The Sand-Reckoner (Tom Doherty Associates Book)

_The Sand Reckoner_ is filled with sympathetic characters, high stakes, fabulous historical detail, witty dialogue, and lovely, lovely writing. I saved this book as a reward for completing some unpleasant chores, and then read it all in one sitting, happily absorbed in the world of ancient Syracuse.

This novel is really the story of two men: one a boy genius slowly coming to terms with his gifts; the other, his slave, a proud man torn between his affection for his master and his hatred of his slavery. Along the way, we get glimpses into the restricted lives of Greek women, early Roman warfare, the Museum at Alexandria, and some breathtaking works of engineering genius by an ancient master.

Ms Bradshaw has the rare gift of truly making the past come alive. Her settings are always unusual and her characters are a delight. I look forward to reading her next book. Whatever she chooses to write about next, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.


A Breath of Fresh Air   July 1, 2002
S. Brand (United States)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Within the first few paragraphs of The Sand Reckoner, I was whisked into the delightful character of Archimedes, ancient Greek of mathematical genius. I had let the book sit unread for several months because the cover looked so sedate, and the subject matter N a mathematician N seemed rather unexciting, but this book was a breath of fresh air after reading so many other "heavy" historical fictions full of serious battles, treachery, and gore.

What was it about this book that made me eager to gobble it up? For at least the first half of the book, we are immersed in the charming character of Archimedes, a young man who is completely ignorant of his genius. His modesty and occasional social blunders were endearing and he made me smile. His budding romance with King Hieron's daughter, Delia, although not historically recorded, is certainly plausible, and I was wishing it really could have been so.

Besides the fascinating story of Archimedes' development of murderous machines to defend his city of Syracuse, and which he came to depise for their deadliness, we also are treated to the story of his slave, Marcus. Hiding his Roman citizenship, Marcus is confronted with choosing between loyalty to Syracuse or to the Romans who besiege the city. Marcus' character is completely different from that of Archimedes, and nearly as intriguing. As his crisis becomes more intense, we follow him with the same emotional involvement as we follow Archimedes.

The plot interweaves the stories of these two main characters along with the stories and personalities of other characters such as Philyra, Archimedes' sister, who is loved by the slave Marcus, a love which you hope will succeed somehow. King Hieron is a lovable king, who author Bradshaw has imbued with great wisdom in his quest for peace and justice.

The characters that Bradshaw has developed kept making me think that she herself must be a wonderful person...that her own personality must somehow be shining through these characters. There is some danger, suspense, and adventure in this book, but it captured me with its charm, wit, and a general feel-good atmosphere.


Simple Story with Unforgettable Characterizations   September 6, 2003
Diana F. Von Behren (Kenner, LA USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Anyone who has read Gillian Bradshaw knows that she is a master of characterization. Here in "The Sand-Reckoner", she brings the complicated mind of the Archi-Mechanic, Archimedes, to life in a simple well-written literary manner that can be compared to Ron Howard's equally marvelous glimpse inside the mind of Nobel Prize Winning Game Theorist John Nash in the film, "A Beautiful Mind". Bradshaw allows the reader to understand Archimedes' distractions, his love of mathematics, his enjoyment of and utter concentration employed in solving a puzzle and his disgust at the practical and barbaric uses of his mind exercises. Better yet, her auxillary cast of characters illustrates through their exasperation and confusion the impact such a different mind has on those it touches. Bradshaw crafts a simple story revolving around Archimede's desire to return to the learned city of Alexandria and his feelings of nationalism towards his home city of Syracuse, now besieged by the Romans during the first Punic War. The interplay of characters and their motives is superb. Marcus, his Roman slave, torn between his love of his adopted 'family' and his ties to his country, contends with Archimedes' lack of practicality-- a lack his mother and sister have grown to understand but find frustrating. King Hierion, tyrant of Syracuse, wishes only to harness Archimedes' great skill in building seige machines and uses Archimedes' patriotism to chain him to the city. Delia, the king's sister and master musician is intrigued by the young genius and finds through him a way to live the life of which she has been dreaming. Great emotions tug at the reader's heart as the story unfolds; each of the characters embodies only the best of ideals. The reader comes away with a sense of touching the great mind of Archimedes himself but also basks in the light of the selflessness of the Marcus character, whose bravery I found myself thinking about days after finishing the novel.

Recommended to all those who love an uncomplicated historical novel with a straightfoward story and unforgettable characters.


Relive the life of a Genius   February 14, 2002
Dana Keish (Ohio, United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

A beautifully written story about Archimedes of Syracuse, one of the most famous engineers and mathematicians of ancient times. The story begins with the return of Archimedes and Marcus, his slave, from Alexandria back to his home in Syracuse. He finds his father close to death and now must assume his role as head of his small family. His brilliance attracts the attention of the king, Herion, who quickly realizes the value of a engineer for his defense of the city against the ever present Romans.

The story concentrates on the first attempted invasion by the Romans and how Archimedes and his tremendous catapults are used to keep the city safe. However, a major plot line also details the story of Marcus the slave and his feelings for his adopted city versus the land of his birth. This story is beautifully told and adds immeasureably to the story. One of the most fascinating characters is also the king, Herion who seems to enbody the best of all leadership skills. His relationship with both Archimedes and Marcus is interesting to read.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this time period. The reader actually feels like they have been transported back in time to the streets of Syracuse.


Simple but beautiful ...   April 2, 2002
Yaran (Secaucus, NJ United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Who could imagine, geometry and mathematics are so exciting? When you read Gillian Bradshaw story about young Archimedes you want to follow the steps of the inventor of the modern calculus (not to mention plenty of other things), and attempt to resolve all those amazing theorems you read in school about. Suddenly one, who probably hated all the tough school problems, and couldn't look at his math teachers, becomes a lover of math and engineering.
We follow a fantastic journey of young Archimedes in ancient Syracuse after he comes back from fable Alexandria, and finds his beloved city under the siege (Romans), and his father on a deathbed. Archimedes doesn't have much choice. He becomes an amazing engineer and over night hero loved by all people of Syracuse. The story of love, undying friendship, siege and battles, politics and science are told in a quite simple but exciting language. Bradshaw has a fantastic way to foretell the story, and reader doesn't need to struggle with understanding historic times or geometric issues. Everything is said plainly but richly. I just wish the book continued into old age of Archimedes and his involvement in the Second Punic War, where Syracuse was finally defeated and sacked by Romans. But maybe Bradshaw was right just to write about positive memories and didn't want to endure readers with Archimedes' death