From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Mar 25 15:35:13 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!solace!eru.mt.luth.se!newsfeed.luth.se!news.luth.se!erix.ericsson.se!erinews.ericsson.se!news.seinf.abb.se!inquo!nntp.uio.no!newsfeeds.sol.net!news.ececs.uc.edu!news.kei.com!uhog.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!news!wex From: Alayne McGregor Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews,soc.history.what-if Subject: Review of CELESTIAL MATTERS by Richard Garfinkle Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 21 Mar 1997 22:32:06 GMT Organization: Software Agents Group Lines: 73 Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:1239 soc.history.what-if:25180 CELESTIAL MATTERS by Richard Garfinkle reviewed by Alayne McGregor You could argue that every science fiction story is a "what if:" what if a way could be found around this scientific limitation; what if we encountered an alien race with these powers? But rarely has any author made as bold a what-if as Garfinkle has done in this book -- and to as good effect. Garfinkle's what-if is bold and simple: what if the science of the ancient Greeks was completely true? What if the planets and the Sun orbited around the earth in crystal spheres, each planet's motion further modified by epicycles, as Ptolemy predicted? What if matter really did form from other matter by spontaneous generation as predicted by Aristotle? What if matter really was composed of atoms of air, fire, earth, and water? And, combined with that, what if Aristotle's followers had triumphed over Plato's in determining the flow of Athenian and thus Greek philosophy? What if Socrates had never been executed? What if Athens and Sparta had reached a rapprochement, through the conqueror Alexander the Great, and formed a Delian League and stayed together after defeating Persia? What if Rome and Carthage and the northern European states had never had the chance to develop their own empires because of the continued health of the Hellenic empire? What if that empire found its only real opposition in China, the Middle Kingdom, and its (to them) inexplicable modes of war, philosophy, and government? As _Celestial Matters_ opens, it is 978 years since the Delian League was formed. In that time, the scientists of the Athenian Akademe have learned to build ships from moon rock that can travel through the crystal spheres. Now they are about to attempt the greatest journey yet -- to Helios, to break off a chunk of the sun and bring it back to Earth. But, in the everlasting war with the Middlers and with the overarching influence of Sparta, any such journey, any scientific advance, must be subservient to military needs. The sun ball will not be a scientific curiosity; it must be used to defeat the Middlers before they assassinate all of the Hellenic leaders. Aias, the acamedician who first proposed breaking off part of the sun, has been appointed scientific commander of the voyage. Together with his Spartan co-commander, Aeson, who controls the military part of the mission, he will guide the ship Chandra's Tear to the sun and back. But even as Aias returns to the ship from a short vacation, he is attacked by Middler battle kites while crossing the Mediterranean. The Archons of Athens and Sparta decree he must have a bodyguard, and a Spartan warrior named Yellow Hare, from the continent of Atlantea, is appointed. From the moment Aias rejoins his ship, Yellow Hare must be constantly on guard to save Aias' life, as the Middlers risk everything to stop their journey. This book can be read on many levels: as a paean to Greek culture and ideas -- Garfinkle does not merely reflect Greek science, but its religion and philosophy as well -- as an exciting adventure with heroes and villains and many mortals in between, and as reflection of our own times. Regardless, it is a wonderfully engrossing read, a book that stands out for its originality and trueness to its sources. Strongly recommended. %T Celestial Matters %A Richard Garfinkle %C New York %D 1996 %I TOR %O hardback, $23.95 US, CDN$34.95 %G ISBN 0-312-85934-1 %P 348pp Alayne McGregor aa692@freenet.carleton.ca alayne@ve3pak.ocunix.on.ca mcgregoa@cognos.com