07 August 2009

Book Review: The Book of God and Physics by Enrique Joven


This is a fascinating story interwoven with history, astronomy, alchemy and intrigue. Centered around a Jesuit trying to decipher it, the reader learns about the Voynich manuscript (which today is housed at Yale) and the mysteries surrounding it. The pages are dotted with many "Greats" of science such as Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo. For good measure, we also have Edward Kelley, John Dee, and a host of Jesuits and popes. Included almost as a side story is the debate between religion and science, creationism, intelligent design and evolution.

This book is more well written than Ian Caldwell's The Rule of Four,which, even though it shares the subject of old cryptic books, was a chore for me to finish. I found the translation of The Book of God and Physicsto be a bit clunky, so it didn't read as smoothly as The Da Vinci Code,but overall I enjoyed the story and found it hard to put down.