Sail On! Sail On!
Encyclopedia
"Sail On! Sail On!" is a alternate history short story
from Philip José Farmer
, originally published in 1952. In this alternative 1492, the Earth
is flat, despite scepticism from scientists and philosophers over this geological provenance. Moreover, there are dissonances from our world's physics, and an "Angelo Angelli" is mentioned as proving Aristotle
's axiom that objects of different weights drop with different velocities, which Galileo Galilei
disproved in our world.
Radio technology exists in 1492, and the shipboard operator of one such telegraph is a "Friar Sparks", although its principles are described in religious terms involving angel
winglength as a substitute for radio waves
and the involvement of cherubim hurling themselves across the ether to send the signal (giving rise to kilo-cherubs as a measurement of frequency, denoted as k c and continuous wingheight, denoted as c w, both real radio terms in the real world). Psychology also exists, which means that despite growing unease, Christopher Columbus
and his vessels do not turn back despite ominous warning signs. However, in this world, the Americas
do not exist, and so, like many other abortive transatlantic travellers here, Columbus and his colleagues sail over the edge of the world into Earth orbit, and never return from their mission.
Richard Garfinkle
's alternate history novel Celestial Matters
(1996) describes a more elaborated Aristotelian
physics and geocentric cosmology.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
from Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
, originally published in 1952. In this alternative 1492, the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is flat, despite scepticism from scientists and philosophers over this geological provenance. Moreover, there are dissonances from our world's physics, and an "Angelo Angelli" is mentioned as proving Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's axiom that objects of different weights drop with different velocities, which Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
disproved in our world.
Radio technology exists in 1492, and the shipboard operator of one such telegraph is a "Friar Sparks", although its principles are described in religious terms involving angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
winglength as a substitute for radio waves
Radio waves
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies from 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz, and corresponding wavelengths from 1 millimeter to 100 kilometers. Like all other electromagnetic waves,...
and the involvement of cherubim hurling themselves across the ether to send the signal (giving rise to kilo-cherubs as a measurement of frequency, denoted as k c and continuous wingheight, denoted as c w, both real radio terms in the real world). Psychology also exists, which means that despite growing unease, Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
and his vessels do not turn back despite ominous warning signs. However, in this world, the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
do not exist, and so, like many other abortive transatlantic travellers here, Columbus and his colleagues sail over the edge of the world into Earth orbit, and never return from their mission.
Richard Garfinkle
Richard Garfinkle
Richard Garfinkle is an American writer of science fiction.He is best known as the author of Celestial Matters, a novel published by Tor Books, which won the Compton Crook Award in 1997....
's alternate history novel Celestial Matters
Celestial Matters
Celestial Matters is a science fantasy novel, set in an alternate universe with different laws of physics, written by Richard Garfinkle and published by Tor Books in 1996...
(1996) describes a more elaborated Aristotelian
Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism is a tradition of philosophy that takes its defining inspiration from the work of Aristotle. The works of Aristotle were initially defended by the members of the Peripatetic school, and, later on, by the Neoplatonists, who produced many commentaries on Aristotle's writings...
physics and geocentric cosmology.