The other end of time

the long version

From back cover Tor paperback July 1997: INTERSTELLAR WAR Earth, 2031: Alien contact Signals are received: a code depiction of creatures pantomiming the cataclysmic destruction of the universe. Soon after, scientists note unusual radiation emanating from an abandoned Earth-orbital observatory. When a group of scientists and astronauts board the observatory to investigate, they are taken prisoner. An unsuspecting Earth has just become part of a vast interstellar war. For the human prisoners, this minor skirmish in a vast war becomes a fantastic adventure. The hunters become the hunted, the prey the predators, and nothing is at it seems. The only sure thing is that the winners will rule eternity at... *The Other End of Time*