The Inverted World (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Inverted World is a 1974 science fiction
novel by Christopher Priest, expanded from a short story by the same name included in New Writings in SF 22
. In 2010 it was included in the SF Masterworks
collection.
The populace of city Earth grow up in orphanages and reach adulthood rarely seeing outside its walls. A small exercise area with large walls and a view of the sky above is as much as they see of outside. Even after reaching adulthood the vast majority never see beyond the confines of the city.
A few of the inhabitants - chosen males - are offered positions with the Guildsmen. These are the only inhabitants of the city given access to the outside world, and it is these alone that know the secret of the city.
Beyond the walls the true nature of the city is revealed, and the great lengths that must be achieved for its continued survival. Constructed on top of great wheels, the city is slowly winched along railway tracks, moving forever northward. The tracks are constantly reused; as the city moves past one section that part is ripped up, carried to the front of the city and relaid once more. Once the tracks reach a suitable length, giant wheel-pulleys are moved into position and slowly, smoothly - so that no resident of the city realises - the city is dragged along to its new location, and track laying can once again begin in earnest.
It is the responsibility of the guildsmen to ensure the movement and survival of the city. Come river, ravine, valley or mountain, the city must never stop its relentless movement, as there had been severe detrimental effects the more the city lagged behind in the 'past'. As directed by Destaine, who was one of the first residents of the city, the best way to achieve the city being near the 'optimum' is to have a selection of guilds, each responsible for specific jobs. The guilds originally consisted of four: Track Guild, Traction Guild, Future Guild and Bridge-Builders Guild. An additional two were added later on: Barter Guild and Militia Guild.
The Track Guild is responsible for the laying and removing of the tracks; the Traction Guild are responsible for the pulling of the city; the Future Guild map out the land ahead of the city to determine the best route for the city; the Bridge-Builders are responsible for ensuring the city can navigate safely across ravines or rivers. As the city moves through its environment it passes by villages and it is the job of the Barter Guild to employ labour to help the Track Guild and to 'invite' surrogate mothers from poor local native clans, since women in the city tend to bear mostly male offspring. Occasionally some of these villages can be aggressive and it is the Militia Guild's job to protect the city from them.
It turns out that the inhabitants of the city have never left earth, but that the city was planned hundreds of years ago as a means to exploit a theretofore unknown, localized energy source in preparation for a severe, global energy crisis which caused society to tumble back into poverty and anarchy. Since the 'optimum' powering the generators of the city moves some meters every day, it was necessary to set the city on tracks to follow it. Over the centuries the city Earth was towed from inner China to the coast of Portugal while the knowledge of the city's origin was gradually lost.
The generator powering the city changes the world for the city dwellers, turning sun and earth into rotating pseudosphere
s, with the rims rotating at a speed faster than light. Time varies, going slower in the spikes - the 'future' - and speeding up rimwards - the dangerous 'past'. The effect also affected metabolism and DNA of the city dwellers to the point of physical dependence to stay near the 'optimum'.
The Atlantic ocean, at first thought to be a very large river, is an obstacle no guild is prepared for. The book ends with an unknown future for city Earth, already replete with revolt, shortages and doubt.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel by Christopher Priest, expanded from a short story by the same name included in New Writings in SF 22
New Writings in SF 22
New Writings in SF 22 is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Kenneth Bulmer, the first volume of nine he oversaw in the New Writings in SF series in succession to the series' originator, John Carnell...
. In 2010 it was included in the SF Masterworks
SF Masterworks
SF Masterworks is a series of science fiction books started by Millennium and currently published by Gollancz ....
collection.
Plot summary
The protagonist Helward Mann lives in a city called "Earth", a giant structure that is slowly winched along on a set of tracks forever northward. The pulling of the city has been going on long before Helward was born - and although he is puzzled by the need to keep the city constantly moving and its need to reach "the optimum", he nevertheless joins one of the Guilds - the elite that ensure the constant motion and survival of the city.Background
All the inhabitants of the city Earth believe that they are lost a long way from planet Earth, and that one day they will be found and rescued but until then they must go on surviving in the little microcosm they have constructed of planet Earth.The populace of city Earth grow up in orphanages and reach adulthood rarely seeing outside its walls. A small exercise area with large walls and a view of the sky above is as much as they see of outside. Even after reaching adulthood the vast majority never see beyond the confines of the city.
A few of the inhabitants - chosen males - are offered positions with the Guildsmen. These are the only inhabitants of the city given access to the outside world, and it is these alone that know the secret of the city.
Beyond the walls the true nature of the city is revealed, and the great lengths that must be achieved for its continued survival. Constructed on top of great wheels, the city is slowly winched along railway tracks, moving forever northward. The tracks are constantly reused; as the city moves past one section that part is ripped up, carried to the front of the city and relaid once more. Once the tracks reach a suitable length, giant wheel-pulleys are moved into position and slowly, smoothly - so that no resident of the city realises - the city is dragged along to its new location, and track laying can once again begin in earnest.
It is the responsibility of the guildsmen to ensure the movement and survival of the city. Come river, ravine, valley or mountain, the city must never stop its relentless movement, as there had been severe detrimental effects the more the city lagged behind in the 'past'. As directed by Destaine, who was one of the first residents of the city, the best way to achieve the city being near the 'optimum' is to have a selection of guilds, each responsible for specific jobs. The guilds originally consisted of four: Track Guild, Traction Guild, Future Guild and Bridge-Builders Guild. An additional two were added later on: Barter Guild and Militia Guild.
The Track Guild is responsible for the laying and removing of the tracks; the Traction Guild are responsible for the pulling of the city; the Future Guild map out the land ahead of the city to determine the best route for the city; the Bridge-Builders are responsible for ensuring the city can navigate safely across ravines or rivers. As the city moves through its environment it passes by villages and it is the job of the Barter Guild to employ labour to help the Track Guild and to 'invite' surrogate mothers from poor local native clans, since women in the city tend to bear mostly male offspring. Occasionally some of these villages can be aggressive and it is the Militia Guild's job to protect the city from them.
It turns out that the inhabitants of the city have never left earth, but that the city was planned hundreds of years ago as a means to exploit a theretofore unknown, localized energy source in preparation for a severe, global energy crisis which caused society to tumble back into poverty and anarchy. Since the 'optimum' powering the generators of the city moves some meters every day, it was necessary to set the city on tracks to follow it. Over the centuries the city Earth was towed from inner China to the coast of Portugal while the knowledge of the city's origin was gradually lost.
The generator powering the city changes the world for the city dwellers, turning sun and earth into rotating pseudosphere
Pseudosphere
In geometry, the term pseudosphere is used to describe various surfaces with constant negative gaussian curvature. Depending on context, it can refer to either a theoretical surface of constant negative curvature, to a tractricoid, or to a hyperboloid....
s, with the rims rotating at a speed faster than light. Time varies, going slower in the spikes - the 'future' - and speeding up rimwards - the dangerous 'past'. The effect also affected metabolism and DNA of the city dwellers to the point of physical dependence to stay near the 'optimum'.
The Atlantic ocean, at first thought to be a very large river, is an obstacle no guild is prepared for. The book ends with an unknown future for city Earth, already replete with revolt, shortages and doubt.
Awards
In 1974 The Inverted World was the winner of the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA), and in 1975 it was nominiated for the Hugo Award.External links
- Christopher Priest's website
- The Inverted World at Worlds Without End