Icarus

Paul, Jane and Robert first met as students at Cambridge. In this novel, human relationships, philosophy, religion and literature are examined within the framework of a science fiction story. Poetry and play scripts arise naturally from the characters involved - Robert is an astrophysicist who wrote poetry in his youth, Paul becomes a famous playwright. Robert, exasperated at the futility of hurling megatons of ironmongery into space, works on a concept of detaching the mind from the body and sending it to explore the universe. His colleague, Julian, is an American neurosurgeon with a sinister past. Julian is fascinated with black holes. A black hole is formed when a star collapses and its density becomes so large that nothing, not even light, can escape from its tremendous gravitational field. Julian believes that a mind, due to its negligible mass, could pass through a black hole unscathed and enter another universe. Icarus, an entity unifying the two cultures of science and the humanities, is born and sent on a momentous journey. Icarus continued on his lonely odyssey across the wastes of interstellar space, with its clouds of hydrogen, helium and shimmering particles of dust, to discover a destiny more glorious than that promised by any religion. "Enjoyed this immensely. A brilliant piece of literature which contains three One Act plays - all murders! - and 21 poems - all contained in a novel wherein human relationships, philosophy, religion and literature are examined within the framework of a science fiction story. Is it possible to detach the mind from the body, and send it hurtling into space? - and even pass through a black hole and enter another universe? Well, when an astrophysicist, a playwright and a neurosurgeon get together - who knows? This work is intellectually stimulating, on the move and never pauses for breath. You'll love it." Maurice James Editor Isthmus Literary Magazine