The fleet of stars

In The Fleet of Stars, Poul Anderson brings back the wildly colorful Anson Guthrie, his iconoclastic hero from Harvest of Stars. The staid, somber people of Earth are not only dependent on technology, they are all but ruled by machine intelligence. Suspecting a conspiracy to suppress the last vestiges of freedom known to humankind, Guthrie sets out on a dangerous and hair-raising journey encompassing the realm of the comets, the asteroids, and the stars themselves.

Among the many exciting characters he meets along the way are the brave, beautiful Kinna Ronay and her courageous friend Fenn, who, against the advice of the wise and cautious Chuan, will join Guthrie in his attempt to stop the Terrans. Guthrie and his friends are determined that humankind will travel to the stars and roam the galaxies, even the universe itself, or die trying.