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Kim Stanley Robinson

Galileo's Dream

by Kim Stanley Robinson (Author) Format: Hardcover

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The winner of every major science fiction award, Kim Stanley Robinson is a novelist who looks ahead with optimism even while acknowledging the steep challenges facing our planet and species: a clear-eyed realist who has not forgotten how to dream. His new novel offers his most audacious dream yet. At the heart of a brilliant narrative that stretches from Renaissance Italy to the moons of Jupiter is one man, 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.

Yet between his brief and jarring visitations to this future, Galileo must struggle against the ignorance and superstition of his own time. And it is here that Robinson is at his most brilliant, showing Galileo in all his contradictions and complexity. Robinson's Galileo is a tour de force of imaginative and historical empathy: the shining center around which the novel revolves.

From Galileo's heresy trial to the politics of far-future Jupiter, from the canals of Venice to frozen, mysterious Europa, 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.

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Print length

544 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Spectra
Publication date

December 29, 2009
Dimensions

6.62 x 1.48 x 9.53 inches
ISBN-10

0553806599
ISBN-13

978-0553806595

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In early-seventeenth-century Venice, a mysterious stranger tells Galileo about magnifying lenses he has seen in the Netherlands, inspiring the scientist to construct a workable spyglass and later view the bodies in the night sky with it. One night, in company with the visitor, Galileo is transported centuries into the future and spatially to the moons of Jupiter. He’s the center of a dispute there between those who believe that, if he does certain things, their future will never come to pass and those who don’t believe it. Thereafter, Galileo strives to understand the wonders of what, during apparent syncopes, he is seeing on the Jovian moons, while earning his living and making his own discoveries in Italy. The latter eventually lead to arraignment for heresy for supporting the Copernican theory. Robinson skillfully melds the disputes of seventeenth-century Italy and speculation on future philosophical conflict, meanwhile providing an engrossing portrait of the epochal scientist—so engrossing that one may feel tempted to learn Tuscan to see how true-to-life Robinson’s depiction is. --Frieda Murray

Review

About the Author

Kim Stanley Robinson is a winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards. He is the author of nineteen previous books, including the bestselling Mars trilogy and the critically acclaimed Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting, The Years of Rice and Salt, and Antarctica. In 2008 he was named a "Hero of the Environment" by Time magazine, and he recently joined in the Sequoia Parks Foundation's Artists in the Back Country program. He lives in Davis, California.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

The Stranger All of a sudden Galileo felt that this moment had happened before—that he had been standing in the artisans' Friday market outside Venice's Arsenale and had felt someone's gaze on him, and looked up to see a man staring at him, a tall stranger with a beaky narrow face. As before (but what before?) the stranger acknowledged Galileo's gaze with a lift of the chin, then walked toward him through the market, threading through the crowded blankets and tables and stalls spread all over the Campiello del Malvasia. The sense of repetition was strong enough to make Galileo a little dizzy, although a part of his mind was also detached enough to wonder how it might be that you could sense someone's gaze resting on you.

The stranger came up to Galileo, stopped and bowed stiffly, then held out his right hand. Galileo bowed in return, took the offered hand, and squeezed; it was narrow and long, like the man's face.

In guttural Latin, very strangely accented, the stranger croaked, "Are you Domino Signor Galileo Galilei, professor of mathematics at the University of Padua?"

"I am. Who are you?"

The man let go of his hand. "I am a colleague of Johannes Kepler. He and I recently examined one of your very useful military compasses."

"I am glad to hear it," Galileo said, surprised. "I have corresponded with Signor Kepler, as he probably told you, but he did not write to me about this. When and where did you meet him?"

"Last year, in Prague."

Galileo nodded. Kepler's places of residence had shifted through the years in ways Galileo had not tried to keep track of. In fact he had not answered Kepler's last letter, having failed to get through the book that had accompanied it. "And where are you from?"

"Northern Europe."

Alta Europa. The man's Latin was really quite strange, unlike other transalpine versions Galileo had heard. He examined the man more closely, noted his extreme height and thinness, his stoop, his intent close-set eyes. He would have had a heavy beard, but he was very finely shaved. His expensive dark jacket and cloak were so clean they looked new. The hoarse voice, beaky nose, narrow face, and black hair made him seem like a crow turned into a man. Again Galileo felt the uncanny sensation that this meeting had happened before. A crow talking to a bear—

"What city, what country?" Galileo persisted.

"Echion Linea. Near Morvran."

"I don't know those towns."

"I travel extensively." The man's gaze was fixed on Galileo as if on his first meal in a week. "Most recently I was in the Netherlands, and there I saw an instrument that made me think of you, because of your compass, which, as I said, Kepler showed me. This Dutch device was a kind of looking glass."

"A mirror?"

"No. A glass to look through. Or rather, a tube you look at things through, with a glass lens at each end. It makes things look bigger."

"Like a jeweler's lens?"

"Yes."

"Those only work for things that are close."

"This one worked for things that were far away."

"How could that be?"

The man shrugged.

This was interesting. "Perhaps it was because there were two lenses," Galileo said. "Were they convex or concave?"

The man almost spoke, hesitated, then shrugged again. His stare went almost cross-eyed. His eyes were brown, flecked with green and yellow splashes, like Venice's canals near sunset. Finally he said, "I don't know."

Galileo found this unimpressive. "Do you have one of these tubes?"

"Not with me."

"But you have one?"

"Not of that type. But yes."

"And so you thought to tell me about it."

"Yes. Because of your compass. We saw that among its other applications, you could use it to calculate certain distances."

"Of course." One of the compass's main functions was to range cannon shots. Despite which very few artillery services or officers had ever purchased one. Three hundred and seven, to be precise, had sold over a period of twelve years.

The stranger said, "Such calculations would be easier if you could see things farther away."

"Many things would be easier."

"Yes. And now it can be done."

"Interesting," Galileo said. "What is your name again, signor?"

The man looked away uneasily. "I see the artisans are packing to depart. I am keeping you from them, and I must meet a man from Ragusa. We will see each other again."

With a quick bow he turned and walked along the tall brick side wall of the campiello, hurrying in the direction of the Arsenale, so that Galileo saw him under the emblem of the winged lion of St. Mark that stretched in bas relief over the lintel of the great fortress's entryway. For a second it looked as if one bird-beast were flying over another. Then the man turned the corner and disappeared.

Galileo turned his attention back to the artisans' market. Some of them were indeed leaving, folding up their blankets in the afternoon shadows and putting their wares into boxes and baskets. During the fifteen or twenty years he had been advising various groups in the Arsenale, he had often dropped by the Friday market to see what might be on display in the way of new tools or devices, machine parts, and so on. Now he wandered around through the familiar faces, moving by habit. But he was distracted. It would be a good thing to be able to see distant objects as if they were close by. Several obvious uses sprang to mind. Military advantages, in fact.

He made his way to one of the lens-makers' tables, humming a little tune of his father's that came to him whenever he was on the hunt. There would be better lenses in Murano or Florence; here he found nothing but the usual magnifying glasses that one used for close work. He picked up two, held them in the air before his right eye. St. Mark's lion couchant became a flying ivory blur. It was a poorly done bas relief, he saw again with his other eye, very primitive compared to the worn Roman statues under it on either side of the gate.

Galileo put the lenses back on their table and walked down to the Riva San Biagio, where one of the Padua ferries docked. The splendor of the Serenissima gleamed in the last part of the day. On the riva he sat on his usual post, thinking it over. Most of the people there knew to leave him alone when he was in thought. People still reminded him of the time he had shoved a bargeman into the canal for interrupting his solitude.

A magnifying glass was convex on both sides. It made things look larger, but only when they were a few fingers from the glass, as Galileo knew very well. His eyes, often painful to him, had in recent years been losing their sharpness for nearby things. He was getting old: a hairy round old man, with failing eyesight. A lens was a help, especially if ground well.

It was easy to imagine a lens grinder in the course of his work holding up two lenses, one in front of the other, to see what would happen. He was surprised he hadn't done it himself. Although, as he had just discovered, it didn't do much. He could not immediately say why. But he could investigate the phenomenon in his usual manner. At the very least he could look through different kinds of lenses in various combinations, and simply see what he saw.

There was no wind this Friday afternoon, and the ferry's crew rowed slowly along the Canale della Giudecca and onto the open lagoon, headed for the fondamente at Porta Maghere. The captain's ritual cursing of the oarsmen cut through the cries of the trailing seagulls, sounding like lines from Ruzante. You girls, you rag dolls, my mother rows better than you do—

"Mine definitely does," Galileo pitched in absently, as he always did. The old bitch still had arms like a stevedore. She had been beating the shit out of Marina until he had intervened, that time the two had fought; and Galileo knew full well that Marina was no slouch when it came to landing a punch. Holding them apart, everyone scream- ing . . .

From his spot in the ferry's bow he faced the setting sun. There had been many years when he would have spent the night in town, usually at Sagredo's pink palazzo—"The Ark"—with its menagerie of wild creatures and its riotous parties. But now Sagredo was in Aleppo on a diplomatic assignment, and Paolo Sarpi lived in a stone monk's cell, despite his exalted office, and all the rest of Galileo's partners in mischief had also moved away or changed their night habits. No, those years were gone. They had been good years, even though he had been broke—as he still was. Work all day in Padua, party all night in Ven?ice. Thus his rides home had usually been on a dawn barge, standing in the bow buzzing with the afterglow of wine and sex, laughter and sleeplessness. On those mornings the sun would pop over the Lido behind them and pour over his shoulders, illuminating the sky and the mirror surface of the lagoon, a space as simple and clear as a good proof: everything washed clean, etched on the eye, glowing with the promise of a day that could bring anything.

Whereas coming home on the day's last barge, as now, was always a return to the home fire of his life's endlessly tangled problems. The more the western sky blazed in his face, the more likely his mood was to plummet. His temperament was volatile, shifting rapidly among the humors, and every histrionic sunset threatened to make it crash like a pelican diving into the lagoon.

On this evening, however, the air was clear, and Venus hung high in a lapis lazuli dusk, gleaming like some kind of emblem. And he was still thinking about the stranger and his strange news. Could it be true? And if so, why had no one noticed before?

On the long dock up the estuary he debarked, and walked over to the line of carts starting out on their night journeys. He hopped on the back of one of the regulars that went to Padua, greeting the driver and lying on his back to watch the stars bounce overhead. By the time the cart rolled past Via Vignali, near the center ...

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Spectra
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 29, 2009
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553806599
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0553806595
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.75 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.62 x 1.48 x 9.53 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #2,383,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #976 in Colonization Science Fiction
- #2,876 in Science Fiction Adventures
- #10,036 in Historical Fiction (Books)
Customer Reviews:
(774)

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Kim Stanley Robinson

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Kim Stanley Robinson has won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. He is the author of over twenty previous books, including the bestselling Mars trilogy and the highly acclaimed FORTY SIGNS OF RAIN. He lives in Davis, California.

Customer reviews

774 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this novel engaging and one of Robinson's best works, appreciating its unique blend of science fiction with historical elements and extensive research. The book features well-developed characters, particularly Galileo's believable portrayal, and customers find it thought-provoking, with one review noting its powerful discussions about future possibilities. While customers praise the writing quality, some find it a tedious read.

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73 customers mention content, 64 positive, 9 negative

Customers find the book engaging and thoroughly enjoyable, with several noting it's one of Robinson's best works.

...and the supporting characters and situations are quite detailed and interesting.Read more

...people. GreatRead more

This is a great book that allows the reader to experience the unimaginable confrontation of the world's 'first modern scientist' with the...Read more

...It is a fascinating, fictionalized look at Galileo's life, and his struggle with the Catholic Church, a struggle which in some ways parallels the...Read more

31 customers mention concept, 28 positive, 3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's concept, describing it as a nice mix of science fiction and a unique blend of historical and speculative elements. One customer highlights its innovative structure, describing how it weaves a time traveling multi-dimensional reality.

Loved this. Super imaginative and thought provoking....Read more

Nice blend of true history and fiction with a lot of imagination. Made me want to learn more about Galileo!Read more

An interesting idea but the execution didn't completely keep my attention.Read more

great idea for a book, interesting concept. Probably rambled too much and too many rarely used and made up words for a good read flowRead more

31 customers mention informative, 28 positive, 3 negative

Customers find the book informative, appreciating its blend of true history and fiction, and noting that it is rich in historical and scientific content.

...language and the history of his battle against the Inquisitors is well researched and fascinating.Read more

...Under laid with impeccable research into the birth of science and the Renaissance.Read more

...So many surprises. So many insights. So many deep philosophies. So many great sentences. By Hera, jump in!Read more

Clever and engaging, this informative historical fiction weaves alternative reality at the dawn of science as we know it nowRead more

29 customers mention story, 21 positive, 8 negative

Customers enjoy the story of Galileo's Dream, appreciating its rich narrative and interesting premise, with one customer noting how well the plot and environment are integrated.

First rate! Interesting premise (Galileo and Time Travel) and wonderful perspective on Galileo andhis demons (internal and external)....Read more

RT- outstanding writing and imaginative story. One of those books you can't put down yet are so sorry when you finish.Read more

...fascinating and extremely well-written, but I had some trouble following the storyline around Jupiter, and I'm not entirely sure what the point of...Read more

Very enjoyable story...and I think I learned a lot about Galileo.Read more

16 customers mention writing quality, 15 positive, 1 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as outstanding and noting that the author is one of our greatest writers.

Very, very interesting and beautifully written....Read more

RT- outstanding writing and imaginative story. One of those books you can't put down yet are so sorry when you finish.Read more

Kim Stanley Robinson in one of my favorite writers....Read more

...range of this multi-epoch hard (mostly) science fiction is very well-written....Read more

13 customers mention thought-provoking, 13 positive, 0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with one customer noting how it provides a vision of science at work in the world, while another mentions its powerful discussions about future events.

...Enthralling, entertaining, and thought-provoking! If you enjoy being fully immersed in a story, read this!Read more

Loved this. Super imaginative and thought provoking....Read more

...It is a thoughtful, philosophical novel that uses time travel in much the same manner as H.G. Wells in The Time Machine--to...Read more

...It's a combination of a very grounded real and encouraging perspective on a flawed human being (it's a biography of sorts of G.Galileli) who had the...Read more

11 customers mention character development, 10 positive, 1 negative

Customers praise the well-developed characters in the book, particularly noting that Galileo's character is very believable.

...he did very well with mixing story and environment with well developed characters and there relationships to one another....Read more

...Galileo's life is told in sharp focus with believable characterizations of him and his world, the people who applauded him and who tried to take him...Read more

Robinson does his research and develops his characters extremely well, but when he throws in the sci-fi element he achieves something wonderful....Read more

...But it has many years of added polish, and a great character in Galileo, with the added thrill of him being a historical figure that we're getting...Read more

20 customers mention readability, 7 positive, 13 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with several finding it tedious to read, while one describes it as an unstoppable page turner.

Pretty good but tedious read. Nice to read such accurate history. I had to lok up a lot of wordsRead more

This was an amazing, challenging book to read. Robinson's books all require a broad experiance and a solid education to enjoy....Read more

...This book was not an easy read; if you like Robinson's other works, stick with it. It's worth it....Read more

...This is an interesting book conceptually, but I am having trouble finishing it....Read more

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