katmarhan's review
4.0
This alternate history is chock-full of unusual ideas and interesting characters, from a pre-teen Ben Franklin to King Louis XIV of France. The mix of science and alchemy, natural and supernatural, knowledge and instinct is what kept my mind occupied and the pages turning.
One of the things I really liked is that no one is blameless. The characters, even when acting in good faith, do dangerous things with unseen consequences. There are agents and spies playing both sides of the game, especially in the story sequences in France. Lots of shades of gray in both the characters and their motivations and actions.
This is the first book in The Age of Unreason series and, as such, does not have a neat conclusion. I can't wait to see how the story unfolds from here.
One of the things I really liked is that no one is blameless. The characters, even when acting in good faith, do dangerous things with unseen consequences. There are agents and spies playing both sides of the game, especially in the story sequences in France. Lots of shades of gray in both the characters and their motivations and actions.
This is the first book in The Age of Unreason series and, as such, does not have a neat conclusion. I can't wait to see how the story unfolds from here.
hardscifi's review
Wonderful alternate history
Ben Franklin, Isaac Newton, Voltaire et al? In a magical world where science controls alchemical forces. What a great book and what a fantastic series.
Ben Franklin, Isaac Newton, Voltaire et al? In a magical world where science controls alchemical forces. What a great book and what a fantastic series.
lottpoet's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
omnibozo22's review
5.0
Extremely fun Enlightenment romp with science, alchemy, Versailles, Ben Franklin, Issac Newton and others probing the limits of their scientific understanding while London stands on the edge of meteorite disaster. The mix of court intrigue and fantasy science with the historic personalities makes this very entertaining. I was reminded of Stephenson's Baroque Cycle series, though he stuck more to scientific realities, while stretching the historical angles. Keyes is also a much more disciplined writer. There are three more to the series, so off I go...
caseys's review
4.0
Enjoyable, probably well suited for some fans of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series- it has a similar writing tone and some of the subject matter has similarities, but I found it to be somewhat lacking in the emotional connection created between characters.
riduidel's review against another edition
5.0
L’uchronie est, au sein de la science-fiction, une espèce particulière de roman, donnant toute sa force à cette phrase d’Alexandre Dumas : "on peut violer l’Histoire, à condition de lui faire de beaux enfants.". Et ce roman en est l’un des exemples enthousiasmants : sur une hypothèse historique assez osée (que se serait-il passé si Newton avait poussé plus avant ses études alchimiques) l’auteur nous dépeint un siècle des lumières où la technologie fait déja une apparition très remarquée, quoique très loin des piles de monsieur Volta. Qui plus est, ce décor fastueux (Versailles n’en est que le plus flamboyant exemple) n’est là que pour mettre en valeur une intrigue où l’action ne cède pas le pas aux hypothèses alchimiques les plus osées.
En effet, ce roman est assez dense, avec des personnages principaux balottés dans les mains de comploteurs assez doués pour toujours agir dans l’ombre. Enfin, et ça n’est pas la moindre de ses qualités, les personnages choisis sont attachants, par leur caractère propre, mais aussi avec leur proximité avec l’Histoire, quand ils n’en sont pas eux-même les protagonistes(1). En fait, il y aurait beaucoup de choses à dire, dans un ouvrage de cette qualité, de la reconsitution de Boston à l’étude des moeurs françaises et parisiennes qui, pour le peu de connaissances que j’ai en Histoire, me paraissent plus que suffisantes pour donner un air de réalisme renforçant encore l’impression que peut donner ce saisissant, et néanmoins excellent, roman.
(1) Entre Benjamin Franklin, Louis XVI, Colbert, d’Artagnan, Newton et d’autres, on est plus que servi.
En effet, ce roman est assez dense, avec des personnages principaux balottés dans les mains de comploteurs assez doués pour toujours agir dans l’ombre. Enfin, et ça n’est pas la moindre de ses qualités, les personnages choisis sont attachants, par leur caractère propre, mais aussi avec leur proximité avec l’Histoire, quand ils n’en sont pas eux-même les protagonistes(1). En fait, il y aurait beaucoup de choses à dire, dans un ouvrage de cette qualité, de la reconsitution de Boston à l’étude des moeurs françaises et parisiennes qui, pour le peu de connaissances que j’ai en Histoire, me paraissent plus que suffisantes pour donner un air de réalisme renforçant encore l’impression que peut donner ce saisissant, et néanmoins excellent, roman.
(1) Entre Benjamin Franklin, Louis XVI, Colbert, d’Artagnan, Newton et d’autres, on est plus que servi.
queer_bookwyrm's review
3.0
This was an interesting read. It's an alternative history story combined with high concept science fiction infused with religion and other worldly beings. So that was a mouthful. I liked the concept of the story as it focuses on Ben Franklin and Sir Isaac Newton, a woman in the French Court and King Louis XIV. The story and plot was a bit slow; the pacing could have been better. I find anything about alchemy to be interesting and this whole centers around it and it's relationship to real science. The point being anything can look like magic if you don't have to tools to understand and explain it. I liked that the author included the character of Adrienne (the woman in the French court), because she was a woman of science and math in an era if women being told they couldn't do such things. She had the most fascinating plot thread through the whole book. I wish I had gotten more of her story. I was sorely disappointed when her story ended with not being able to stop the "Newton's cannon". Her story ultimately culminated in her being pregnant and a pawn of "Angels." There wasn't much explanation about the angels, so I assume to find out i must read the next book in the series, A Calculus of Angels.
tachyondecay's review
2.0
I have fond memories of this trilogy from my youth. Or, more likely, of parts of this trilogy, both because in my rebellious heyday I read things out of sequence like it was nobody's business (because it wasn't) and because my library is very fond of buying books 2 and 3 but not book 1. So I can't recall if I ever read Newton”s Cannon, but it seemed like a good place to restart my journey through the Age of Unreason. Finding it for 30 p at a library sale was just icing on the cake—it even has that sweet transparent jacket cover for paperbacks that many UK libraries use!
But I digress.
As a mathematician, I am required to be fascinated by Isaac Newton. You should be too, even if you aren’t a mathematician. The man was incredible. In addition to his contributions to math, physics, and astronomy, he was also the head of the Royal Mint and of the Royal Society. He was also, by all reports, a bit of a dick towards his friends and peers. And don't you dare get in a priority dispute with him, because he will cut you, and then he’ll write the anonymous review congratulating the report (by a committee he heads up) that finds in his favour.
Still digressing.
It’s an open secret, though, that Newton had some strange ideas. He saw his contributions to astronomy and optics as interesting hobbies, but he was really keen on alchemy and mysticism. In this series, Greg Keyes seizes upon this as the jumping-off point for a creative alternate history: what if our universe actually worked in the alchemical, classical sense of Greek and Renaissance descriptions? Gravity is merely one of many “affinities” that matter displays; rather than vacuum, we really do have luminiferous aether, and electric lights are instead devices that separate aether and lux. In this world, philosopher-alchemists create cannonballs that turn the walls they hit into glass and pairs of machines (aetherscribers) that communicate instantaneously with each other across the world.
Newton’s Cannon follows two protagonists: a young Benjamin Franklin and Adrienne de Mornay de Montchevreuil. Yep, Benjamin Franklin. Only after he gets himself in trouble with a nefarious warlock-type dude, Benjamin flees Boston for London, hoping to apprentice himself to Isaac Newton, who at this late stage in his life has entered a rather deep episode of paranoia. Meanwhile, in France, Adrienne hides her “improper” (for a woman) interests in science, acting as the supposedly bored secretary to an overzealous mathematician who hopes to drop a comet on London. She catches the eye of an immortal Sun King, Louis XIV, who has plans to make her his wife. Before Adrienne can refuse, she becomes involved in a conspiracy to kill the king.
Keyes mixes the historical animosity between English and French with the pressures and changes brought about by Newton's discoveries. Louis’ lengthy reign has prompted rebellion, in addition to the war with England, resulting in a France strained to the limit. Newton's discoveries have attracted the attention of strange, inhuman entities—creatures we might call angels and demons—whose intentions towards humanity are far from good. Throughout the book, we get the sense that everyone (except maybe Newton) is messing with forces beyond their understanding.
Both storylines take a while to get going. Ben spends a great deal of time trying to work at his brother’s printing shop before plot conspires to ship him off to London. Likewise, Adrienne spends a lot of time orbiting movers and shakers before becoming one herself. It’s hard for me to say which one interested me more; I suppose what kept me going was just curiosity regarding the bigger picture. In that respect, Newton’s Cannon remains coy. Much changes, but very little is revealed about what is happening behind the scenes.
It’s worth sticking out. There’s plenty of action scenes to keep one’s interest going. But the payoff is less than what I expected, considering the very cool world Keyes has created here.
But I digress.
As a mathematician, I am required to be fascinated by Isaac Newton. You should be too, even if you aren’t a mathematician. The man was incredible. In addition to his contributions to math, physics, and astronomy, he was also the head of the Royal Mint and of the Royal Society. He was also, by all reports, a bit of a dick towards his friends and peers. And don't you dare get in a priority dispute with him, because he will cut you, and then he’ll write the anonymous review congratulating the report (by a committee he heads up) that finds in his favour.
Still digressing.
It’s an open secret, though, that Newton had some strange ideas. He saw his contributions to astronomy and optics as interesting hobbies, but he was really keen on alchemy and mysticism. In this series, Greg Keyes seizes upon this as the jumping-off point for a creative alternate history: what if our universe actually worked in the alchemical, classical sense of Greek and Renaissance descriptions? Gravity is merely one of many “affinities” that matter displays; rather than vacuum, we really do have luminiferous aether, and electric lights are instead devices that separate aether and lux. In this world, philosopher-alchemists create cannonballs that turn the walls they hit into glass and pairs of machines (aetherscribers) that communicate instantaneously with each other across the world.
Newton’s Cannon follows two protagonists: a young Benjamin Franklin and Adrienne de Mornay de Montchevreuil. Yep, Benjamin Franklin. Only after he gets himself in trouble with a nefarious warlock-type dude, Benjamin flees Boston for London, hoping to apprentice himself to Isaac Newton, who at this late stage in his life has entered a rather deep episode of paranoia. Meanwhile, in France, Adrienne hides her “improper” (for a woman) interests in science, acting as the supposedly bored secretary to an overzealous mathematician who hopes to drop a comet on London. She catches the eye of an immortal Sun King, Louis XIV, who has plans to make her his wife. Before Adrienne can refuse, she becomes involved in a conspiracy to kill the king.
Keyes mixes the historical animosity between English and French with the pressures and changes brought about by Newton's discoveries. Louis’ lengthy reign has prompted rebellion, in addition to the war with England, resulting in a France strained to the limit. Newton's discoveries have attracted the attention of strange, inhuman entities—creatures we might call angels and demons—whose intentions towards humanity are far from good. Throughout the book, we get the sense that everyone (except maybe Newton) is messing with forces beyond their understanding.
Both storylines take a while to get going. Ben spends a great deal of time trying to work at his brother’s printing shop before plot conspires to ship him off to London. Likewise, Adrienne spends a lot of time orbiting movers and shakers before becoming one herself. It’s hard for me to say which one interested me more; I suppose what kept me going was just curiosity regarding the bigger picture. In that respect, Newton’s Cannon remains coy. Much changes, but very little is revealed about what is happening behind the scenes.
It’s worth sticking out. There’s plenty of action scenes to keep one’s interest going. But the payoff is less than what I expected, considering the very cool world Keyes has created here.