Astrophysicist Stuart Clark Is Back In Toronto
Actually, it's Star Rock Guitarist and Astrophysicist Stuart Clark, and he is back touring Canada with a new title, Sensorium of God, a work of historical fiction that dramatizes the stories of the astronomers behind the greatest
discoveries in the universe. Clark follows Isaac Newton, Robert Hooke
and Edmond Halley as they seek to understand why the planets move as
they do against the backdrop of the Age of Enlightenment. Stuart Clark will be speaking at North York Central Library on Wednesday, October 24, 7-8 pm. Not to be missed!
The photo, left, is by Simon Wallace http://www.meltingpotpictures.co.uk.
Sensorium has been warmly received by science reviewers and readers of fiction, and it is no accident that Stuart Clark will be part of Harbourfront's International Festival of Authors this fall (he'll be there on October 25 and 26).
On the BBC's Sky at Night Magazine Patrick Moore gave Sensorium of God a 5 star review, which is reproduced in full here:
Two of the leading characters in scientific history are Isaac Newton and
Robert Hooke. They were contemporaries, although certainly their relationship
was always difficult. It must also be said that both men had difficult
characters.
The story of the differences of opinion between them has been told many
times, but in The Sensorium of God – the second book in the Sky’s Dark Labyrinth
Trilogy author Stuart Clark puts a rather different complexion on it. It is a
method that works very well and enables us to look more closely at the thinking
of scientists of the Restoration period. Clark is a well-known astrophysicist
and a former vice-chairman of the Association of British Science Writers. This
book will certainly enhance his reputation.
The novel is set in the mid-17th century, when it had only just been
universally agreed that Earth moves around the Sun and was not the most
important body in the Universe. Neither Newton or Hooke doubted this, but in
many other ways they did not agree at all. You can read this book even if you
have not come across the first of the trilogy, and although it is not always
pleasant reading, you have to remember these were not always pleasant times!
It has been said that Clark “effortlessly blends science into an enthralling
story of triumph over adversity”. Certainly, The Sensorium of God is a blend of
historical fiction and astronomy that most people with an interest in science
will wish to obtain.
Five stars
A science journalist, award-winning author and Fellow of the Royal
Astronomical Society, Stuart Clark has devoted much of this career to
presenting the complex world of astronomy and astrophysics to the
general public. TPL has many if not all of Clark's books.
Comments