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''The Long Earth'' is the first novel in a collaborative science fiction series by British authors Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. ==Plot Summary== The 'Long Earth' is a (possibly infinite) series of parallel worlds that are similar to Earth, which can be reached by using an inexpensive device called a "Stepper". The "close" worlds are almost identical to 'our' Earth (referred to as "Datum Earth"), others differ in greater and greater details, but all share one similarity: on none are there, or have there ever been, ''Homo sapiens'' - although the same cannot be said for earlier hominid species, especially ''Homo habilis''. The book deals primarily with the journey of Joshua Valienté (a natural 'Stepper') and Lobsang, who claims to be a Tibetan motorcycle repairman reincarnated as an artificial intelligence. The two chart a course to learn as much as possible about the parallel worlds, travelling millions of steps away from the original Earth. They encounter evidence of other humanoid species (referred to as trolls and elves); of human settlers who learned their gifts early, and of an extinct race of bipedal dinosaur descendants. They also encounter warning signs of a great danger, millions of worlds away from 'our' Earth, causing catastrophe as it moves. The book also deals with the effects of the explosion of available space on the people of Datum Earth and the new colonies and political movements that are spreading in the wake of Step Day. A young girl, Helen Green, and her family (with the exception of her brother, Rod, who is unable to step) trek across the long earth to form a new community, Reboot, on Earth West 101,754. After stepping across 'The Gap' - a universe around two million steps from the Datum where the earth no longer exists - Joshua and Lobsang encounter the threat that has caused the slow migration of Trolls away from the gap. First Person Singular is a being that absorbs other sentient life forms, eventually taking over everything on earth before stepping to the next. It currently cannot pass The Gap. During Joshua and Lobsangs travels they uncover a plot by a group of anti-steppers, named 'Humanity First', to detonate a nuclear bomb in Madison, USA. Joshua and Lobsang are unable to return in time and the bomb is detonated. Fortunately, the majority of the population is able to flee by stepping into other worlds before the explosion. Joshua holds Lobsang accountable for the detonation, stating a being as near-omniscient/omnipotent as he must have known about the plot and could have stopped it if he wished. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Long Earth」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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