The Clockwork Rocket
Greg Egan. Night Shade (www.nightshadebooks.com), $24.99 (344p) ISBN 978-1-59780-227-7
Scientific treatise (with charts and diagrams) melds with character study and social commentary in Hugo-winner Egan's stand-alone steampunk SF novel. On a faraway world with technology and culture roughly analogous to those of our Victorian era, the female polymorph Yalda studies the properties of light and discovers a celestial object that seems certain to strike her planet. A society that harshly subjugates women (easy when childbirth inevitably kills the mother) works against her as she tries to build and launch a rocket that will take her people to safety. Difficult, dense scientific conjecturing makes this a nearly impenetrable read for those lacking physics degrees or superior spatial thinking, but the societal analogy, totally alien culture, and intriguing characters are potent reasons to power through. (Aug.)
Details
Reviewed on: 06/27/2011
Genre: Fiction
Hardcover - 362 pages - 978-0-575-09511-3
MP3 CD - 978-1-5226-7429-0
Open Ebook - 344 pages - 978-1-59780-351-9
Paperback - 344 pages - 978-1-59780-292-5
Paperback - 512 pages - 978-0-575-09512-0