Galileo’s Dream

By: Kim Stanley Robinson

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 20 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Kim Stanley Robinson’s illustrious SF career has earned him every major award in the business—including the Nebula and Hugo Awards.

With Galileo’s Dream, Robinson crafts an instant masterpiece that blends epic adventure and thoughtful alternate history. Ganymede, a rebellious Jovian, attempts to bring famed scientific mind Galileo forward in time to alter the course of history with astonishing results.

©2009 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Exquisite intriguing Galileo

Galileo made so human and so extraordinary at once contacted by people from the future brilliant science humanism and philosophy infinitely imaginative novel unforgettable - the reader is the best and his voices like a good film

Wonderful

I found the story captivating. It was entertaining and educational. As an armchair scientist, I enjoyed it very much.

Absolutely the best historical science fiction book I have ever read.

I loved the historical accuracy intertwined with future and scientific outcomes. This is a truly wonderful work of fiction.

Historical Novel?

More a historical novel than science fiction, Galileo's Dream covers the latter half of Galileo's life. While there are some action scenes this is not an action novel. And while there is time travel and alien intelligence, it is more a novel of about Galileo, his scientific ideas, and Vatican politics. If you make it through the twenty hours you will gain a understanding and an affection for this flawed genius. It does go on for too long. It could stand being about a third shorter. But I would recommend it for an entertaining introduction to the life of Galileo Galilee.

more great ksr

KSR is in a class by himself. Galileo's Dream is not perfect, but still is a very good listen. The only thing I could not quite get past was how easily Galileo seems to accept the fantastical future people he comes into contact with. That said, even if viewed only as historical fiction, this book is great; the sci fi elements are like fun gravy added on top.

Flawed but interesting

I like the overall concept of this novel immensely. I love the idea of Galileo travelling back and forth between his own time and a mysterious future version of Jupiter's moons. I like the idea of using this concept as a way to explore the importance of scientific thought.

The structure is flawed though. My feeling was that there needed to be a better balance between the scenes in Galileo's time and those in the future. A huge amount of the novel reads like a biography of Galileo. The time is evoked with great detail and texture, so if you know little about Galileo you may find this fascinating. If, however, you're already read a Galileo biography, you may find it excessively repetitive. I wanted more imaginative sci-fi, and less of a sense that the author was typing up his research notes.

It's definitely worth a listen, though, if you like long, rambling novels, and the ending is rather magical.

The reader is perfect, having a warm voice with just a hint of an Italian accent.

Awesome entanglement of history and SF

Great mash up of historical re-telling with a quantum future / past in KSR most excellent prose.

Wonderful book, incredible voicing.

The meat of the book was great. Really gave one the impression of the life of 17th century Italy was really like (I have no frame of reference, but it certainly had the air of believability). My only complaint is the ending was a bit anti-climactic. It fit, but I felt like he wrapped it up took quickly and didn't get into it as much as I would have liked.

The narrator was incredible as well. Really brought the characters to life for me.

It felt like a dream

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book. I knew very little about Galileo's life so it was a lovely experience getting to know such a famous historical figure through the novel. I also loved the insertion of the sci fi element and what that insertion taught Galileo without taking away from his genius. I like the book more and more the longer I am away from it. The whole book did feel a lot like a dream in many ways.

One that sticks with you

Robinson, already known for being able to construct detailed and realistic environments, makes the world of Galileo come alive with a vividness reminiscent of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. Galileo as a character is at once charming, frustrating, and human.

The Jovian future scenes add an appropriately otherworldly flavor to the book, though these scenes cause the plot to drag at times, especially in the middle third of the book. But stick with it and you are rewarded with a story arc that is satisfying and thought provoking at the same time.

The way that Robinson weaves the facts of Galileo's life and his actual writings into the fictional, time travel sections is wonderful enough to make one wonder if it isn't true after all.

Guidall is without question the best in the business and this work is more of the excellence I've come to expect.