The long-awaited new novel from Hugo Award-winning writer Greg Egan! The Amalgam spans nearly the entire galaxy, and is composed of innumerable beings from a wild variety of races, some human, some near-human, and some entirely other. The one place that they cannot go is the bulge, the bright, hot center of the galaxy. There dwell the Aloof, who for millions of years have deflected any and all attempts to communicate with or visit them. So, when Rakesh is offered an opportunity to travel within their sphere, in search of a lost race, he cannot turn it down!
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Australian SF Reader:
In the future of the pair from Riding the Crocodile Egan does Forward meets Clement, or something like that. Two story strands here - a pair from the Amalgam, still contemplating the Aloof and their posthumanity, and a far more primitive people stuck in a nasty astronomical situation. The former discovers the latter, as the latter discovers the physics of their situation. Pity all physics lectures couldn't be this entertaining! 3.5 out of 5
Uncompromising *science* fiction from its leading exponent:
As those of us who scan bookshop shelves can testify, the category "science fiction" is often stretched way past its limits. Often you head for what looks like a generous SF section, only to find it mainly composed of Tolkien and his imitators, a mass of sword-sandals-and-sorcery epics, and (most recently) Buffy and her vampire-fighting (or vampire-loving, or both) pals. Greg Egan is at the opposite extreme: mostly science, and just enough fiction to gain entry into the genre. He is in excellent... more info
Read carefully towards the end:
I loved the book. I can't make my argument without spoiling the book completely for new readers, but the reviewers that thought the ending was abrubt have missed an important fact, some things are not as they seem, that we are meant to deduce for ourselves at the end of the book. I provided more clues in a comment to Erik Reuter's review, hopefully cryptic enough not to spoil.
hard core discovery physics:
Science is seen as boring by students rather than having the excitement of discovery inherent in its nature. The book "Incandescence" by Greg Egan is a joy to read for all people who enjoy science as well as sci fi. Seeing how an isolated culture discovers the laws of physics in the midst of both great charater development and lots of action is just plain fun. The result of rampant litigation over dangers which are both obvious and often well marked has rendered school lab experiments to have little... more info
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