Napier's Bones

Derryl Murphy
254 pages (March 15, 2011); 2.3MB download
ChiZine Publications; ISBN: 978-1-926851-37-2

DESCRIPTION

What if, in a world where mathematics could be magic, the thing you desired most was also trying to kill you?

Dom is a numerate, someone able to see and control numbers and use them as a form of magic. While seeking a mathematical item of immense power that has only been whispered about, it all goes south for Dom, and he finds himself on the run across three countries on two continents, with two unlikely companions in tow and a numerate of unfathomable strength hot on his tail. Along the way are giant creatures of stone and earth, statues come alive, numerical wonders cast over hundreds of years, and the very real possibility that he won't make it out of this alive. And both of his companions have secrets so deep that even they aren't aware of them, and one of those secrets could make for a seismic shift in how Dom and all other numerates see and interact with the world.


"While Napier’s Bones is a blend of sci-fi and fantasy, there are enough scientific and religious undertones to make it a true original. Readers will have no problem accepting Murphy’s tight prose, which not only keeps the story flowing at a quick pace, but makes these magic mathematical abilities seem (at times) frighteningly real."
– Nick Cato, The Crow's Caw

"With Napier’s Bones, Derryl Murphy has given readers a new toy box to play in, one with a set of rules so widely accepted and understood that, regardless of the fantastical nature of the narrative and characters, our feet remain firmly on the ground. That, and an ending that screams out for a sequel of mathematically mind-numbing complexity, it is a surprising and all too rare treat."
– Andrew Wilmot, Backlisted