THE JOSHUA FACTOR

by Donald D. Clayton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1986

Challenging science-fiction thriller based on a very real scientific problem, from a real-life physics professor who knows whereof he speaks. Solar physicist Fred Cowan toils in an abandoned mine in the southwestern desert, where a tank full of dry-cleaning fluid should be detecting neutrinos (massless, chargeless particles moving at the speed of light) from the sun--but in fact only a small fraction of the predicted number of particles is showing up. Then, in an apparent act of terrorism, Cowan is murdered and his laboratory destroyed. FBI investigator Corrigan calls in tennis-playing physics professor George Reynolds, a colleague of Cowan's, to help out with the scientific aspects. Reynolds, along with his live-in Israeli girlfriend and student Rebecca, pores over a duplicate set of Cowan's results. Meanwhile, it emerges that the murderer was one David Zweig, an Israeli physics whiz-kid with ties to the Pentagon. So the CIA steps in, retaining Reynolds as a consultant in an effort to understand Zweig's motives. (Zweig himself has fled and is safe in Israel.) Cowan's results indicate that the number of solar neutrinos detected has been steadily rising over the past few months. Was this what Zweig hoped to conceal? Yes, indeed. Another part of the puzzle: genius Zweig had recently become very interested in microscopic black holes and in the planet Jupiter. And, the Israelis are preparing for yet another war. Finally, all the pieces come together, and the answer--in the form of severe solar disturbances--threatens everyone on Earth. The thriller aspects of all this--from murderous Israeli plots to secretive CIA ambitions--are fairly tepid. The delights here lie in Clayton's scientific puzzles: lucidly set forth, logically and impeccably detailed, and convincingly extrapolated from known data and current hypotheses. For maximum enjoyment, though, you'll need to be on nodding terms with neutrinos and conversant with quarks.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Texas Monthly

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1986

Categories: FICTION