Newton's Cannon (The Age of Unreason, Book 1) [Paperback]

J. Gregory Keyes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Age of Unreason | Publication Date: May 5, 1998

In this stunning new novel, acclaimed author J. Gregory Keyes charts a course sideways through time. Come with him to a world both deeply familiar and wondrously strange. Lose yourself in a fantasy woven from the stuff of history, a dazzling quest whose outcome will raise humanity to unparalleled heights of glory--or ring down a curtain of endless night  . . .

NEWTON'S CANNON

1681: Sir Isaac Newton turns his restless mind to the ancient art of alchemy. He achieves an unprecedented breakthrough, unleashing Philosopher's Mercury, a primal source of matter and a key to manipulating the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Now, Louis XIV of France and George I of England battle for its control. As English armies push nearer to Paris, Louis calls for a new weapon--a mysterious device known only as Newton's Cannon.

Amidst the decadence of Versailles, courtiers and poseurs plot and scheme. And Adrienne de Montchevreuil, an impecunious noblewoman of great beauty and unsuspected talents, labors to unlock the mystery of Newton's Cannon before it is too late--for her King, for her country . . . for herself.

In Boston a half a world away, a young apprentice by the name of Benjamin Franklin stumbles across a dangerous secret. Pursued by a powerful and 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 Newton 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 . . .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

From Publishers Weekly

Enlightened science is transformed into blackest magic in the opening volume of Keyes's (The Waterborn) 18th-century alternative history, The Age of Unreason. Sir Isaac Newton turns alchemist to obtain Philosopher's Mercury, the key to cosmic end-of-the-world weaponry. Stolen by a philosopher-mage of France's King Louis XIV to use against the invading English, the hellish device threatens to obliterate London unless two unlikely young geniuses can defuse it. Alternating chapters trace the pair's discrete stories, as American icon Ben Franklin, here portrayed as a randy adolescent, and the toothsome Adrienne de Montchevreuil, Louis's latest mistress, separately wield fearsome theorems against supernatural forces manipulating humanity. Clearly enamored with the glories of Versailles, Keyes writes passages of swordplay and foreplay that fitfully flare into life, but the novel is ultimately foiled by muddy secondary characterizations and a finale that fizzles.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (May 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345406052
• ISBN-13: 978-0345406057
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #650,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Original Alternative History, February 19, 2001

By 

Dana Keish (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Newton's Cannon (The Age of Unreason, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

What would happen if Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientific minds in human history, actually discovered the secrets of alchemy and magic? What if other historical figures, such as a young Benjamin Franklin and Louis XIV, King of France, were affected by this discovery? Author Keyes presents a fascinating story, obviously well researched, which demonstrates that humankind's inability to mature morally as fast as it does scientifically, leds for horrifying consequences. The story weaves around numerous historical and fictional characters and the pace is kept lively. In particular, the author does a good job with the female characters, making them much more than simple cardboard cutouts. The ending is particularly good and I immediately read the sequelA Calculus of Angels" to find out what happens next.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Way cool story; gets a bit flakey toward the end., March 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Newton's Cannon (The Age of Unreason, Book 1) (Paperback)

I agree with the reviewer who pointed out that the story veers into the reckless and bizarre toward the end. This kept me from feeling the satisfaction of having read a truly great book of speculative fiction that the high quality of the opening and middle chapters had led me to anticipate. After adroitly sidestepping many potential cliches and stereotypes in developing the plot, the author tumbles into a couple of obvious sandtraps in wrapping it up. As I finished the book, I imagined the author's editor phoning him while he was working out the direction of the final chapters, and putting pressure on him to hurry it into print. The result is three-quarters of a five-star book whose ending threatens to give it feet of clay.

I didn't like the ending much, but I still consider "Newton's Cannon" to be a good read, well worth your time and easily deserving the four stars I've given it. I also agree with the earlier reviewers who have noted with pleasure that Greg Keyes did his alchemical homework well. I especially enjoyed the "aetherschreiber" device, the masterfully-sketched underpinnings for its plausibility, and its pivotal role in developing the main plot. I would have preferred to see the story continue further along that trajectory and avoid degenerating into fast-paced "horse opera with magick" at the end. In particular, omitting the alchemical pistols would have helped the story a great deal. Without them, the author might have successfully resisted the temptation to turn the final confrontation in London into an unsatisfying "spy vs spy vs spy" caricature with overtones of Zane Grey. The French portion of the ending was better, but still leaned too heavily on Dumas for my taste.

I did like the very last paragraph, though. It sent a chill up my spine as it detonated a couple of subtle landmines that had been laid quite carefully in earlier parts of the story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a very good start to the series, June 4, 2003

By 

Joe Sherry (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Newton's Cannon (The Age of Unreason, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Book 1 of The Age of Unreason

When I first heard of this book some time ago I was initially hesitant to read it. The subject did not sound like something that I would be interested in. But then I read The Briar King a couple of months ago and realized that Greg Keyes is an author I would like to read more of. So I picked this book up again and finally started reading. It was a whole lot better than I expected.

The story begins with Isaac Newton discovering a substance (called Philospher's Mercury, I believe). While Newton was a great scientist, he unsuccessfully dabbled in alchemy. The prologue takes a "what if" approach to Newton and his alchemy. In this book, Isaac Newton is ultimately successful and it is this new substance that changed the course of history. This aether allows for the creation of devices that could exist today (even though it is during the time of Benjamin Franklin) as well as some that have never existed. There is a cannon mentioned (not the one in the title) that when the cannonball strikes a castle, it turns the walls to glass and then shatters the castle. This aether (Philosopher's Mercury) is the most influential discovery in human history and it has changed the nature of the 1700's.

Flash forward several decades. Our hero is Benjamin Franklin (yes, that Benjamin Franklin). He is 14 years old and every bit the genius that history has told us. He is an apprentice to his brother, a printer. With some of Franklin's theories and inventions on how to adapt some of the existing technology even further, his life is threatened. We see how Franklin begins to work some things out and how he ends up chased out of Boston to London.

At the same time, there is intrigue going on in the court of Louis XIV in France. France is in the middle of a war with England (and is on the losing end), but they are developing a super weapon that could potentially destroy all of London. The main character in these sections is not Louis, as one might expect, but rather a young woman named Adrienne. Adrienne secretly studies mathematics in a place where women are not treasured for their learning, but she is thrust onto a path filled with secrets but also the opportunity to learn more.

Starting with an interesting concept (though not one that initially attracted me to the book), and executed very well and believably, Greg Keyes has written a very good first book (out of 4 for this series). While I did not find it as stunning as The Briar King, I remain interested enough in this series that I intend on reading book 2 (A Calculus of Angels).