Galileo's Dream

by Kim Stanley Robinson | Science Fiction & Fantasy | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0007260326 Global Overview for this book
Registered by KLL of Perth City, Western Australia Australia on 11/3/2010
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1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by KLL from Perth City, Western Australia Australia on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Blurb:
Late Renaissance Italy abounds in alchemy and Aristotle, yet it trembles on the brink of the modern world. Galileo’s new telescope encapsulates all the contradictions of this emerging reality. Then one night a stranger presents a different type of telescope for Galileo to peer through, enabling him to see the world of humans three thousand years hence.
Galileo will soon find himself straddling two worlds, the medieval and the modern. By day his life unfurls in early seventeenth century Italy; by night he is transported through dimensions of time and space no other man of his time could possibly comprehend. Inexorably, Galileo faces trial for religious crimes in his own time, while in the new world he discovers, where science assures men that they can perform wonders, but does not tell them what wonders to perform, he is revered.

This sumptuous, gloriously thought-provoking and suspenseful novel recalls Robinson's magnificent Mars books as well as bringing to us Galileo as we have always wanted to know him.


From me:

I'm really in two mind about this book - I found the historical component, describing Gallileo's life really interesting, particularly the description of his star gazing and other experiments. In *theory* I also liked the way the KSR has weaved in a plausible science fiction tale into Gallileo's history, with it's talk of time travel theory and setting in Jupiter (NB: when I read modern on the back blurb, I was expecting modern day - not far future). However, altohether I found this a slooooooooowwwww book to read. The two halves didn't mesh for me, and I found some of the science fiction parts particularly dragging. I really enjoyed KSR's Mar's books so I'm disappointed I couldn't enjoy this more. Ultimately, I admire what he's attempted here, but I felt very little investment whilst reading the book or afterwards.

Journal Entry 2 by KLL at Perth City, Western Australia Australia on Saturday, December 4, 2010
Am taking this as a Secret Santa present for the End of Year Perth BC Meetup tomorrow!

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