From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue May 18 22:27:34 1999 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!newsfeed.stanford.edu!arclight.uoregon.edu!gatech!18.181.0.27.MISMATCH!sipb-server-1.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!usenet From: David Brukman Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: A CALCULUS OF ANGELS by J. Gregory Keyes Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 14 May 1999 13:05:18 -0400 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Lines: 86 Sender: wex@tinbergen.media.mit.edu Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:2300 A CALCULUS OF ANGELS by J. Gregory Keyes Book review copyright 1999 David Brukman SUBTITLE: The Age of Unreason: 2 The intriguing and unusual fantasy continues, with interesting characters, a gritty feel, fragile love and a lot of fighting amid a world torn apart by human alchemy and inhuman design. Reviewed by David on May 09, 1999 GENRE: Fantasy (Weird Science, Alternate Reality, Intrigue, Historical, War, Conspiracy) SYNOPSIS: In the beginning of 18th century, the world has taken a left turn: just 40 years ago, Sir Isaac Newton has discovered not only modern calculus and the laws of motion, but also the foundations of Alchemy. In the middle of an "industrial revolution" driven by rapid advances in alchemy, the history has diverged drastically from our own. Among the amazing innovations in communications, convenience and medicine, unsurprisingly, the most progress has been made in the tools of destruction. Spurred by inhuman influence and the passion of war, a terrible weapon devastates much of Europe. In the desolate, barbaric remains of Europe, the Ottoman and Russian empires strive for domination. The novel follows Adrienne, a talented young Frenchwoman barely surviving the fall of France, and learning to use her formerly impractical mathematical skills in alchemical warfare to protect herself and her friends. In the meantime, the young colonial Ben Franklin travels with his enigmatic Master, the unnaturally rejuvenated Sir Isaac Newton, from one doomed city to another. FULL REVIEW: _Newton's Canon_ introduced a fascinating but plausible world where the basic laws of Alchemy have been discovered, and new marvels are created not through blind experimentation but through mathematics and engineering. The alchemy is powerful but obeys certain Aristotelian laws, much like the Art in Melissa Scott's excellent _The Roads of Heaven_. While Ben and Adrienne travel their own, separate but desperate paths through the war-torn Europe, the American colonies, cut off from their mother countries, temporarily form a fragile alliance between the French and English, Pirate and Indian, to send an expedition to find what happened to the Old World. The devastation they find is accompanied by the increased menace of the Invisible World: one filled with beings that may be Angels, Demons or Fairies, but which few can perceive. It seems the humankind's discovery of the Aetheric world has allowed the beings that dwell there to influence our world. And many of the denizens have little love for humanity. In the perilous flight, the author leavens pain and fear with an occasional pinch of contentment, humor and even pleasure. This makes the headlong adventure of the main protagonists, Ben and Adrienne both more enjoyable and more suspenseful. The book features significant development of both its heroes and the technology, while keeping things consistent and, in general, believable. Some of the secondary characters are less well drawn, but not entirely cartoon-like. The machinations of the Aetheric beings are increasingly pervasive, and the few humans that study them, including Newton and Adrienne, race desperately to master their principles, the "Calculus of Angels" as they steer the humanity toward destruction. The book concludes with a devastating battle, and a partial resolution. On the whole, this novel is remarkably well crafted, and presents an original, consistent world. There are rather too many characters and plot lines, which puts a strain on the reader, although many of them converge by the end of the book. Along with Pullman's _His Dark Materials_, this is one of the most refreshingly original "Weird Science" series in recent years. I recommend Calculus along with its prequel. Overall: 6.5; Plot: 7; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6; World-building: 7; Originality: 7; %A Keyes, J. Gregory %D April 1999 %G ISBN 0-345-40607-9 %I Ballantine Publishing Group (Del Rey) %O Trade papareback %P 406 pp. %T A Calculus of Angels -- David Brukman "Long live Jame Talissen!" Email: David.Brukman@iname.com http://visitweb.com/InOtherWorlds "Fantasy, SF & Mystery Reviews"