KIM STANLEY ROBINSON, author of the Mars trilogy, turns his talentsto one of science’s great fables. Galileo’s Dream tells the story of Galileo, from his work on mechanics and astronomy to his clash with the church. But there’s a twist: Galileo is contacted by people from the year 3020, who bring him to their time to help them deal with a mysterious intelligence living on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The Jovian sections are disappointing – rich in ideas, but inconclusive. The futuristic perspective helps put Galileo’s struggles into context, but otherwise adds little.
The historical sections, on the other hand, are a triumph, with Robinson’s gifts for characterisation and world-building firmly to the fore. His Galileo is wonderful: brilliant, irascible, sometimes hateful, and always fascinating. The finale is both stirring and melancholic, and a fitting tribute to science’s most famous iconoclast.
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