OF GOOD & EVIL

A thriller sequel sees a woman and her soldiers establish a new republic.

After the devastating events in Miller’s series opener that ended in the death of Princeton professor Angus Turner, an informal, well-intentioned organization called the Book Club has disbanded, with its vigilante members suffering the ill effects of trauma and betrayal. Princeton mathematics professor Albert Puddles, one of the Book Club’s members, is in hiding, drowning his sorrows in alcohol and helplessly following the whirlwind political changes in the United States. He watches from afar as Cristina Culebra and her army rise to power and state after state secedes from America to join the ranks of her Republic of Enlightenment and Democracy. Her use of the life-changing principles of something called the Tree of Knowledge, which involves a math formula and algorithm, allows Cristina to manipulate events to gain absolute control. Yet Albert’s own ability to see the future employing the same concept leaves him hopelessly unable to figure out a way to alter the political landscape. An unpredictable event occurs when a mysterious terrorist known as the Cipher disrupts Cristina’s seemingly unstoppable ascent and organizes a resistance movement. The members of the Book Club see this as the best possible moment to reassemble in a last-ditch effort to stop Cristina’s coup. With deaths, treachery, and a foe in their ranks, Albert and the Book Club face their biggest challenge yet. This sequel, a marked improvement over its predecessor, features a taut plot, less academic prose, and a reduced reliance on the Tree of Knowledge as a narrative gimmick. Instead, this installment skillfully focuses on the personal anguish of Albert as well as on a greater examination of the ethics of using the Tree of Knowledge for good or evil. On the other hand, the Cipher’s modus operandi of leaving fairly easy ciphers to be decrypted by the terrorist’s followers (“Solve the cipher. Follow the Cipher”) undermines the radical’s supposed genius. The peculiar religious motifs connected to the Cipher also feel out of place. And Cristina’s largely unopposed and meteoric rise in the U.S. seems implausible and unearned. Readers’ engagement will depend on the extent to which they embrace the over-the-top premise. Still, fans of the first book will likely enjoy the riveting sequel.

A gripping but uneven tale about a political revolution.