While I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Matthew Pearl it was a lucky day. After reading several books by Pearl I have never been disappointed. The Technologist is no exception.
Pearl has a knack for pulling together historic facts, a mystery and a unique story line that always engages and entertains. The Technologist is set in Boston shortly after the Civil War. On the most simple level it is about the founding of MIT, the first technology school in America and a bold experiment for the time.
The mystery involves science based attacks on the city that puts the city in a panic and the survival of the school, professors and students at risk. Many of the inventions border on the "steampunk" genre that I love but are actually founded on cutting edge technology of the era.
Key characters in the book were actually associated with MIT or are a melding of several actual people. They are brave, flawed and human. After reading The Dante Club several years ago I thought Pearl could never top that feat. I stand corrected, he just keeps putting out great reads. So, don't read The Dante Club or The Technologist by Matthew Pearl. Read them both! You will be a fan.
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