★★★★☆
Read my review on Goodreads.
The novel narrates the creation of an ambitious “space elevator” under the vision of bridge engineer Vannevar Morgan in the 22nd century; it forms part of humanity’s attempts to colonize the stars. The main quest is framed by two other moments in this earth’s fictional history —the construction of an ancient engineering wonder in Taprobane, weaving in themes of nature, religion, and the endurance of tradition, and the budding interactions of man with a more advanced and distant race.
Despite its dense content, the novel is grounded in its descriptions and detail, as well as moving in its plot beats. Characters are fleshed out with just enough personality and competing perspectives to flavor the story. What makes the fictional race to build the space elevator even more vivid are the traces of reality embedded in its development. Sir Clarke mentions Tacoma Narrows Bridge —which oscillated then fell to physics in 1940– then the novel From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne— and enough pseudoscience with contemporary scientists of the 1980s actually dreaming of an orbital tower. Several times throughout the book I thought: this must reflect what Sir Arthur C. Clarke saw in the real world which inspired him to write. I do think that the best of science fiction logically situates its fiction in the realm of science (so hats off to the author’s physics and engineering background!).
And as with any science fiction, what tickles me pink are the limits of imagination (which is to say, none). The novel references events than have not yet come to pass — “Half the twentieth century lived with the Hydrogen Bomb— half the twenty-first with the Golgotha virus…” (p163)— but which now seem incredibly prescient.
The novel mentions an organ regenerator, “remote” journalism via multiview livestreaming, and CORA —a “coronary alarm” which is essentially a portable coro angiogram, in existence by the 22nd century. Not in my lifetime still, but one day!
I have always idly thought in my readings of popular science that there would be no more great discoveries, or big names for our history books. Gallileo has already proven the movement of the stars, Darwin the process of evolution, Jenner’s the derivation of the vaccine… but I am reminded that there are still some discoveries which remain: the cures to cancer and AIDS, and the secret to interstellar travel.
And as with any good speculative fiction, the novel’s premise is only as good as its ability to highlight conflict. In this case, the push-and-pull between unstoppable innovation and immovable tradition; the inescapable reality of corruption as long as there is capitalism; and the challenge extraterrestrial life poses on the question of theology.
“The hypothesis you refer to as God, though not disprovable by logic alone, is unnecessary for the following reason…” says the “Starglider”, a visitor from a distant world…
It took me quite some time to finish this book; I can’t call it a page-turner, except for the bigger cliffhangers to the plot. Yet the reality he writes is truly immersive. For the many reasons hinted above, for its impact in later works in the genre, and for the fact that it drove me to write a couple hundred words as a review— I highly recommend this book.
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jari m 
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