Newton's Cannon: Book One of THE AGE OF UNREASON (The Age of Unreason)

Amazon.com

Newton's Cannon is an alternate history set primarily in the court of Louis XIV. This might sound familiar to readers of Vonda McIntyre's Nebula-winning The Moon and the Sun. Keyes, like McIntyre, blends alchemy, history, and fantasy in his novel.

Keyes's characters are expertly drawn: Louis XIV, the aging King of France who seeks a return to international preeminence, young Ben Franklin of Boston, a printer's apprentice who yearns to master alchemy, and Adrienne de Montchevreuil, a lovely, impoverished noblewoman who secretly pursues mathematics, but attracts Louis's lustful attention. The many secondary characters are also believable personalities, and the plot is original and suspenseful. Keyes's writing is precise and witty. "It was, Adrienne reflected, impossible not to be impressed by the Grand Canal. More like a cruciform inland sea with banks of polished marble, it summed up many things about Versailles. It was monumental in proportion, insanely expensive, impossible to overlook, and entirely frivolous."

Though the ending of Newton's Cannon leaves much unresolved--setting up book two of The Age of Unreason, A Calculus of Angels--it's fine entertainment all by itself. --Nona Vero

Book Description

A dazzling quest whose outcome will raise humanity to unparalleled heights of glory--or ring down a curtain of endless night . . .

1681: When Sir Isaac Newton turns his restless mind to the ancient art of alchemy, he unleashes Philosopher's Mercury, a primal source of matter and a key to manipulating the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Now, as France and England battle for its control, Louis XIV calls for a new weapon--a mysterious device known only as Newton's Cannon.

Half a world away, a young apprentice named Benjamin Franklin stumbles across a dangerous secret. Pursued by a deadly enemy--half scientist, half sorcerer--Ben makes his fugitive way to England. Only Newton himself can help him now. But who will help Sir Isaac? For he was not the first to unleash the Philosopher's Mercury. Others were there before him. Creatures as scornful of science as they are of mankind. And burning to be rid of both . . .

Customer Reviews:

A tarty Ben Franklin, a crazy Isaac Newton, and weird angels........2007-09-27

An insane Isaac Newton and a fourteen-year-old Ben Franklin are the protagonists in this, the first volume of a trilogy with the highly apropos title THE AGE OF UNREASON. Keyes has a distinct voice as an alternative historian, very different from that king of alternative history, Harry Turtledove. The byzantine plot adroitly bounces back and forth between the adventures of young Ben in Boston and London and the decadent political and social manoeuvres of Louis XIV at Versailles, while doom looms in the form of a comet which has alchemically been summoned to destroy London. There are many marvelous inventions, especially weapons, as a decidedly alchemical version of contemporary science permeates this particular reality. Intriguingly, and not without some actual historical basis, Keyes' Franklin is a libidinous fellow who finds himself en boudoir with several of the older ladies. The bedroom scenes are generally handled with tenderness and taste. NEWTON'S CANNON is a fast, diverting read and a fine example of speculative fiction at its best. If you enjoy Harry Turtledove or even actual history such as the works of David McCullough or Stephen Ambrose, you'd likely enjoy Keyes' lean prose and strong plot.

An interesting premise.......2007-06-28

Gregory Keyes has really made a very interesting start with the first book in his "Age of Unreason" series. "Newton's Cannon" starts with young Benjamin Franklin stifled by his apprenticeship to his cruel brother. During his spare time he experiments with a new aether-technology, a cross between alchemy, science, and some supernatural elements (the exact workings of it is pretty vague). Soon Franklin becomes involved in a massive conspiracy in the European war between England and France. Meanwhile, Louis XIV has commissioned a new and terrible weapon to use against his British foes, but is being manipulated by forces no one but the eccentric Sir Isaac Newton understands.

I enjoyed the book, and look forward to continuing the series later on. I am not sure about the science involved, it seemed a bit fantastic to me. I am under the impression that while the type was researched and explored, it isn't real; hey, the book is located in the science fiction section for a reason I guess. The historical elements are also taken rather loosely, but it's alternate history, so I can forgive it.

Young Benjamin Franklin (about 14 years old here) is characterized more like a highly intelligent Tom Sawyer, always in some sort of trouble or mischief, though always well meaning. Sir Isaac Newton was the most interesting character in the book, though I thought criminally underused. The great Sun King, Louis XIV was pathetic and unlikable. Adrienne de Montchevreuil is supposed to be a fierce modern woman, but to me seemed too helpless and too willing to be used in everyone else's schemes and self pitying to be portrayed as strong.

The action was alright, though I thought it was kind of tame.

Despite these flaws, I liked it, and am really looking forward to continuing the series.

Tightly woven tale of alternative history.......2006-10-13

Young Ben Frankline is a printer's appretice trapped in seven years servitude to his older brother. Adrienne is a poor young noble woman highly educated in secret, and the object of the lust of the aging Louis XIV of France. Both are caught in a plot to use alchemy to change the tide of a war that could see the conquest of France by the English. Full of well drawn, deep characters (many of whom are drawn from real history or classic literature) and a fast paced story-line Newton's Cannon is a great start to a new fantasy/historical series.

A warning for those with kids. Fourteen-year-old Ben Franklin is a bit over-sexed with women twice his age. There is nothing explicit, but as a parent I want to know this kind of stuff. Everthing else about this novel is PG.

Enjoy!

A Near Miss.......2006-06-26

Newton's Cannon (1998) by J.Gregory Keyes - 355 pages - rating: 6.5/10

A young adventurous Benjamin Franklin must flee Boston to seek out Sir Isaac Newton and hopefully save London from imminent total destruction.

I love this author's writing style - interesting new ideas, exciting and smooth - BUT, he has completely BLUNDERED with respect to structure. For some utterly incomprehensible reason - perhaps forced upon him by an over zealous editor - the plotline is fractured - in the WORST possible manner - into two separate lines.

The author will literally end a chapter RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACTION and start up the next chapter in the middle of the action in the second plot line. You will not only find yourself to be enormously FRUSTRATED by this interruption and destruction of an exciting moment but you will find it necessary to flip back to the end of the previous chapter to try to reconstruct where it was you were when you were interrupted the last time. The sad thing is the author does this at the end of EVERY CHAPTER. It drove me nuts.

I don't mind multiple plot lines. I've read several books written in this fashion. Most books written post 1985 are done in this way. The problem was that Keyes chose to switch plots at precisely the wrong time.

Why did I give this book a 6.5/10 instead of a 3/10 given this enormous annoyance ? Well the writing is very good and so is the plot but the bozo ruined it with this silly little trick of his.

Claus Kellermann
2006 June 25
Sci_Fi_Researcher@yahoo.com

What if Alchemy worked?.......2005-09-02

What if Newton - who was interested in such things - deduced the rules for it as here he did for physics? And what if this new science created new weapons for the wars of the 18th century?

That's the basic premise of the "The Age of Unreason" series. All four books are out now and my basic review is that the series has been excellent, and I highly recommend it!

Keyes has an excellent book here. In many ways, it is similar to "Celestial Matters," where Richard Garfinkle took the idea of "What if Aristotelian physics was real" and ran with it, creating an alternate world where that science ruled, creating an Earth - and a history - wildly different from our own.

Here, Keyes is asking "what if the alchemists were right?" - but unlike "Celestial Matters," the POD is close enough to the current events of the story that the world, while changed, is still recognizably our 18th century world. And because it is recognizably our world, Keyes gets to use real historical figures as his characters - Franklin, Newton, Louis XIV, etc. - and he does so very well.

He also seems to have a good grasp on the changes his POD would render to the world. The new alchemical miracle machines (such as ever-glowing lights, the aetherscreiber, and even a steam-engine of a sort) are just beginning to make their way into common use. There are groups (mostly religious) opposed to them as "magic," there are others - such as Franklin - fascinated by the new "science" and it's possibilities.

And it seems that along with the Philosopher's Mercury, "demons" may walk the Earth...

I loved the book. If it's got any real problem, it's that it's the first book of a series - and because of that Keyes is introducing almost too much stuff to us, stuff that will be useful in the rest of the series, but here make the book a little cluttered. We've got the primary story of Louis, Franklin, and the weapon (of which I will only say the primary creator of which - Fatio - chuckles when he thinks how appropriate it is to call it "Newton's own cannon"), but then we've also got a secret society of women - the "Korai" - playing their little power games with some of the main characters, "demons" running their own mysterious plans, and - heck - even a brief walk-on by Blackbeard the Pirate, of all people (well, "limp-on," actually). It's all just that close to being too much.

However, as I said, I loved the book and read it and all the rest of the books in the "Age of Unreason" series. This is Alternate History writ very large - and very strange...

Average customer rating:

Limiting Yourself?
Need new opinions? This book is for you
Will stretch your thinking
You Get What You Pay For
Don't take it *too* literally.

The Age of Unreason
Charles Handy
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875843018

Book Description

In an era when change is constant, random, and, as Handy calls it, discontinuous, it is necessary to break out of old ways of thinking in order to use change to our advantage. Handy examines how dramatic changes are transforming business, education, and the nature of work. We can see it in astounding new developments in technology, in the shift in demand from manual to cerebral skills, and in the virtual disappearance of lifelong, full-time jobs. Handy maintains that discontinuous change requires discontinuous, upside-down thinking, and discusses the need for new kinds of organizations, new approaches to work, new types of schools, and new ideas about the nature of our society.

Customer Reviews:

Limiting Yourself?.......2006-02-14

If you are remotely lacking contentment, happiness or context for your life and want to know how to take immediate action - read this book. If you already know it all, don't!

Need new opinions? This book is for you.......2005-03-16

I first bought this book by Handy, after that I went bought all the other Handy books as it really make you think about what you do and what will happen in work-provate lives.

Will stretch your thinking.......2004-06-16

Very though provoking read. Even though written in '89 it has some very topical and relevant ideas. This is by no means a how to book, although there are suggestions and concepts to consider. Rather Handy gives arguments and suggestions on why adaptation to worn out approaches to organizations need to be considered. His writing style is informative without being overbearing, pretty quick read. If someone wants to understand more on why organizations need to adapt their designs and what some of the implications are then this is a good read, although some ideas are unique.

You Get What You Pay For.......2003-01-23

A company at which I worked adopted one of the philosophies in this book -- the core business -- and outsourced all of the functions it considered non-core, such as human resources, accounting, info technology etc. The resulting situation was miserable, I've never worked with unhappier people, and I'm glad as heck to be away from that outfit. The "unreason" concept is definitely nothing to be proud of.

Don't take it *too* literally........2001-11-29

I had to both laugh at and give a helpful vote to the review below which accused the author of citing half-baked fragments of myths and anecdotes as evidence. To a certain degree, it's a fair cop, particularly if you're looking for a book which is going to really stunningly predict the future.

_The Age of Unreason_ isn't about predicting the future, it's about training yourself to look at the future in ways that you might otherwise not have done. As such, I found it a valuable and interesting book which is clearly based in a lot of meditation on learning and learning theories.

Some of the things Handy mentioned turned out to have become true since the book was written. Other things didn't-- but it doesn't matter ultimately. What the book asks is this: Can you recognize the real causes for pain that you identify? Can you think differently to force discontinuous change? Is your vision of the future based on an accurate perception of the past, or are you looking past major factors because you don't recognize the role of gradual change?

People who like this book may like some of the books on developing strategies using scenario exercises. This book also contains a decent (if dated) bibliography.

A Calculus of Angels (The Age of Unreason, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Quite nice
What's the alchemical sign for fun?
better than book 1
The best Science fiction I have ever read
Far better than Book 1!

A Calculus of Angels (The Age of Unreason, Book 2)
J. Gregory Keyes
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345406087
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Amazon.com

What if Isaac Newton had discovered that alchemy works? J. Gregory Keyes has based his Age of Unreason series on an alternate 18th century shaped by a "science" that grew from Newton's discovery of "philosopher's mercury," which "can transmit vibrations into the aether" and thus "alter the states and composition of matter." In A Calculus of Angels, Keyes continues the tale he began in Newton's Cannon. It's a satisfying sequel that nevertheless leaves the reader impatient for the next book.

Two years have passed since the asteroid struck. The weather is unnaturally cold, the skies perpetually overcast. England is devastated, the French government has collapsed upon the death of Louis XIV. Peter the Great, now inspired by the guardian spirit who preserved Louis, has marched his armies westward into the Netherlands and France. In the New World, the abandoned colonists send a delegation including Blackbeard, Cotton Mather, and a Choctaw shaman named Red Shoes to find out what's happened. In Prague, Newton and his apprentice, Ben Franklin, seek to protect the city from aetheric attack. The mathematically gifted Adrienne de Montchevreuil is also back and expanding her knowledge of the mysterious malakim who inhabit the aether and menace mankind.

Keyes creates a very believable mixture of history, fantasy, and plausibly imagined historical characters. Each book has been exciting, suspenseful, and beautifully written. No admirer of alternate history should miss this series. --Nona Vero

Book Description

1722: A second Dark Age looms. An asteroid has devastated the Earth, called down by dire creatures who plot against the world of men. The brilliant-- some say mad--Isaac Newton has taken refuge in ancient Prague. There, with his young apprentice Ben Franklin, he plumbs the secrets of the aetheric beings who have so nearly destroyed humanity.

But their safety is tenuous. Peter the Great marches his unstoppable forces across Europe. And half a world away, Cotton Mather and Blackbeard the pirate assemble a party of colonial luminaries to cross the Atlantic and discover what has befallen the Old World. With them sails Red Shoes, a Choctaw shaman whose mysterious connections to the invisible world warn him that they are all moving toward a confrontation as violent as it is decisive . . .

Customer Reviews:

Quite nice.......2007-03-11

A refreshing look at combining the historical and fantastical, and does quite a good job at muddying plausible and inplausible sciences of the 18th century till even the reader easily gets pulled into what may, or may not be grounded in actual real world science. Characters are mostly believable and easy to identify with, and the author pulls bits of reputed character traits for historical characters while taking an absolute and fun literary license with the rest. All in all, a good and fun book, well thought out, and moves though at a brisk pace while maintaining enough depth to satisfy even a jaded, more adult fantasy/science fiction reader.

What's the alchemical sign for fun?.......2005-03-31

A Calculus of Angels, the second book in the Age of Unreason series by J. Gregory Keyes, does exactly what a second book is supposed to do. It builds on the first book, giving us more insight into the greater problem that the series addresses, as well as moving all the characters forward. The alternate history that Keyes has built is fascinating stuff, much richer than the "what if World War II turned out differently" that many authors use. A Calculus of Angels is a wonderful mixture of sorcery, alchemy, and science. Keyes also adds a few more characters to the mix, making for a much deeper story.

We are a few years removed from when the great comet hit London and wiped out much of western Europe. Those in the Americas, not having heard anything from Europe in quite a while, are ready to join forces (French, English, and Native) to send an expedition to find out what is happening. Meanwhile, Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, is on the march to conquer what is left of Europe. Sir Isaac Newton and his young apprentice, Ben Franklin, are in Prague, attempting to figure out what is really going on. Adrienne, former lover of King Louis of France, is on the run from the remnants of the French nobility, all vying for what's left of the French throne. What spirits are using the world to fight their own war against humanity? Are these spirits religious in nature, servants of God? Or are they trying to fight everything that humanity holds dear? Who controls who? And will Peter be able to conquer everything in his path with the mysterious flying ships that he wields? All will come together in one city, one fatal encounter that could decide everything. And what does Adrienne's child have to do with all of this?

A Calculus of Angels is a much better book than Newton's Cannon, mainly for its broader scope. The first book was pretty narrow, concentrating mainly on Adrienne and Ben Franklin. This one covers a lot more ground. Ben and Adrienne are still prominent, and they get a lot of development, as Ben chafes under Newton's refusal to tell him what Newton is researching and Adrienne learns her place in this spiritual war that is going on. But Keyes gives us more storylines to follow as well. There is the expedition from the Americas to discover what is going on. This party gives us a wonderful character in the Choctaw shaman, Red Shoes. It also gives us Cotton Mather, Blackbeard (former pirate and now governor of a small colony) and the French governor of Louisiana, Bienville. It is through them that we see most of the devastation that covers Europe, especially Great Britain.

While Mather is a bit of a stereotypical religious figure, he does have his moments where he is surprising. The others aren't quite as well-drawn, though they serve their purposes well in supporting Red Shoes and getting him where he needs to be. Especially good is the scene where some of the ship's crew take Red Shoes for a night on the town, and he sees the deadness in the girl that is given to him, even as the others finish their night of debauchery. This highlights the other world that only he can see, and gives us a great bit of his character.

Probably the best scenes in the book, however, involve young Ben as he tries to make his way in Prague. Newton is being very uncooperative and Ben is trying to do his best to fit in. He is an intelligent young man himself, and he's invented many toys for the King to play with, but he knows that Newton's holding something back. The interplay between the two is wonderful, especially in their final scene together as Newton realizes just how much he's hurt Ben. Once Ben and the others leave Prague, it's not quite as interesting, and the scenes in Venice drag a little bit. Still, he's the most important character in the book, and he carries it well.

The only thing that really mars the book, and it's a small thing, is how everybody ends up in the same place at the same time. Considering the number of storylines that are going on, this stretches the coincidence just a little too much. Once they are all there, it makes for a riveting conclusion as Ben tries his best to outwit his opponents and survive himself. The ending is a bit predictable, but it leads into an epilogue that really makes you want to read the next book to see where the story goes from here.

One aspect of Newton's Cannon that I hated was the way Keyes began chapters in the middle of action and had the characters reflect back on what happened to catch the reader up. Keyes still does this occasionally, but it's not quite as noticeable this time. This really adds to the strength of the book, as the prose flows a lot better. The prose is rougher than it is in Keyes' Kingdoms of Thorn & Bone series, but it's earlier in his career, so a bit more acceptable. Keyes has taken an interesting premise and spun half of a very interesting tale. I'm looking forward to the next one.

David Roy

better than book 1.......2004-02-03

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).

The best Science fiction I have ever read.......2001-11-07

This book is amazing. If you haven't read the first one; you need to. If you have then you don't need my review.

Far better than Book 1!.......2001-08-21

I have to break with the other reviewers on this one and strongly disagree. Most seem to think that it falls short in comparison to Book 1, but for myself, that simply isn't the case.

In Book One, by simple neccesity, much of the story had to be devoted to establishing the given circumstances of the world these characters inhabit, but here in Book Two the story is free to explore the inner motivations of the characters and the relationships between them. The action is constantly moving forward and as the events unfold and storylines begin to weave together toward the climax I found myself frustrated by every interruption, which was not always the case with Book One. Further - when there is discussion of the sciences that govern this fascinating world, I found the theories and concepts more intriguing than in Book One - and now they aren't spoken of simply as lofty concepts, now there is desparation and personal attachment (sometimes literally) for the characters to the concepts being explored.

Amazon.com

Ten years have passed since Europe plunged into chaos following a directed comet strike on London by Louis XIV's alchemists. The resulting nuclear winter forced everyone southward. The Russian Empire of Peter the Great holds sway, but Tsar Peter has mysteriously disappeared and his chief alchemist, Adrienne de Montchevreuil, has been attacked by a creature of the malakim, who provide the power for many of the technological innovations created by alchemists. Ben Franklin now lives in Charleston and is part of a secret organization, the Junto, that seeks to destroy the malakim and their agents in the New World. Only here have their evil intentions been fully recognized. Now the enemy is on American soil in the form of Scottish king James Stewart and his troops in the East and a mysterious but terrifyingly powerful army led by the Sunboy in the West. Only an alliance of English, French, and Spanish settlers with the Native American tribes have a chance of defeating them.

The series continues to provide an intriguing blend of fantasy and historical characters, plenty of action, and fine writing. This episode, however, begins and ends abruptly. Read the first two books (Newton's Cannon and A Calculus of Angels) first, and be prepared for a cliffhanger ending that will leave readers anxious for the next book. --Nona Vero

Book Description

There has never been an epic quite like The Age of Unreason. By interweaving reality with arcane fantasy, J. Gregory Keyes proves himself a literary alchemist who vividly recreates the eighteenth century–and brings it brilliantly to new life.

When Sir Isaac Newton uncovered the secrets of alchemy, he could never have imagined the tragic results. Dark sorcery rules. Europe is lost and the American colonists have been driven south. The demonic creatures known as the Malekim won’t tolerate even a flicker of hope. Any who oppose them– Franklin, Voltaire, even the mysterious daughters of Lilith–will be swept away. However Benjamin Franklin and his secret society, the Junto, manage a precarious existence founded on the mutual trust of Native Americans, whites, and freed blacks. And as armies and alchemy clash, the Choctaw shaman Red Shoes witnesses a vision of an ancient, implacable evil–and of a young boy who shines as brightly as an angel . . . the fallen, avaricious kind.

Customer Reviews:

Mystic war comes to the Americas.......2005-06-19

J. Gregory Keyes keeps the momentum going in the third book of the Age of Unreason series, Empire of Unreason. The first two books were an excellent mix of historical and original characters all in a fantastic alternate history of alchemy and religion. This one, the third in the series, takes place ten years after A Calculus of Angels and is a bit less complete then the first two books. That's not to say it's missing anything, but it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, which they didn't.

Ten years after the battle with Russia's Peter the Great in Venice, a lot has changed in the world. Ben Franklin is back in the Americas, the local alchemist in Charles Town as well as head of a secret group of scientists who are working to defeat the Malekim, sinister figures who might pass as demons or unruly angels to the non-scientific mind. They are trying to get mankind to eradicate itself, or at least stop meddling in scientific pursuits that they feel are their own domain. Meanwhile, Adrienne is in St. Petersburg where she was taken by Tsar Peter, but Peter is now missing and she is under threat from those who would take over for him. She's also searching for her kidnapped son, who it turns out may be the evil that defeats them all. Only a Choctaw Indian named Red Shoes may be able to stop them. With the colonies in America under assault from a Russian backed English king, Franklin must endeavor to convince the disparate governments in North America to join together and fight back, though it may all be for naught.

Keyes continues his excellent characterization, with all of his main characters being fully developed and interesting to read about. Adrienne is a mother who is despairing about her son, especially once she learns who he may really be. She's been allied to the Malekim at some point, but she realizes exactly what they are doing and that she must do her part to fight them, with the aid of some factions of the Malekim who aren't necessarily after mankind's destruction. She's very narrow-minded, refusing to offer her lover much more than her bed and scorning most any other offers of friendship except for Crecy, her faithful companion and defender.

Franklin is once again Keyes' masterpiece, as he is torn between the woman he loves but has neglected for the last ten years and the task he knows he has to do. He does his utmost to keep Lenka out of any danger, but she bristles under his protection, thinking he's excluding her and putting her aside for his science. Keyes portrays Franklin as somebody who loves women but can't seem to understand them. He's not very knowledgeable about love and he feels trapped by his duty anyway. The reader feels for him after each conversation with his wife, as we see her drift further and further away from him.

The only misstep in characterization, and it is minor, is Red Shoes. While he was fairly interesting in A Calculus of Angels, he went downhill in this one. His character is the most mystic of all of them (though Adrienne is close), and Keyes doesn't really ground him in the real world that well to make him appealing. He certainly tries, but doesn't quite succeed. Late in the book, something happens that makes Red Shoes more of a tragic figure, but I found by this point that I didn't really care that much. I wanted the action to get back to Franklin or Adrienne (or even Oglethorpe, who is a new character introduced in this book).

Still, that is really the only "bad" part of the book. Keyes' prose is once again serviceable, though the dialogue is at times a bit questionable (most of these are in the Red Shoes sequences, so perhaps that's why they were questionable compared to the rest). He hadn't quite reached the level he's now at in The Kingdoms of Throne & Bone series, but it is still quite good. There is a lot more action in this book, with war coming to the colonies, flying airships powered by the Malekim facing off against the fledgling government of the Americas, the colonists outnumbered and outgunned, but they are slowly becoming united. Oglethorpe is fighting a rearguard action while Franklin is trying to enlist allies, unaware that the mystic war is coming at them from the western part of the continent as well as the east. Keyes' descriptions of the battles are extremely vivid and interesting to read about.

Empire of Unreason also avoids the faults of the previous books, which is definitely a good thing. He no longer (or at least, much less noticeably) begins chapters in the middle of the action and has the characters either tell or hear about what happened before. There are far fewer coincidences involved in this book as well with everything having a good reason for happening besides trying to get all of the characters together. Too bad that every time Keyes fixes a flaw, something else creeps in, but it is impossible for a book to be perfect.

All in all, Empire of Unreason is yet another winner for Keyes, and I can't wait for the conclusion to see how it all wraps up.

David Roy

suffers a bit from "middle book", but sets up the conclusion.......2004-12-02

"Empire of Unreason" is the third book in the four book "Age of Unreason" series by Greg Keyes. It takes place approximately 10 years after the events of "A Calculus of Angels". Ben Franklin is living back in the American Colonies, in Charleston. He is a founding member of some sort of secret scientific organization called the Junto. The Junto are leaders in the community and they are working to continue to advance science as well as figure out exactly how to stop and kill the malakim, the "demons" that were discovered through Isaac Newton's alchemy and are the ultimate cause of all of the destruction of the past twelve years. The exiled pretender King James has come to the colonies (since London was utterly destroyed twelve years prior) to claim his throne, but Franklin sees the hand of the malakim behind King James.

Adrienne, the woman scientist who has been the driving force behind much of the innovation and destruction of the past decade, is in the court of the Tsar of Russia. She knows there are forces of the malakim aligned against humanity, but she owes so much to others of the malakim who claim obedience to her. She continues to search for her lost son, who would be twelve years old by the events of "Empire of Unreason". While she continues to search for her son, and evade her own enemies in Russia, there is a new force in America. A boy called the Sun King, who has come out of the West. He seems to be a prophet, and leads forces from China. But, he may also be Adrienne's son.

There is so much going on in "Empire of Unreason" that if one hasn't read the first two volumes of this series ("Newton's Cannon", and "A Calculus of Angels") the reader will be completely lost. This book suffers from the middle book syndrome in that it works to continue a story and set up a conclusion, but it cannot stand alone. The reader is thrust right into the story and has to play catch-up figuring out exactly how much time has passed since the second book in the series. While this is a "middle book", it is also a fast paced, exciting story. Greg Keyes no longer has to engage in world building, but can now give us an adventure story that drives to an ending. "Empire of Unreason" seemed to end in a hurry, and was a little confusing, but the "Age of Unreason" series is proving to be an excellent one in the fantasy genre, as well as being an alternate history. Keyes is a very good writer, and he is working with a very broad canvas here. Read the first two books, and then continue on with the series. It is worthwhile reading for the fantasy reader.

-Joe Sherry

An Intricate Tapestry of Events.......2001-02-10

Empire of Unreason is the third volume (out of four) in J. Gregory Keyes series, "The Age of Unreason." The series depicts an 18th Century world that has discovered the existence of angels who take an active role in the human world. These are not the beneficient creatures that appear on Christmas cards, but spirits that intend the control and destruction of the human race.

In the first volume, "Newton's Cannon," we find three key players, Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin and Adrienne do Montchevreuil enmeshed in the plots and machinations of the English and French kings. This is a titanic struggle over Newton's discovery of Philosopher's Mercury. It ends in the destruction of both countries when Louis XIV managed to aim a comet at London.

In the second volume, "A Calculus of Angels," the world is plunged into a new Dark Age by the cataclysm. Newton and his assistant Franklin flee to Prague, while Adrienne struggles for survival and is drawn to Tsar Peter the Great. Cotton Mather and Blackbeard lead an expedition to the Old World to find out what had happened. Along with them comes a Choctaw shaman, Red Shoes, who will play an increasingly significant part in later volumes.

With most of the players introduced book three, "Empire of Unreason," plays them out on a canvas that focuses on events in the New World. Franklin and Red Shoes lead separate efforts that bring them in direct conflict with the machinations of angels manipulating imperial Russia. These manifest as the appearance of James Stuart (the English Pretender) with an army on the Eastern Coast and the invasion of the Western Coast by Oriental and Russian forces lead by the Sun Child, who is actually de Montchevreuil's son. The plot swirls with complexities as the various characters are drawn into what may become a confrontation in the next volume. Here they fight battles and hunt the creatures of the Malakim (angels) and are hunted in turn. The writing is colorful and there is a never-ending supply of cliffhangers and twists to keep up the reader's interest.

I am reading another alternate history series at the same time, Mary Gentle's Book of Ash. This follows a young woman military commander in a struggle across the face of 15th century Europe. The two series have much in common. The heroes are facing enemies that would eradicate the human race. The primary characters are touched by magical forces that change them permanently. And their struggles are against overwhelming odds.

The series differ in that Ash is true science fiction coupled with superb military history, while the Age of Unreason is a fantasy with the illusion of a scientific basis. Age of Unreason is the more intellectually interesting, since the author takes the time to delve into philosophical and metaphysical ideas. Not in such detail that the narrative is ever the least bit tedious, but there will be times when you put the books down and think over a paragraph.

Both series are exceptional works of author's imagination that I recommend wholeheartedly. Certainly, if you enjoy one of them, you will enjoy the other.

A steady progression towards the climax of the series.......2000-05-31

I consider myself a big fan of J. Gregory Keyes, so it probably comes as no surprise that I found this book, like its predecessors, to be delightful. This third book in the "Age of Unreason" series picks up ten years after _A Calculus of Angels_ left off, and the three main characters of the tale (Ben Franklin, Adrienne de Montchevreuil, and Red Shoes of the Choctaw) soon realize a malevolent entity in the western reaches of North America threatens all the Colonials have fought for.

Keyes' style is round-robin, and he rotates between characters, chapter by chapter, throughout the book. He is somewhat guilty of blatant cliff-hangerism, but I've learned to enjoy it. His characters are interesting enough that I didn't mind being torn away from one to hear about another.

But without a doubt, his strength is his masterful concoction of cultures that could have been ancestors of our own. His knowledge of native American tribes is evident, and he uses it to greater effect in this volume than in the previous two. My biggest complaint was that _Empire of Unreason_ seemed to end like a movie whose film had run out, which is why it gets only four stars. Certainly, there could've been a grander climax, but the book as a whole stands solidly.

If you've read the first two books in the series, the third is no reason to stop. My favorite still remains _Newton's Cannon_, but this book sets up a fourth (and final, so I hear) book that I eagerly await.

More character development,please.......2000-05-30

Ten years have passed since the death of Isaac Newton, ten years since the Russians had access to his scientific journals fromn Prague, the less critical ones than the few he could manage to take with him to Venice. We see now why he did not want to contribute to the 'science' of the Royal Society, nor lend much aid to the monarch in Prague - in reality the 'technology' of the malakim (the realm of spirits between humans and God), or even more correctly - plain old fashioned sorcery - "philosophically useless" as Newton once told Ben Franklin. A guilded cage for the truly scientific spirit. And what use have the Russians made of his discoveries? They produce more and more hideously evil machines of war, even a life-gobbling maelstrom of malakim known as the keres, a "dark engine". One suspected that Leonhard Euler would make an appearance, but so far, maddeningly, he JUST MAKES AN APPEARANCE!. Probably the most gifted mathematician to ever live, he frees himself from service to Tsar Peter, and goes in search of, who else?, Newton's clever young apprentice, Franklin. And the subplot is dropped there! Red Shoes becomes a frightening apotheosis of the Native American shaman, and Adrienne finally learns the error of 'using' the malakim, thoughtlessly, like a witch. But is it too late?, and her son...it is her passions that will destroy the world. And maybe that is the point of Keyes' opera: that what makes us humans distinct from our mere human nature - (read especially her 'dream' in the abandoned wilderness that was once the gardens of Versailles) - is our reason, which we ought not abandon, even in the face of extraordinary temptations to gain everything: power, wealth, revenge, victory ... simply by "asking" for it.

The Shadows of God (Age of Unreason, Book 4)

Average customer rating:

The battle for America, with the demons winning.
Things come to a conclusion, even if somewhat unsatisfying.
The Design of the Apocalypse
No place to go but down
Exciting conclusion--powerful characters

The Shadows of God (Age of Unreason, Book 4)
J. Gregory Keyes
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345455835
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Book Description

“INVENTIVE AND EXCITING, FILLED WITH CLEVER DETAILS AND HIGH ADVENTURE, this brings to a close a sequence that seems likely to establish Keyes as one of the more significant and original new fantasy writers to appear in recent years.”
–Science Fiction Chronicle

As the ruthless forces of Russia lay waste to the New World, English troops make landfall in the east, determined to reconquer the colonies. Trapped in between are the Native Americans, ex-slaves, and European refugees, led by Benjamin Franklin and the Choctaw shaman Red Shoes. But the balance of power rests with the French woman Adrienne de Montchevreuil, whose grasp of science is the equal of Franklin’s, whose magic may be stronger than the Choctaw, and whose shocking secret may call into question where her true allegiances lie. . . .

Customer Reviews:

The battle for America, with the demons winning........2005-06-20

The Shadows of God, the conclusion of J. Gregory Keyes' "Age of Unreason" series, is a thrilling ride through war, mysticism, and a little bit of love. The characters have been through a lot in the last 15 years or so, and this is the culmination of everything. While the ending is not quite as good as I would have hoped, Keyes still manages to keep the reader intrigued, racing to the end to see exactly how it turns out. While not completely unpredictable, there is enough uncertainty for the story to keep a hold of the reader.

Ben Franklin has finally made it to the French court in the New Orleans area, where the former Duke of Orleans is now the only remaining French king. He's trying desperately to set up an alliance among all of the former colonies. Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to hem the colonies in on the west while English troops come from the east. The demon-like Malekim, are making their final play for dominion on the Earth, and if humans manage to even come close to stopping them, they will unleash a horror that has never been seen before. The key to everything could end up being Adrienne de Montchevreuil, a French sorceress who may know more science than Franklin and more magic than Red Shoes, the Choctaw shaman who may or may not be on the side of good. Will they all be able to stop the Malekim while there is still enough left of the colonies to celebrate the victory?

This entire series has been a fascinating alternate history with sorcery and alchemy playing a major part and historical figures we're all familiar with mixing with characters that Keyes has made up. The Shadows of God continues this, though the story has gone so much more beyond alternate history that it is almost unrecognizable. Instead, it's a fantasy with historical trappings, with Franklin, Tsar Peter, and Voltaire being the only recognizable historical figures left. This is not a bad thing, as Keyes once again does a wonderful job of characterization. I said in my review of Empire of Unreason that Red Shoes had become thoroughly uninteresting. This time, however, Keyes succeeds in grabbing the reader's attention with him again. He's fighting an evil that he has absorbed within him, that has caused him to do terrible things. How he deals with this, with the help of Grief, his lover, made me want to read his sections of the book again (unlike the earlier book).

Once again, Franklin and Adrienne are also extremely well-done. Also well done is Oglethorpe, the general of the colonial armies who are fighting the invading English and Russian troops. He shows a lot of intelligence in his battle tactics, using the resources that he has been given (a couple of airships, some magical guns) to their utmost. He's also learned to deal with his prejudices and command a mixed group of men (escaped and freed slaves, Native Americans, and some colonists). Before leading the army, he had been a slaveowner, but the escaped slaves become some of his best scouts, and it's interesting to see the change in his perception as he sheds his English sensibilities and becomes an "American."

I really like how Keyes has created a number of interesting characters, but he resists the urge to get inside all of their heads. For most of the first three books, the only viewpoint characters have been Franklin, Adrienne, and Red Shoes (Red Shoes being introduced in A Calculus of Angels). Oglethorpe is introduced in Empire of Unreason and also becomes a viewpoint character, but that is it. Instead, Keyes manages to show us what's inside the characters by their actions and words, rather than thoughts. The king of New France is a great example of this. We can tell that he is horrified about what has happened to his old country, and he certainly doesn't want the responsibility of bringing New France up by its bootstraps, but he is a patriot and willing to do whatever is necessary for the good of his people. He loves science but can be blinded by his subordinates when it comes to politics. All of the characters are three-dimensional despite us not being able to hear what they think.

The only exception to this, and it leads into the other fault with the book, are Tsar Peter and Charles, King of Sweden. Peter gets a little more characterization when he's rescued, but once the final battle begins and Charles shows up (his sworn enemy), they become nothing but bluster and ultimately the interest plummets. The results of their final battle are completely predictable (only the magnitude of what happens is in question). Their characterization is a symptom of the fact that the ending just becomes one huge battle with flashes of characterization from a few sources. There's nothing wrong with having a big battle at the end of a book, and Keyes does a decent job describing the action, but it seemed like a sidebar to the mystical element of the story, giving the characters something to drive them to the conclusion rather than something to care about itself. We're already told that the Malekim will do something drastic if their human pawns' plans are defeated, so dramatically the battle doesn't really serve a lot of purpose.

That being said, The Shadows of God is still riveting for the most part, and a fitting conclusion to the entire story. The ending, while slightly predictable, leaves things in an interesting way. It doesn't call for a sequel at all. Instead, it's more of a "these characters have a lot of work ahead of them" feeling. It's satisfying to see the old friends you've been reading about for four books finally getting a rest. At least those who survive, at any rate.

David Roy

Things come to a conclusion, even if somewhat unsatisfying........2003-03-13

Better than the last book. Things come to a conclusion, which is good because its the last book. Things are also more fully explained for example the nature of the Malakim and the sun boy king. The very end is a bit disappointing in the way he decides to bring about a "happy ending" and bring everything to a resolution. Though to be fair I couldn't see that there was much he could of done different other than destoying the world, which doesn't happen. I give it a B-.

The Design of the Apocalypse.......2002-11-05

Nothing makes a series more frustrating for a reader than extended delays between volumes. Unfortunately for me, not only was J. Gregory Keyes a long time in issuing this last volume in the 'Age of Unreason Series,' marketing for it was so poor that it was a year before I actually found it, and even longer until I finally started to read it. Given the scope of the series, this nearly caused me do decide not to read it.

The key of the problem is that the cast of characters is immense, and seems to include everyone of note in Europe and North America from Isaac Newton and Ben Franklin to Tsar Peter the Great. At the beginning of 'The Shadows of God' Keyes spends about 40 pages re-introducing his characters. Before I gave up counting he had mentioned thirty major characters and a host of lesser. Moreover, while diligent in the matter of name-dropping, Keyes makes no effort to provide continuity between this volume and its predecessor.

As such, it was a while before I remembered that Keyes had Newton discover the existence of the Malakim, angels who intersected with the human world and whose powers could be harnessed. As he and his student Ben Franklin move across Europe, great powers are set in motion, eventually leading to London's utter destruction by an aimed meteor, and a Russian attempt to conquer the world. With Europe in tatters, the action shifts to the new world, where men battle men and Malakim, and everyone who can tries to destroy their enemies and take the earth for their own.

In North America, invading armies of the Malakim inspired Sun Boy and James Stuart, pretender to the English Throne prepare to overwhelm the indigenous races and colonists from New England to New France. Ben Franklin is the ringleader in for those who oppose the Malakim as he tries to deal with overpowering magic, traitors on every side, and the rulers of New France, Sweden and Russia. With his family life in a shambles, and his imagination stretched to its limits Franklin must prepare to fight a battle that truly is the apocalypse.

This is primarily alternate history, based on the thesis that Newton's discoveries were of the laws of magic rather than those of science. Misled into thinking that the Malakim were harmless, Newton did not realize that these were the fallen angels, stranded on earth by God, and that many of them fiercely desire the end of man. The fascination of a new scientific system, and Keyes' great writing are what keep the series moving, and this volume is no exception, despite the slow start.

The book probes the possibility of a universe based on and entirely different meta-narrative and the effects of that world on those that people it. It also questions the significance of good and evil and God's place in the entirety of corruption. Keyes created a high action plot while taking the time to investigate philosophical and emotional considerations. In the end, I found the story very satisfying, but be warned that 'The Shadows of God' would be nearly unreadable for someone who has not read the first three volumes. It is unfortunate that Keyes will probably never get the recognition he deserves for this work of science fantasy. If you have the opportunity and the time, you will find the series well worth reading.

No place to go but down.......2002-07-28

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK
GO TO THE LIBRARY AND BORROW IT FOR FREE
IT IS NOT WORTH IT

It is a sad thing when an author starts a series with a great idea, like rewriting history with a different set of scientific laws, but then doesn't know how to finish the story. I originally bought the first two books in the series by accident but was happily surprised when I finally sat down and read them. Then when the third came out I was excited to continue the journey, but upon finishing I was somewhat let down. But now, even though I still have 50 pages left, I have been sorely let down.

Keyes seems to have lost track of his characters, giving them outlandish abilities which work in no logical sense. The great powers of the Earth find themselves prostrate over their own minor problems which they never got around to dealing with earlier on in the series. And further, this is the point which angers me the most, the French witch Adrienne becomes a sad copy of Franks Herbert's, Lady Jessica of the Dune series.

She is supposed to be a being not born on chance, but of a breading program monitored over centuries to produce a superbeing. HELLO? This a complete copy off of his plot thread, used to fill in a story loop hole so large a small moon could easily fall into it.

The philosophies brought about have become more mundane with each page. The ideas never coming to any sort of fruition understandable by any sensible reader. The lead characters have lost the readers attention, and have become less important than the much more interesting less brooding supporting cast.

How sad it is when an want to be writter has a good idea but no story arch.

Exciting conclusion--powerful characters.......2001-09-04

Russia and England, dominated by angels working to destroy humanity, are on the verge of success. Only a small group of Americans, including European exiles, Indians, and colonists, now stand against them. In an alternate reality, Isaac Newton discovered not only science but also magic and the world must now face the consequences.

Led by Benjamin Franklin, the resistance gathers in Louisiana for their final confrontation. Franklin builds fabulous machines that might just be able to slow the angelic forces, but outnumbered as his men are, they have little chance for success. Especially as he can't really trust even those who are supposedly on his side.

J. Gregory Keyes does an excellent job creating characters that the reader can believe in and identify with. From Franklin himself, torn between love for his wife and desire for other women; Red Shoes, the Indian shaman with a snake in his soul; to Addrienne de Mornay de Montchevreuil, who still loves the son she bore and who now threatens the universe.

The depth of these characters makes it easy for the reader to care about the novel, about the adventure, and about the danger that Franklin's small band of outnumbered soldiers and mages must face.

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