Stuart Clark is the acclaimed author of "The Sun Kings" and
The Sky's Dark Labyrinth Blog
At the dawn of the seventeenth century, the Sun revolved around the Earth according to God’s plan and as set down in the Bible. Yet some men knew that the Heavens did not move as they should and began to believe exactly the opposite – a heresy punishable by being burned alive.
The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth is the first in a trilogy of novels that dramatically bring to life key moments in our understanding of the cosmos – when our view of the Universe changed forever.
I'll be collecting all posts here that are relevant to The Sky's Dark Labyrinth. Published during the course of 2011-2012, volume I, The Sky's Dark Labyrinth, presents the stories of Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei.
German Lutheran Johannes Kepler is convinced that he has been given a vision by God when he becomes the first man to distill into mathematical laws how stars and planets move through the heavens. Galileo Galilei, an Italian Catholic, will try to claim Kepler’s success for his own Church, but he finds himself enmeshed in a web of intrigue originating from within the Vatican itself. Both men become trapped by human ignorance and irrational terror to the peril of their lives and those of their families in one of the darkest, yet also one of the most enlightening, periods of European history.
Volume II, The Sensorium of God, features Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley. Volume III, The Day Without Yesterday, recounts the story of Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and George Lemaitre.
Confirmed publication dates so far are April in UK, June in Australia, September in Canada. Forthcoming publications dates will be announced for South Korea, Japan and Greece soon. I'll be talking about these books at various literary festivals and other venues across the UK this year. Stay tuned for further announcements. The book is published in the UK and Australia by Polygon Books and in Canada by McArthur Books.
To download a four page brochure about the trilogy, click here.
To contact the book's UK publicist, Jan Rutherford, click here.
To contact the book's Canadian publicist, Devon Pool, click here.
Confessions of a Cultural Idiot
Confessions of a Cultural Idiot is the (great) name of a blog. Here’s the review they posted of my lecture at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto. My grateful thanks to this particular ‘cultural idiot’ – who clearly ‘got it’ – so perhaps not such an idiot after all!
“The way Stuart Clark describes the fascinating lives of Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei, he could almost be talking about the plot of a novel. Oh, wait – he is. Clark recently gave a talk at the Isobel Bader Theatre in Toronto, promoting his new novel, The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth, the first in a trilogy about the lives of perception-changing scientists. ...”
You can read the full review here.
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Bringing witchcraft to the book festival
I have a piece on The Guardian's website today to tie-in with my appearance at the Edinburgh Book Festival:
"It's always fascinating to hear what individuals think as they read my books. Sometimes they see things I'd not consciously realised. I get a similar insight when I'm paired up with another writer for a literary event. This year, the organisers of the Edinburgh international book festival have surprised me, by making me look at my novel The Sky's Dark Labyrinth in a totally new way. ..."
You can read the full post here.
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Fiction shines a light on the Universe
It was a great pleasure to be interviewed by Pippa Goldschmidt as part of ESRC Genomics Forum coverage of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Pippa has previously reviewed The Sky's Dark Labyrinth and this time she she asked me some fascinating questions, including:
• Your first novel is actually a fictional account of real historical events. Why did you decide to tackle this in a fictional format?
• Were you hoping to attract new audiences with this approach? People who might be put off by non-fiction science books?
• Do you think a fictional treatment adds to our understanding?
You can read the full interview here.
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Interview on BBC 3 Counties Radio
A few weeks ago I spent a very enjoyable afternoon chatting with Ernie Almond of BBC 3 Counties Radio. We talked about space, astronomy, climate change and, of course, writing. Inevitably we talked about The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth. You can listen to the interview by using the player below.
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Edinburgh and other Festivals
Looks like I’m going to be busy lecturing again at the end of the summer and well into the autumn. It is with great pleasure that I’ve accepted invitations to two of my favourite festivals in the UK, and a couple of new ones that I’m looking forward to immensely.
All of these talks are in support of The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth and I want to thank each and every one of you for being so positive about this book. It is my first piece of published fiction and hence was a bit of a leap into the dark. I’m so grateful for the welcome you have given it and the success that you are making of it.
Just last Saturday I spent a fantastic day in WH Smith Brent Cross meeting members of the book-buying public and signing copies. I sold twenty-four and left another ten copies signed in the store – you know what to do if you want one!
But enough of this! Onto the events:
Edinburgh International Book Festival
On August 25th, I’ll be making a return visit to the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Scotland. I’m talking at 3:30pm in the RBS Corner Theatre; this year with novelist Douglas Watt and our session is entitled Fictional Tales of Dramatic Histories. I’ll be recounting my approach to writing The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth, in particular how I went about preserving the historical accuracy of the events surrounding the Galileo trial while crafting the story into a bona fide novel.
You can book tickets here.
Click the read more link below the tags if you cannot see the full story already.
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