Cosmicomics (Harbrace Paperbound Library, Hpl 69)

Rating:
Summary: Cosmic and comic
Review: In the beginning, there was... Qfwfq? Italo Calvino apparently thought so -- his magical-realist fantasy "Cosmicomics" is one of the two best novels he ever wrote. Enchanting, surreal and whimsical, this is a look at the history of the cosmos that you will never find in any astronomy books.

Qfwfq is an ancient being -- he was a child playing with his family when the matterless void began to produce.... "things." Along with others of his kind, he has lived an immeasurably long lifetime, watching the Big Bang itself -- uniquely described in this case -- and the galaxy form, the earth cool and start to produce life.

And so Qfwfq goes through the ages, with all the rivalries, crushes, lost loves and exciting discoveries that a person experiences in their life (even though his life is uncounted millions long). And behind each of his experiences is a great cosmic event -- the Big Bang itself is caused by a loving aunt-like friend, an adolescent crush follows the moon away from the Earth, a rivalry forms between himself and the nasty Kwgwk, and his first love is doomed by his love of color on Earth's forming surface.

It takes a truly unique imagination to create something like this -- Calvino takes forming planets, whirling galaxies and ultraviolet rays, and gives them a whimsical spin. One moment he is taking your breath away with his descriptions of the Milky Way, the next he's getting smiles for the image of Qfwfq and his pals playing marbles with hydrogen atoms.

It's that mixture of grandeur and innocent whimsy that makes "Cosmicomics" so good. Not to mention, of course, Calvino's talent for poetic prose. In less than a paragraph, he can convey the vastness of the universe; in less than a chapter, he can describe the beauty of primeval Earth. In detail. Now that's really something.

Most striking of all may be the story of a motherly she-particle, whose love for him and the other beings caused "the concept of space and, properly speaking, space itself, and time, and universal gravitation, and the gravitation universe, making possible billions and billions of suns, and of planets, and fields of wheat." It takes a few minutes to sink in that Calvino wrote that the universe was first sparked by love.

Calvino never really explains what Qfwfq is -- I suppose he's an atom or something of the sort, although how atoms have "long silvery arms" or build bamboo bridges. Yet he shows us the lovable, fallible being trying out different forms through the epochs, sometimes lonely and sometimes not. And he gives Qfwfq such life, sweetness and enthusiasm that it's hard not to like him, even if we don't know exactly what he is.

Then again, getting into specifics might wreck the funny, poignant "Cosmicomics" -- it's about love and the universe, and not even the lead character can distract from that.

Rating:
Summary: Fairy-tales from beoynd reason
Review: It's a wonderful, fantastic book, which discribes the evolution of the Universe as a spinning journey throught time, in which playing marbles with hydrogen atoms or arguing in The Dot is obidient for the characters. It shows the Universe in such a way, that I think this book is one of the reasons for which I chose my future profession. Those are not ordinary fairy tales, they are tales of us, of our playful nature, as the characters take life as it is. On of the most beautiful stories is the moon one. The moon slowly drifts away from Earth while they are rowing to it every night and collecting Moon-milk... True charm and fantazy.

Rating:
Summary: Short stories for true ADD enthusiasts
Review: Just a great twist on 4th wall style writing and probably the only 4th wall book that doesn't feel like it's written for the Weird Al and Mad mag crowd (of which I was a proud member when I was 13 but that's not the point).

Rating:
Summary: Works of Tender Imagination
Review: Never would I have thought that a story about, say, an atom could be so memorable and reveal so much about human emotions. Yet in this book, Calvino does just that. Not only with atoms, but with dinosaurs and many other more ambiguous entities. For example, one of the stories personifies particles just before the Big Bang; they interact with each other as if they were humans crammed into one infinitely-small apartment. Another, and perhaps my favorite, is the tale of an entity beholding the first appearance of color on earth as the atmosphere and oceans begin to form. In the remaining stories, other "cosmological" themes are explored, such as evolution, the speed of light, and the curvature of space. To those who aren't scientifically inclined, and perhaps even to those who are, this may sound tedious or absurd, but Calvino infuses his tales with humanity and subtle wit. Humanity? in a story about Hydrogen atoms? Yes. The characters in the book, though nonhuman enitities, reveal thoughts and emotions that are so genuine and human that the reader wants to weep for them or cheer them on. This alone is a wonderful achievement, yet the stories are excellent in other respects as well, not the least of which is the the sheer imagination involved. You see, these stories are not about the Big Bang or the curvature of space, per se. They are about human struggles and emotions. But Calvino chose a unique, wondrous manner in which to convey these themes, and, as with his other books, it works beautifully.

Rating:
Summary: Works of Tender Imagination
Review: Never would I have thought that a story about, say, an atom could be so memorable and reveal so much about human emotions. Yet in this book, Calvino does just that. Not only with atoms, but with dinosaurs and many other more ambiguous entities. For example, one of the stories personifies particles just before the Big Bang; they interact with each other as if they were humans crammed into one infinitely-small apartment. Another, and perhaps my favorite, is the tale of an entity beholding the first appearance of color on earth as the atmosphere and oceans begin to form. In the remaining stories, other "cosmological" themes are explored, such as evolution, the speed of light, and the curvature of space. To those who aren't scientifically inclined, and perhaps even to those who are, this may sound tedious or absurd, but Calvino infuses his tales with humanity and subtle wit. Humanity? in a story about Hydrogen atoms? Yes. The characters in the book, though nonhuman enitities, reveal thoughts and emotions that are so genuine and human that the reader wants to weep for them or cheer them on. This alone is a wonderful achievement, yet the stories are excellent in other respects as well, not the least of which is the the sheer imagination involved. You see, these stories are not about the Big Bang or the curvature of space, per se. They are about human struggles and emotions. But Calvino chose a unique, wondrous manner in which to convey these themes, and, as with his other books, it works beautifully.

Rating:
Summary: Beyond fairy tales...or physics
Review: Out of all the Calvino books lining my shelves, Cosmicomics is my favorite, hands down. It enchants, it engages, it bewilders (Well, I suppose that goes without saying...it is Calvino, after all), it passes from friend to friend with great reverance and smiles. He takes incredibly abstract thoughts and zeroes in on what is universal and personal to us all...wouldn't you freak out if you spotted a sign on the edge of the universe that pointed a wagging finger your way, with the admonishment "I saw what you did!"? I love this book. It ranks right up there in my top 5 ever.

Rating:
Summary: Mind-blowing...
Review: Prepare to read something you are not prepared for. This book will send you into realms of storytelling that seem impossible even as you read them. Cavort with "beings" who are present at the beginning of the universe and the big bang; be present at the moment someone (or something) plays with "a thing" for the first time. A review cannot do this book justice. It is utterly mind-blowing, beautiful, funny, and profound all at the same time. The writing is crystal clear (even in translation), which adds to the book's mystique. One of the best things about this book is the sheer impossibility of making a movie out of it. It exploits the best of what written stories can give us: imagination and the freedom to evoke our own mental imagery. The images floating through my head while I read this defy description. The stories themselves defy description (as I found out when trying to convince others to read it). Why can't more books be like this?

Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Intellect ...
Review: Science for poets ... no ... I mean ... poetry for scientists !!

Rating:
Summary: Fun well-written fantasy book
Review: The short stories in this little book are just fun little humanized versions of science as Calvino imagines it from the perspective of the formulas and laws that govern the universe. Some are fun and quirky, even engaging, while others are a little boring and too goofy, but overall Calvino's writing style just plain flows. There's something about the way he constructs a sentence that just makes it roll through this reader's mind. Sometimes I got so caught up in the "flow" of a passage that I had to reread it for meaning and content. In sum, it's just good, quirky fun.

Rating:
Summary: Very different
Review: These are not stories in the typical sense. Plot, character development, motivation, etc. aren't the main points here. Calvino takes certain astronomical ideas or theories and makes a story out of them. For instance, the big bang becomes a story about "people" all crammed together into one tiny point, who then explode outward into the universe, sometimes running into one another and discussing the old times. Some stories, such as "A Sign in Space," are so intellectual and devoid of physical action, that they are disappointing. Others, like "The Distance to the Moon," take a concept that is ludicruous and develop a good story out of it. These are not your regular stories--more like science fiction fairy tales. They are, I would guess, unlike anything you've read before and worth checking out.