An engrossing scientific thriller that challenges metaphysical orthodoxy.
In this novel, a renowned physics professor gets arrested for murder, a crime that inexplicably places him in two places at the same time.
Patrick Eldridge is a brilliant physicist at Columbia University, famous for his unconventional interpretations of quantum mechanics. He contends that one can travel between different universes—literally existing in two places simultaneously—and that he in fact has done it himself. This bold theoretical claim becomes a matter of great practical importance when he’s arrested for the murder of rival professor Frank Singleton, and there is evidence Eldridge was at the victim’s home in California but also in New York City at the time of the crime. Michael Evans, a journalism teacher in New York, decides to look into the peculiar case and learns that Eldridge had a twin brother, Ron, a cognitively disabled patient in a medical institution who died a few years ago. Investigating Eldridge’s twin leads Michael down a murky road to the world of Native American shamanism and the possible intersection between its mystical view of the cosmos and modern physics. Fialkov offers a tantalizing interpretation of scientific possibility, one that stretches the ordinary categories of understanding. Unfortunately, the author’s prose is unembellished by literary style and can devolve into clichés, the weakest feature of the novel. Consider the reaction of Cheveyo Eaglefeather, a young Hopi training to be both a physician and a shaman, when he loses his girlfriend, Tuwa, to an accident: “The happiest time in his life had come and gone in a blink. It had been the only time in his life when he’d felt whole, complete; and now, he was empty again, incomplete, as if half of him were missing. Tuwa—he cried into the void—why did you leave me?” But the uneven prose doesn’t ruin the story’s gripping premise—this is an intelligent crime drama, thoughtful and complex.
An engrossing scientific thriller that challenges metaphysical orthodoxy.Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2021
ISBN: 979-8708266507
Page Count: 345
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Great character work and interesting plot development make this an exceptional middle volume.
The second in a political fantasy trilogy concerning Kithamar, a powerful city-state in turmoil.
The first book, Age of Ash (2022), covered the monthslong reign of Prince Byrn a Sal of Kithamar, who inadvertently interrupted the centuries-old secret rule of a ruthless body-switching entity by not actually being part of the royal line and therefore incapable of hosting it. This installment takes place in that same year and begins with the exact same prologue but instead follows a separate group of characters who only appeared tangentially in the first book. It’s love at first sight for Elaine a Sal, daughter and heir to Byrn, and merchant’s son Garreth Left; their initial encounter is just the beginning of a profound shake-up in both their lives. As Elaine adjusts to palace life and begins to suspect sinister, impossible things about the dead Prince Ausai, Garreth defies his parents’ wishes to seal an important business transaction with a foreign marriage and runs away to join the city guard. Meanwhile, Captain Senit of the city guard makes it his mission to go after Aunt Thorn, a powerful crime kingpin apparently named after a trickster god, unaware that Aunt Thorn actually is the trickster god in question, among other things. Many authors have chosen to tell a story from two different perspectives in separate books, but Abraham’s effort is unusual in that it uses two different casts of characters, which allows for a more extensive tapestry of plot. It also serves to illuminate how profoundly people can be interconnected and never even understand how they are linked or even that they’re linked in the first place. The motivations and actions of a stranger can have a profound effect on someone’s life without the other person ever knowing about it. This parallel book both fills in the noticeable gaps in the previous volume and continues to highlight a favorite Abraham theme: the complex outcomes stemming from personal choice. Garreth’s decision to abandon the circumscribed position his family has established for him and his subsequent inability to fully devote himself to the city guard because of his newfound love for Elaine are understandable parts of his journey to find his own path and be true to himself; but they have significant, sometimes damaging consequences for those around him.
Great character work and interesting plot development make this an exceptional middle volume.Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 9780316421898
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Orbit
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
A new series starts off with a bang.
A queen and her young daughter are forced to separate and go into hiding when a corrupt politician tries to take over the kingdom.
Queen Cressa of Weirandale is worried about her 8-year-old daughter, the “princella” Cerúlia. The people of Weirandale worship a water spirit, Nargis, who grants each queen a special gift called a Talent. Cressa herself is able to meddle with memories, for example, and her mother possessed supernatural strategic abilities that served her well in battle. Cerúlia, however, appears to have none, because surely her insistence that she can talk to animals is only her young imagination running wild. When Cerúlia’s many pets warn her about assassins creeping into the royal chambers, the girl is able to save herself and her mother. Cressa uses her Talent, which actually extends to forcing anyone to tell her the truth, to root out traitors among the aristocracy, led by the power-hungry Lord Matwyck. Fearing for her daughter’s life and her own, Cressa takes Cerúlia and flees. Thinking Cerúlia will be safer away from her mother, Cressa takes the girl to a kind peasant family and adjusts their memories so they believe Cerúlia is their adopted daughter. Kozloff’s debut is the first of four Nine Realms books, and Tor plans to publish them over just four months. Luckily, the series opener is a strong start, so readers will be grateful for the short wait before Book 2. Kozloff sets a solid stage with glimpses into other characters and nations while keeping the book together with a clear, propulsive plot.
A new series starts off with a bang.Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-16854-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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