[The Mechanical Sky 02] • A Gathering of Stars

The ambitious Sultan of Alpha Centauri can only claim the illustrious title of Caliph if he makes a ritual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. This journey completed, he will rule the entire population of the greater Islamic universe. But human knowledge has not yet been able to overcome the significant challenges presented by interplanetary travel. However, the Sultan resourcefully enlists the help of Abdul Hamid-Jones, a clever fugitive with a price on his head and the law on his heels. Thrown into the bewildering world of the Sultan's schemes, Abdul receives a hasty introduction to complex physics and the even more complex political intrigues of the Sultan's court. Responsible for the successful execution of the Sultan's plan, Abdul slowly realizes with horror that the fate of the entire Solar system could be resting on his shoulders.

"The second volume more than satisfies the expectations set up by the first. What can you say about a writer with enough chutzpah and a slick enough line in speculative engineering to make you believe in wood-and-cloth starships and a scheme to sling entire solar systems around at relativistic velocities without rattling teacups on their inhabited planets? (I know what I can say... MORE! MORE!).

The atmosphere of these two novels veers from thrillingly dramatic to near slapstick, with Moffitt never quite losing control of the narrative.

...the physics and biology are all quite conservative. One precise dissection of the energy requirements of starships in the second volume is worth the price of admission by itself. And, oh, does Moffitt have fun with it all. You will too -- this book is definitely a good read in the classic SF sense. May the beneficient Allah rain his blessings on Donald Moffitt, so that we see many more from this major and too-little-recognized talent!" - Eric S. Raymond