of years ago. Horrified at the rise and fall of biological societies, they devised a plan to enclose planets on the verge of societal collapse in Spin membranes to slow their advancement until a way could be found to save them. Jason dies shortly after explaining this and has Tyler mail copies of the information to trusted informants. Tyler gives the Martian treatment to Diane, who recovers. Shortly after, the membrane partially reasserts itself, allowing the stars to be seen and synchronizing Earth time with that of the universe, but filtering the solar radiation to a survivable level. It's discovered that the Spin membrane had been retracted to let a massive ring descend and embed itself in the Indian Ocean. The "Arch", as it becomes known, acts as a portal to another world, one engineered by the Hypotheticals to give mankind a new chance at life. A decade after the appearance of the Arch, Diane and Tyler, now married, flee from agents of the United States government who seek to arrest them for possessing forbidden Martian technology. Tyler takes the same cure that Jason and Diane did, becoming a "Fourth" himself, and Tyler and Diane pass through the Arch with a group of Indonesian refugees. They scatter Jason's ashes in the crossing between Earth and the other world so that he finally can be at peace. Awards Hugo Award winner, 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award nominee, 2006 Locus Award nominee, 2006 Geffen Award (translated science fiction book), 2006 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis (foreign fiction), 2007 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (foreign-language novel), 2008 Seiun Award (best foreign language novel), 2009 References External links Spin at Worlds Without End 2005 American novels Hugo Award for Best Novel-winning works 2005 science fiction novels Canadian science fiction novels Novels by Robert Charles Wilson Dystopian novels Tor Books books Self-replicating machines in fiction