Science writer Brown tells the life story of Gerbert d'Aurillac, better known as Pope Sylvester II, the pope of the year 1000. She dwells on his mathematical and scientific ability but does not ignore the political intrigue that often put him out of favor with kings and earlier popes. Her explanation of his scientific knowledge corrects many long held myths, such as that everyone believed the world would end in AD 1000 and that everyone thought the earth was flat. However, she creates new ones in the process. The reader is left to think that, after Gerbert's brief light, the "Dark Ages" closed in again and no more science was accomplished until the "Renaissance." Too much of her story is told in scientific "either/or" terms when history is much more "and/also." Her effort is laudable but her background understanding incomplete. This is a paperback reprint of a book first published in 2010. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)