of Uhura's Song

Cover art by Bob Eggleton

Trade

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, September 2002

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 0-7434-3559-1

Copyright 2002 by estate of James H. Schmitz

"The Big Terrarium" was first published in Saturn, May 1957. "Summer Guests" was first published in IF, September 1959. "Captives of the Thieve-Star" was first published in Planet Stories, May 1951. "Caretaker" was first published in Galaxy, July 1953. "Left Hand, Right Hand" was first published in Amazing, November 1962. "One Step Ahead" was first published in IF, April 1974. "The Ties of Earth" was first published in Galaxy, November-December 1955. "Spacemaster" was first published in New Writings in SF 3 in 1965. "The Altruist" was first published in Galaxy, September 1952. "Oneness" was first published in Analog, May 1963. "We Don't Want Any Trouble" was first published in Galaxy, June 1953. "Just Curious" was first published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, December 1968. "These Are the Arts" was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 1962. "Would You?" was first published in Fantastic, December 1969. "Clean Slate" was first published in Amazing, September 1964. "Crime Buff" was first published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, August 1973. "Ham Sandwich" was first published in Analog, June 1963. "Where the Time Went" was first published in IF, November 1968. "An Incident on Route 12" was first published in IF, January 1962. "Swift Completion" was first published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March 1962. "Faddist" was first published in Bizarre Mystery, January 1966. The Eternal Frontiers was first published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in 1973.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
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Production by Windhaven Press
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Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com

IN THIS SERIES:

Telzey Amberdon
T 'n T: Telzey & Trigger
Trigger & Friends
The Hub: Dangerous Territory
Agent of Vega & Other Stories
The Witches of Karres (forthcoming)

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Mother of Demons
1632
1633 (with David Weber)

The Joe's World series:

The Philosophical Strangler
Forward the Mage (with Richard Roach)

The Belisarius series, with David Drake:

An Oblique Approach
In the Heart of Darkness
Destiny's Shield
Fortune's Stroke
The Tide of Victory
The Tyrant (with David Drake)

with Dave Freer:

Rats, Bats & Vats
Pyramid Scheme