by Karen Burnham
University of Illinois Press, 2014
Paper: 978-0-252-07993-1 | Cloth: 978-0-252-03841-9 | eISBN: 978-0-252-09629-7
Library of Congress Classification PR9619.3.E35Z58 2014
Dewey Decimal Classification 823.914

ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK

Greg Egan (1961- ) publishes works that challenge readers with rigorous, deeply-informed scientific speculation. He unapologetically delves into mathematics, physics, and other disciplines in his prose, putting him in the vanguard of the hard science fiction renaissance of the 1990s.


A working physicist and engineer, Karen Burnham is uniquely positioned to provide an in-depth study of Egan's science-heavy oeuvre. Her survey of the author's career covers novels like Permutation City and Schild's Ladder and the Hugo Award-winning novella "Oceanic," analyzing how Egan used cutting-edge scientific theory to explore ethical questions and the nature of humanity. As Burnham shows, Egan's collected works constitute a bold artistic statement: that narratives of science are equal to those of poetry and drama, and that science holds a place in the human condition as exalted as religion or art.


The volume includes a rare interview with the famously press-shy Egan covering his works, themes, intellectual interests, and thought processes.