Synopsis: From the front flap of the Tor first edition: "The life of an award-winning novelist probably bears more resemblance to "normal" than most fans would want to believe. But every once in a, while, strange things are bound to erupt around those most equipped to document them... so imagine what renowned science fiction author John Barnes will do when he finds himself in one of the wildest, most rollicking hard-SF adventures to hit print in years. Barnes's college friend Travis Bismarck always brought back plenty of great stories from his job as an industrial spy. This time, over a few beer- and coffee-fueled chat sessions, Travis unravels s tale about his current case too tall for even an SF writer to believe: a Gaudeamus machine that bends physics in order to make possible both teleportation and time travel, and how it gets stolen - twice; a grad student-cum-prostitute who deals in telepathy-inducing drugs that let her "download" top-secret documents from her clients' brains; a romp through Colorado and New Mexico during which each episode and character is more bizarre than the last; and the internet meme that seems to tie it all together. Barnes' playful commentary on Travis's story and his own life as an SF writer and drama teacher, interspersed with their everyday interactions with a group of funny compelling friends, is related in a surprising and non-traditional narrative that blurs the line between fact, fiction, and metafiction."