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2nd out of 14 books
—
3 voters
Celestial Matters
In the world of Celestial Matters, Ptolemaic astronomy and Aristotelian physics are valid scientific models of the surrounding world and cosmos. The Earth lies at the center of the universe, surrounded by crystal spheres which hold each of the planets, the sun and the moon, all enclosed in the sphere of the fixed stars. Earthly matter, composed of the classical four elemen...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
June 15th 1997
by Tor Books
(first published 1996)
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I can't review this objectively, because my husband wrote it. I think it's brilliant, naturally, but better check some other people's reviews.
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Commander Aias of the Celestial Ship Chandra's Tear is charged with heading up operation Sunthief, using a ship to steal a piece of the sun and drop it on the capital city of the Middle Kingdom, the enemy of the Delian League.
This is one of those books that's hard to classify. Can something be classified as hard sf if the science in question is that of the ancient Greeks and equally ancient Chinese? That's right. Celestial matters is part hard sf, part alternate history. The Delia League is a Gr...more
This is one of those books that's hard to classify. Can something be classified as hard sf if the science in question is that of the ancient Greeks and equally ancient Chinese? That's right. Celestial matters is part hard sf, part alternate history. The Delia League is a Gr...more
Si el libro del mes anterior que comenté ya hace mucho tiempo, dije que me había salvado el verano, este fue el que estuvo a punto de arruinarlo.
Un libro muy malo y aburrido, con una trama simplona. Tiene como idea de partida una distopía en la que la ciencia griega es totalmente acertada (esferas celestes, movimiento uniforme, los principios tipo arjé o arké). Vamos un desastre que compré de saldo y que más me valdría no haber visto en la estantería de la librería. Le doy una puntuación de cero
This was definitely worth reading, both for the steampunk and silkpunk content, and as a speculation on ancient Greek science, which we of course ignore now that we have "real" scientific evidence of how the universe works. I have to disclose that I know very little about Greek celestial theory, and so much of the science was opaque to me - but that didn't make the book less enjoyable or less inspiring.
In a nutshell, the book is about a scientist named Aias, commander of a celestial ship in the...more
In a nutshell, the book is about a scientist named Aias, commander of a celestial ship in the...more
Hace mucho tiempo que leí Materia celeste (en 2003, recién publicada en castellano), por lo que mis recuerdos no son demasiado precisos.
Creo recordar que la trama y la prosa me parecieron buenas (eso quiere decir desde adecuada a decente).
Pero lo que realmente me impactó, lo más grande de esta novela, fue que era una novela de CF Hard ambientada en un universo con las leyes naturales de la ciencia aristotélica.
Un universo con una tecnología desarrollada gracias a esas leyes naturales... La Lágri...more
Creo recordar que la trama y la prosa me parecieron buenas (eso quiere decir desde adecuada a decente).
Pero lo que realmente me impactó, lo más grande de esta novela, fue que era una novela de CF Hard ambientada en un universo con las leyes naturales de la ciencia aristotélica.
Un universo con una tecnología desarrollada gracias a esas leyes naturales... La Lágri...more
I find this book a very useful juxtaposition of various opposing forces:
Greek and Tao/Wuxing "science" are both accurate (yet alone are incomplete descriptions of their reality);
the protagonist has a shamanic worldview but pursues hermetic studies;
his government is based on military (Spartan) vs scientific (Athenian) branches (with checks and balances);
the study of philosophy and history have been abandoned in the pursuit of progress, but the protagonist has previously discovered the utility of...more
Greek and Tao/Wuxing "science" are both accurate (yet alone are incomplete descriptions of their reality);
the protagonist has a shamanic worldview but pursues hermetic studies;
his government is based on military (Spartan) vs scientific (Athenian) branches (with checks and balances);
the study of philosophy and history have been abandoned in the pursuit of progress, but the protagonist has previously discovered the utility of...more
I loved the philosophical angle to this book: the exploration of ancient Greek and Chinese science brought to life. The characters were a bit abstract and heroic, which I enjoyed but someone else might not. This was a great and unique first novel.
This is an author who really knows ancient Greek history, right down to the order of the planets in the celestial sphere. Lots of fascinating possibilities don't really seem to take off anywhere, though.
This is a very unusual science fiction with an admirable goal. I'm still digesting the particulars.
But I recommendation it to all fans of alternative history joined to an alternative science.
This is a unique work; and definitely worth reading.
But I recommendation it to all fans of alternative history joined to an alternative science.
This is a unique work; and definitely worth reading.
I found this book interesting more than anything else. It had some very exciting parts, and the entire concept was intriguing, but the ending was unsatisfying.
This is one of my favorite alternate reality type stories. The what-if is unique, and I found the plot twists entertaining.
Alternative history where the ancient Greeks have reached the Space Age?
Yes, please.
Yes, please.
Sep 26, 2012
Howard
added it
11
Pendiente
Jun 17, 2007
selena
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people with a good imagination
Shelves:
thebest
this book immersed you in a new world with entirely new rules to go with it. it made things like using a piece of the moon as a spaceship entirely possible.
it was absolutely wonderful and engaging. as far as i know this was richard garfinkle's first book - i sure do hope he writes a second one. for someone who isn't into this much make-believe - i loved it.
it was absolutely wonderful and engaging. as far as i know this was richard garfinkle's first book - i sure do hope he writes a second one. for someone who isn't into this much make-believe - i loved it.
I don't know if this should be sci-fi or fantasy. In this book, ancient Greek science is actually true; ideas like celestial spheres, spontaneous generation and such actually work.
The plot follows a mission to travel to the sun to obtain a chunk of solar material to use as a weapon.
The plot follows a mission to travel to the sun to obtain a chunk of solar material to use as a weapon.
Jun 15, 2008
Michael
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Michael by:
se1ena
Shelves:
alternate-history
One of the best books I've read this year. The premise (ancient science works and ancient cosmology is correct) really grabbed me. Garfinkle put a lot of thought into things. Classics buffs and history buffs will have a lot of fun with this novel.
Describes a world in which Aristotelian Physics are real, the Delian League of Alexander the Great never collapsed, and they now do battle against the Middle Kingdom (China) by attempting to steal a piece of the sun.
Fascinating concepts, extremely unimpressive execution.
Interesting idea but the execution was not great.
Good pacing, epic storytelling, novel sci-fi.
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Richard Garfinkle grew up in New York and now lives in Chicago with his wife and children. His first novel, Celestial Matters, won the Compton Crook award for best first science fiction novel of 1996. Garfinkle was twice a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer. He has written numerous fiction and nonfiction works on his interests of history, science, imagination, and the pret...more
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