The Sky's Dark Labyrinth (Sky's Dark Labyrinth Trilogy)
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This book is a moving and eye-opening story of brilliance and bravery, and the fight against bigotry and closed-mindedness. --The Daily Mail
Puts fictional flesh on the bones of Kepler s life and times to enjoyable effect ...The Sky s Dark Labyrinth deserves a broad readership. --Nature
'Clark spins a fascinating, pell-mell tale of intrigue, ignorance and irrationality in a new Europe struggling to be born.' --The Globe and Mail
'Clark's exposition of the men in the midst of this time of upheaval leaves us wanting more. Luckily for us, this is just the first in a trilogy about the mysteries of astronomy and the important players in its discoveries' --Canadian Blogspot
Puts fictional flesh on the bones of Kepler s life and times to enjoyable effect ...The Sky s Dark Labyrinth deserves a broad readership. --Nature
'Clark spins a fascinating, pell-mell tale of intrigue, ignorance and irrationality in a new Europe struggling to be born.' --The Globe and Mail
'Clark's exposition of the men in the midst of this time of upheaval leaves us wanting more. Luckily for us, this is just the first in a trilogy about the mysteries of astronomy and the important players in its discoveries' --Canadian Blogspot
Product Description
At the dawn of the seventeenth century, the Sun revolved around the Earth according to God's plan and as set down in the Bible. Yet some men knew that the Heavens did not move as they should and began to believe exactly the opposite - a heresy punishable by being burned alive. The Sky's Dark Labyrinth follows the stories of Johannes Kepler - a German Lutheran and the first man to distill how stars and planets moved according to mathematical laws - and Galileo Galilei. An Italian Catholic, Galileo will try to claim Kepler's success for his own Church, but he finds himself enmeshed in a web of intrigue originating from within the Vatican itself. Both men are trapped by human ignorance and irrational terror to the peril of their lives and those of their families in one of the darkest, yet also one of the most enlightening, periods of European history. The Sky's Dark Labyrinth is the first in a trilogy of novels which dramatically bring to life key moments in our understanding of the cosmos - when our view of the Universe changed forever through the stories of Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Edmund Halley (The Sensorium of God, due autumn 2011), and Albert Einstein and Edwin Hubble (The Day Without Yesterday, due spring 2012). Praise for Stuart Clark's The Sun Kings: 'Fast-paced beautifully crafted story' - Dava Sobel. 'Undoubtedly the most gripping and brilliant popular science history account I have ever read . . . Clark's ability to write so vividly makes me seethe with jealousy' - Owen Gingerich, Professor of Astronomy, Harvard. 'The Sun Kings is a real page turner which will open your eyes to the number of scientific discoveries throughout history that might have been lost. The real majesty and power of the sun shines through and, if you've never given a second thought to your nearest star, you will now' - The Royal Society
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Quandary of Falling Bodies,
By Eyeh Asher "Eyeh" (Ecosse) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Sky's Dark Labyrinth (Hardcover)
The bodies being those of Galileo, Kepler, Tycho and Co. They all went close to being destroyed by their own exceptional theories, especially the Tuscan genius.Galileo explores the skies in a way no one had done before and propounds a radical reorganisation of the cosmos in consequence, defends himself from the accusations by the Church that his view contravenes Scriptures but is condemned all the same, and forced to abjure, returning finally in old age to publish a work (Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences; see also The Essential Galileo) that will not only set mechanics on a new path, but will transform the very way in which the deeper knowledge of nature is to be found. This first installment in a trilogy of novels by astronomer Stuart Clark (the other two will concentrate on Newton and Einstein respectively), although simple in its narrative structure, brings to life the above characters in a vivid and dramatic way, focusing especially on Galileo and Kepler (for the latter, cf. Harmonies of the World), and their cosmic discoveries. These are fantastic stories, and the author makes full use of them, drawing on extensive research, relying on imagination to fill any gaps and, as he said himself in an interview, making "the colours a little bit brighter and the shadows a bit darker." While not all readers will agree with Clark's approach, this first volume is certainly packed with colour and historical detail: there's intrigue, scandal, rivalry and back-stabbing, political and religious conflict, all of it true. Funny (well, sort of) how the Church awaited 5 centuries before changing its position on Galileo: on 31 October 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for how the Galileo affair was handled, and issued a declaration acknowledging the errors committed by the Catholic Church tribunal that judged the scientific positions of Galileo Galilei. Better late than never... By the way, the book is stamped with the "approval" of the Science Museum/NMSI Enterprises: so, no scientific falsehoods there!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Scientific Storytelling,
This review is from: The Sky's Dark Labyrinth (Hardcover)
Even though I'm revising hard for an Astronomy exam., I found it hard to put this book down. You can really imagine being back there in the 17th century, getting involved with the characters. Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler would have been thrilled to know that their names are being used in the Space explorations.Stuart's style reminds me of C J Sansom's series of historical novels, which I also enjoyed. Looking forward to Stuart Clark's next one in the Autumn. Shirley
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drama, intrigue and astronomy,
By
This review is from: The Sky's Dark Labyrinth (Hardcover)
I already knew a little about Kepler and Galileo and was aware they were contemporaries and that their views were against the religious teachings of the day. What I didn't realise was that they were fighting their respective corners against a backdrop of religious turmoil and war with an eminent cast of duplicitous characters.Stuart Clark uses his imagination to flesh out the details between the well-recorded major events and has crafted a fast-paced story interweaving the lives of Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. The two men had found evidence that could change the centuries old view about the universe at a time when it was not wise to challenge the religious status quo. Both risked death for their beliefs. What I particularly like is Stuart Clark's account of the day-to-day detail of living in 17th century Europe. The sights, sounds, smells and colours of the streets, houses and inns make for fascinating reading. His vivid descriptions of street theatre, traders, architecture, clothing, family life and the tedium of travelling (and moving house) show us how these people really lived. This is what Kepler's and Galileo's days were like in between moments of mathematical and observational insight and this is what brings the novel to life. Stuart Clark's style is eloquent and entertaining and with the story flitting between Rome, Prague and Florence (and wherever Kepler found himself next), there is no time to get bored as we chase the main characters around Europe. I somehow expected the book to end with the deaths of Kepler and Galileo although these two events are noted in the Epilogue. Instead, Stuart Clark chose to leave the stories of both characters on relatively positive notes. I felt slightly cheated - but maybe I was just annoyed to get to the end of the book. I have no idea if cardinals really were that scheming or whether Prague really was that smelly but it all makes for a good story. In short - The Sky's Dark Labyrinth is a damn good read!
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