Perihelion Summer
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| Author | Greg Egan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction, Hard science fiction |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | 2019 |
| ISBN | 978-1250313782 |
Perihelion Summer is a science fiction novella/novel by Australian writer Greg Egan, published by Tor Books in 2019.[1][2]
Taraxippus, a double system of two black holes with the heavier one having one-tenth the mass of the sun, is discovered using gravitational lensing and observing its Einstein rings. It passes through the Solar System and shifts the orbits of the planets. Earth in particular is thrown onto a more elliptical orbit, making it roughly 10–15 degrees warmer at perihelion and correspondingly cooler at aphelion. Countries prepare, for example by enclosing entire cities under a glass dome or opening borders for refugees.
Matt and his friends build the Mandjet, a boat with a self-sustaining ecosystem to stay off land and potentially head to Antarctica. They meet other boats at sea, take people on board if needed, and form a flotilla together. Matt hears of a fire in his hometown Perth and heads back to save his parents and sister, who all previously deemed staying at sea to be too unsafe. He arrives one hour after his father died of a heart attack, which was fatal as he previously concealed his need for a hospital while the family fled Perth. He also learns that his mother blames him for it and even for Taraxippus, as he didn't stop talking about it. Matt brings his mother and sister to the Mandjet successfully, but learns it has been taken over by pirates. Together with his friends, they manage to gain control again. Matt is then forgiven by his mother.[3]