Francis A. Andrew was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He is not a scientist by training but has maintained a life-long interest in this area – particularly in the discipline of astronomy. Francis Andrew is highly indebted to Sir Fred Hoyle, Sir Patrick Moore and Professor Naline Chandra Wickramasinghe for arousing his interest in astronomy and for providing him with many of the ideas for both this and his other science fiction novels. Andrew believes that this genre of novel will play a significant role in constructing the bridge which will link the sciences and humanities in bonds hitherto undreamed of, and provide as much fascination for the unique horizons they will open up for the human mind as for the attainment of that most desirable of all goals, the greater welfare and survival of mankind as a species regardless of cultural differences. Francis Andrew is a lecturer in English at the College of Applied Sciences in Nizwa in the Sultanate of Oman.