Denis Diderot, hero of the Enlightenment, battles dark forces galore, in novelist Prange's U.S. debut.

A bunch of the boys were whoopin' it up in the Café Procope—philosophers, free-thinkers, assorted roisterers and rabble-rousers—when suddenly a great idea was born. It's Paris, 1746, the Café Procope, an established hang-out for France's young-gun intellectuals. A publisher is in the house this particular night, and it's he who first mentions that high-octane word: encyclopedia, though at the time it hardly seems all that explosive. The publisher views it modestly enough, but the effect on a certain restless spirit is electrifying. Diderot, writer, visionary, ambitious to his eyeteeth, sees it as an opportunity to collect in one place all the accumulated knowledge of humankind, a kind of utilitarian dictionary, addressing and defining everything on earth from astronomy to zithers. But it's an idea that quickly generates jumpiness in the corridors of power. Shrewdly, Father Radominsky, a Jesuit priest sent to France as confessor to Louis XV's Queen Maria, connects the epic quality of the Encyclopedia with anti-establishment skepticism. He's right, of course, and so the time-honored struggle between rebellion and repression, between the status quo and that which attacks it, is joined once again, neither side giving an inch. As a bloodied but unbowed Diderot courageously taunts: "It is my job to write books, and yours to burn them." Plagued, however, by censorship, money and priestly problems, Diderot, at his lowest ebb, is saved only by the boundless love of a truly good woman, who may in fact be too good to be true.

Published successfully in Germany in 2003, the novel arrives freshly translated by the reliable Steven T. Murray, who did Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Despite some soapy bits, it deserves to score with American audiences, too.

An international best seller, this historical novel recounts the creation of the acclaimed French Encyclopédie. Centering on the character of Sophie Volland (a historical figure about whom little is known), Prange explores the conflict between the pursuit of secular knowledge that characterized the Enlightenment and the autocratic power of the Catholic Church and the Bourbon dynasty. Sophie arrives in Paris in 1747 and soon finds employment at Café Procope, the meeting place for Parisian philosophers, and falls in love with the married writer Denis Diderot. Sophie's involvement with Diderot soon leads to her participation in the creation of his great work. Numerous real-life characters, including Madame de Pompadour, fill the pages as the author charts the birth of the Encyclopédie and Sophie's journey from orphaned child to old woman. VERDICT While the historical information is unobtrusive and enhances the story, the two-dimensional characters and unbelievable coincidences detract. Only devoted fans of romantic historical fiction and Francophiles will find this title of interest.—Carly Thompson, Chicago Ridge P.L.

When her mother is burned alive for "practicing the black arts," the beautiful young Sophie Volland is racked with fear and uncertainty. She finds work in Paris's Cafe Procope, known as a meeting place for dangerous freethinkers, and meets outspoken philosopher Denis Diderot. The two are instantly taken with each other, but Diderot is married and Sophie wants security more than anything else. Diderot has taken up the monumental task of editing a Bible-like encyclopedia "containing all human knowledge," a book which, as this is the mid-18th century, is a direct threat to the monarchy and the church. Diderot is quickly persecuted, placing the lives of all around him—Sophie included—at risk. Care for him though she may, the likelihood of Sophie or any other freethinker saving Diderot grows dim. This historic tale is compelling and well written, and Prange particularly brings Paris to vivid life. Unfortunately Sophie, his heroine, is less interesting than the supporting characters, particularly the king's mistress, Madame de Pompadour. Still, fans of historical fiction will find plenty to like. (Apr.)