Eyes of the Calculor

Sean McMullen

2001

The Rochester Republic had grown strong on its technical prowess and its electric calculor was the best on the continent of Australica in the year of Our Lord 3964 and the overmayors allowed the Dragon Librarians that ran it effectively a free rein.

When the electro magnetic pulse melted every device reliant on electricity on the planet it was the Librarians of the Republic that saved the day. The bits from the old mark 1 Calculor were still in the cells where they had been consigned ever since it had been decommissioned. Such vital parts of the system as accumulators, storage devices and ankle chains...

Yes, that's right, ankle chains, for the mark 1 had had over two hundred human components involved in the processing units. Almost before the machine had finished melting the new head Librarian had ordered the arrest of anyone who could add a pair of numbers.

The Librarian's swift action meant that Rochester was the only polity that retained its stability when the human dominated lands learnt that the once fatal Call had ceased, opening up otherwise empty lands. Empty, that is, apart from the feared and hated Avians, who were the end result of a millennia long breeding programme.

Can even the ruthless young Rochester High Liber hold together the State under these changed conditions?

This is a really enjoyable book that supplies a novel way of coping with the fall of technic civilisation. With their human powered calculating machines the republic of Rochester made sure it maintained an educated population yet criminalised half the fields of study

The American air lords were not quite as nicely fleshed out but what was seen of their world seemed reasonable.

The most interesting part of this novel, though, were the Dragon Librarians themselves. A great mixture of erudite scholar and sociopathic duellist!

Although this is part of a trilogy, it is not necessary to have read the others to enjoy this.

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