I am a Mexican immigrant currently residing in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Having been here for a few years, I have developed a habit of exploring second-hand bookshops. Recently, I discovered a lovely one that is open on Sundays. Whenever I visit, I tend to browse through all the shelves. Still, I am particularly drawn to science and science fiction books. As a scientist, I always look for books that make me ponder and engage my thoughts on a particular topic. I know this might sound pedantic, but I was recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. My craving for intellectually stimulating books is no more than a coping mechanism for my constant rumination and the torment of having an uncontrolled and unpleasant flood of thoughts.
I was particularly intrigued when I stumbled upon one book written by Isaac Asimov. I must admit I had not been much of a fan of his work previously. As a millennial, my first exposure to Asimov's work was through the movie 'I, Robot', but I realise now how pathetic that is. In my defence, I was not very much exposed to books when I was young. Until recently, I regarded Asimov's books as pure fantasy. For me, a fiction author's job is to convince readers that their story, even when extraordinary, could be true. This task is even more challenging in science fiction because it requires persuasion based on scientific facts. Unfortunately, Asimov's universe is largely anthropocentric. So, it is very difficult for me to believe in human-like intergalactic activities.
Although initially sceptical, I was pleasantly surprised by 'The Gods Themselves.' It was truly mind-blowing and left a lasting impression on me. Upon further investigation, I discovered some interesting facts about Asimov's motivations for writing the book. For instance, he had been criticised for not including 'true' aliens and sexual activities in his work, which I guess was the norm during Asimov's era. However, The Gods Themselves breaks free from these constraints and tackles these topics elegantly and extremely originally. Asimov's approach is fresh air and adds a unique dimension to the story.
The book portrays our world in the year 2100 and highlights some significant technological advancements that are not too far-fetched. For instance, it mentions how we have set up a human colony on the moon, which seems plausible. However, the book also points out that, even by then, we have been unable to stop climate change or solve our current energy crisis. Suddenly, out of the blue, we make contact with an alien species from another universe. The contact occurs when the para-men, inhabitants of a parallel universe, discover a way to exchange matter between our two universes. Their primary motivation is to exploit the distinct physical laws of our universes to create 'free energy', and they achieve this by using an 'electron pump' to swap matter.
The electron pump swaps isotopes that behave differently in each universe due to their distinct physical laws. Specifically, the process switches tungsten-186 from our universe with a fictional isotope called 'plutonium-186' from the parallel world. In the para-universe, plutonium-186 is stable due to the existence of much stronger nuclear forces, but in ours, it is not. Consequently, when it enters our universe, where the nuclear forces are weaker, it becomes highly unstable and undergoes radioactive decay. This process releases a tremendous amount of energy more efficiently than conventional nuclear reactions such as fission or fusion, which are used for power generation on Earth. A similar situation occurs in the parallel universe where our tungsten-186 releases 'free energy' for them.
This discovery is a game-changer for power sources as it offers a clean, almost infinite energy source with greater efficiency and less radioactive waste than traditional nuclear power. The ability to harness such a vast amount of energy from the decay of plutonium-186 could solve all of Earth's energy problems, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, minimising environmental damage, and guiding in a new era of virtually unlimited power that revolutionised our society.
The novel explores the ramifications of this groundbreaking technology, highlighting that the consequences are far-reaching. This technology comes at a great cost as it alters the fundamental forces of the universe, leading to catastrophic outcomes. The matter exchanged carries the physical laws of its universe, gradually altering the laws of the recipient universe to compensate for the imbalance caused by the 'free energy'. It is implied that, since energy is a conserved quantity, the fundamental laws of our universe must adapt to compensate for the paradoxical presence of the alien plutonium-186, ensuring the equation remains balanced.
The first part of the book discusses the implications of human arrogance. The scientist who discovered and documented the first interaction with the para-men and their 'free energy' mechanism gained immense fame and influence. Despite the scientific evidence, this person denies the risks of the electron pump, preferring to face the catastrophic consequences of altering the laws of our universe rather than losing his status and power. The evidence indicates that the swapping of energy is altering the strength of the nuclear forces in our universe, making them much stronger. This poses a significant problem, as the lifetime of our sun depends on these nuclear forces. While we know that our sun will eventually die in millions of years from now, we also understand that it does not have enough mass to become an exploding supernova. However, some scientists in the book discover that our universe is adopting the stronger nuclear forces of the para-universe, which will soon prompt our sun to explode, destroying our world only eight minutes after such an event.
The second part of the book is absolutely mind-blowing. It takes place in the para-universe, a counterpart to ours, where an advanced alien species has discovered a way to swap matter. In this parallel world, the nuclear forces are much stronger than in our universe, which allows for the formation of stars with much less mass. Consequently, the para-men inhabit a dying solar system, where their sun is on the brink of extinction, and their civilisation is in danger. The description of the para-men is mysterious and open to interpretation. Asimov implies that it is impossible to describe the characteristics of a world with different physical laws using human language. It is beyond our comprehension, as things do not function the same way as they do in our world.
The para-men, inhabitants of an alien planet, are a unique species with a complex reproductive system. They have two distinct 'casts' — the soft-ones and the hard-ones. The soft-ones primarily exist in the form of gases and have no definite shape. However, they can alter their form according to their feelings. Interestingly, they are capable of reproducing through a sexual encounter that requires a triad. This reproductive process is fascinating because the soft-ones have assigned gender roles to the triad, and they must take a 'side' during their sexual encounter.
The gender roles of the soft-ones are assigned at birth based on the physical characteristics of the triad. The three genders are left-ones, rationals, right-ones, parentals, and mid-ones, emotionals. In this context, the chapter focuses on a particular triad — Odeen, Dua, and Tritt. This triad is selected by the hard-ones, the second cast, to create offspring. Unlike the soft-ones, the hard-ones have a corporeal form, and it is implied that they have some sort of limbs or appendages. I pictured them a bit like translucent insects in my mind.
The hard-ones are highly intelligent, and for some initially unexplained reason, they are very interested in the reproduction of the soft-ones. They select the most suitable triads to interbreed, similar to an eugenics process. It is later revealed in the book that the reproduction of the soft-ones releases energy that can be used by the hard-ones to perform matter swapping with our universe. Additionally, after several encounters, a triad merges as one entity to become a hard-one. Overall, the para-men's reproductive system is fascinating and complex, and the book sheds light on the intricate details of their gender roles and reproduction process.
The hard ones appear to be malevolent at first glance. However, their actions are driven by their desire to save their species from extinction due to their dying sun. They are aware of the consequences of swapping matter. Still, their calculations suggest that the ultimate outcome of the Earth's solar system sun explosion will benefit them. They will be able to harvest a significant amount of energy, even more than the energy they get from tungsten-186, which they use as their primary food source.
In the book, a plot twist occurs when Odeen, Dua, and Tritt, who form a unique triad, are encouraged to merge through sexual intercourse. However, Dua is unhappy with the gender role assigned to her, as she feels connected not only to the (mid) emotional role but also to the (left) rational one. The triad concept is beyond human language, which lacks proper terms to describe it. Asimov uses he/she pronouns by general convention. The society of soft-ones, however, derogatorily refers to Dua as left-em, similar to how our primal society assigns rude nicknames to individuals with different preferences. The mere idea of an emotional being identified as rational sounds 'dirty' and is considered taboo among the soft-ones. Despite her reservations, Dua is compelled to fulfil her gender role by participating in the merging by positioning in the middle. While fighting against this oppression, Dua understands the soft-ones and hard-ones, the electron pump, and its consequences for our universe. She possesses a unique ability to empathise with our civilisation, which prompts her to attempt to stop the electron pump that could lead to our planet's destruction. By the end of the chapter, it becomes apparent that Dua's original way of thinking could produce valuable offspring and unify the triad, creating a highly intelligent and empathetic hard-one named Estwald, who could contribute significantly to their society by making more ethical decisions.
The book's final chapter takes us to the moon, where a human colony has been established. It explores the complicated dynamics between Earthlings and Lunarites, including the intricacies of gravitation, physics, politics, and xenophobia. The story follows a professor who suffers the consequences of human arrogance and isolates himself after the world refuses to stop the electron pump despite its disastrous implications. We meet Selene, a Lunarite who was created through eugenics and is an 'intuitionist,' someone who can learn quickly and make sense of complex situations using her advanced common sense. Selene and the exiled Earth scientist discover a way to prevent the sun from exploding.
The solution involves finding another universe where the physical laws are different and can be used to bring balance to our altered laws. They discover that some 'egg' parallel universes have extremely weak nuclear forces, preventing even the formation of atoms. This concept is remarkable and provides a solution to the book while also pointing to a theory for the origin of universes.
By swapping energy with the egg universe, we balance our nuclear forces. It is then implied that this can induce a big bang in the egg universe. In other words, the post-big bang events in the new universe occur due to our intervention!
By saving our universe, we create another that could potentially give birth to atoms, stars, galaxies, planets, and even life. Why? Because our laws are well-tuned to form galaxies, and we are transferring such tuning to a new universe. Could this possibly have happened to our universe before our big bang? Are we simply inheritors of the balanced fundamental forces and laws of another universe? This idea is astonishingly thought-provoking.
Finally, it can also be implied that the 'cosmegg', the pre-big bang egg universe, is discovered with the assistance of Estwald. He has inherited the empathetic trait of Dua, which enables him to connect with our human civilization. Through the exchanged matter, he sends messages embedded in its particles that help us find the solution to address the imbalance of our nuclear forces and save our planet.
This is a remarkably elegant way to conclude the book that made Isaac Asimov to win the Nebula award.
I truly enjoyed this book and is now one of my favourites!
Jonathan Mayo