Pasquale's Angel

by Paul J. McAuley

When the renowned Raphael's assistant is murdered on the eve of the Medici Pope's visit, young artist Pasquale and the alcoholic investigative reporter Niccolo Machiavegli are drawn into the shadowy underside of the city. Reprint.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Alternate History, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical

374 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

name Paul McAuley previously wrote under

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous fun, literate and imaginative, with a wonderful set of characters, many are famous and yet altered by the genius of DaVinci as engineer rather than painter. Florence is brought alive as a steampunk industrial powerhouse. An unlikely and vastly likeable hero strides through this upheaval and a central mystery is wonderfully woven by Master McAuley.

I enjoyed every page, and the more familiar you are with the history of science and the Renaissance, the more delightful this alternate history is!

Pacing fabulous, prose wonderful, action and thought superb.

I just can't say enough about this terrific work. Perhaps we will see more of Pasquale in the future, perhaps in another land. I surely hope so!



Notes:
The more you know about science, culture and history, the more fun you have from clever alternate histories. This novel is totally delicious. Woot!

10.43% Literate, intimate, delicious.

40.0% What a delightful and extraordinary collection of inventions appear on almost every page! Bagpipes, just now!

47.0% Thrilling! Fabulous! A masterpiece of what might have been!

77.0% What a roller-coaster ride. Great fun, clever meetings with famous people, but here somewhat historically deformed. Awesome!

The Great Engineer (Leonardo) says "The strange thing about these mathematical fancies is not that they generate what we apprehend as beauty, but that one cannot predict which geometry is beautiful. There is no equation of beauty: it arises randomly, as a snatch of song may be apprehended above the buzz of a crowd, before sinking into the general noise again."

[Nelson Zagalo · Rating 1 out of 5]

A tradução portuguesa é muito má, com múltiplos erros ortográficos e muito má construção frásica. Isto questiona-me sobre a seriedade da editora portuguesa Saída de Emergência.
Quanto ao que pude apurar do que li, menos de metade, com uma premissa que me tinha atraído imenso, parece ter servido apenas de pano de fundo a uma historieta de crimes e diz-que-disse. Mas como digo, com uma tradução deste calibre torna-se difícil aferir o real potencial do livro.

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read McAuley's cyberpunk-meets-fantasy-epic trilogy 'Confluence,' liked it a lot, so I got his novel 'Fairyland.' That didn't really do it for me - to the extent that I considered not reading 'Pasquale's Angel' - but I am now very glad that I did read it!

'Pasquale's Angel' is Renaissance-meets-steampunk: in an alternate-history, industrialized Italy, plots and murder are afoot. Pasquale, a young artists' apprentice, is dragged into events when an apprentice of the visiting master Raphael is found murdered. Journalist-cum-private-investigator Niccolo Machiavegli hires him to help with etchings for broadsheets, and next thing he knows, he's at the heart of things. Could the guilty party be Raphael's rival, Michaelangelo? Or possibly the cuckolded husband of the fascinating Lady Lisa Giacondo? Or could a trail lead back to the secretive hermit known as the Great Engineer (Leonardo DaVinci) or the artificer Copernicus?
The novel starts out as if it will be a fairly straightforward murder mystery, but things rapidly get more complicated than that... the murder was just the top layer of plots that may lead to the city of Florence's downfall.
Weird, steam-driven machines, a trained ape, the Pope, satanic rituals, and more figure in before all is said and done...

I don't usually enjoy books which insert historical figures into fiction - but this was definitely an exception, probably because the characters really bore so little actual resemblance to the historical figures bearing their names that there was absolutely no conflict with historical truth going on at all... I found it very entertaining.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a bookshelf containing Sterling/Gibson’s The Difference engine, Eco’s Name of the Rose, Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, Hammett’s Maltese Falcon, Chandler’s The Big Sleep and Powers’s Anubis Gates then throw this on that shelf as this book references and encapsulates all of them (after you’ve finished it of course) or you have been fascinated by Da Vinci’s technology then find this book. My first McAuley and I’m kicking myself for taking this long to get around to him. This works as great science fiction, alternative history/steampunk, detective/noir, and philosophical piece overflowing with ideas about art, history, reality and technology. The plot moves relentlessly and is labyrinthine as its shadowy conspiracy is slowly revealed, the characters are fully realized(Pasquale, Machiavelli as drunk reporter/Sherlock Holmes character, the Great Inventor himself , Ferdinand the ape and many more), the politics complex, the world building is terrific(information revealed through art installations and dialogue) and lots of wild steampunk technology. Could not put this book down.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a suspicion that while most critics liked this book, most readers will not if they are not previously acquainted with Renaissance History, or the History of the Medici or Florence. It seems to me that the author relies a lot on reader knowledge of the period about which he's writing, so if you aren't up on your history, this may cause a problem. Lucky for me Savaronola is one of my favorite historical bad guys and that I love reading about Renaissance history.

But this book is not just another rehash of novelized history. It is set in a Florence that really never existed: in this Florence, there's obviously been some kind of industrialization that's taken place -- there are the "manufactories" (factories) that never sleep and the throngs of workers who keep the machines going. There is also smog, steam-driven vehicles, people are smoking cigarettes, dope; artists are in competition with "artificers", who compete to sell their versions of reality. Leonarda da Vinci, in this story known as The Great Engineer, has brought all of this about, for better or for worse. It is in short, an Alternate Florence. I've read some reviews that note this novel as a form of steampunk as well as an alternate history. However, it is also somewhat of a mystery story, with young Pasquale, an artist and pupil of Giovanni Battista Rosso (whose pet is a very human-like Barbary ape) with help from Niccolo Machiavelli (Machiavegli in the book) looking into a series of deaths which begin with the killing of the assistant to the great artist Raphael. The motive I won't give away in case someone is interested in reading this book, but Pasquale finds himself caught in a situation where he's not sure who to trust, and he realizes there's only one person in all of Florence who can help him.

I enjoyed this book, because it was one of those quirky stories that I really like; probably not one for the masses. I did not like the ending, though; it just didn't fit really well with the rest of the book; maybe he had to throw in a heavy dose of action to satisfy a publisher or something.

There's a great quotation in here that rings so true, ascribed to Machiavelli:
'War was simply commercial competition carried to extremes..." (17).

If you're looking for something really different and you can do a brief look at the history of Florence in the 15th/16th centuries, you might enjoy this one.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

My next book. I've snuck a peek, but I still need to finish "S & S" first. Interesting, I thought that this was a well-known fantasy book, but according to the numbers of reviews and ratings, not so much. My review will probably go up onto the first page. When I get into writing it, that is.

Moving on a little last night, but my "primary" read is still "Sense and Sensibility." Very interesting to see how the author builds up a credible alternative history(mainly based on technological innovation based on steam power) set in Renaissance Florence. Many very famous folks are present, which gives one amazement at the extreme cultural relevance of Florence back in the 16th century. It helps to know at least a little bit of this history and that's what I have - a little bit.

- this is the second novel that I've read recently that's used "widdershins" - the other was The Color of Magic.

- "it's crust crunchily charcoaled"???? - noooooooooooo!

Moving along ... this book's primary virtue is the pungent word-picture it paints of over-crowded, polluted Florence. The pollution come primary from the speculative/alternate fiction techno-base of steam power and machine/device inventions by what are called artificers(inventors). The description of Pope Leo's 5-hour tour through the streets was nice. The plot is a whodunit which I suspect will include the inclusion of supernatural/magical elements. That cover picture must mean SOMEthing!

The nice descriptive language continues, but the plot is sort of a mud puddle. Behind the pungent historic/alt-historic veneer this is basically a generic mystery story. BTW, Pasquale's employer is Giovanni Rosso, which seems to be the name of a real-life Florentine painter of the early 16th century. As was the case with those guys, there seem to be several versions of his name.

Moving along last night as the tale continues to be literally and figuratively dark, with lots of political intrigue, torture, violence, and exploding things. Getting a bit clearer it would seem, but ... there are many pages left. I hope Ferdinand survives but that's up in the air right now. Many humans haven't as this whole ongoing nest of plots and intrigues wobbles along.

- How can cigarette smoke be literally "cool"? No mention of menthol.

I almost finished this last night, but I really needed to go to bed. Same as every night, in fact. Pasquale had had a boatload of perilous adventures in Florence, kicking around between various political factions and nasty plotters, but now he has the great man himself, the aged Leonardo da Vinci on his side. Last night's last chapter ended on a major cliffhanger, as so many of these chapters have. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on why this book isn't that good, even though there's plenty of good stuff in it. Maybe that's it .... it's over-stuffed. Final verdict tomorrow ...

- Hiding in a corpse wagon = not original. It happened in "Andersonville" too.

- Leonardo goes on about time ... the theme of my other book right now, "A Visit from the Goon Squad" ...

Finished this finally after getting wrapped up in my massive book moving/rearranging project. I finally bought a respirator today and it's FAR better than those little paper masks and worth the extra $, especially for someone as dust-sensitive as I am. So ... that project is about 2/3 done(I HOPE) and will link into a general house cleaning tomorrow. You don't clean/dust/vacuum regularly? ... you pay the price. Pay me now or pay me later. So ... I did get back to reading last night and finished this. Still not that impressed overall. The period detail, both real and fantastic, is impressive, and the mood is pretty dark(perhaps a bit TOO murky?). The plot itself is nothing special. Mysterious twists and turns. That the author brings in various famous Florentines into the middle of it doesn't make it any better. Ferdinand, as I suspected he would be, was sacrificed near the end for no particular reason, and the cover image is pure bullshit. What's pictured does NOT happen in this book ...

- 3.25* rounds down to 3*.

[Rita Laranjeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um livro sobre um jovem artista que se vê envolvido numa investigação sobre mortes estranhas.
Um livro sobre um jovem que tem de procurar a verdade, sem saber em quem pode efetivamente confiar.
Um livro sobre nomes italianos famosos, o de cada artista com a sua personalidade pode ser bem aceite, ou não, pela sociedade de Florença.
Um livro sobre intrigas, invenções, confiança, desilusão e procurar manter-se vivo.

Acho que a minha expetativa era muito elevada... E a leitura não foi tão boa como eu esperava... Comecei a gostar mais da história na segunda metade do livro, onde há mais ação, onde se fala mais de nomes sonantes das artes em Itália e onde há mortes e lutas. Mas foi uma leitura lenta.
O livro precisava de uma edição melhor. Mas tinha um erro que achei muito divertido! Numa página qualquer, fala de "tráfego de cadáveres" 😂

[Camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alternative history set in an industrialized Florence during the Renaissance. A young painter and Niccolo Macchiavelli (who is a hard-drinking journalist in this alternate Italy) become embroiled in Florentine intrigue as they attempt to solve the murders of a prominent painter and his assistant.

I liked this. The mystery takes more of a a back seat to the alternate history, which is well-visualized. I don't know enough about the history of Florence to fully appreciate the changes, but I enjoyed the book more since I'd actually seen some of the places mentioned in it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminds me quite a lot of The Anubis Gates, both in its strengths and its flaws. There's fantastic world-building, clever alternate histories, and swash-buckling adventure. Unfortunately, there's also confusing plotting, a queasy relationship with magic, and problematic women/minorities. Plus, phantasmagoric evil clowns on stilts.

Italy in the late 1400s and early 1500s contained an amazing confluence of brilliant people, and basically all of them show up in this novel. In this alternate history, though, so do hang-gliders, photography, Greek fire, and self-guided mines. The technological superiority and adventurousness of the Florentines spills out into Columbus being funded by Italians (and so the New World being explored without the Spanish Inquisition being involved). Details are relatively well-thought out and the blend of Renaissance piety and Industrial Revolution gadgetry works surprisingly well.

By the end of the book, I'm still not sure whether magic is real or not, which irritates me to no end. McAuley wants to play it both ways, revealing some "magic" to be mere trickery but still waving his hands with mystic mumbo-jumbo when it works for him. There's a dizzying disorientation in some of these scenes that is all too similar to the not-completely-thought-out handwaving of The Anubis Gates and The Difference Engine. Why must early steampunk not carry through its convictions of early science-based fiction and veer unnecessarily into magic that they never properly explore? (I've got no issues with magic. But if you cleverly construct a world that "could have" been ours, please don't then throw in elements that couldn't. Unless you genuinely believe we can summon a demon right now?)

I will admit, there's a distinct possibility that the plot is not quite as confusing as I found it, since I read a large chunk of this book while feverish, exhausted, or both. But I still think it was a little difficult to follow.

There are women in this book (although that includes a lot of whores who seem to exist only for titillationn). They're not very impressive. The one with the most page time is essentially a female Native American version of the Magical Negro. She wisely mumbles wise-sounding mumbo jumbo, magically seems to know everything that's going to happen (but doesn't help really much at all), and exists mostly to feed the protagonist peyote and eventually send him to the New World to become a shaman. Seriously. Deeply irritating.

Oh, also--the locked door mystery that kicks off the main plot is lifted straight from a classic (the classic?) detective story. I guarentee you'll recognize it. And while it may have been intended as a gentle homage, it actually completely spoils a major plot twist because the author doesn't seem to think we're bright enough to recognize how the guy died.

[Seizure Romero · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In every room, glass chandeliers were filled with luminous tapers, like so many burning bushes slung under high plaster ceilings where friezes of putti and cherubs frolicked in buttocky profusion." (p. 334)

BUTTOCKY PROFUSION.

Think about it.

[Nicolas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Les conjurés de Florence est une uchronie dans la Florence de Léonard de Vinci. Une Florence assez différente puisque Vinci n’y a jamais peint la moindre toile, mais s’est consacré au contraire à la science, ce qui donne des inventions assez loufoques (souvent), parfois utiles, mais surtout qui n’apportent somme toute pas grand chose à l’histoire. Car, pour le dire clairement, l’uchronie n’a ici aucune espèce d’intérêt. On y croise bien sûr, de manière anecdotique, une ou deux scènes qui peuvent éventuellement présenter de l’intérêt, mais jamais grâce au pas de côté que doit mettre en valeur ce genre science-fictif.

En effet, contrairement à un roman comme les confessions d’un automate mangeur d’opium, ou le cycle de l’âge de la déraison, les éléments proprement uchroniques (comme les inventions sociales ou technologiques) n’apportent pas de bouleversement dans l’intrigue du roman, ni même dans les relations sociales entre les différents protagonistes du récit. Bien au contraire, ce sont des éléments proches du fantastique (les visions du héros provoquées par les champignons indiens, le sorcier et ses machines animées) qui vont modifier la vision que j’ai eu de l’histoire et son déroulement.

C’est donc un échec du point de vue de l’uchronie. Mais est-ce pour autant un mauvais roman ? Non … si … Bôf.

Car au-delà de ce raté du genre, on tombe sur un récit assez creux, plus proche d’un James Bond avant l’heure que de toute autre chose. La reconstitution est belle, Florence est représentée avec beaucoup de détails mais c’est un décor creux, et un roman qui tourne un peu à vide pour moi.

J’aurais en fait tendance à le déconseiller, sauf aux amateurs inconditionnels de l’Italie uchronique.

[Ricardo Moreira · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aqui está uma verdadeira desilusão.

Começando pela história, ao contrário do que o texto da contracapa me fez crer quando comprei este livro, o universo paralelo em que a história se desenvolve, com a sua revolução industrial em pleno Renascimento, consequência da construção das máquinas desenhadas por Leonardo da Vinci, apenas serve de cenário de fundo. Tudo o mais poderia ter ocorrido no nosso universo, fosse no Renascimento, na Era Industrial ou na actualidade. Mesmo o modelo funcional de uma das maquinetas, em torno do qual gira todo o enredo, podia ser substituído por qualquer outra coisa! Fora isso, a tal "revolução industrial renascentista" sempre permitiu ao autor não ter que se esforçar muito em termos de pesquisas de forma a evitar eventuais anacronismos.
O próprio desenrolar da história também me pareceu caótico. Aparentemente, o autor foi escrevendo o livro um pouco ao sabor do que lhe ia ocorrendo durante o processo e não a partir de um "esqueleto" estruturado e estruturante. O resultado disso é, para mim, uma história francamente decepcionante, para não dizer medíocre. Há personagens, como Copérnico, que aparecem não se sabe muito bem porquê. Outras há que, sem que antes se conhecessem, estabelecem relações fortíssimas entre elas quase por geração espontânea (caso da relação entre Pasqual e Maquiavel)...
Grosso modo, é mais um daquele thrillers à Dan Brown, com muita emoção, muito suspense, esoterismo (claro) e acção à mistura.

Terminada a história, passemos para a edição portuguesa: uma vergonha!
Mal traduzida, erros incríveis (como esta "linda" frase: "A vossa angústia pouca satisfação me trás..." (pág 446 da edição da colecção 11x17) ou ainda uma substituição "maravilhosa" a tudo quanto começasse por "dr" (como "dramático", "dragão",...) por "Dr." ("Dr.amático", "Dr.agão",...)!

Uma desilusão pegada.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog here in February 2001.

What might have happened if Leonardo da Vinci had concentrated exclusively on engineering, creating working versions of many of the devices he sketched? That is the intriguing idea behind Pasquale's Angel, which is set in a sixteenth century where these devices have precipitated an Industrial Revolution centred on Florence.

The central character of the novel is apprentice artist Pasquale, who becomes involved in momentous events after meeting journalist Niccolo Machiavegli. While drawing an illustration for his newspaper of an argument between one of da Vinci's entourage and visiting artist and diplomat Raphael, news comes to the office that one of Raphael's aides has been murdered. This is a minor locked room mystery which is modelled extremely closely on book:The Murders in the Rue Morgue|3301759].

The plot of the novel, which is rather poor, is mainly an excuse to speculate on what might have become of some of the important figures of the time in the changed background posited by McAuley. It is as a novel of ideas that Pasquale's Angel is interesting. I'm not sure how much an early Industrial Revolution is actually possible, given that the advances two hundred years later depended on economic and technological developments which had hardly begun in the sixteenth century. Capitalism was in its infancy, and materials technology, in particular steel manufacture, was not advanced enough to actually make some of the devices described, such as large scale steam engines.[

[Thomson Kneeland · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Pasquale's Angel" is my second foray into Paul McCauley's writing, having previously read his science fiction work "The Quiet War", which I immensely enjoyed. I am not a big fan of historical fiction, and though this novel featured the potentially gratuitous use of Raphael, Machiavelli, Leonardo DaVinci written into an alternate history, the plot transcended and justified the use of those characters. I was pretty enraptured by the mystery and suspense created in the first half of the book, but have to say that I began to lose interest as the storyline seemed to wander a bit, or rather "not captivate me" as much, once the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. To me, the revelation of who murdered Raphael and his assistant and the political plots behind the assassinations seemed a bit anticlimactic, perhaps because I am less intrigued by politics in general (especially papal politics). Nonetheless, well written, and a good read for those interested in an alternate history novel set in Florence during the Renaissance.

[Matthew Fray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really imaginative bit of alternative history which nowadays would fall into the Steampunk genre. Making creative use of a vivid period of history - renaissance Italy - telling an exciting story with famous (alternative) characters of the period But plotted in a confusing way. Although this gives the feel of a Chandleresque labyrinth which you can get lost in.

[Bill Newland · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite alternate histories, it convincingly paints Florence in the Renaissance as the hub of an industrial revolution. The inclusion of Machiavelli as a journalist and Leonardo DaVinci as engineer rather than painter serves the story and plot well.

[Jonathan Palfrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an extravagant, colourful tale of intrigue and adventure in Florence, in the year 1518 of a history not our own, in which Leonardo da Vinci remained in Florence, turning his energies fully to science and technology for the defence and prosperity of the city, and bringing the industrial revolution early to Italy.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Pasquale de Cione Fiesole, a young artist who gets accidentally caught up in the struggle for power between Florence, Rome, and Spain.

Pasquale is befriended by Niccolò Machiavegli, who is down on his luck and working as a journalist, and the two of them investigate murders, uncover secrets, and are pursued by those with secrets to hide. Whenever he has time, Pasquale attempts to continue his promising career as an artist.

There’s still plenty of rubbish churned out in the name of sf, but the average standard of writing in the field has been rising steadily for decades, and a book such as this is evidence of it. It’s no longer necessary to apologize for the quality of writing or characterization in a good modern sf novel: they’ve reached the levels normally found in other branches of literature.

And McAuley seems to have done his homework, researching not only history and science but also the history of art and the techniques used by artists in those days. A lot of work has gone into this book, one way and another.

Something about the feel of McAuley’s Florence reminds me slightly of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld city of Ankh-Morpork. Perhaps just because they’re both vaguely mediæval.

After reading this book for the first time, I expected to reread it sometime, but not often: it didn’t really grab me, despite its good qualities. As it happens, I still haven’t felt motivated to reread it, hence the two stars.

[Arriezu · Rating 3 out of 5]

La traducción de La Biblioteca del Laberinto es lamentable. Es leísta, laísta, con muchos errores. Se nota que no ha habido una corrección suficiente, pero hay que darles las gracias por haberla publicado.

Aun así, la calidad del autor de la magnífica Serie de la Confluencia, es convincente en ocasiones, magnífico en otras y, lamentablemente en las demás, anodino y convencional.

El momento de inflexión de esta ucronía es muy interesante. En pleno renacimiento, los reinos italianos pugnan con el Reino de España en la recién descubierta América y las locuras de Miguel Ángel son realidad junto con la máquina de vapor.

Solo puedo ponerle tres estrellas, muy a mi pesar.

[Sergiyb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Паскаль, художник-підмастер, опиняється в круговерті заговорів ренесанасної Флоренції....
---
Щось мені не сподобалося. І вроді багато історичних персон (Великий Інженер, Рафаель, Мікеланджелло, Макіавеллі і купа інших), і вроді непогано описана Флоренція в стилі трохи паропанку, і багато подій. Але все разом мені не зайшло. Можливо, через англійську мову, яка чомусь мені була доволі важккою
Не рекомендую.

[Grrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Сначала ты читаешь про флорентийских педерастов, потом детектив, а потом думаешь, не вдохновлялись ли некоторыми образами разработчики Dishonored--

[Patrícia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Por séculos, Leonardo Da Vinci tem sido tema das mais espantosas conspirações, foi actor e orquestrador das mais variadas situações ligadas aos maiores segredos da Humanidade, sendo ele próprio um deles. Um génio para lá da sua época, uma mente deslocada em séculos de aprendizagem e de ideias, este tem sido o homem sobre se tem mais falado e escrito durante a nossa era.
Neste livro é nos prometida uma Revolução Industrial em pleno Renascimento com todos os nomes sonantes que caracterizaram uma época, que mudaram o Mundo e ficaram para a História pelos seus feitos extraordinários. Será que este livro está a par com a magnificência dos seus protagonistas?
Tenho este livro em casa há algum tempo e se quiserem que vos diga já nem me lembro porque o comprei porque, apesar de Leonardo ser uma das minhas personagens históricas de eleição, esta sinopse não me dizia nada e terá sido por isso que esteve tanto tempo em lista de espera. Parece que já estava a adivinhar já que esta foi uma leitura tremendamente insonsa. Não me consegui identificar com este livro em qualquer momento apesar de retratar a minha época favorita com muitos daqueles que eu admiro, este livro foi uma desilusão.
Primeiro porque a tal Revolução Industrial mal está caracterizada ou explicada o que provoca estranheza num leitor que está a ler sobre a Florença Renascentista e apanha com palavras e pormenores do século XIX porque apesar de sabermos que isto vai acontecer, não há qualquer tipo de preparação para isso e, até meio do livro ou mais, parece que estamos a ler sobre uma investigação policial no século XVI e depois apanhámos com situações que acabam por criar uma sensação de perda de informação.
A escrita do escritor também não ajuda. Não há descrições ou caracterizações para nos ajudar e acho que se não tivesse querido escrever algo grandioso este até podia ser um livro interessante. Não era preciso vaporettos, balas e outras coisas estranhas as quais ele nem dá um nome, o que para alguém como eu, fora das coisas mecânicas e invenções, faz com que pareça que estejamos a ler chinês.
Mesmo o próprio enredo está mal estruturado e, se no início, até corre bem, depois é o desastre total. Primeiro temos uma série de assassinatos, depois temos flashs de industrialização, depois temos feitiçaria e magos e… voltamos a ler uma e outra vez a ver se lemos bem. Máquinas e magos? Mas isto não era sobre indústria em pleno Renascimento? Que tem uma coisa a ver com a outra? Eu tenho imaginação mas tanta assim não dá…
Nada faz sentido. No fim descobri que havia uma conspiração daquelas gigantescas e sabem que mais? Continuei sem perceber patavina. E eu gosto de livros complicados! Mais uma vez, falta pormenores e muitos para alguém perceber alguma coisa disto. Ou então sou eu que não atingi o objectivo.
Também pensava que o livro era sobre Leonardo Da Vinci mas ele só aparece quase no fim muito subitamente e depois puff! Desaparece outra vez. E, agora a sério, Maquiavel um jornalista de segunda?! Acho que ainda sinto uma dor no coração só de me lembrar…
Definitivamente, não o meu género, longe disso. Acho que mais valia ter continuado na estante e ainda bem que hoje em dia tenho mais cuidado com o que compro porque este livro não foi nada uma boa ideia. Chamem-me antiquada mas há limites que a minha mente não está disposta a passar.

http://girlinchaiselongue.blogspot.co...

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

It probably doesn't matter of this is steampunk or a What if..? What if Leonardo da Vinci's genius had given up on art and concentrated on technology and engineering? Would Renaissance Florence have developed the first Industrial Revolution with steam locomotion in road transport and ships and a factory system of pollution-belching chimneys and rebellious, slum dwelling wage slaves? It's probably doubtful. Our world's Industrial Revolution required a whole collection of innovative inventors, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs and investors.

In this story young Pasquale, apprentice artist to his master Giovanni Battista Rosso, is drawn into a vicious mesh of schemes, plots and murder by his admiration for the great Raphael – a rock star of Renaissance art; a hint that Leonardo's experiments into flying machines are being stolen by the enemies of Florence; and the always artful but now often drunken Niccolo Machiavegli, reduced to the roles of investigative journalist and counter-spy.

The adventures are very much in the James Bond style with a Venetian arch enemy using poisons, smoke and mirrors to distort reality, kill when necessary and “set the murderous Machiavel to school.” Can Pasquale play his part in stopping the anti-Florentine threats and machinations from achieving their aims? If he can there is a prospect of a new life in the New World, where the ancient cultures of the Americas survive, and an exciting sequel.

[EmBe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was wäre geschehen, wenn Leonardo da Vinci statt der Kunst seine technischen Erfindungen weiterverfolgt hätte und die Erfindungen rasch aufgegriffen worden wären? Diese Frage hat sich auch McAuley gestellt und sie in einem Roman beantwortet. Sein Florenz des 16. Jahrhunderts ist eine Industriestadt, gefüllt mit dampfgetriebenen Autos und Fabriken, denn die Umsetzung der Erfindungen hat eine industrielle Revolution ausgelöst, die Florenz zur mächtigsten Stadt Europas gemacht hat, denn nicht die Spanier, sondern die Florentiner treiben Handel mit Amerika. Die Renaissance als Blüte der Kunst gibt es hier nicht, kein besonders erbauender Gedanke. Nicht der Kunst gehört die Aufmerksamkeit der Gesellschaft, sondern der Technik. Deshalb haben es auch die Künstler schwer, sie werden zu Kunsthandwerkern im Dienst der Mechaniker. Pasquale ist der Meisterschüler eines wenig erfolgreichen, aber sehr talentierten Malers. Als die turbulente Handlung ansetzt, beschäftigt er sich gerade damit, wie man einen Engel malt. Bei einem Aufzug der Malergilde zu Ehren des Papstbesuches wird er Zeuge einer Auseinandersetzung zwischen Raffael und Salai, dem Geliebten Leonardo da Vincis. Später im Haus eines reichen Mannes, der Raffael beherbergt, kommt es zu einem Mord, der scheinbar gar nichts mit der Sache zu tun hat. Damit beginnen die Intrigen und politischen Verwicklungen, in denen Rom, der Papst, Florenz, Genua verwickelt sind und die Atmosphäre in der Stadt immer mehr zum Kochen bringen. Alles scheint sich um ein kleines Modell eines Mobiles von da Vinci zu drehen, das Pasquale ohne böse Absichten an sich genommen hat. Er wird verfolgt, dass er gar nicht weiß, wie ihm geschieht. Bei seinen Bemühungen um Aufklärung und Hilfe begegnet er dabei vielen historischen Figuren, die eine andere Bedeutung als in der überlieferten Geschichte haben. So ist Macchiavelli ein abgebrühter Journalist amerikanischen Zuschnitts. Die Gioconda taucht auf, auch Kopernikus als Kopernigk, der noch nichts entdeckt hat. Und er begegnet dem greisen genialen Schöpfer selbst. Von ihm selbst erhofft er sich Auskunft.
Im letzten Drittel des Romans tritt jedoch ein Magier mit seinen Schergen auf, der ebenfalls um Reichtum und Einfluss mit allen Mitteln kämpft, und auch nicht vor Mord zurückschreckt. Er ist dann auch der Schlüssel zu allem, und auf seinem Anwesen findet auch der Showdown statt. Am Ende weiß Pasqule dann, wie er seinen Engel malen soll.
Der Roman ist außerordentlich figurenreich und auch sehr anschaulich. Das verfremdete Florenz tritt dem Leser mit allen seinen Facetten entgegen, McAuley hat sehr genau recherchiert, und das wirkt sich auch positiv aus. Auch die Figuren wirken beseelt, wenn auch McAuley nicht ohne Klischees auskommt.
Die Action und die Kriminalhandlung nehmen viel Raum im Roman ein, so dass für meinen Geschmack den interessanten Problemstellung Kunst und Technik, die Stellung der Kunst selbst zu wenig Bedeutung geschenkt wird. Es wird verfolgt und geflohen, gestritten und getafelt, gekämpft und geruht. Alles ziemlich atemlos.
Dennoch kann man diesen Roman empfehlen, er ist ein echter Schmöker, eine faszinierende Crossover-Mischung zwischen Krimi, Historie und spekulativer SF.

[Ian McKinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has an interesting setting, giving it an extra star in my rating; it's sort of an early industrial revolution renaissance Florence, where great painters and sculptors ride around in steam carriages and shoot rockets at one another. While interesting, the setting's quirk is a conceit that doesn't seem to have influenced the society in which the story takes place ... if steam engines and rockets exist, why isn't the broader society benefitting from cheaper clothes (the artist who is the central character complains about the cost of his elegant shirts ... and if the industrial revolution generated anything, it was inexpensive shirts!). So the setting can only take the book so far...

That's where the convoluted narrative sets in, adorned with characters that bordered on the stock, which is a crime given that historical, complex personalities feature prominently. I can admit that the failing perhaps lies with me; that I just didn't "get" or grasp the importance of the plots in play, but I'm usually not that thick. For example, if Florence's future is hanging in the balance, with foreign armies threating to march on the city, why are Pasquale's friends idly sitting around drinking and kidding him about an ordinance posted for his capture rather than begging his help to escape the city?

Heaven help Florence ... it must rely on its painters to save it from the invading Spanish army that is aided by the Inquisition, a Venetian warlock, greedy merchants and a capricious Pope.

[Suzytornade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Est-ce qu'il y a une catégorie "je n'arrive pas à le terminer" sur goodreads ? Voilà j'en ai lu la moitié et je ne parviens pas du tout à accrocher à ce livre... peut être que c'est le genre qui ne m'intéresse pas, c'est la première fois que j'essaie un ouvrage de ce type (uchronie) ; ou peut être que je suis trop accrochée à la ville de Florence et à ses "célébrités" pour les voir évoluer d'une façon complètement fantaisiste et que je ne parviens pas à cause de cela à profiter pleinement du spectacle.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay read by biologist. McAuley's steampunk about Renaissance illustrator caught up in murder and intrigue. Inventive time, no shortage of inventions or blueprints. Famous, historical, personalities have cameos like Leonardo Da Vinci and Machiavelli. To make humanity fly is pressing problem and all would-be inventors scramble to produce results.
Inventors aren't paid for services, they seek patronage.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The books name in portuguese did trick me into thinking of something completly different of what the book turned out to be. A part from the awful tittle translation, the book is nice. I didn't love it, but it's not a bad reading.

[Tracey]

SDMB recco: Tapioca Dextrin in stempunk/clockpunk thread: "It's not the greatest book ever written, but Pasquale's Angel might be what you're looking for."

[Balooo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Florence au tout d

[João · Rating 1 out of 5]

Secante...