Here we have part two of Sean William’s piece on Geodesica, really getting to the heart of what has been explored. I really recommend reading the duology – two very different books that make up our story. Feel free to admire the way the covers sit together . Click here to read part one of this piece.

The future history of humanity helped define the shape Geodesica took. It could never have been a trilogy. Book one, to my mind, represents a rocket launching pad and book two the entire trajectory of the rocket, going up and then going in a beautiful parabola. That’s why Ascent and Descent have such different flavours and structures: Ascent is about a time of crisis in an “ordinary” interstellar empire, while Descent covers the entire span of Coevality–the million-year regime that comes about because of the invention of time travel.

Geodesica is a love story spanning nearly the full length of human history but it’s also, like all of my space opera novels, an exploration of what people might be like in the far future. Geodesica takes that latter inquiry in a direction I’d never gone before, that being: what will post-humans fight about? (See “Further reading” below for more on this.) Ultimately it’s a quest for selfhood and identity–the very same quest that occupies us in every stage of our lives–with giant explosions.

Of the latter, the teenage me and I agree, there can never be enough. Where aliens are concerned, though, I’m undecided. They make for great scenery, and they raise important philosophical and scientific questions. But in Geodesica, I decided, the issues I wanted to deal with were human issues, and so adding aliens to the mix would deflect attention away from where I wanted it to be. There are aliens in the books, but to a much lesser degree than in Orphans, say, where presenting humanity as a fragile species struggling to evolve in a hostile, alien universe was very much the point.

My favourite character in Geodesica is Isaac Deangelis, whose name means “he who laughs” but who has very little to laugh about through the course of his life. (Names are important to me. His surname, “of the angels”, was chosen deliberately.) Bred to be a ruler, he routinely juggles more concerns than we ordinary humans could bear, but he falters at simple interpersonal relationships. Only on losing everything does he realise that he has never been free. Ultimately he must confront himself and his own obsessions, and thereby learn how to live with himself.

That seems to be a universal lesson. It’s certain one I’ve grappled with myself, and I will continue to explore it in my fiction as long as I’m able. You can dress them up as space opera or fantasy as much as you like, but every story is really about us. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about writing, that’s it.

Sean Williams is the author of twenty-nine novels and over seventy short stories, and won an Aurealis this year for his collection of short stories in Magic Dirt (link below). To find out more about him, go to www.seanwilliams.com.

Further reading from Sean:

2006 Conjure GoH Address (the million-year romance)

“A Longing for the Dark” (the future of fighting), presented in podcast form, read by me, courtesy of the Terra Incognita Australian Speculative Fiction podcast:
www.tisf.com.au or
www.keithstevenson.com/terraincognitasf/tisf005.html or
www.keithstevenson.com/media/TISF_005.mp3

Lastly, “Night of the Dolls” (lots of the themes mentioned here), in my best-of short story collection Magic Dirt:
http://ticonderogapublications.com/publications/magicdirt.html
(Like “A Longing for the Dark”, this is a standalone excerpt from Geodesica: Descent)

Some time ago, I asked Sean Williams if he would write a piece for the Voyager blog, and he agreed to write on the Geodesica duology – made up of Geodesica: Ascent and Geodesica: Descent, two books which make a whole that I found amazing to read. So, in two parts, here is Sean’s piece, a wonderful exploration of writing these two books and the themes explored within them.

Ascent

What’s Geodesica about? Perhaps I should start by describing where the idea for this story came from. As a young boy I spent a lot of time on buses, going back and forth between my home in Adelaide and the small country town where my grandparents lived. I’m sure I’m not the only such kid to have day-dreamed about taking a bus to another planet. In 1992 I tried to write a story about just that.

“Cloverleaf” detailed the escape of a criminal into a vast, space-bending maze that connected all the far-flung worlds of humanity’s future empire. He’s chased by cops and ultimately falls foul of an intelligence that has taken root inside the maze, an emergent property of the minds of all the commuters travelling through it like him.

No one bought “Cloverleaf”, and so the idea languished. It wasn’t until 2003, when I was looking for a series to follow Orphans, that the idea came out of the bottom drawer and leapt back into the forefront of my mind.

This being an old story for which I felt a great deal of affection, I quickly decided that it would be a “Williams with Dix” rather than “Williams and Dix” project–meaning that it was something I would work on alone, through development, pitching and writing, with Shane coming onboard much later to give me vital editorial support.

Descent

Having decided that, I proceeded to ditch almost everything about the original story except the central conceit and the title–and soon enough even the title went too. The duology was originally pitched as Cloverleaf, with individual volumes called Bedlam Watch and Palmer’s Wake. They then became Geodesica and Geodesica Falling before evolving into versions that ended up on the shelves.

Next I had to invent a new space opera milieu for the maze to intersect with. The one I settled on featured waves of progressively more advanced post-human sorts expanding outwards from Earth, each taking over territory controlled by their predecessors–something I’d never seen in fiction before. I made the maze of alien origin, something stumbled across and exploited, rather than built, and set the story off-Earth instead of starting at home and moving elsewhere–because sometimes the view over our shoulder is more terrifying than that ahead.

Sean Williams is the author of twenty-nine novels and over seventy short stories, and won an Aurealis this year for his collection of short stories in Magic Dirt (link below). To find out more about him, go to www.seanwilliams.com.

Part two of this piece will go up tomorrow, but below is the list of further reading that Sean sent through.

Further reading:

2006 Conjure GoH Address (the million-year romance)

“A Longing for the Dark” (the future of fighting), presented in podcast form, read by me, courtesy of the Terra Incognita Australian Speculative Fiction podcast:
www.tisf.com.au or
www.keithstevenson.com/terraincognitasf/tisf005.html or
www.keithstevenson.com/media/TISF_005.mp3

Lastly, “Night of the Dolls” (lots of the themes mentioned here), in my best-of short story collection Magic Dirt:
http://ticonderogapublications.com/publications/magicdirt.html
(Like “A Longing for the Dark”, this is a standalone excerpt from Geodesica: Descent)

Geodesica , Sean Williams with Shane Dix, Ascent (2005) and Descent (2006).

So a pair of books, a duology,  fitting because these two books boil down to the story of two people. Two novels to tell that? Well lots of subplots, secondary characters,  technology, philosophizing and well, much stuff to get through in order to tale this lover’s tale.

Melilah is the woman and Eogan is the man. Their story is the heart of the novel and their story really is a question - what does it mean to be human. But not only do those two characters delineate the question, there are many other characters in the story who are quite important and also explore the concept of post-human existance and whether or not humanity is tied to the physical body or is it a metaphyiscal idea that needs no corporeal presence. To discuss this Williams and Dix spend alot of time discussing and showing various examples of post human existence. Post human existence is what happens when we conquer, control, and then discard the human genome and take what forms we so desire or not as the case may be. What sort of societies will be created with what type of goverance, what techonologies will we discover both ancient, pre-human, and contemporary with the story.  The length of those discussions is one of the reasons that this is a duology, I think. Just so much ground to cover when discussing humanity’s future. BTW, there is a colony where no privacy exits at all, amazing idea, everyone truly is the star of there own tv show on that colony.

Anyway the two parts.

Ascent, pt 1., really is the stronger of two novels. Lots of great conflicts, technology, ideas, well defined characters and the pace is excellent. Just great hard science space opera. Complex characters in conflict with themselves, technology, in rebellion against the government, political intrigue, privacy issues, prolonged life issues, the importance of archeology! to a contemporary society that feels opressed, and on and on. Great stuff coming at you a mile a minute.

Part 2. , Descent. After the first part expectations were high. It just didn’t live up to Ascent. Everything that needed saying and doing in order to move the story to a good solid ending where the main characters resolve themselves in a believable manner got said and done. It just didn’t zoom like the first part. Oh there was some action but this was a book that worked the characters and their universe through the major issues that confront them. It got  a bit heavy, complicated and meandered a bit. Maybe the ambitious nature of the ideas got the better of the authors for a bit. But the novel rallied for a believable, satisfying ending that tied all the major threads together. I recommend part 1. and say that part 2. should be read just to see things through.

“Consider Phlebas”, Iain M. Banks (1987).

Okay so this book has been around for sometime. What new can be said? Well probably not much. Set in Banks’ Culture universe, it was the debut of the Culture, and narrated by some-one who hates the Culture. The Culture is run by Artificial Intelligences who allow the humans under their care to basically be carefree hedonists. Those people who want something more join Special Circumstances, a sort of secret agency type thing. Anyway, our main character is a polymorph who’s adventures in mercenary activities fighting the Culture and the activities of a Special Circumstances agent fighting him form the main plot. The pacing of this piece of military science fiction is brisk until the denouement which is too long, like Banks couldn’t let his creations go, many which are simply superb and so one can sympathize. However that really is being a bit picky because, over-all this is just fantastic writing and the idea of having some-one who hates something be explainer of that thing is just brilliant. If you’ve read other Iain M. Banks stuff and have yet read this, then do. You won’t be disappointed.

“Geodesica: Ascent”, Sean Williams with Shane Dix (2005).

This is book one of space based duology set way way in the future. A few basic elements are superpowerful and ruling AIs, info terrorism, man-machine hybrids, wormholes, and lot of thought nudging stuff. I really enjoyed it but as it part one I’ll give a fuller review later. I will say if you liked the Cassandra Kresnov by Joel Shepherd I think you’ll enjoy this as well just keep in mind that there are no kick ass androids running around but many of the issues are similar.

Geodesica este termino proviene de la palabra geodesia que es la ciencia de medir el tamaño de la tierra es decir como medir la linea mas corta entre un punto y otro dentro de un circulo o en este caso la tierra.

asi mismo entendemos por una estructura geodesica cmo una estructura que sa basa en varillas que llegan de un punto a otro en donde la acumilado forman piramides que unidos van formando la estructura con cierta frecuencia y modelo geometrico.

Estas piedras del neolítico, se cree que son de hace más de 2000 años antes de Cristo comprueban que la forma ha estado presente desde lo inicios del hombre piedras talladas con formas como cubos, dodecaedros e icosaedros, estos volúmenes no son naturales o al azar, si no se cree que se usaban como adorno o como dados de algún juego.

encontradas inicialmente en Escocia ahora se exhiben el museo de Ashmolen en Oxford

Os intercâmbios livres são o espaço que criamos para que outros grupos propusessem atividades. O foco é a formação de novas redes e a livre troca de experiências e saberes. As atividades acontecem espalhadas pela semana e pela universidade, não requerem inscrição e, claro, são gratuitas. Gostando da idéia, apareça, a programação segue aí:

PROGRAMAÇÃO INTERCÂMBIOS LIVRES

CONSTRUÇÃO DA GEODÉSICA
Estudantes do EMAU – Escola Modelo de Arquitetura da UFMT constroem coletivamente um domo geodésico na arena do 24h de Cultura. No dia cultural, a geodésica funcionará como entrada para a arena 24h e recebe o nome de Nemastê, que significa o deus que habita em mim saúda o deus que habita em você.
Data: 7 a 10 de outubro
Horário: 16h a 18h
Local: Estacionamento do Parque Aquático da UFMT/Arena 24h de Cultura
Realização: EMAU – Escola Modelo de Arquitetura da UFMT

CIRANDA FALADA: COMO FAZER UM IMPRESSO (ANDAR)
Com o escritor Isaque Segatto, a equipe da Revista Espectador, equipe Grifo, o Projeto Poesia Necessária e Margareth Peasano da KCM Editora. Mediação: Pricyla Koehler – Editora Cativa
Data: 08 de outubro – quarta-feira
Horário: 19h
Local: Esquina do Sodré – Rampa do IL
Realização: Editora Cativa

REUNIÃO PREPARATÓRIA PARA O SEMINÁRIO DO PLANO NACIONAL DE CULTURA
Data: 08 de outubro – quarta-feira
Horário: 19h
Local: Auditório 2 do IE

COMUNICAÇÃO, CULTURA E SOCIEDADE
Alunos de Comunicação Social integrantes do NECOIJ apresentam
trabalhos sobre a temática.
Data: 09 de outubro – quinta-feira
Horário: 09h30 a 10h30
Local: Auditório 01 do ICHS
Realização: NECOIJ – Núcleo de Estudos em Comunicação, Infância e Juventude da UFMT.

A superfície terrestre é bidimensional, ou seja, só é possível se mover sobre ela em dois eixos (frente-trás, esquerda-direita).
Mas o plano é também tridimensional, por se tratar de uma esfera (na verdade, é um geóide, mas isso é uma meta-referência, por significar literalmente “em forma de Terra”), por isso que se andarmos em uma linha reta, eventualmente voltaremos ao local de partida.

Um efeito interessante que ilustra isso bem é um que envolve a noção de pólos. Se eu estiver em pé no ponto mais ao norte do globo, ou Pólo Norte, não importa em que direção em me desloque, estarei sempre indo em direção ao sul. Não estarei indo para o leste, oeste, noroeste, sudoeste, nor-nordeste, apenas para o sul.

Linha reta não é um termo adequado, pois uma linha realmente reta teria que se estender além da superfície, pois esta não é plana.
Uma representação visual que deixa isso que eu disse mais fácil de entender: um lápis seria a linha reta e uma bola de tênis seria o plano terrestre. Enquanto o lápis manter o seu formato, não poderá ter mais de dois pontos encostando na bola.

A menor distância entre dois pontos numa esfera (ou qualquer espaço curvado) é chamada de geodésica, uma linha que circunda o globo ao redor da parte mais gordinha.
A Linha do Equador é uma geodésica, mas o Trópico de Capricórnio não é.
Para nós tropicálios, isso não faz muita diferença, mas para quem mora bem mais ao sul ou ao norte, isso deve ser considerado, especialmente em viagens aéreas.
Por exemplo: O menor caminho entre Sidney, na Austrália, e Santiago, no Chile, ambos a 33º (e uns quebrados) de latitude sul, não é seguindo o caminho que parece mais intuitivo, apenas se deslocando para a direita, mas seguindo a geodésica entre os dois pontos, que passa quase por cima da Antártica!
Seria como pegar a Linha do Equador e encaixar de modo que ela tocasse naquelas duas cidades. Ela sairia de Sidney indo tanto para a direita quanto para baixo, até metade do caminho, quando começaria a subir em direção a Santiago.
Parece estranho, mas faz sentido. Perguntem aos engenheiros de tráfego aéreo das companhias de aviação.

E (já consigo ouvi-los perguntando) se eu quiser ir de trem?
A viagem ferroviária seria bem mais fácil e usaria bem menos energia.
Aliás, usaria zero energia. Energia antropogênica, pelo menos.
Para o deslocamento, apenas, pois as condições necessárias seriam energeticamente bem dispendiosas.
Teoricamente, na verdade.

Voltando ao exemplo do lápis e da bola de tênis:
A única maneira de fazer uma linha reta (lápis) tocar em dois pontos de uma esfera (bola) é atravessá-la.
Empalar a bola de tênis com o lápis faz com que este tenha dois pontos de contato com aquela.
Se o acessório esportivo do meu exemplo fosse sólido (ao invés de ser cheio apenas de ar), o implemento escrevedor deixaria um túnel escavado, ao ser retirado.

Na Terra, caso fosse possível tal manobra, ficaríamos com um Túnel Gravitacional.

Através de um buraco em linha reta (reto o suficiente de modo que, por um lado enxergaríamos a outra entrada) seria possível, por exemplo, usando nada mais que a força gravitacional terrestre, ir de Natal a Salvador em quarenta e dois minutos e doze segundos.

Entre Natal e Moscou, a viagem duraria quarenta e dois minutos e doze segundos.
Aliás, através de um túnel em linha reta entre quaisquer dois pontos, uma viagem de ida com o auxílio de nada mais que a gravidade, duraria sempre 42 minutos e 12 segundos.
Desde que não haja fricção, obviamente.

Da entrada até o ponto central da passagem, a gravidade está puxando o vagão (que está essencialmente em queda livre), cada vez mais rapidamente, com aceleração constante.
Quando solto da boca do buraco, a velocidade vai aumentando mais e mais, até passar da metade, vinte e um minutos e seis segundos depois de começar a cair, quando o processo se inverte e a velocidade diminui até chegar a zero, na saída.

Quanto mais longo for o túnel, mais rápido o trem se moveria e maior seria a velocidade máxima. Se o buraco for rasinho, o vagão iria bem mais lentamente.
Com uma velocidade média maior para uma distância maior e uma velocidade média menor para uma distância proporcionalmente menor, o tempo se mantém constante.

42′12″

Mas, novamente, não pode haver fricção de qualquer tipo dentro do túnel. Não pode haver ar dentro dele nem o trem não pode encostar nas paredes.
Isso pode ser mais difícil de alcançar.

Caso eu fosse tendencioso, teria dito apenas 42 minutos e faria menção à resposta para a Vida, o Universo e de tudo mais, mas não faria isso com vocês…

Para mais sobre o Trem Gravitacional (em inglês), leia esta página da BBC e esta outra da revista Time.