A Calculus of Angels (The Age of Unreason , No 2)

Rating:
Summary: better than book 1
Review: Book 2 of the Age of Unreason

"A Calculus of Angels" picks up two years after the events of "Newton's Cannon". To give a quick recap of what has happened before, this novel is set in the 18th Century, but one that is no longer recognizable as the 18th Century. Isaac Newton discovered something called philosopher's mercury, a substance that has allowed science to go into a entirely new direction and it truly did change the world. The heroes of our story are Ben Franklin, who is the apprentice of Isaac Newton, and Adrienne, a brilliant scientists struggling with the societal strictures of being a woman. Two years prior to "A Calculus of Angels" someone had called down a comet and destroyed London completely. There are forces in the world that are similar to Angels or Demons (depending on how you are looking at it) called the Malakim. They are part of the hidden powers that are permitting these wonderous scientific devices.

This brings us to the second novel (more or less). France no longer has a central authority after the death of Louis XIV. Tsar Peter the Great, of Russia, is marching his armies East to build an Empire. A delegation from the American Colonies is sailing to Europe to discover what happened (after the Comet hit, there were natural disasters and all contact with the continent ceased), and the delegation includes Cotton Mather, Blackbeard the Pirate, and a Choctaw named Red Shoes. Ben Franklin is in Prague trying to defend the city from an attack similar to the one that destroyed London, and he no longer trusts Isaac Newton. Adrienne is learning more of the Malakim and her journey takes her across Europe in into the circle of powerful men.

This is a difficult book to really describe because it is so complex. The series begun with a true history of our world, but with one event (Newton's discovery), it changed the entire landscape so that even while real men and women are in the novel, they are in entirely new situations that will shape the characters in ways that we could never have expected. While I enjoyed the first book, I feel this novel is where the series really begins to pick up. I had to force myself to keep going at times in "Newton's Cannon", but here I just wanted to keep reading to see what happens next (and also to figure out exactly what is really going on here). Greg Keyes does an excellent job of building this world and the strange twist on our own. I don't think that anyone should pick this one up before reading "Newton's Cannon", but I do feel that the quality has increased in the second book and I'm looking forward to reading book three (of four).

Rating:
Summary: A twisted look at history through Ben Franklin's eyes!
Review: One of the most imaginative stories I've read in years, combining 18th century history & its well-known characters with magic. This is actually the 2nd book in a series (Newton's Cannon being the first), & continues the story of Ben Franklin & Issac Newton after the destruction of England by an astroid. "Calculus" brings Cotton Mather, Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard the Pirate) & a Choctaw named Red Shoes together on a quest to find out what happened to England. Ships sent previously have never returned & none have arrived from England in 2 years. Meanwhile, Ben Franklin & Issac Newton are in Prague working on such things as magic shoes & trying to avoid the various armies that are battling each other in the absence of an English power. The remaining core characters in this fascinating story, the former mistress of Louis XIV & her former French guard, escape from one villain & into the hands of another (Peter the Great). All of these characters come together, through various twists & turns & interesting revelations, in the end. Of course, the ending will lead to another book, but find out for yourself. It's a great read, but you might want to start with "Newton's Cannon" first.

Rating:
Summary: Slow starter, but it builds
Review: Unlike the first volume (Newton's Cannon), A Calculus of Angels takes a while to get going. The fascination of the alternative science is hobbled by too much fantasy too fast: as one other reviewer points out, it has suddenly become flat-out magic.

Still, Keyes draws quite a portrait of the devestation of Europe following a direct hit from a comet, and the characters remain vivid. In the case of young Ben Franklin, he is if anything more compelling now that he is well into adolescence and is discovering acquaintaince with pride, foolishness, and limitations to his own powers.

And, about midway through the book, once people stop wandering about aimlessly and chattering inconsequentially and the narrative threads begin to show some direction, the book really hits a stride.

Other reviewers have already summarized the basic outline of the plot, but as all these forces (Peter the Great, Adrienne, Ben Franklin, Newton, Charles XII, Blackbeard, Cotton Mather, and our Choctaw friend Red Shoes) converge on Venice the reader can scarcely imagine what cataclysm is next.

And cataclysm comes, nicely inviting the reader onward into the series.