An impressively original take on alternative history.
In this time-travel thriller, debut authors Miller and Manas spin a clever, original variation on a classic alternative history premise: What if it were possible to travel back in time and kill Adolf Hitler?
Jacob Newman, a brilliant scientist and nanotechnology expert who consults with the CIA on projects of national security, receives a mysterious packet containing his German grandfather’s diaries from the 1920s, which detail a failed plot to poison Hitler at the beginning of his ascent to power. Although Newman’s wife is dying of cancer, a global crisis soon takes him from her bedside. An alien vessel has been found on the bottom of the ocean, off the coast of Chile. Inside the elegantly described “cavernous zeppelin shaped” space are eight giant floating monitors—arranged “like some sort of avant-garde Stonehenge”—that show images from horrific moments in human history, including the Crusades and the Holocaust. The ship also contains some strange pieces of alien technology; most notably, a small object the scientists dub the Kronos Device, which, as Newman discovers, facilitates time travel. The scientists soon come to the consensus that someone or something has been sitting in judgment of humankind—and an ominous verdict could be delivered at any time. Inspired by his grandfather’s diary and desperate to afford humankind another chance in the eyes of the mysterious alien power, Newman decides to go back in time and ensure that the plot to kill Hitler is successful, thereby—in theory—erasing the ensuing heinous acts from history. Sci-fi fans will be familiar with what happens next: By interfering with the past, Newman inadvertently creates a future that is far worse. But here the novel displays some unexpectedly creative plotting: Newman’s attempt to undo the damage he’s done involves him in his own mind-bending parallel life, as well as the prospect of a harrowing sacrifice. The prose is unfussy, the pacing appropriately brisk, and the past and future sequences show the authors’ admirable imaginative gifts. Miller and Manas’ tour de force packs plenty of entertainment value, and the ending tantalizes with the possibility of future past installments.
An impressively original take on alternative history.Pub Date: June 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615651620
Page Count: 501
Publisher: Pop Culture Zoo Press
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A must-have for history buffs.
The authors (The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Vs. Lizzie A. Borden, 1994) return with a riveting history of the flourishing small town of Fall River, Mass., and its most infamous resident, Lizzie Borden.
It’s been more than eight decades since the death of Lizzie Borden, but interest in the gruesome ax murders that made her famous lives on. This book isn’t intended as a commentary on those murders of August 4, 1892, or speculation about her guilt or innocence; instead, it provides insight into Lizzie Borden, the woman, the city in which she spent most of her life and the society that would later judge her. According to documents, young Lizzie’s implication in her parents’ murders wasn’t based on evidence but merely suggestion and “village gossip.” Varying points of view on the family’s relations—especially between Lizzie and her stepmother—were recorded, but most townspeople distorted the Borden’s evidently normal familial disagreements into a sinister light, spurred on by the macabre events that transpired. The book, culled from exhaustive research by the curators of the Fall River Historical Society, offers an alternate perspective to the previously known particulars. The authors share unprecedented access to never-before-seen documents, memorabilia and other information. The result is an ambitious tome featuring a plethora of information and replete with beautiful photographs. Though the narrative and history are nonlinear, the telling flows seamlessly. The fateful events of August 4, 1892, are discussed early on, but references are peppered throughout, with additional perspective and data. Fall River itself is a compelling character: Its main claim to fame may be Lizzie Borden, but the town—one of the first to open a free library in the United States, in 1860—also persevered through two devastating fires, the Civil War, Lincoln’s assassination and multiple instances of embezzlement. Every page may not be dedicated to the Borden family, but the lush history of the town and its many residents somehow connect to the family and its notorious daughter.
A must-have for history buffs.Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2011
ISBN: 978-0964124813
Page Count: 1138
Publisher: Fall River Historical Society
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sound advice, no matter your age.
A self-help book about staying active as you age.
Prolific writer McHugh (Aging with Grace—Whoever She Is, 2011, etc.) has tackled topics as diverse as veterinary medicine, death and dying, and three mystery novels. Her half-dozen self-help titles deal with aging, a field in which, at 83, she’s highly qualified. In this text, she includes a number of photos of herself; she appears to have benefitted from her list of “10 ways to get more energy.” Her vivacity adds a personal touch to the recommendations she makes for this slender book’s 100 topics, most of which take up a single page and are based on her own experience. Some of the suggestions are dated (“Listen to the Beatles” or Judy Collins); some are luxuriously over-the-top for a person on a fixed income (“Swim with a dolphin” or travel to Greece); and some are creative (“Take a baby to lunch” or ride in a hot air balloon). But the genuine tenderness of her personal comments paired with her lavish imagination makes this book a breezy, lightweight read. It almost doesn’t matter that its premise is demographically flawed: A woman in her 50s, or even early 60s, is most likely still a career woman, without the leisure time to pursue these sometimes extravagant ways of feeling young. The target audience appears to be a married woman with free time and the funds to take advantage of her advice—an empty nester or perhaps a baby boomer—but that woman is probably not in her 50s.
Sound advice, no matter your age.Pub Date: May 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-1475218299
Page Count: 122
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 9, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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