- Paperback: 348 pages
- Publisher: St Martin's Press; 1st Trade Pbk. Ed edition (28 Feb 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312863489
- ISBN-13: 978-0312863487
- Product Dimensions: 20.9 x 14 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,639,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Review
"Richard Garfinkle has taken the implication of ancient Greek science to their logical extremes in a hard science fiction novel of astonishing dimension....Rigorously conceived and outrageously executed, Celestial Matters will leave any lover of speculative fiction with a sufficiency--perhaps even a surfeit--of sanguine humor."--"The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction"
"This is hard science fiction with a difference, the difference being that the hard sciences are Ptolemaic astronomy and Aristotelian physics and biology. Garfinkle works out the implication inherent in them as rigorously as any writer has done with implications of, say, quantum mechanics. He also works out those implication most entertainingly, setting them in a fast-paced plot with lively, well-differentiated characters. You won't find anything like this one anytime soon."--Harry Turtledove
"This is hard science fiction with a difference, the difference being that the hard sciences are Ptolemaic astronomy and Aristotelian physics and biology. Garfinkle works out the implication inherent in them as rigorously as any writer has done with implications of, say, quantum mechanics. He also works out those implication most entertainingly, setting them in a fast-paced plot with lively, well-differentiated characters. You won't find anything like this one anytime soon."--Harry Turtledove
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sci Fi for philosophy students?,
By
This review is from: Celestial Matters (Hardcover)
This book is written on the completely mad premise that Aristotle's physics and astronomy were completely accurate. I don't usually read science fiction, but I had to try this after reading a bit of Aristotle. The fiction is not 'literature', but there are characters and plot ... and crazy inventions that make you think! I imagine philosophy students after a bit of light relief will take to this as a combination of humour and revision.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Speculative fiction at its best!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Celestial Matters (Paperback)
Many people attempt "alternate histories" and yet few, aside from Turtledove and now Garfinkle, have done enough of their homework to make it plausible. Set in an alternate world at an indeterminate time (I suppose you could work it out if you knew the Athenian dating system better), Greece and the Middle Kingdom have been locked in war for generations, nay centuries -- consider this the ultimate Western Logic versus Eastern Vision division to ever come along. Garfinkle understands Aristotlean physics and takes its implications to their greatest "logical" extreme, such as a gun that fires a bolt capable of halting forward motion, thus causing an airborne craft to seek its natural place amongst the elements (metal falls to earth). Due to friend's input, I learn that his knowledge of Taoist physics, while slighter, is also sound. The flight to and through the celestial spheres is exciting, well concieved, and plausible given the science base of the era. Even more important, however, is the development of the characters. Each is fully rounded, lovingly crafted, and a true joy to journey with. One can only hope that he writes more, not in the same world, but in the same vein. This is one of the best science fiction books I have ever read!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Science Fantasy with Intrigue & Action,
By A Customer
This review is from: Celestial Matters (Paperback)
Set in a world where Alexander the Great's empire has lasted 1,000 years and Ptolemeic speculations are scientific fact, this is part alternate-history, part alternate-science. The story concerns a celestial ship (spaceship) of the Delian league (who control the world from India to halfway across the Americas) which is embarking on a mission to gather a piece of the sun in order to use it as a sort of atomic bomb against the capital of the Middle Kingdom (an oriental empire which they have been at constant war with). Written as the testimony of a co-captain of the ship, the story relates this adventure, complete with scheming, betrayals, setbacks, and crises of faith, while also presenting a vivid and interesting alternate world. Enjoyment would be aided by a solid understanding of the beliefs (scientific and otherwise) of the ancient Greeks, but should be enjoyable for anyone.
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