Overland

The Marshall has improved, specifically with regards to the descriptions of the Jewish quarter in Praha and its applicability to the scholarly vein. Doctor Dee then makes a lengthy appearance, allusions are made to his likely involvement in espionage, which also allows a circular nod to the intransigent Philip II, Rudolf's uncle.

I may appear picky, but, do we really need three reminders that Paracelsus was an early figure in medicine?

That said, I am holding out hope concerning the section on Giordano Bruno. There is a strong temptation to simply abandon the book and devote some future time with a rereading of John Banville's novels about Kepler, Copernicus and Newton. I know The Newton Letter isn't really about him, given the relative biographical nature of the other two tomes.

I will finish this, however, this evening and the return to The Cancer Ward.