You think you know how the world works? Think again From bestselling author Neal Stephenson & critically acclaimed historical & contemporary commercial novelist Nicole Galland comes a captivating & complex near-future thriller that questions the very foundations of the modern world 1851 England The Great Exhibition at London's Crystal Palace has opened celebrating the rise of technology & commerce With it the power of magic
- in decline since the industrial revolution began
- is completely snuffed out The existence of magic begins its gradual devolution into mere myth 21st Century America Magic has faded from the minds of mankind until an encounter between Melisande Stokes linguistics expert at Harvard & Tristan Lyons shadowy agent of government leads to the uncovering of a distant past After translating a series of ancient texts Melisande & Tristan discover the connection between science magic & time travel & so the Department of Diachronic Operations
- DODO
- is hastily brought into existence It's mission to develop a device that will send their agents back to the past where they can stop magic from disappearing & alter the course of history But when you interfere with the past there's no telling what you might find in your future Written with the genius complexity & innovation that characterize all of Neal Stephenson's work & steeped with the down-to-earth warmth & humour of Nicole Galland's storytelling style this exciting & vividly realised work of science fiction will make you believe in the impossible & take you to places
- & times
- beyond imagining