Equilateral - Softcover

Ken Kalfus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408843765 ISBN 13: 9781408843765

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2014

Synopsis

It is the turn of the twentieth century and a British astronomer, Thayer, high on Darwin and other progressive scientists of the age, arrives in Egypt to embark on the project of a lifetime: the excavation of a triangle in the desert, with sides hundreds of miles long, to be filled with petrol and set alight. The purpose: to send out a signal to life on Mars (for which he has evidence) that humans exist. But as work progresses, the huge task force of Egyptian workers is struck by disease and rebellion, and the success of Thayer's project looks increasingly uncertain.

About this title

About the Author:

Ken Kalfus is the author of two novels, The Commissariat of Enlightenment and A Disorder Peculiar to the Country, which was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award. He's also published two collections of stories, Thirst and Pu-239 and Other Russian Fantasies, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. His books have been translated into more than ten foreign languages. He lives in Philadelphia.

From Booklist:

Kalfus’ previous novel, A Disorder Peculiar to the Country (2006), won raves for its trenchant satire of post-9/11 relationships and garnered a National Book Award nomination. Coloring outside the lines of mainstream fiction and into alternative history, his latest work tells the fanciful story of Sanford Thayer, a famous nineteenth-century astronomer who galvanizes support for a grandiose plan to a light a triangular beacon in the Egyptian desert bright enough to captivate earth’s Martian neighbors. Inspired by the 1877 discovery by colleague Giovanni Schiaparelli of Martian canals (in reality, later debunked as an optical illusion), Thayer marshals the financial support of businessmen worldwide who salivate over the bounty Martians will bestow on earth when they realize its inhabitants are civilized, too. Yet only weeks away from its planned completion, construction of the triangular trench, dubbed the Equilateral, is going badly, with Thayer fighting fevers and insurrections from the project’s Arab excavators. Although Kalfus’ new novel may appeal to a more selective audience, his writing takes a big step forward with stylistic elegance and deeper insights into human nature. --Carl Hays

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1408843765
• ISBN 13: 9781408843765
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224