2bsirius's Weblog

Philip Ball's First Novel

I’m reading The Sun and Moon Corrupted a novel by Philip Ball. It is a bit intimidating to see the plethora of reviews saying worshipful things about Mr Ball, for example, ” one of the smartest science writers working in Britain.” It’s proving to be an interesting read, but I have to admit that so far, I’m a bit disappointed. Perpetual motion machines? Mad physicists? Castles and alchemy in the mysterious outer reaches of Transylvania? Yes, it’s a very odd book indeed.

I think I’m mildly disappointed with what I’ve read so far. I think I’m unconsciously comparing it to a book I which impressed me so much I’m on my second time through it. It’s called A World Without Time: The Forgotten Legacy of Godel and Einstein by Palle Yourgrau, a non-fiction account of the late friendship of Albert Einstein and Kurt Godel, and I thought that Godel’s attempt to rewrite relativity was both more intellectually engaging and made better sense, at least to me.

No doubt Philip Ball’s book reminded me of the other because both depict the obsessive behavior of a passionate mind in the grip of an obsessive idea. The idea central to both books concerns possible flaws in Einstein’s theory of relativity.

But I think I’m prejudging. I’ll write more after I’ve actually finished reading. It is certainly unfair to judge until then.