Technical and whimsical is a tough combo to pull off, but Nicole Galland & Neal Stephenson did so effectively in their debut collaboration, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. Set in a world where magic had existed (until technology and quantum mechanics interfered), the book features a polyglot Harvard lecturer who finds herself at the center of a government skunkworks to close the “magic gap” by constructing a device that lets witches practice their craft, and time travel, in very specific environments. Underlying the techno-adventure is an interesting display of gender interplay – no wizards in this universe, and the bureaucrats & other characters who stymie our protagonist’s efforts are uniformly male (with one critical exception). The book ends in a perfect setup to a sequel, which I’m already anticipating.
