Praise for Kepler's Witch

"His biographer depicts him brilliantly . . . 'Kepler did not wish to separate his science from his metaphysics or his metaphysics from his mysticism,' writes Connor, who gives us a healthy, purposeful, and illuminating does of each." —Kirkus

". . . Kepler has received less than his due from rationally-minded scholars. This luminous biography will help remedy that injustice." —Booklist (starred review)

". . . a remarkably human portrait of Kepler. . . . [an] engaging narrative . . . one finds oneself lost in a world haunted by shadows and fears, yet which holds the promise of a new ear of reason and enlightenment." —Publishers Weekly

“More so than Dava Sobel in Galileo’s Daughter—with which this book is being compared—Connor offers religious interpretation of a scientific figure. At the same time, he successfully demonstrates Kepler’s ability to develop scientific theory by interpreting data based on science (primarily mathematics), not on religion, as many of his predecessors did. Recommended.” —Library Journal

“Most people will know something of Johannes Kepler’s momentous discoveries in astronomy. But Kepler’s Witch sets them in truly fascinating context: heart-wrenching personal tragedy, fearful superstition, religious bigotry, and anarchic war. James Connor has illuminated the life - and thus also the work - of one of history’s greatest star-gazers.” —David Edmonds and John Eidinow, authors of Wittgenstein's Poker and Bobby Fischer Goes to War

"James Connor gives us a detailed and fascinating account of the life and times of one of the great founding figures of modern science, who was also a man of deep religious convictions."—John Polkinghorne, author of Belief in God in an Age of Science

“James Connor narrates the compelling human drama behind significant scientific discoveries of the seventeenth century.” —Eve LaPlante, author of American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans