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A review by yevolem
The Eternal Flame by Greg Egan
4.0
This second book was like the first, only more so. I didn't think it was possible this one could be even more about scientific theories and experiments, primarily physics and physiology, but it was. Even though this took place almost exclusively within a generation ship, it may as well have been a university. The book covers most aspects of the scientific process, including begging for grants. There were competing theories that ended up as they started, or they merged, or an outsider developed them in a radically different way, or it was a blind alley. Sometimes the greatest advances in knowledge came from mistakes, accidents, and what initially seemed to be failure. Those weren't the only setbacks though, as political and sociocultural forces also stymied research goals. Violence was even a possibility for those who feel that science has gone too far. The book opened with a horrific act due to famine and general scarcity. Considering what a closed system it was, sacrifices had to be continually made to survive, which also impeded scientific progress.
More details were revealed about the species the characters were and how their society came to be. I'm somewhat confident that they were vaguely human but with many functional differences due to how physics function in their universe and how that affected evolution of all organic life. I had thought that they used duodecimal system because it's said to be a better system, but no, it's revealed that they had six fingers on each hand. They experiment on voles, but move on to arborines which were said to be closer to them. The visual image that came to mind for arborines were the bullymongs from the videogame, Borderlands 2. I think abrborines were roughly some sort of primate. Their technology was so uneven because electronics weren't possible in this universe due to how their physics affected electrostatic force.
Female self-determination was even more important for the narrative this time. Its societal repercussions were as intense as they were expected. This was mostly near the end of the book, the last 13% or so, which had more focus on the physiological experiments that were easier for me to follow. This part was enjoyable and emotionally moving enough that I decided to round this up to 4 stars. Before that point I surely would've rounded it down to 3 stars. I'm conflicted about the ending and I thought it was well done. The conclusion stated that if the reader accepts the premise, then to remain consistent the reader must also accept this. It was a situation that the character involved was dismayed and reluctant about. Maybe Planck's Principle would alleviate these ethical quandaries, which states: "A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."
Rating: 3.5/5
More details were revealed about the species the characters were and how their society came to be. I'm somewhat confident that they were vaguely human but with many functional differences due to how physics function in their universe and how that affected evolution of all organic life. I had thought that they used duodecimal system because it's said to be a better system, but no, it's revealed that they had six fingers on each hand. They experiment on voles, but move on to arborines which were said to be closer to them. The visual image that came to mind for arborines were the bullymongs from the videogame, Borderlands 2. I think abrborines were roughly some sort of primate. Their technology was so uneven because electronics weren't possible in this universe due to how their physics affected electrostatic force.
Female self-determination was even more important for the narrative this time. Its societal repercussions were as intense as they were expected. This was mostly near the end of the book, the last 13% or so, which had more focus on the physiological experiments that were easier for me to follow. This part was enjoyable and emotionally moving enough that I decided to round this up to 4 stars. Before that point I surely would've rounded it down to 3 stars. I'm conflicted about the ending and I thought it was well done. The conclusion stated that if the reader accepts the premise, then to remain consistent the reader must also accept this. It was a situation that the character involved was dismayed and reluctant about. Maybe Planck's Principle would alleviate these ethical quandaries, which states: "A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."
Rating: 3.5/5