Rating: 
Summary: Better than the first.
Review: Amazingly this book topped Newton's Cannon. It's slower to get going, but by the second Part you get drawn in deep. Much is revealed, as a the middle book of a series should do. It leaves you wanting more, more so than the first book did.
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: 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: I didn't like this so much
Review: I didn't like how the book seemed to twist science. The figuring out how to do it is science, but enslaving etheral creatures to do things I believe should not be. The Korai prospect of the supernatural was very interesting, however.
Rating:
Summary: Far better than Book 1!
Review: 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. The more I read this series, the more it captures my imagination.
Rating:
Summary: Far better than Book 1!
Review: 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. The more I read this series, the more it captures my imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok, not as good as Book 1
Review: I thought this book was Ok, but I didn't find it as compelling as Newton's Cannon. I actually skimmed the last 50 pages or so, as I found them to be very tedious. They just stretched credibility a bit too much for me, and the characters were a bit too surreal and poorly drawn. I do enjoy Adrienne and Crecy; they are both strong women and their relationship is interesting. The rest of the characters lost me, and the plot was too thin. I'm not saying not to buy this book, just that it wasn't as good as Newton's Cannon, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have already purchased the third book in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Not as Good as First Book in the Series
Review: Introducing several new characters (Cotton Mather, Blackbeard, Tsar Peter the Great), mankind is now reeling from the effects of the "magical" discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton. Benjamin Franklin continues to be a central character and numerous other fictional characters are introduced. Hinted at in the first book of the series, the "angels" or other spirits/lifeforms play a bigger role yet I am still unsure of their purpose in the storyline. While not as interesting as the first book, it was nevertheless an interesting diversion. I will read the third book in the projected four part series.
Rating:
Summary: Not as Good as First Book in the Series
Review: Introducing several new characters (Cotton Mather, Blackbeard, Tsar Peter the Great), mankind is now reeling from the effects of the "magical" discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton. Benjamin Franklin continues to be a central character and numerous other fictional characters are introduced. Hinted at in the first book of the series, the "angels" or other spirits/lifeforms play a bigger role yet I am still unsure of their purpose in the storyline. While not as interesting as the first book, it was nevertheless an interesting diversion. I will read the third book in the projected four part series.
Rating:
Summary: Beware the aether
Review: J. Gregory Keyes continues the Age of Unreason with "A Calculus of Angels" and unlike some previous reviewers, I didn't find it too disappointing. Instead of two simultaneous plots there's three: Adreinne and Crecy in what's left of France (I never really liked her subplot as much, but this one does improve it with her manus ocultus), Ben Franklin and Sir Isaac in Prague (Prague is the last stronghold of the Habsburgs against the onslaught of Peter the Great, as usual a great subplot where Ben finds love in unlikely places), and the American expedition to Europe (my second favorite subplot, although Red Shoes's dream visions were really confusing at first). One high point I particularly enjoyed, much like the first one, is meeting some of the famous people of the 18th century: Peter the Great, Charles XII, even a 6 year old Maria Theresa. Similar to that is the American Expedition sailing around part of Europe and Africa, studying the aftermath of the comet, which was quite interesting. The only low point i found is that instead of "alchemy as science" which Newton's Cannon put forward, this one just flat out says its magic. After a while, Adrienne refers to Crecy as a "sorceress" for example. But that doesn't retract from the overall enjoyment, and you may find it (like me) to be a real page turner.
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