The Sand-Reckoner (Tom Doherty Associates Books) - Softcover

Bradshaw, Gillian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312875819 ISBN 13: 9780312875817

Publisher: Forge Books, 2001

Synopsis

Gillian Bradshaw is a consummate writer, as is evidenced by her intelligent, exciting historical novels. Now Bradshaw presents us with a fictional account of Archimedes, one of the most innovative and intriguing thinkers of the ancient world. The young Archimedes has had three years of heaven at Ptolemy's Museum at Alexandria. But heaven must be forsaken when he learns that his father is ailing and his home city of Syrcuse is at war with the Romans. Reluctant but resigned, Archimedes goes home to build catapults as a royal engineer. He experiences fame and loss, love and war, wealth and betrayal - none of which affects him nearly as much as the divine beauty of mathematics.

About this title

Review:

"Delightful . . . true brilliance arises in a number of places . . . The theme of freedom, exemplified by verses from the Odyssey where more chains, not fewer, keep the hero free from the sirens' song bring The Sand-Reckoner to the timeless level of the best historical fiction." --Historical Novel Society Review

"Bradshaw makes ancient history immediate and thrilling." --The Orlando Sentinel

"Bradshaw is known for atmospheric accuracy, period characterizations, and rousing plots . . . She lends the conventions of the historical novel a rare and unusual depth." --The Boston Globe

About the Author:

Gillian Bradshaw won the Hopwood Prize for fiction with her first novel, Hawk of May. She has BAs in English and Classical Greek, and sold her first novel while preparing for exams for her third degree, in Greek in Latin Literature. Her novels include Cleopatra's Heir, Render Unto Caesar, The Sand-Reckoner, and The Wolf Hunt. She and her husband live in Coventry in England. They have four children and a dog.

About this edition

• Publisher: Forge Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0312875819
• ISBN 13: 9780312875817
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 354