| Singularity Sky | |
.jpg/200px-SingularitySky(1stEd).jpg) Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author | Charles Stross |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Publication date | July 1, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 400 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-441-01072-5 |
| Followed by | Iron Sunrise |
Singularity Sky (hardcover ISBN 0-441-01072-5; softcover ISBN 1-841-49334-1) is a hard science fiction novel by author Charles Stross, published in 2003. Charles David George "Charlie" Stross (born Leeds, 18 October 1964 is a writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Ace Books is the oldest active specialty Publisher of Science fiction and Fantasy books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a Book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with Cloth Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding. Iron Sunrise is a 2004 Hard science fiction novel by author Charles Stross, which follows the events in Singularity Sky. Hard science fiction is a category of Science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail or on scientific accuracy or on both Charles David George "Charlie" Stross (born Leeds, 18 October 1964 is a writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2004. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year Winners of the Hugo Award for best science fiction or fantasy Novel, along with all the nominees are presented here
A sequel, Iron Sunrise, was published in 2004. Iron Sunrise is a 2004 Hard science fiction novel by author Charles Stross, which follows the events in Singularity Sky.
Contents |
Plot introduction
Singularity Sky is set in a universe where human societies have been involuntarily taken from Earth and widely distributed, seemingly at random, across the galaxy in the aftermath of a technological singularity. The technological singularity is a theoretical future point of unprecedented technological progress caused in part by the ability of machines to improve themselves using Artificial The events in Singularity Sky take place some time after the immediate aftermath of the singularity.
Plot summary
The apparent cause of this distribution of humans is the mysterious and immensely powerful posthuman entity which calls itself the Eschaton. A posthuman or post-human is according to the Transhumanist intellectuals a hypothetical future being " whose basic capacities so radically Although the Eschaton is usually benign and uninvolved in human affairs, it strictly enforces certain rules on human civilization out of apparent self-interest.
To this end, the Eschaton has helpfully left a message throughout human space, for example, engraved in huge letters on the sides of mountains, and dispersed everywhere throughout computer networks. The message is as follows:
- I am the Eschaton. I am not your God.
- I am descended from you, and exist in your future.
- Thou shalt not violate causality within my historic light cone. Causality (but not causation) denotes a necessary relationship between one event (called cause and another event (called effect) which is the direct consequence In Special relativity, a light cone (or null cone) is the pattern describing the temporal evolution of a flash of Light in Minkowski spacetime Or else.
The most important commandment of the Eschaton appears to be "thou shalt not violate causality"; that is, the Eschaton strictly prohibits the use of faster than light travel for reaching any point in its own relative past, with the ominous proscription "or else". This article details time travel itself For other uses see Time Traveler. The Eschaton apparently makes use of time travel itself, but whenever a civilization attempts to break this rule, it is forcibly prevented from doing so immediately before the act (often with immense overkill, such as in at least one case where the relevant civilization's star is induced into going supernova). This article details time travel itself For other uses see Time Traveler. A supernova (plural supernovae or supernovas) is a stellar Explosion. The Eschaton is inscrutable and uncommunicative and beyond disseminating the knowledge of its laws generally does not provide further warnings before it acts.
Although human civilization on Earth collapsed in the wake of singularity, by the time of the events in Singularity Sky, Earth has recovered and become one of the more powerful and influential human societies. The Earth non-government, known as the United Nations and descended from the modern-day Internet Engineering Task Force, uses its agents to prevent other civilizations from breaking the Eschaton's rules so as to avoid the Eschaton taking enforcement action which may affect the very existence of Earth and the wider galaxy-spanning human race. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security
Unknown to human civilization at large, the Eschaton also has its own human agents working to this end. The novel features the exploits of one such agent, Martin Springfield, an engineer specializing in faster-than-light starship engines who is hired by the New Republic (a totalitarian and relatively backward neo-luddite civilization) to upgrade the faster-than-light engines of their fleet of warships. The Luddites were a Social movement of British Textile artisans in the early Nineteenth century who protested&mdashoften by destroying mechanized The UN also suspects that the New Republic may attempt to use the upgraded engines to violate causality, so they despatch one of its agents, Rachel Mansour, to the New Republic.
This attempt comes to pass sooner than expected when the New Republic colony on Rochard's World encounters the Festival, a spacefaring transhuman civilization/entity which trades highly advanced technology if prospective recipients can respond to the request: "entertain us". The old world order on Rochard's World quickly breaks down under this onslaught. Interpreting the failure of communications with the colony as the result of enemy action, the New Republic despatches a mighty war fleet to Rochard's World, with Martin Springfield and Rachel Mansour aboard the flagship.
Trivia
The Festival (and its associated Fringe, Mimes and Critics) is loosely inspired by the Edinburgh International Festival. The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of Performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around
External links
- Audio Review at The Science Fiction Book Review Podcast
- A review (2/5) - A heated debate about the role of ideas versus strong story in SciFi
- A review (89%)
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