As the old saying went, the Manhattan Project wasn't built in a day. Or was that Rome? Something to do with Earth, anyway.
Alastair ReynoldsNightside, cities glistened in chains, and a spray of tinkertoy habitats girdled the planet. Gossamer starbridges reached from the equator towards orbit.
Alastair ReynoldsAutocratic governments are masters of self-contradiction. They say one thing, do another.
Alastair ReynoldsIt looked like a biology lesson for gods, or a snapshot of the kind of pornography which might be enjoyed by sentient planets.
Alastair Reynolds