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There are currently 17 member reviews
for The Book of God and Physics
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Christine B. (St Paul, MN)
Still A Mystery
This book is very interesting albeit complicated. It is based on true facts which I appreciate - I had never before heard of the Voynich manuscript. This is an intense study of the manuscript's cryptography with a personal story woven throughout. I would recommend it but it is certainly not a quick read and one that requires a notepad and concentration. It is certainly thought provoking!
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Jane A. (Lakeport, Ca)
The Book of God and Physics
'Fiction' grounded in 'fact' makes for wonderful reading; it literally combines the best of both worlds. Enrique Joven has woven an engrossing tale around a centuries-old, medieval text that is currently housed at Yale University. (Copies are available on the Internet, and on CD)
Brought to light in 1912 by a rare books dealer, the Voynich Manuscript is written in a code that scholars and scientists worldwide are trying to decipher, with no apparent success. This novel follows the efforts of several such protagonists as they travel through Europe exploring Jesuit monasteries searching for clues in old astrology and astronomy texts.
Anyone with an interest in the history of the middle ages (and, astronomy, in particular) will be hooked in the first few pages.
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Portia A. (Mount Laurel, NJ)
An exercise for the mind
Take a Jesuit priest, a beautiful woman, a brilliant atheist, a young student, an untranslatable manuscript, astronomy, alchemy, theology and physics and put them all together in a novel.
Dr. Enrique Joven has done all that and has been more successful than would seem possible. Unfortunately, he fails to deliver a satisfactory conclusion to this amazing compilation. Possibly because the Voynich manuscript is still untranslated.
Nevertheless I enjoyed this book ... it taxed my brain at time, but google was a big help.
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Nancy O. (Hobe Sound, FL)
An intelligent read
While this book may not be a heart-pounding, mile-a-minute mystery/thriller, it still has a lot to offer. Do not expect a Da Vinci Code here, although I'm sure the comparisons will be made. This book is much better, and offers a bit more depth. Couched within the fictional story of two separate groups of people in a race to find the key to unlocking the Voynich Manuscript, there is a lot to offer those readers who enjoy history, or reading about esoteric knowledge (especially alchemy), and those who are interested in the topic of religion vs. science.
I really enjoyed this book; my major was history in college and so this was right up my alley. I also enjoy a unique mystery, and this one fit the bill completely. It requires a bit of patience because of the author's historical exposition - but it is well worth the time you put into it.
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Josephine J. (Goshen, CT)
Intriguing if flawed
I wish I could have given this book more stars. It combines science, history, and religion in trying to solve the mystery of an untranslatable book, and we certainly learn a lot of all three along the way. But the explanations are often confusing, particularly in the beginning, and the writing is pedestrian. It's a translation, from the Spanish, so it's hard to say where the fault lies. I had a hard time getting into the book at first, but it finally caught me enough to continue - and I'm glad I did. Joven has a first-rate imagination and intelligence which shine through the poor prose.
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Ann D. (Clearfield, PA)
Falling Star
Enrique Joven has written what promised to be an exciting read, but fell short of the mark. This novel is loaded with names and dates important background to the story, but also with references to the internet and and "e-dialogue" which I found to be annoying. The characters are underdeveloped and the dialogue between them is flat. I started to be hopeful for some level of redemption with about 75 pages to go only to be let down at the end.
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Karen R. (Columbus, OH)
Interesting but....
I loved the premise of this book, a Jesuit Priest, who teaches high school physics, is trying to decipher an old manuscript. Hector, the Jesuit Priest, is an interesting, personable character. He loves to utilize the internet whenever possible. He also enjoys making his physics students think. But, the prose was a little awkward, possibly translation issues. And the book bogged down a little in the middle. The last third of the book was exciting, interesting and hard to put down. So actually 3.5 stars.
