Deadman Switch, Timothy Zahn
Deadman Switch, Timothy Zahn
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Deadman Switch

Author: Timothy Zahn

Narrator: Jonathan Sleep

Unabridged: 12 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/20/2025


Synopsis

Death-row inmates are used for a lethal mining operation—but one is innocent—in this science fiction novel by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

Only the recently dead can helm the "deadman switch" to pilot a ship through the Cloud, a mysterious solar entity that shields the Solitaire solar system and its valuable heavy metals. Two convicted murderers are routinely sacrificed for this task—one to enter the system, one to exit. Gilead Raca Benedar is a Watcher, employed by the wealthy head of an intergalactic mining company as a human lie detector of sorts. When Benedar is sent to Solitaire, with its metal-rich moons, to assist with the acquisition of its valuable mining rights, he and the crew are able to make it to Solitaire safely, and all goes well. That is, until Benedar's Watcher powers show him that the second convict they are traveling with—the one meant to helm the deadman switch on their return journey—is innocent.

About Timothy Zahn

It is not often that you hear of someone going through several years of postgraduate education, who ends up turning a hobby into their life's, paying, productive work. Such is the unusual story of American author, Timothy Zahn, who was born in 1951, grew up in Lombard, IL and graduated with a B.S. Degree in physics from Michigan State University. He then proceeded to the University of IL where he received his M.S. Degree in 1975. After beginning his doctorate in physics, his advisor passed away, and he never did complete the studies.

Zahn had started writing as a hobby, so when his plans changed, he took his writing of science fiction to a higher level. Zahn is best known for his Thrawn Star Wars series of novels. He has also had other novels of fantasy and science fiction. There are also many works that he has penned in short story fiction.

Zahn and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon and have one son, Corwin Zahn.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Judy on May 09, 2021

I am so glad I finally read this book. It's been on my Paperwhite for ages and every time I scrolled by it I reminded myself to read it although, honestly, I had totally forgotten what the story was about. What I found is a story that explored questions of faith and belief in a future world where th......more

Goodreads review by Michael on May 02, 2015

I enjoy Timothy Zahn books very much and this one is no exception. This book has a very unique take on space flight as well as a very entailed story of a religious man in a very difficult situation. A bit creepy, but full of interesting ideas. In this sense comparable to "Warhorse", which also had a......more

Goodreads review by Benjamin on February 05, 2021

Deadman Switch by Timothy Zahn is something a little different, a slow-burning but high-tension legal thriller wrapped up in science fiction dressings. It is also a multilayered story featuring anti-religious prejudice, providence, and the morality of lying. This particular work is more on the liter......more

Goodreads review by Travis on July 28, 2023

Zahn does so well with pacing. Every book jumps in quickly, just throwing you directly into the world. There are always unique worldbuilding elements, but they're not so large that I ever feel disoriented. I think that's how he's able to jump right into the plot, rather than providing lots of settin......more

Goodreads review by Derelict on March 06, 2021

Zahn melds SF concept (navigation requires a recently deceased pilot; spaceships carry two death-row felons) to moral quandary (one ‘zombie’ pilot has been wrongly convicted). The novel goes through several phase shifts exploring the wider value of maintaining a small human focus.......more