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Napier's Bones

by Derryl Murphy (Goodreads Author)

3.27 of 5 stars 3.27 · rating details · 124 ratings · 32 reviews

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 t...more

Paperback, 250 pages

Published March 29th 2011 by Chizine Publications (first published March 14th 2011)

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Jun 21, 2011 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: creepy-love-triangle, huge-disappointment, male-pov, netgalley, reviewed-in-2011

For me, reading Napier’s Bones was very much like reading a book in Slovenian or Spanish – I understood most of it if I read slowly enough, but those big words I didn’t understand were the most important ones for the story. Except that a dictionary wouldn’t be nearly enough in this case. A degree in math would.

I have to admit that this was a fantastic idea, but it was poorly executed. The end result is a very confusing and incomplete worldbuilding that led to many passages like:
Dom stood on the...more

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 04, 2011 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011_release_read, review_fbc, genre-sf, read_2011, t2_recommended_2011

Napier's Bones is a very entertaining mix of sf and UF; the structure is all UF (evil being with superpowers, awakened in our day and time wants to take over and change all, good guys have to stop it but to start they are too puny, so there are chases, hidden powers, unexpected allies and all the paraphernalia of traditional fantasy set in our world and time) but the content is all sfnal since the conceit of the novel is numbers as magic and there is a lot of real fun numerology - I have no idea...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Terry Weyna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Imagine being able to manipulate numbers to do magic, just as so many fictional wizards manipulate words, as spells, to accomplish their ends. Imagine seeing everything as a number, with formulae streaming into the air from every physical thing, allowing you to bend and change them — using your abilities to smear a license plate into a new number, say, or blurring the serial numbers on dollar bills. It gives new meaning to the word “numerate.”

Derryl Murphy’s protagonist in Napier’s Bones is a nu...more Imagine being able to manipulate numbers to do magic, just as so many fictional wizards manipulate words, as spells, to accomplish their ends. Imagine seeing everything as a number, with formulae streaming into the air from every physical thing, allowing you to bend and change them — using your abilities to smear a license plate into a new number, say, or blurring the serial numbers on dollar bills. It gives new meaning to the word “numerate.”

Derryl Murphy’s protagonist in Napier’s Bones is a numerate. As the novel opens, Dom is seeking an artifact of mathematical power when the numbers throw him far away, onto a bus in a city distant from his search. More than that, he has somehow picked up an adjunct; that is, residing in his body with him is the mind and soul of Billy, another numerate whose physical body died an unknown time ago. Billy remembers little of his past, but he knows that he and Dom are in danger from whatever entity threw them away from the artifact. As the two become acquainted, a young woman, Jenna, joins them at a large park where they are resting in the grass, claiming to be able to “see” Billy as a type of shadow. She can definitely hear the difference in Dom’s voice when Billy is using it; Billy has an English accent. The three are attacked by a series of “search numbers,” and begin a flight that takes them a continent, and ultimately a couple of realities, away.

It’s an interesting conceit, but Murphy doesn’t develop the phenomenon of numeracy as fully as he might. He does not explain how it works, that is, where the numbers come from and how they can be manipulated; he just posits that it is so. It does not appear that those who can manipulate the numbers have any special ability at mathematics of any sort — this isn’t a talent you can develop by becoming highly proficient at arithmetic, geometry or any other discipline, but is an inborn trait.

As the trio travels from place to place, obtaining useful artifacts with interesting relationships to numbers (wiring from Apollo 13, for instance, carries substantial “mojo” because the rocket lifted off on the 13th of the month at 1313 hours; Dom explains that “Coincidences like that create a rush of numbers that push their way in, forcing out the bland, everyday number that make up the fabric of life. When they do that, there’s a dynamic that’s created, on the numerates can use to their benefit.” That’s about as much of an explanation as we ever get, and numeracy remains a mystery.

Why John Napier is trying to catch up to them and destroy them, as they eventually figure out, is another mystery that is never resolved. Napier is an historical figure who does not seem to have been evil, as portrayed in this book, though he was thought to have dabbled in necromancy and alchemy. He makes a good foil for the protagonist even if he is never explained, and the novel quickly becomes a fast, action-packed chase story rather than one that explores the magic system that sets the chase in motion.

The ending is a serious letdown from all the action, as things come together too quickly and a couple of deus ex machinas appear to aid the hardy trio of good guys. I was dismayed, for instance, to find out the identity of the Billy persona; there are no real clues to it in what went before. Nor is there any real explanation for Jenna’s sudden facility with quantum mathematics.
In short, this book strikes me as a fascinating idea that is not rendered particularly well. The concept of numeracy is so interesting that I kept reading the book even though I grew progressively more unhappy with Murphy’s failure to make more of it.

Originally published at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...(less)

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Nov 08, 2012 Suzanne Paschall rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Even though I met and chatted with the author at the October Harvest Con in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, I wasn't prepared for what I found when I read Napier's Bones.
One of the best novels I've read in years of any genre, this lean and muscular book reads like a combination of the Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter...much more imaginative than the former and much more intellectual and adult than the latter. It's a wonder-filled cinematic (and I used this with emphasis) fantasy for adults.
As I r...more Even though I met and chatted with the author at the October Harvest Con in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, I wasn't prepared for what I found when I read Napier's Bones.
One of the best novels I've read in years of any genre, this lean and muscular book reads like a combination of the Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter...much more imaginative than the former and much more intellectual and adult than the latter. It's a wonder-filled cinematic (and I used this with emphasis) fantasy for adults.
As I read the first few chapters with surprise and utter delight, I wrote to Derryl..."numerate as hero...how COOL!" It totally jives with the pulse of current pop culture...it's Sheldon and Leonard of BBT on super-hero steroids. I particularly love the fact that a woman saves the universe, and that she represents the new math, that quantum physics communes with her when it's resisted the male protagonists.
There's enough human subplot and minor character development to keep the numbers from crunching and crushing the human interest (something that could have easily eventually dulled reader emotional connection).
As I foreshadowed earlier, this book MUST be a movie--from its early pages, cinema screamed through my imagination's eye: numbers seen blowing in the wind, oozing up from the pavement and eventually forming entities and, what...conversing with our hero? (Hey, you were warned there were spoilers!)
I truly hope that this fresh look at history, of the world of physics and mathematics, of the ancient and ever-present struggle between good and evil that never gets old in literature gets what it, and its author, deserves: Awards, tons of sales, reprints, kudos, and a FILM MADE of it.
And hopefully, more Dom and Jenna in a sequel...?? Seriously. I love these two. And I love this incredibly imaginative conceit, that unlike many others, doesn't fall apart halfway through its spinning, but shocks and delights anew at the end of each chapter, getting stronger and stronger, until the last page.
I found myself talking out loud to this book at each turn.
"Are you KIDDING ME, Murphy? REALLY!?!?!?!"
"SERIOUSLY?!?!!?"
"That is BRILLIANT!"
WOW. Wow. WOW.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Derryl Murphy, YOU are my hero. Never mind Dom. :)

(less)

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Jul 24, 2011 the golden witch. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, arc-galley, ebook, magical-reality, witches-and-whores

(3.5/5 stars)

This has a very interesting premise - math as magic! There's always been something magical about math and numbers to me, even if I am rather math-stupid (I barely got past algebra II in school and stopped after that). Still, this was a pretty great read, even with the creepy love triangle thrown in.

There was a bit too much focus on the math itself, but the rest was wonderful. Murphy has a talent for sensory language, though he did a lot of telling over showing for the first part of...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 07, 2011 jayson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a REALLY fun story and a GREAT concept. I must say that at first I was really not digging the author's writing style, it seemed choppy, and everything was just explained and nothing actually seemed to be happening. It may be that the first part of the book is unedited or the author's notes or ... well not sure but it reminded me of my writing (I try to write but the result is usually bad) and I was not liking it. I read it because Cory Doctorow recommended it, and I was wondering, at the...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Missy (Missy's Reads & Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every once in a while, you find a book that confuses you yet utterly dazzles you at the same time. Napier's Bones is that book for me. I really think the confusion for me was all things mathematics-related. To put it nicely, I will never be a mathlete - ever. Any word related to math boggles my mind. ;)

Other than that, this book was amazing. It was easy to get into and well-written. The characters felt a little more like stock characters than extraordinarily unique ones, but they were developed...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

Math is the language of the universe. A bold statement, but a true one. Dialects and language barriers divide our world into smaller and smaller pieces, but mathematics remains a universal constant—a reality we can use to define one another and the means by which our world and all worlds exist, rather than the verisimilitude faith and social artifices provide. Mathematical rules—numbers and nigh-unfathomable calculations, to be more precise—are the heart of Derryl Murphy’s upcoming supernatural...more Math is the language of the universe. A bold statement, but a true one. Dialects and language barriers divide our world into smaller and smaller pieces, but mathematics remains a universal constant—a reality we can use to define one another and the means by which our world and all worlds exist, rather than the verisimilitude faith and social artifices provide. Mathematical rules—numbers and nigh-unfathomable calculations, to be more precise—are the heart of Derryl Murphy’s upcoming supernatural thriller from ChiZine Publications. Most interestingly, Napier’s Bones posits a question that gives credence to the axiom that math is indeed the backbone of our universe by looking at the numbers that surround us—those we see and those we don’t—through the guise of the fantastic that the perceived rigidity of mathematics seeks to undermine: What if math could be magic?

Able to manipulate numbers as if they were magical tools and spells, Dom, a numerate, is seeking an item of unfathomable strength—a mathematically imbued treasure of such power that if it were to fall into the wrong hands, could change the world. Together with Jenna, a fledgling numerate still discovering her abilities, and Billy, the long-dead, disembodied voice of a former numerate inhabiting Dom’s mind and body, the trio must cross country and continent to track down the item, all while eluding a mysterious numerate of almost mythic strength.

Napier’s Bones is something of an original beast—a melding of historical, cultural, mystical, and mathematical conceits that comfortably co-exist in Murphy’s vision of our world, a world ignorant of the hard science at the core of everything, even those elements seemingly supernatural or mystical in origin. The pacing is tight throughout; the book reads with the speed and buoyancy of a pulp novel that has been paired with logarithms, numerical swarms of oncoming death, and stone giants from ages past, yet it all comes together as a complete—and sometimes descriptively sparse—narrative.

Near the middle of the book, the sense of magic and impossibility begins to impose on the mathematical rules of the world, as the numbers begin to feel more and more as if they are a part of the very atmosphere, seeping out from the pores of the earth, rather than continuing to have something of a grounding in reality. As a result, what started out as a work that tread the lines between the axiom and fantasy lost a little of the charmingly obsessive detail it first presented the reader with. However, this is a small, niggling thing that barely scrapes away any of the original paint on a model that is altogether unique.

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, is a surprising and all too rare treat.(less)

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Sep 02, 2011 brian dean rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked the book but I am torn by the depiction of magic. In the book, magic is displayed and controlled by numbers, and that is an original-enough idea to catch my attention, but the concept never seemed fully worked out. Consider: many great historic mathematicians were also magicians, but so were Shakespeare and William Blake. The main character 'saw' numbers and used prime numbers frequently but specified that he had no special mathematical training. The numbers seemed to threaten in the way...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Chichipio rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

3.5 stars.

On the whole, I liked the story. It's fast-paced and full of action. This leaves the characters with little time to reveal themselves, but also avoids any risk of listening to them whine. It's a straightforward adventure, nothing more, so I won't be to harsh with it but I have to say that I usually prefer stories that focus on the characters and their interactions. The use of the 3rd person doesn't help at all. It made everything seem more distant; this is especially true during the fi...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Carla Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

I was skeptical about reading this book. The blurb about it advertised math as some sort of positive thing, a math mystery. I am the complete opposite of math-illogical, unreasonable and I have serious trouble with anything involving numbers. I often confuse phone numbers, birth days and I am one of a handful of women who occasionally forget their own anniversary (the 3rd or the 4th).

But, I love mysteries so I forged ahead.

I should have listened to my first instinct.

The initial part of the book...more I was skeptical about reading this book. The blurb about it advertised math as some sort of positive thing, a math mystery. I am the complete opposite of math-illogical, unreasonable and I have serious trouble with anything involving numbers. I often confuse phone numbers, birth days and I am one of a handful of women who occasionally forget their own anniversary (the 3rd or the 4th).

But, I love mysteries so I forged ahead.

I should have listened to my first instinct.

The initial part of the book involves a young man named Dom who can control numbers as it they are some sort of magic surrounding him, surrounding all of us. And, I love the concept! How unique. But, I just couldn’t see it. I couldn’t visualize these patterns and numbers the author kept referring to.

Dom is on the hunt for a mystical historical object (which is not clearly described until the latter part of the book) and he is being hunted by some sort of mystical creature that wants said object. Along the way, Dom is aided by a spirit of some great math renown and a girl who has an untamed math magical potential. They are later helped by giant creatures of the earth, ancient beings created by numbers.

If that description has your head reeling, don’t even attempt to read this book. If you were doing advanced algebraic problems in your head waiting for me to get to the point, buy the book now!

While I did struggle with some of the concepts in the book, I was very intrigued by the idea of John Napier and Napier ’s bones and the adventure of capturing such a piece of mystical history. It did have me running to the computer to do some research. That part of the book, the last half, was an adventure I enjoyed very much. If I were a math-lete, this book would have held some magic for me. Overall, though, it made me want to skip entire paragraphs just to get to the action.

I would like to read another book by this author, though. His mythological ideas were unique and interesting enough to cause me to come back for more. The ideas of reincarnation and mystical objects from our real history that has power to influence us today--these were my very favorite parts of the book.

In short, know thyself. If you have a math brain (weirdo!), then this is probably just the book for you. If you have a literary brain, the mystery and fantasy probably won’t be enough to make this a wholly satisfying read.

If you are one of those unique indviduals who are both math- and book- inclined, this will be your heaven on earth!(less)

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May 07, 2013 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Although it's nice to see someone try to incorporate "math" (disappointingly just numbers, not the creative or puzzle-solving aspects of mathematics) into the foundations of a fantasy/magic system, this wasn't particularly well executed or developed. The novel was certainly an easy read, and the dialogue not jarring. But overall I found the characters underdeveloped, and the magic system based on numerics unfortunately "matrix-esque", without the benefit of compelling action nor the benefit of o...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really, really wanted to love this book, but I just didn't. Magical systems are always poised upon a knife's edge of implausibility, but I didn't really have the sense that Murphy himself really believed in his numbers or at very least, I never had the sense of their realness. All of the passages describing how numeracy works felt overly wordy, and underly convincey. I thought the characters, especially the main character, were pretty skimpy folks, with not much fleshing them out. I'm going to...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars

The idea was original but I thought that the execution was flawed. The idea wasn't developed or explained enough for it to be a part of the story which left it as a vaguely defined plot device. Because of that I felt it got in the way as much as it helped the storytelling. I also thought the pacing was a bit rushed and some of the characters were not well formed. There was a promise there and the beginning of a really good story but it became a well written but under formed novel. I was looking...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Ben Babcock rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: via-scalzi, 2012-read, fantasy, mathematics, thriller, owned, 2012-worst10

Do you ever feel like you have let down a book, not the other way around? That if you had been smarter, funnier, prettier, then the book wouldn’t have broken up with you by text message and started dating your friend, who really isn’t all that much prettier than you and has terrible taste in clothing and music and restaurants anyway? No? Just me? OK. I kind of feel that way about Napier’s Bones.

I first heard of this book from a “Big Idea” piece on John Scalzi’s blog. It sounded amazing: mathemat...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Sarah (Workaday Reads) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, canadian, netgalley, 5-star-in-2011

A book where numbers are magic?! It's the ultimate book for math geeks! This story is so cool (says the accountant-in-training). I couldn't rewrite the summary because it encompassed everything beautifully. It did leave a few details out. Dom is accompanied by Billy, the adjunct (a ghost that lives inside his mind and can speak and control his body), and Jenna, a fellow numerate who is just learning to control the numbers.

Billy was such an interesting character. I loved the idea of him being an...more

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May 17, 2011 Ellen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyable novel about a world much like ours but in which some people, aka numerates, can manipulate numbers to their advantage. One such numerate Dom, is searching for a mathematical treasure in the desert when he's attacked.

After regaining consciousness he discovers another being inside him and the story turns into a road trip with Dom, his "passenger," and a young woman traveling across Canada to prevent a very powerful, very nasty numerate from dominating the world.

1 like · like · see review

May 21, 2011 Ken Schafer rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think it's best to approach this novel as if it was a less-funny Christopher Moore. There is SO much invention going on here that it's pointless trying to look for any logic (even within the context of the world Murphy has created).

Had I not been expecting more I'd probably have a bit happier with the overall result.

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Jun 15, 2011 Kurt Daw rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book on a recommendation from Cory Doctorow, whom I really respect, and found it immediately absorbing in a slightly William Gibson-ish way, although with more fantasy and a lot more mathematical references. More as I progress.

Finished with the novel now. I found it thoroughly enjoyable, and in the end, more mathematical than I had anticipated. You don't ever have to do any number crunching, but the novel is a great deal more apprehensible if you know a little about the uncertai...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

The main reason I finished it is because I started it. There were complete sentences. There were mysteries. Some were explained and others were treated as if they had been. But to be fair, it was an interesting premise.

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Aug 07, 2011 Djenane rated it 2 of 5 stars

I thought this book would be interesting the idea was interesting but the execution was ok. I wished there were more details to understand the book more. I'm going to read it again because i feel like everything happened so fast and i missed something.

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Aug 30, 2011 Derek rated it 3 of 5 stars

A very powerful storyline for sure. However, if you don't read carefully, you will get confused. I had to re-read many parts. Contrary to others opinions, I must say I loved the ending. Great for a male audience

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Feb 26, 2013 Bryan Wells rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

2.75

Another reader stated "Great premise but disappointing delivery" and I couldn't agree more.

P.S:
Anyone interested in the idea of math being magical should watch a T.V series called "Touch", created by Tim Kring, featuring Kiefer Sutherland.

I know... it's not a book, but it's a decent show.

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Jun 15, 2011 Thomas Moore rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-magic

Imagine a world where numbers hold power and there are only a few people who can see, control and bend these numbers to their will. These people are called numerates and at this moment one of the most powerful numerate of all time is trying to tip the balance of power in his favor. . .

I wanted to enjoy this book. I thought the world promised in the description sounded great, but the promise never paid off and I ultimately lost interest.

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Sep 08, 2011 Sean Williams rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this because I'd heard it's a bit Toim Powers-ish, which it is. Certainly has its moments.

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Mar 07, 2012 Shay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Amazing world-building. Unobtrusively but uniquely Canadian. Would love to read more set in the same world. The only quibble I had was that I felt like I was reading it despite the characters rather than because of them. I wanted to know more about Arithmos and his kind, but was indifferent to Dom and Jenna.

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Jul 10, 2011 Chris Shaffer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Lost interest, didn't finish.

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Apr 21, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

I would probably more accurately give this book 3 1/2 stars.

I thought the concept was great and the writing held up well, but the last few chapters get a little hard to follow (which I'm sure was somewhat intentional as what's happening at that point in the story is somewhat confusing for the main character, but it risks losing the reader along the way). Mainly I thought the book ended somewhat abruptly; I was expecting a bit more of a conclusion and explanation.

But, an enjoyable read nonetheles...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Nicole Jones-Dion rated it 3 of 5 stars

Great premise but disappointing delivery.

1 like · like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Jschro rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book really jumps right in. Barely any history, background, just BAM look at this weird world where numbers have powers! Maybe I'd get it more if I were more adept at math, but I don't think so.

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About Derryl Murphy

Derryl Murphy lives with his wife, boys and dog in Saskatoon, where he is deeply involved in a life of soccer and writing. His short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies since his first sale in the early '90s. His first book, the collection of eco-SF Wasps at the Speed of Sound, was released by Prime Books in 2005, and in 2009 Cast a Cold Eye, a novella co-written with William Shunn,...more

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