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esko's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
I just finished the book,and i must say that this was a powerful and emotional representation of Galileos life.
I respect the authors work so much. This was not easy to write.
The renaissance era was pictured perfectly,the writing was amazing, immersive,just masterclass.
The historic part was so great to read,the social life of Galileo and other people makes you constantly reflect and think about their life.
It was full of all kind of emotions. His relationships with his daughters, servants, friends.
The battle for scientific facts. The regrets,the images of the good life left behind. Scenes of death, life,hunger, loneliness.
So much to reflect.
It was not perfect,i took me 2 weeks to finish,but it was worth it.
The fictional part of the future and the Moon people was not good enough or memorable but it served it purpose.
With all the negatives and positives the book is still stuck with me. Appreciate the reminders of Galileos work,and all the astronomy, mathematics that helped us along the way.
I must note that the death of his daughter hit me really hard.
Great work by the author once again!
I respect the authors work so much. This was not easy to write.
The renaissance era was pictured perfectly,the writing was amazing, immersive,just masterclass.
The historic part was so great to read,the social life of Galileo and other people makes you constantly reflect and think about their life.
It was full of all kind of emotions. His relationships with his daughters, servants, friends.
The battle for scientific facts. The regrets,the images of the good life left behind. Scenes of death, life,hunger, loneliness.
So much to reflect.
It was not perfect,i took me 2 weeks to finish,but it was worth it.
The fictional part of the future and the Moon people was not good enough or memorable but it served it purpose.
With all the negatives and positives the book is still stuck with me. Appreciate the reminders of Galileos work,and all the astronomy, mathematics that helped us along the way.
I must note that the death of his daughter hit me really hard.
Great work by the author once again!
liinukka's review against another edition
2.0
Was a mess. This book didn't know what it wanted to be. A historic fiction? A scifi? I was intrigued by how the author would blend these two seemingly disparate genres together. The answer is, he does a poor job of it. The history parts read like a boring textbook with confusing POVs. (Suddenly switching to first person unknown narrator when you thought you were getting limited third person POV). The scifi parts were confusing and convoluted. It was too much philosophy without enough substance, plot, or characterization. In other words, lacking in all the things that make for a good story. I was under the impression that this was supposed to be a novel. I was sadly mistaken.
What the book suffers from the most is lack of cohesion between history and future, and getting bogged down by the details. This book could've used some serious editing and paring down of the extraneous, boring bits.
Once again, I put down a book and and wonder to myself...what was the point? I'm getting very tired of this dreariness.
What the book suffers from the most is lack of cohesion between history and future, and getting bogged down by the details. This book could've used some serious editing and paring down of the extraneous, boring bits.
Once again, I put down a book and and wonder to myself...what was the point? I'm getting very tired of this dreariness.
vasco's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
timinbc's review
At times this book went well, and it has plenty of history, some "I didn't know that" tidbits, and some weird.
It looks at Galileo as a genius who couldn't ever grasp the process or the importance of politics. Fine. It goes way overboard in describing what a grump he supposedly was. He is old and feeble after a few chapters, then seems to be 70+ forever. Every few chapters we drift back to inclined planes and I wonder if Robinson was paid by the word.
(minor spoilers follow)
Then we have the future folk. Ganymede seems to be the reincarnation of David Suzuki with eight cups of espresso a day; he's said to be charismatic but he's such a tool that it's hard to believe. The whole idea that they thought they needed Galileo is just so damn flimsy that I could never forget what a load of old cobblers it was.
We all fall in love with the too-good-to-be-true Hera, and wait for her to get it on with Galileo. Don't hold yer breath, readers.
By the end, it seems that about half the people in Italy are actually drop-ins from the future. It gets a tad silly by the end.
It also suffers from a bad case of "if those future dudes can do this, and that, and that, why do they have so much trouble doing THIS little item?" And the whole transference thing? We are supposed to believe that the Futures decided it would be cool to waste a couple of planets so they could run their time gate? Puh-leeze.
I don't think I'll read any more KSR. I've now read several of his books in which good stuff mixes with weak stuff and the result is weak. I'd rather read a Banks or a Reynolds or a Sawyer, and I will.
It looks at Galileo as a genius who couldn't ever grasp the process or the importance of politics. Fine. It goes way overboard in describing what a grump he supposedly was. He is old and feeble after a few chapters, then seems to be 70+ forever. Every few chapters we drift back to inclined planes and I wonder if Robinson was paid by the word.
(minor spoilers follow)
Then we have the future folk. Ganymede seems to be the reincarnation of David Suzuki with eight cups of espresso a day; he's said to be charismatic but he's such a tool that it's hard to believe. The whole idea that they thought they needed Galileo is just so damn flimsy that I could never forget what a load of old cobblers it was.
We all fall in love with the too-good-to-be-true Hera, and wait for her to get it on with Galileo. Don't hold yer breath, readers.
By the end, it seems that about half the people in Italy are actually drop-ins from the future. It gets a tad silly by the end.
It also suffers from a bad case of "if those future dudes can do this, and that, and that, why do they have so much trouble doing THIS little item?" And the whole transference thing? We are supposed to believe that the Futures decided it would be cool to waste a couple of planets so they could run their time gate? Puh-leeze.
I don't think I'll read any more KSR. I've now read several of his books in which good stuff mixes with weak stuff and the result is weak. I'd rather read a Banks or a Reynolds or a Sawyer, and I will.
ianmitchell's review
4.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. Parts of it are great, while others are weak; I could have just as easily given it 3 stars as 4.
The novel essentially combines 2 stories; one is historical fiction about the life of Galileo, while the other involves him being brought into the far future and interacting with inhabitants of the moons of Jupiter.
The "historical" story is mostly well done, though there are a few stretches that read more like a history book than a novel. I got a little tired of reading about Galileo moaning and wailing all the time, but overall it was an interesting read about one of the most important figures in the history of science (or indeed the world).
The "future" story doesn't work quite as well - partly due to the implausibility of some of the actions taken by the future society and partly because it just isn't that compelling. I kind of see what Robinson was setting out to do with this storyline and how he was trying to frame a lot of the book in terms of the conflict between science and religion, but I don't think he succeeded that well.
Overall I enjoyed the novel, but wouldn't consider it a "must read."
The novel essentially combines 2 stories; one is historical fiction about the life of Galileo, while the other involves him being brought into the far future and interacting with inhabitants of the moons of Jupiter.
The "historical" story is mostly well done, though there are a few stretches that read more like a history book than a novel. I got a little tired of reading about Galileo moaning and wailing all the time, but overall it was an interesting read about one of the most important figures in the history of science (or indeed the world).
The "future" story doesn't work quite as well - partly due to the implausibility of some of the actions taken by the future society and partly because it just isn't that compelling. I kind of see what Robinson was setting out to do with this storyline and how he was trying to frame a lot of the book in terms of the conflict between science and religion, but I don't think he succeeded that well.
Overall I enjoyed the novel, but wouldn't consider it a "must read."
mpclemens's review
3.0
More of a alternate-history biography of Galileo crossed with Robinson's style of sci-fi: human societies, struggling with unknowns and their own political and personal issues. The sci-fi aspects are muted, though, and the majority of the book is spent in a fictionalized biography of Galileo himself, with only occasional excursions into the future Jovian humanity. There are themes that come up late in the story that would have added more urgency to the affairs, but then, Robinson allowed himself to be (mostly) confined with the actual events surrounding Galileo's experiments, life, and trials. Only in the last third or so of the book did the parallel plots feel like they were advancing in any significantly interesting way. I would have preferred more glimpses into the Jovian society, the explorations, and more with Ganymede (the man) than we were given.
Finally, Robinson plays with a point-of-view that seems to slide around unexpectedly: sometimes we see the story from Galileo's point of view, sometimes from his Jovian servant "entangled" into the past. The story slides from one to the other without warning, and it makes the novel feel a bit unmoored at times. It's not a bad book, but it's not a great one.
Finally, Robinson plays with a point-of-view that seems to slide around unexpectedly: sometimes we see the story from Galileo's point of view, sometimes from his Jovian servant "entangled" into the past. The story slides from one to the other without warning, and it makes the novel feel a bit unmoored at times. It's not a bad book, but it's not a great one.
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
I hope that one day KSR merits a SFWA Grandmaster award. He really "gets" science, and it's reflected in nearly all of his work. His latest novel, although SF, serves more as a biography of Galileo Galilei and a view of his position as the first modern scientist. I got much more detail about Galileo from this book than from (for instance) Koestler's The Sleepwalkers - not to say that the latter isn't a great book, of course!
teenagelightning's review
2.0
After tearing through lots of KSR, this is the first of his that I didn't enjoy.
The premise was interesting enough. An historical fiction with a sci-fi subplot sounds like a blast. But I found that for the "historical" side of the story, in Galileo's time, the writing was flat. Dry. The endless exposition feels like an attempt to do the work of an historian, rather than focus on keeping the story tight and interesting - which KSR is certainly capable of.
The sci-fi stuff was fun. It kept me reading a book I would have otherwise abandoned. But even then, I was never convinced by the reasons Galileo needed to be involved in the Jovian storyline at all. Cool ideas with half-baked execution.
I love KSR and learned a lot about Galileo with this book. But ultimately, it was a slog.
The premise was interesting enough. An historical fiction with a sci-fi subplot sounds like a blast. But I found that for the "historical" side of the story, in Galileo's time, the writing was flat. Dry. The endless exposition feels like an attempt to do the work of an historian, rather than focus on keeping the story tight and interesting - which KSR is certainly capable of.
The sci-fi stuff was fun. It kept me reading a book I would have otherwise abandoned. But even then, I was never convinced by the reasons Galileo needed to be involved in the Jovian storyline at all. Cool ideas with half-baked execution.
I love KSR and learned a lot about Galileo with this book. But ultimately, it was a slog.
varmint3's review against another edition
4.0
One of his best yet. Two story lines, one near-true alternative history and one science fantasy, spanning millennia and much of the solar system... skilfully interwoven. The fictionalized account of Galileo's life was the stronger of the two story lines, and the weak ending of the sections where he travels to the future Jupiter and its Galilean moons were really the only thing stopping me from giving this 5 stars.
banjax451's review
3.5 stars. Not sure I loved it as much, though I did enjoy large parts of the novel. That said, large portions of it were sections I had to skim through and some of the advanced stuff was difficult to understand - I'm still not sure of all the physics/math behind some of what goes on. I also felt that it was a bit light on the worldbuilding in the future societies, but then again...that's never been KSR's strength.