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    Equilateral: A Novel
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    Equilateral: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Equilateral: A Novel
    Ebook212 pages4 hours

    Equilateral: A Novel

    By Ken Kalfus

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Equilateral is an intellectual comedy set just before the turn of the century in Egypt. A British astronomer, Thayer, high on Darwin and other progressive scientists of the age, has come to believe that beings more highly evolved than us are alive on Mars (he has evidence) and that there will be a perfect moment in which we can signal to them that we are here too. He gets the support and funding for a massive project to build the Equilateral, a triangle with sides hundreds of miles long, in the desert of Egypt in time for that perfect window. But as work progresses, the Egyptian workers, less evolved than the British, are also less than cooperative, and a bout of malaria that seems to activate at the worst moments makes it all much more confusing and complex than Thayer ever imagined. We see Thayer also through the eyes of two women--a triangle of another sort--a romantic one that involves a secretary who looks after Thayer but doesn't suffer fools, and Binta, a houseservant he covets but can't communicate with--and through them we catch sight of the depth of self-delusion and the folly of the enterprise.
    Equilateral is written with a subtle, sly humor, but it's also a model of reserve and historical accuracy; it's about many things, including Empire and colonization and exploration; it's about "the other" and who that other might be. We would like to talk to the stars, and yet we can barely talk to each other.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury USA
    Release dateApr 16, 2013
    ISBN9781620400173
    Unavailable
    Equilateral: A Novel
    Author

    Ken Kalfus

    ken kalfus is the author of a novel, The Commissariat of Enlightenment, and the short story collections Thirst, which won the Salon Book Award, and Pu-239 and Other Russian Fantasies, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award.

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    Reviews for Equilateral

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      This is a novel about a British astronomer (Sanford Thayer) in the late 1800s who designs and oversees the construction of a giant equilateral triangle in the middle of the desert in order to contact intelligent beings on Mars. Based o this description, I thought this would be a science fiction novel, but it turned out to be more (and less) than that. Kalfus paints a picture of a refined genius and his patrons who are all convinced they are working to achieve the greatest feat in human history; there is no way the African and Middle Eastern workers who slave away building the triangle can even comprehend the magnitude of what they're trying to accomplish. But, of course, the opposite turns out to be true. Thayer, increasingly becoming more self-deluded, is almost manic in his conviction that there is intelligent life on Mars and that they must be contacted. His secretary tries to hide her feelings for him while at the same time keeping an eye on the servant girl whom Thayer covets. I thought this book was an excellent and strange look into the minds of humans who think themselves the epitome of intelligence (at least on Earth), and who are almost comically ignorant of their own follies.
    • 4/5
      In the late 1800s, Giovanni Schiaparelli's discovery of "canals" on Mars has allowed a (fictional) astronomer to fan interest in Mars into worldwide financial and political support for the building of a massive equilateral triangle in the deserts of Egypt. Over three hundred miles to a side, with a paved roadway filled with liquid oil, it is to be set on fire when Earth and Mars are close, in order to alert Martians that the inhabitants of Earth are ready to take their place among the universe's intelligent species. Our intelligence will be demonstrated by various astronomical and geometrical signs, including the timing of the fire, the exact shape of the image, and the directions the triangle points. 900,000 African workers have toiled for two years at the time the book opens, and despite mutinies and thefts, public support is still high and the image is set to be finished more or less on time. Although these events never happened, of course, the author uses the notions and prejudices of the day to spin a delightful story which leaves today's reader in wonderment at what was believed at the time: that the "canals" indicated a highly developed and ancient civilization on Mars which would recognize the symbolism of the Equilateral and want to contact us. Particularly wonderful here are the portrayals of parallel Western biases which presume to understand the natures of both the Martians and the workers, the latter of whom are considered an underclass, destined to provide labor but incapable of understanding the significance of the endeavor. In fact, the astronomer is certain the Martians have long ago evolved into two species (intellectuals and laborers), to enable works as grand as the canal system to be built, and he is sure they will see the need for force in dealing with the workers as a phase they too will have had in their past. The astronomer thinks a great deal about what Martian society is like and how the two planets can best communicate.In many ways this seemed to me a companion piece to Arthur Phillips's "The Egyptologist", a book I loved and keep on my shelves. Phillips' protagonist is an archaeologist who is determined to prove that a little hillock he's excavating holds as important a burial site as the Tut tomb, which has just been discovered. Madness ensues. The astronomer has a much more willing audience and is not reduced to the same measures, but his quest is still a fantastical undertaking which we of the 21st century can observe with humor and some shaking of our heads. His ability to bring off the political and economic alliances necessary does seem a bit unlikely, but aside from that this is a delightful tale which extrapolates from history to describe an absurd conclusion and jumps off from there. Very entertaining.
    • 5/5
      What a strange treat of a novel. Neat!
    • 4/5
      Equilateral was really weird. I kept reading it, wondering when Kalfus was going to stop setting things up and get to the story, and then I got to the end and it never really happened. But there were explosions, and the implication of Martians, and science and geometry. So, I'm really not disappointed. I enjoyed it!
    • 5/5
      This is a most unusual book. I would compare it to a recipe that calls for flour, celery, cherries, hot pepper sauce, and coffee grinds and then declare it delicious. This book is a strange combination of history, romance, cultural differences (East vs. West), astronomy, comedy, math, and science fiction.The main character of Thayer, the British astronomer, is comedic yet pathetic. Other characters, both major and minor, are unique but believable. The clash between Eastern thinking and Western "reasoning" is a major part of how the plot is drawn. The very idea of attempting to communicate with Martians via a perfectly drawn triangle is far-fetched, but history has recorded more than one far-fetched (or horrifying) idea that seemed perfectly acceptable at the time. With all our scientific knowledge and rational thinking, are we being just as foolish today?I would never have thought that mathematical drawings would interest me, but the drawings in this book are fascinating and necessary additions to this very strange but very enjoyable novel. Probably not for everyone, but if you are inclined to see humor in the most unusual places, try this.
    • 4/5
      This was mildly very interesting, that's the best way I can describe this novel. It takes place in the late 19th century, after astronomers view canals on Mars and decide they are really are canals and there is intelligent life on that planet. To communicate with them, a British astronomer undertakes a crazy project in the Egyptian desert, constructing a giant equilateral triangle in the sand that will be visible to Martians. Nearly all of that is by way of setting, not plot. It's not quite a plot-driven book. The atmosphere is one of Brits in Egypt, living large and vaguely wondering why Arabs are such barbarians. The overarching theme is about cultural contact -- you've got these Westerners obsessed with making contact with Martians, who are deemed to be a superior race, and assuming that's going to go really, really well for them, at the same completely not understanding at all why the Egyptians, and anyone else non-white, are not thrilled out of their minds to be an inferior race. Gender comes under the microscope, too. Overall, it's a very thoughtful book, and one impressive thing is that you the reader are totally exasperated with 19th guy being so clueless and lacking in self-awareness, but also completely convinced that his passion for astronomy and discovery is genuine.I loved how it drew upon a Burroughs-esque view of Mars and combined it with a Fu Manchuian view of Egypt, but again, just a caution, that's all to set the mood and this isn't any sort of steampunk or SF novel at all.
    • 4/5
      Perfectly pieced together cover art for a novel that can't be categorized - in the best way possible.

      "Thayer has to remind the engineers of the Equilateral's purpose and fundamental principles. If the figure is forced to conform to the Egyptian landscape, the astronomers of Mars will be placed in the same difficult position as their colleagues on Earth: unable to convince parochial skeptics that the markings on the distant planetary surface are the work of sentient beings. It's the disregard of the natural landscape that proves man's intelligence."

      Clearly, we're not in 2013 anymore. Ken Kalfus' Equilateral is set in 1894, where British astronomer Sanford Thayer has spent several years working toward the construction of a massive equilateral triangle in Egypt. Thayer has come to believe that the triangle has the ability to communicate with living beings on Mars if completed and set aflame on a specific date, allowing the planets to properly align.

      Equilateral is a fascinating studying of time, place and purpose. While the blend of science, math and hint of science fiction alone are enough to make for an interesting plot, it is the historical commentary that can catch and pull you in. With delicate precision, Kalfus is able to travel back in time and piece together phrases offensive enough to come from a colonial-minded 19th century man. I found myself highlighting line after line, in awe of this story so opposite our politically correct world.

      I'm not sure if it's the cover's fantastic design or the time period combined with the focus on astronomy, but early in the novel I made a connection to French filmmaker Georges Méliès and had a hard time letting go. I pictured the rest of the book as this hand colored fantasy, edited with camera tricks and illusion. It was perfect. Can we get a director to make this happen?

      Equilateral has much to offer to so many different readers; brilliant writing, math and science notes, a telescope into history. It's unlike anything I've ever read and deserves to be picked up by as many people possible.