Wolfgang Jeschke's The Cusanus Game is an ambitious amalgam of philosophy, religion, history and the best of science fiction that evolves from a seemingly typical near-future dystopian tale into a masterful exploration of metaphysical cosmology.
In 2052, after a nuclear disaster renders northern Germany uninhabitable, Europe is a nightmare of xenophobia and ecological catastrophe. Domenica Ligrina is finishing her botany training in Rome, a city dying of desertification and political anarchy. Even the pope has fled north, moving the papacy to a militarily expanded Austria. The Vatican, however, is far from idle. It offers Domenica a position in a secret new program, one that seeks samples from uncorrupted past ecosystems to heal the present. The details of this program have grand implications for humanity's past, present and future. Domenica's personal fascination with Nicolaus Cusanus, a 15th-century German cardinal and Renaissance humanist, defines her journey through time and space.
The complex world of Jeschke's future Europe is both familiar and alien. As Domenica travels from Rome to Venice and across Europe--including the irradiated exclusion zone in Germany--each location is alive with art and architecture, especially an astounding vision of Venice awash in benevolent experimental nanobots. The title refers to a game created by Cusanus, in which players use roundabout aiming strategies to hit the center of a board. It's an apt analogy of the novel's only drawback--some minor pacing problems. Aside from that, though, The Cusanus Game will appeal to science fiction buffs and lovers of literary excellence alike. --Tobias Mutter, freelance reviewer