Galileo's Dream
A Novel
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4.3 • 67 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke and Locus Awards • In this brilliant novel that spans centuries and planets, the bestselling author of the Mars trilogy melds Galileo’s life with the colonization of the moons he discovered.
At the heart of this provocative narrative that stretches from Renaissance Italy to the moons of Jupiter is the father of modern science: Galileo Galilei.
To the inhabitants of the Jovian moons, Galileo is a revered figure whose actions will influence the subsequent history of the human race. From the summit of their distant future, a charismatic renegade named Ganymede travels to the past to bring Galileo forward in an attempt to alter history and ensure the ascendancy of science over religion. And if that means Galileo must be burned at the stake, so be it.
From Galileo’s heresy trial to the politics of far-future Jupiter, Kim Stanley Robinson illuminates the parallels between a distant past and an even more remote future—in the process celebrating the human spirit and calling into question the convenient truths of our own moment in time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The creative imagination of Hugo, Nebula, and Locus winner Robinson (The Years of Rice and Salt) is on display in this offbeat novel of scientific discovery. In 1609, a stranger tells Galileo Galilei about a recent Dutch device that magnifies distant objects. The Italian scientist develops his own version, and the success of his telescope brings him recognition and acclaim. Forty pages in, the book changes genres abruptly as the stranger brings Galileo to Europa, the second moon of Jupiter, in a far future where various factions quarrel over plans to colonize the distant sphere. During the course of several trips through time and space, Galileo becomes something of a pawn in the political conflicts while gaining treasured glimpses of the future of science. Readers will eagerly share Galileo's curiosity and astonishment at the wonders of both the past and the future.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic read
Marvelous story grounded in history and sci fi
LOVED IT!
Such a good writer
Great turns of phrase
I thoroughly enjoyed every page
Dull Characters
The characters are just vehicles for physics lessons. Intensely unlikable on top of being flat and uninspired.
Highly enjoyable
Perhaps a recency effect, but this is, so far, my favorite of Robinson’s novels. The historical fiction layered onto his more typical stories of interplanetary affairs makes for great reading.