Empire of Unreason

Empire of Unreason
Author: Greg Keyes
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2015-12-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1504026586

On an eighteenth-century Earth crippled by alchemical disaster, a secret American cabal led by Benjamin Franklin strives to prevent the annihilation of humankind The dark magic that the great alchemist Sir Isaac Newton inadvertently unleashed with his discovery of philosopher’s mercury has taken a devastating toll on Earth: The destruction of Europe and the advent of eternal winter have aided the mysterious malakim in their apparent quest for the annihilation of the human race. In the American colonies, Benjamin Franklin hones his alchemical skills and prepares the Junto—his secret cabal of scientists, Native American tribesmen, former slaves, and fugitive European intellectuals—for the upcoming battle for humankind’s survival as the army of the Scottish “pretender” king James Stuart invades the continent to reestablish British dominion. Meanwhile, on the other side of a shockingly diminished world, in the court of the mysteriously vanished Peter the Great, the missing tsar’s chief alchemist, Adrienne de Mornay de Montchevreuil, prepares to depart Russia in search of her lost son, who may well be at the heart of the conspiracy of malevolent angels to eliminate the human scourge. The third volume in author Greg Keyes’s ingenious Age of Unreason alternate history series, Empire of Unreason broadens the story, elevates the action, and reveals secrets within secrets as the surviving inhabitants of this different, endangered world race frantically toward a climactic confrontation.

The Embrace of Unreason

The Embrace of Unreason
Author: Frederick Brown
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2015-01-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307742369

Spanning the turbulent decades between the World Wars, The Embrace of Unreason casts new light on the darkest years in modern French history. It is a fascinating reconsideration of the political, social, and religious movements that led to France’s move away from the humanistic traditions and rationalistic ideals of the Enlightenment and towards submission to authority—and the dramatic rise of Fascism and anti-Semitism. Drawing on newspaper articles, journals, and literary works of the time, acclaimed biographer and cultural historian Frederick Brown explores the forces unleashed by the Dreyfus Affair and how clashing ideologies and new artistic movements led France to an era of violence and nationalistic fervor.

The Age of American Unreason

The Age of American Unreason
Author: Susan Jacoby
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2009-02-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1400096383

A scathing indictment of American modern-day culture examines the current disdain for logic and evidence fostered by the mass media, religious fundamentalism, poor public education, a lack of fair-minded intellectuals, and a lazy, credulous public, condemning our addiction to infotainment, from TV to the Web, and assessing its repercussions for the country as a whole. Reprint. 75,000 first printing.

The Shadows of God

The Shadows of God
Author: Greg Keyes
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2006
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780330420006

As ruthless Russian forces lay waste to the New World, English troops in the east are determined to reconquer the colonies. Benjamin Franklin and his allies are trapped in between the Russian and English forces. But balance of power rests with a French woman whose secret may reveal where her true allegiance lies. This edition features a new prologue.

Newton's Cannon

Newton's Cannon
Author: J. Gregory Keyes
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2004
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780330419970

In this amalgam of fantasy and alternative history, Sir Isaac Newton turns his mind to alchemy and successfully unleashes Philosopher's Mercury, the key to manipulating the four elements. Powerful kings will battle to control it, until London itself is threatened with destruction by a hellish device.

The Age of Unreason

The Age of Unreason
Author: Greg Keyes
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 1202
Release: 2017-11-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1504049632

Ben Franklin must save the world when Isaac Newton unleashes dark magic in this “ambitious” alternate history series by a New York Times–bestselling author (Library Journal). Greg Keyes reimagines the eighteenth-century as an era of apocalyptic sorcery in which a young printer’s apprentice named Benjamin Franklin joins forces with a host of historical personages to prevent humankind’s annihilation by demons and black magic inadvertently released by the great British alchemist, Sir Isaac Newton. Newton’s Cannon: Isaac Newton’s discovery of philosopher’s mercury threatens to destroy all human life on Earth, unless he and his new American protégé, young Benjamin Franklin, can keep the substance out of the malevolent hands of France’s King Louis XIV. “An intricately crafted, elegantly delivered story filled with idealism and betrayal, adventure, and philosophy . . . fascinating” (Library Journal). A Calculus of Angels: A demonic conspiracy has destroyed England while unleashing chaos and terror upon the world. A possessed Peter the Great marches his conquering armies across a devastated Europe. And Newton and Franklin prepare for Armageddon. Empire of Unreason: As eternal winter descends upon Earth, Franklin returns to the American colonies to hone his alchemical skills and ready his secret cabal of scientists, Native Americans, and former slaves for the upcoming battle for humankind’s survival. “The most original fantasy I have read in years” (Kevin K. Anderson, New York Times–bestselling author). The Shadows of God: Angels and demons watch and wait as the last warriors of dead Europe invade the New World intent on defeating Ben Franklin’s American alliance and conquering the colonies. “Inventive and exciting, filled with clever details and high adventure” (Science Fiction Chronicle).

The Twilight of American Culture

The Twilight of American Culture
Author: Morris Berman
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2001-06-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 039307840X

An emerging cult classic about America's cultural meltdown—and a surprising solution. A prophetic examination of Western decline, The Twilight of American Culture provides one of the most caustic and surprising portraits of American society to date. Whether examining the corruption at the heart of modern politics, the "Rambification" of popular entertainment, or the collapse of our school systems, Morris Berman suspects that there is little we can do as a society to arrest the onset of corporate Mass Mind culture. Citing writers as diverse as de Toqueville and DeLillo, he cogently argues that cultural preservation is a matter of individual conscience, and discusses how classical learning might triumph over political correctness with the rise of a "a new monastic individual"—a person who, much like the medieval monk, is willing to retreat from conventional society in order to preserve its literary and historical treasures. "Brilliantly observant, deeply thoughtful ....lucidly argued."—Christian Science Monitor

Plough, Sword, and Book

Plough, Sword, and Book
Author: Ernest Gellner
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 1989
Genre: History
ISBN: 0226287025

Elucidates and argues for the author's concept of human history from the past to the present.

The Waterborn

The Waterborn
Author: Greg Keyes
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2015-04-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1504002091

A princess and a barbarian warrior battle a god in this dark fantasy, the “impressive debut” from the author of The Briar King (Publishers Weekly). Hezhi is a princess, daughter of a royal family whose line was founded by the god known as the River. Her blood is not only royal, it is magic, with a power that will not become known until she approaches adulthood. As she grows into her gift, she will take her place in court—or be judged unworthy and cast into the darkness below the palace. When Hezhi’s cousin D’en is kidnapped by the priests and taken below, Hezhi vows to rescue him. But he is trapped in the domain of the River, and she will need a hero to help her find her way in the dark. Perhaps that hero is Perkar, a barbarian who has fallen in love with the goddess of the stream. When the River threatens to destroy Perkar’s love, he embarks on a quest that will take him to Hezhi’s side to do battle with a god.