[easyazon-image align=”left” asin=”1620400065″ locale=”us” height=”110″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419SoPuCIdL._SL110_.jpg” width=”73″]Page 2: Ken Kalfus – Equilateral: A Novel
As threats to the project materialize, the depths of Thayer’s self-delusion are revealed. The string of obstacles roots this science fiction novel firmly in the real by reminding us that platonic ideals are forever out of reach. The battle between celestial perfection and terrestrial flaw is the first of many waged in the pages of the novel. That conflict abounds under the auspice of the planet Mars, named after the god of war, should not surprise us.
The novel also stages another war, just as philosophical as that between idealism and reality, by pitting two fates against each other. The first, a sort of progressivist determinism—whereby Darwin’s laws of evolution dictate the continual advancement of life on Earth and elsewhere—drives Thayer’s every move. Says the unidentified narrator, “Thayer’s observations have shown that they’re individual stars precipitating from incandescent gas before our very eyes, dust and gas evolving into stars and planets, a process that eventually casts our individual human destinies—a process that at this moment in our planetary history demands the Equilateral” (70). Moreover, claims Thayer, Mars is an older planet than Earth, and by studying its fate, we can divine our own. To the scientist, all can be known and, ultimately, foretold.
But the events of the novel are animated by a force far more ancient: not Darwin’s fate but the tragic fate of Sophocles and Shakespeare, wherein each man’s faults augur his demise. The reader, like Thayer, is tempted to overlook the hints of distress, the currents of malcontent, and the potential for the whole project to go up in flame (in more ways than one). That this fate seems to be stronger than the determinism championed by Thayer serves as a reminder that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in Thayer’s philosophy.
As a craftsman, Kalfus is superb. His arid but vigorous prose brings to mind the pounding heat of the desert. The structure of the novel is characterized by the deliberate, formal elegance of an earlier age; indeed, there’s something classical about its plotting and the intricate, puzzle-piece perfection of themes, events, and characters. Moreover, Kalfus proves himself an equally capable astronomer and geometer and includes black-and-white drawings throughout the book to prove it. Equilateral is a book whose expansive reach and technical elegance restore faith in contemporary fiction by simultaneously challenging and satisfying thoughtful readers.
Equilateral can be read as a fable warning against a plethora of evils—colonialism, scientific certainty, hubris, commercialism. Ken Kalfus keeps all of these themes spinning in tight orbits, always crossing paths but never colliding, like the planets of a fictive solar system. But the complex relationships in the Egyptian desert, the difficulty of knowing not just ourselves but others, the perils of sacrificing human beings to Progress—all of these point to the most important message of the Equilateral: those who look to the stars can lose sight of the richness of life here on Earth.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
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