The novel “Divergence” by Charles Sheffield was published for the first time in 1991. It’s the second book of the Heritage universe and is the sequel to “Summertide“.

E.C. Tally is an artificial intelligence but his mission requires a physical body. For this reason, an organic human body is grown for him and his brain is implanted in it. This way, he can interact with human beings on the planet Quake, in the Dobelle system, where he’s sent to see what happened after the Summertide because no news came from it anymore.

During the Summertide, the planet Quake has literally opened and out and an artificial object came out of it. It went towards the planet Gargantua, where the group of humans and aliens came to investigate the Summertime follows it. The hope is to discover the secrets of the Builders but their structures can still hide dangers after millions of years.

“Summertide” was a great introduction to the Heritage universe in which Charles Sheffield introduced the mysterious structures of the Builders and the protagonists of the series. At the beginning of “Divergence”, which picks up the story where it finished in the previous novel, he summarizes the information needed to understand this fictional universe but it would be better to read the first novel to follow the development of the characters and their research.

In “Summertide” the readers found many questions about the Builders, in “Divergence” they start getting answers. Even after millions of years, the structures left by the Builders are active but on the planet Quake something unprecedented happened that led the group of humans and aliens whocame to study the unique Summertide to Gargantua, a gas giant planet of the Dobelle system.

“Divergence” tells the progressive discovery of some of the Builders’ secrets. It can be included in the archeological science fiction sub-genre because the theme of the research and exploration of ancient artificial structures is central. However, Charles Sheffield also adds elements connected to the situation of that time and the possible consequences of the discoveries.

The plot is really essential in the sense that the protagonists, some for scientific interest, some looking for personal gain and some to find the others, reach the planet Gargantua. There begins the exploration of a Builders’ structure, which is the central event of the novel, with its many dangers.

There are moments of action, even intense, with the dangers that help to keep the tension high. However, the novel is devoted for the most part to the revelation of various information on the Builders’ activities and purposes. Between chapters there are excerpts from the “Lang Universal Artifact Catalog” but also from the “Universal Species Catalog” that give more data about the Heritage universe.

The consequence is that the pace tends to be slow but “Divergence” is interesting especially for the mysteries concerning the Builders. They have a really huge cosmic dimension in terms of space and time. The novel also includes elements of the history of other species, which in some cases has mysterious roots.

It’s not just about the discovery of the past but also about the consequences it can have. The Builders have their agenda for the future and the protagonists are involved in those plans as representatives of their species. Overcoming the dangers they stumble into doesn’t just mean surviving but also affect the future history.

The revelation of the various secrets of the Builders makes “Divergence” overall more interesting than “Summertide”. The main flaw of the second novel is that the plot, and especially the ending, has a few cliches. It’s as if Charles Sheffield wanted to create a kind of happy ending that turned out a bit forced.

The feeling of something forced is even greater because an adventure ends but it leaves many narrative threads open. The protagonists made a huge leap forward in the understanding of the Builders but there’s still a lot to be discovered and the consequences of what happened are all to be assessed.

“Divergence” has some flaws but I think that overall it continues an intriguing series with a good balance between the answers given and the mysteries yet to be investigated in later novels. If you like these kinds of stories I recommend it.