Shooting the Sun

by Max Byrd

Book Overview

Charles Babbage was an English genius of legendary eccentricity. He invented the cowcatcher, the ophthalmoscope, and the "penny post." He was an expert lock picker, he wrote a ballet, he pursued a vendetta against London organ-grinders that made him the laughingstock of Europe. And all his life he was in desperate need of enormous sums of money to build his fabled reasoning machine, the Difference Engine, the first digital computer in history.

To...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553583697
• ISBN13: 9780553583694
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

engaging and intriguing read

Shooting the Sun follows a group in 1840 as they head out on the Santa Fe trail to try and photograph for the first time (actually a more advanced form of daguerreotype) a solar eclipse so as to prove the effectiveness of Charles Babbage's prototype "difference engine", an early "computer" used to predict the timing and place of the eclipse. The proof will then allow Babbage to garner more funds to continue to develop his early calculator. The group is made up of Selena Cott, the young female astronomer/photographer who must overcome the obvious hurdle of her gender; William Pryce, Babbage's financial adviser and a man who has his own reasons for coming along; the expert explorer who sees no place for a woman in the wild; the young artist who scoffs at photography's ability to do any more than capture the sterile surface; the expert astronomer who is threatened both by technology and feminism; and the gruff wagon leader who tries to get them to Santa Fe alive past rough frontier folk, prairie fires, hostile natives, equipment prone to breakdown, their own infighting, and the sheer lost loneliness of the west. Added to the mix in shifts of perspective and geography are Babbage himself as he wends his way through London society and finance and his uncle Richard, who is thought to be dead (though not officially meaning Babbage can't claim his estate) but is actually alive and living with the natives out west. The characters are strongly portrayed in sharp human detail and grow with the book and their experiences, rather than remaining static creations. Relationships form and erode, trust is offered and broken, strengths and weaknesses are transformed. The journey itself is meticulously detailed and conveys both the sheer wonder and sheer terror of such a journey at the time. One understands clearly both the travails and the reward. There is a rich mixture of personal conflict over culture, gender, generation, philosophy, sexuality, professionalism, and art. This, combined with the early hints that not everything is as it seems and that some of the characters are carrying secrets creates a wonderful tension throughout the entire work. The book succeeds in many ways, as history, as travelogue, as character exploration, even as a mystery/suspense novel (though to a lesser extent). By the end, you're sorry to have the journey come to a close. A strong recommendation.

An Unforgettable Adventure

Byrd has created a thrilling story, rich with historical details and unexpected twists, and I had a hard time putting it down. This is a wonderfully crafted novel and one that continues to play in your imagination after the last page is read. TERRIFIC and highly recommended!!