A newly created agency called the Department of Diachronic Operations is created to provide a way to alter history in favor of the U.S. government. Magic, and therefore witches, have ceased to exist sometime during the Industrial Revolution. One lone witch with little power still exists after using a spell to prolong her life back in the 1800s. With her help and a complicated piece of machinery, time travel is possible and more witches are brought to the future to aid the process. But beneficial changes can only occur in subtle ways. If too big a change is made, a disastrous event called Diachronic Shear, a magical explosion that destroys people and places. When one of the witches goes rogue the future of technology is in danger and the founding members of D.O.D.O. must stop her. This novel is not as complicated and rich as many of Stephenson's books but there is plenty of scientific discussion and a wide variety of characters integral to the story. The ending is obviously left open for a sequel and, in his recent appearance in St. Louis, Stephenson said that Ms. Galland has begun writing it. I listened to the audiobook which is voiced by multiple narrators. The woman who read the character of Rebecca East Oda sounds so much like Katharine Hepburn I couldn't help but envision her playing that character.
No comments:
Post a Comment