Anti-Ice
Encyclopedia
Anti-Ice is a science fiction
novel by Stephen Baxter
. Published in 1993, it can be classified as an alternate history
for its portrayal of 19th century Europe
and the changes resulting, particularly in Britain
, from an explosive scientific discovery made in the 1850s.
front of Sevastopol
. The writer, Hedley Vicars, tells from his perspective as a soldier
in the 90 Light Infantry about the visit to his commanders of one Josiah Traveller, an inventor and millionaire industrialist whose discovery in the South Pole
of anti-ice, a substance which releases incredible energies when warmed, is being considered for military use. Soon after that meeting, a mushroom cloud
erupts in the midst of Sevastopol and, with its attendant human and structural devastation, quickly ends the war.
This substance originally fell to Earth
as the residue of a comet
that impacted the Moon
centuries ago. Fifteen years after the war, under the reign of Edward VII
(who assumed the throne after Queen Victoria
abdicated due to her husband Prince Albert's death) and the prime minister
ship of Gladstone
, the United Kingdom maintains through Traveller's discovery a monopoly on the use of anti-ice. But the energy it generates, analogous to nuclear power
, is now used to power vehicles and accelerate the country's Industrial Revolution
-- much to the chagrin of perennial rivals France
and a yet-to-be-united Germany
.
Junior diplomat Ned Vicars, journalist George Holden, and Traveller arrive at Ostend
, and inspect Traveller's experimental rocket Phaeton. Upon docking, a saboteur fires the anti-ice rockets, destroying the liner and launching them upward into the air. Breaking free of Earth's gravity, the Phaeton and its reluctant passengers (along with Traveller's manservant Pocket) approach Earth's two moons—as there is now the "Little Moon", broken off when the comet hit Earth's Moon in the eighteenth century. Using the latest in 1870 technology, Vicars actually mines ice
from the surface of the Moon, while encountering simple, massive creatures on its dark side. Converting the water into enough power to take off, the explorers—along with the saboteur, a Frenchman named Bourne—return to Britain as the Franco-Prussian War
breaks out on the continent.
Gladstone meets Traveller personally and orders him forthwith to prepare anti-ice weapons for use to end the war. At first he does so, but Vicars persuades him that such a course of action is unconscionable. Too late, the two arrive in the Phaeton to see the destruction of Orléans
by an anti-ice rocket. Peace is immediately declared, and the United Kingdom sets up its hegemony over Europe—a development not without price, which Vicars notes in a 1910 letter to his son. And the supply of anti-ice, which Traveller thought was confined to the South Pole, is virtually limitless due to the "Little Moon", which is composed entirely of anti-ice! The possibilities of an early 20th century cold war
are dwelt on by the narrator (Vicars) throughout the book.
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 Stephen Baxter
Stephen Baxter
Stephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
. Published in 1993, it can be classified as an alternate history
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
for its portrayal of 19th century Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the changes resulting, particularly in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, from an explosive scientific discovery made in the 1850s.
Plot
The novel begins with the text of a letter dated July, 1855 from the Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
front of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
. The writer, Hedley Vicars, tells from his perspective as a soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
in the 90 Light Infantry about the visit to his commanders of one Josiah Traveller, an inventor and millionaire industrialist whose discovery in the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
of anti-ice, a substance which releases incredible energies when warmed, is being considered for military use. Soon after that meeting, a mushroom cloud
Mushroom cloud
A mushroom cloud is a distinctive pyrocumulus mushroom-shaped cloud of condensed water vapor or debris resulting from a very large explosion. They are most commonly associated with nuclear explosions, but any sufficiently large blast will produce the same sort of effect. They can be caused by...
erupts in the midst of Sevastopol and, with its attendant human and structural devastation, quickly ends the war.
This substance originally fell to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
as the residue of a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
that impacted the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
centuries ago. Fifteen years after the war, under the reign of Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
(who assumed the throne after Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
abdicated due to her husband Prince Albert's death) and the prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
ship of Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, the United Kingdom maintains through Traveller's discovery a monopoly on the use of anti-ice. But the energy it generates, analogous to nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, is now used to power vehicles and accelerate the country's Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
-- much to the chagrin of perennial rivals France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and a yet-to-be-united Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Junior diplomat Ned Vicars, journalist George Holden, and Traveller arrive at Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
, and inspect Traveller's experimental rocket Phaeton. Upon docking, a saboteur fires the anti-ice rockets, destroying the liner and launching them upward into the air. Breaking free of Earth's gravity, the Phaeton and its reluctant passengers (along with Traveller's manservant Pocket) approach Earth's two moons—as there is now the "Little Moon", broken off when the comet hit Earth's Moon in the eighteenth century. Using the latest in 1870 technology, Vicars actually mines ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
from the surface of the Moon, while encountering simple, massive creatures on its dark side. Converting the water into enough power to take off, the explorers—along with the saboteur, a Frenchman named Bourne—return to Britain as the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
breaks out on the continent.
Gladstone meets Traveller personally and orders him forthwith to prepare anti-ice weapons for use to end the war. At first he does so, but Vicars persuades him that such a course of action is unconscionable. Too late, the two arrive in the Phaeton to see the destruction of Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
by an anti-ice rocket. Peace is immediately declared, and the United Kingdom sets up its hegemony over Europe—a development not without price, which Vicars notes in a 1910 letter to his son. And the supply of anti-ice, which Traveller thought was confined to the South Pole, is virtually limitless due to the "Little Moon", which is composed entirely of anti-ice! The possibilities of an early 20th century cold war
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
are dwelt on by the narrator (Vicars) throughout the book.
See also
- Queen Victoria's BombQueen Victoria's BombQueen Victoria's Bomb is a steampunk novel by Ronald W. Clark. Its plot surrounds the invention of a nuclear weapon in the Victorian era which might be used to win the Crimean War....
- To Visit the QueenTo Visit the QueenTo Visit the Queen is a fantasy steampunk novel by Diane Duane...
- List of steampunk works