Novel Written about member of JREF Forum

[Galileo]

Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson

Adam Roberts hails a return to form

Adam Roberts

The Guardian, Saturday 15 August 2009

The best candidate for the first science fiction novel is a short book by the astronomer Johannes Kepler, known as Kepler's Dream (1634): a weirdly potent mix of up-to-date (for the 17th century) lunar science and imagined monstrous alien life. Kim Stanley Robinson's new novel pays elegant homage to the genre's Ur-text, fleshing out and extrapolating its premises by taking as protagonist Kepler's contemporary Galileo Galilei - the man whose discoveries did more to kick-start modern science than anybody before Newton.

Buy Galileo's Dream at the Guardian bookshop Two-thirds of the novel is a scrupulously researched and brilliantly effective historical tale dramatising Galileo's life and times; the remainder is set among the colonised moons of Jupiter in the year 3020. Alien life has been encountered beneath Europa's ice; it may be benign or it may pose a terrible threat to Jovian human society. By means of temporal entanglement (with just a little Robinsonian hand-waving), Galileo is brought "proleptically" forward to lend his prestige to the debate over what to do. Once you accept this premise, there's nothing to do but admire how neatly Robinson weaves together the two narrative lines. As the historical Galileo increasingly incurs the anger of the Inquisition, the story acquires a powerful and near-tragic sense of inevitability. At the same time, we read on eager to find out what happens next in the 31st century, and how the two storylines fit together. It is all very skilfully handled.

PLEASE READ THE REST:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/aug/15/galileos-dream-kim-stanley-robinson

Good job, Galileo, sounds like a pretty good book. I plan to snap up a copy. Will scope out the local bookstore and see if I can spot a copy. Hope the rest of the crew here finds this post a good read.

[Chase_the_Bass]

I remember see this in the Aug 1 New Scientist. Sounds pretty interesting and I plan on picking up a copy as well.

[Ysidro]

Sorry, but that book is written about the other Galileo. Not the JREF troll who pretends to be the historical one.

Who cares about another crappy pseudo-historical drama anyway?

[Galileo]

I remember see this in the Aug 1 New Scientist. Sounds pretty interesting and I plan on picking up a copy as well.

Thank you. If you google 'Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson' a lot of interesting reviews come up. The author seems to have a vivd imagination.

[Galileo]

Sorry, but that book is written about the other Galileo. Not the JREF troll who pretends to be the historical one.

Who cares about another crappy pseudo-historical drama anyway?

This is an absolutely brilliant piece of science fiction and undoubtedly the best science fiction novel I have read this year. Well worth every penny.

This astonishing novel attempts to reconcile contemporary theories about time, space, and the nature of the universe with Galileo's 17th-century discoveries of the first laws of physics. As if that weren't enough, it also explores human fear of change; socio-political power struggles; the relationships between religion, science and philosophy; gender politics and psychology. That it does all this within the space of a single book is testament to the author's overarching imagination and intelligence.

source:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Galileos-Dream-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0007260318

I am not a troll. I am Galileo, the Truthseeker.

[Ysidro]

source:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Galileos-Dream-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0007260318

I am not a troll. I am Galileo, the Truthseeker.

Sure you are.

I'm Spartacus.

[Galileo]

Sure you are.

I'm Spartacus.

No, you lie, you are Ysidro.

Can you make an intelligent comment about the book? Can you handle a book with a complex plot?

[I Ratant]

Sure you are.

I'm Spartacus.

I'm Spartacus!

[Akhenaten]

I'm Spartacus!


I'm not.

[hgc]

He's not the messiah. He's a very naughty boy.

[TexasJack]

This is fiction, just like the posts of our resident truther.

[Akhenaten]

<snip>

Galileo is brought "proleptically" forward to lend his prestige to the debate over what to do.








Follow the gourd.

[asmodean]

I'm Spartacus!

I'm Spartacus, and so is my wife!

[Galileo]

This is fiction, just like the posts of our resident truther.

I am not truther, I am a truth-seeker, and a very good one at that. I'm famous.

[Galileo]

I'm Spartacus, and so is my wife!

I don't believe you.

But if a JREF rebellion ever occurred, and the JREFers took over the government, it would be much like the days of Spartacus.

Can you comment on the book, instead of just making smart-a** comments?

[Akhenaten]

I don't believe you.

But if a JREF rebellion ever occurred, and the JREFers took over the government, it would be much like the days of Spartacus.

Can you comment on the book, instead of just making smart-a** comments?


I can do both.


It's rubbish


A smart a** would be an invaluable aid to a prospector in remote country.

[Akhenaten]

I am not truther, I am a truth-seeker, and a very good one at that. I'm famous.


I was famous before the country in which the ancestral home of your ancestors' ancestors was founded existed even as a distant dream.

Get some time up, little one.

[Ysidro]

We are all a little bit Spartacus.

But I'm more Spartacus than most.

[Jimbo07]

Who cares about another crappy pseudo-historical drama anyway?

Even one written by Kim Stanley Robinson?

Looks like one I might pick up...

[Akhenaten]

Even one written by Kim Stanley Robinson?

Looks like one I might pick up...


Unfortunately, the poor book appears to have become a bit secondary to the discussion. It's not its fault.

Does it look any good? I don't know the author's work, I'm afraid.


Cheers,

Dave

[I Ratant]

Unfortunately, the poor book appears to have become a bit secondary to the discussion. It's not its fault.

Does it look any good? I don't know the author's work, I'm afraid.


Cheers,

Dave
.
She's a good writer, it's too bad what's his name with his problem saw it.

[Sword_Of_Truth]

Can you comment on the book, instead of just making smart-a** comments?

No, we can't comment on the book because this thread isn't about the book. The claim that is being discussed here is that the book was written about a JREF forum member.

So far, absolutely no evidence has been presented to support that claim.

[jhunter1163]

The rest of you guys can be Spartacus. Call me Ishmael.

[TexasJack]

I don't want to be Spartacus.

[Ryokan]

I'm Brian, and so is my wife!

[Ysidro]

Even one written by Kim Stanley Robinson?

Looks like one I might pick up...

Oh great, a book by a decent author has been tainted by one of our resident crazies.

Oh well, I have plenty of other things to read.

[DC]

Galileo, in case you are not just trolling. and really Belive or "know" you are the real Galileo.
Talk about it with your Doctor.

[timhau]

I am not truther, I am a truth-seeker, and a very good one at that. I'm famous.

And a friend of mine has a cat who is the King of Rock'n'Roll.

[asmodean]

I don't believe you.

But if a JREF rebellion ever occurred, and the JREFers took over the government, it would be much like the days of Spartacus.

Can you comment on the book, instead of just making smart-a** comments?

Of course. The book will most likely be good, I've been a fan of Robinson since his RGB-Mars series.

Your delusion about being Galileo is bats**t insane.

[Humanzee]

How Marius Was Right and Galileo Was Wrong Even Though Galileo Was Right and Marius Was Wrong

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009arXiv0903.3429G

[arthwollipot]

Does it look any good? I don't know the author's work, I'm afraid. I couldn't stand the only KSR book that I started to read (Red Mars). That isn't a good start for me. I'd consider reading this one simply because it's about Galileo.

[Piscivore]

I was famous before the country in which the ancestral home of your ancestors' ancestors was founded existed even as a distant dream.

Get some time up, little one.

Please... I've been around since the Ordovician period.

[RoboTimbo]

Thank you. If you google 'Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson' a lot of interesting reviews come up. The author seems to have a vivd imagination.

Which chapter delves into Galileo's internet posting history?

[dudalb]

TIme to cue in some Queen, folks.......