"Sail On! Sail On!" is an
alternate history short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
by American writer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.
Obituary.
Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the '' World of Tier ...
, first published in ''
Startling Stories
''Startling Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1955 by publisher Ned Pines' Standard Magazines. It was initially edited by Mort Weisinger, who was also the editor of '' Thrilling Wonder Stories'', ...
'' 1952. In an alternative 1492,
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
sets out to find a shortened route to
China and
South-East Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
across the Atlantic, financed by
Ferdinand V and
Isabella I
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 by ...
of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. However, in this timeline, the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...
''is'' flat, though scientists and philosophers have doubts about its geological provenance, and an Angelo Angelli is mentioned as proving
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical Greece, Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatet ...
's axiom that objects of different weights drop with different velocities (which
Galileo Galilei
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He w ...
disproved in our world).
Radio technology exists in 1492, and the shipboard operator of a
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
is a "Friar Sparks", although the principles are described in religious terms involving
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...
s' winglength as a substitute for
radio waves
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies of 300 gigahertz ( GHz) and below. At 300 GHz, the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm (s ...
and the involvement of cherubim hurling themselves across the ether to send the signal (giving rise to "kilo-cherubs" as a measurement of frequency, denoted as "k c.", and "continuous wingheight", denoted as "c w", both radio terms in the real world). Psychology also exists, which means that Columbus's vessels do not turn back despite growing unease and ominous warning signs. It turns out that the
Americas do not exist, and that this world is a disc, not a sphere; so, like other
transatlantic
Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to:
Film
* Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950
* Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s
* ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film ...
travellers, Columbus and his colleagues sail over the edge of the world into Earth orbit, and never return from their mission.
Influence
The song "Birds Without Legs," by Kevin Healey is inspired by "Sail On! Sail On!". The song also borrows images from Farmer's 1977 novel, ''
The Dark Design
''The Dark Design'' (1977) is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip José Farmer, the third in the series of Riverworld books. The title is derived from lines in Sir Richard Francis Burton's poem ''The Kasîdah of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezd ...
'', which contains a description of a mystical vision that parallels a passage in "Sail On! Sail On!".
References
*Mary Brizzi: ''Readers Guide to Philip José Farmer'': Mercer Island, Washington: Starmont House: 1981:
External links
*
1952 short stories
Alternate history short stories
Cultural depictions of Christopher Columbus
Flat Earth
Short stories by Philip José Farmer
Works originally published in Startling Stories
{{1950s-story-stub