Newton's Cannon

This novel of Ben Franklin, Isaac Newton, and a demonic Louis XIV is “eminently worthwhile reading for both fantasy and alternate-history lovers” (Booklist).

In 1681, in an England somewhat like our England . . . the great alchemist Sir Isaac Newton makes the remarkable discovery of a substance he calls philosopher’s mercury, with which one can manipulate the four essential elements of the universe: earth, water, air, and fire.

In the opulent court of Britain’s greatest enemy, the ancient K...