''Incandescence'' is a 2008
science fiction novel by
Australian author
Greg Egan. The book is based on the idea that the theory of general relativity could be discovered by a pre-industrial civilisation.
Plot summary
The novel has two narratives in alternate chapters. The first follows two citizens of the Amalgam, a
Milky Way-spanning civilisation, investigating the origin of DNA found on a meteor by the Aloof. The Aloof control the
galactic core and, until the novel begins, have rejected all attempts at contact by the Amalgam. The second narrative is set on a small world known as the Splinter, and covers the attempts by its inhabitants to understand the environment within which their home exists. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the Splinter orbits a
collapsed star within its
accretion disk
An accretion disk is a structure (often a circumstellar disk) formed by diffuse material in orbital motion around a massive central body. The central body is typically a star. Friction, uneven irradiance, magnetohydrodynamic effects, and other fo ...
and is subject to various dangers. The two stories come together in a complex twist which involves a kind of past/future
first contact
First contact may refer to:
*First contact (astronomy), the moment in astronomical transit when the apparent positions of the two bodies first touch
*First contact (anthropology), the first meeting of two cultures previously unaware of one another
...
role reversal.
Much of the narrative explores the effects of
orbital dynamics around a high mass object and requires an understanding of Newtonian gravitation and at least a basic familiarity with
general relativity and its application to
black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
s and
neutron stars to be compelling. Understanding the story's wider frame of reference and the Splinter's encounter with the Wanderer are tied in with this.
The Amalgam is explored in three other short stories, ''Glory'', ''Riding the Crocodile'',
and ''Hot Rock''.
Criticism
One review compared ''Incandescence'' to "a not particularly enthralling lecture on the process of scientific discovery, combined with the physics of a black hole".
Another reviewer described much of this criticism as "trite received opinion" and said the book had "hints of greatness and pleasing moments" but its structure was "a failed literary experiment" and ultimately rather dull.
On June 6, 2008, British writer
Adam Roberts released a review
criticizing ''Incandescence'' for its awkward prose and weak characterization. In response, Egan dissected the review, going so far as to call it "probably the first genuine hatchet job I've ever received."
In particular, he accuses Adam Roberts of malicious nitpicking and a
straw man argument, and suggests that Roberts should have known he would be unfairly biased against the book and refused to review it:
Notes
* The names of the directions on the Splinter are derived from the Arabic for North (shemaal), South (janoob), East (sharq), and West (gharb) and from the
Persian for hot (garm) and cold (sard).
References
External links
Official Websiteincludes reviews of ''Incandescence'', "Glory" and "Riding the Crocodile".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Incandescence
2008 novels
Novels by Greg Egan
Australian science fiction novels
Novels about mathematics
2008 science fiction novels
Hard science fiction
Victor Gollancz Ltd books