A captivating, otherworldly sequel that should appeal to both new and returning readers.
An immortal and a psychiatric patient may be the only ones who can stop a potential catastrophe on Earth in this second installment of a fantasy series.
James Montgomery is a centuries-old immortal with abilities such as telepathy. Fate has linked him with John Parella Jr., who, in the mid-1990s, is undergoing psychiatric treatment in Pennsylvania. Evidently, both men are on quests that may restore balance in the world. If they aren’t successful, Earth will face an “unimaginable fate” affecting the entire universe. James is on his way to Penang, Malaysia, with his wife, SuiLeng, and her two sons. His destiny entails evolving into a more powerful being. He begins his “transmogrification process” at Snake Temple, with one of four stages of transformation. With help from his brother-in-law, Winston, James endures a few torturous days and attains greater strength as well as a slightly altered physical appearance. Meanwhile, John has heard voices for years, but psychiatrists, like Dr. Katherine Duhring, quickly learn he may not be insane. With John under hypnosis, Zach emerges—not an alternate personality but a separate entity residing in John’s subconscious. Enigmatic Dr. Adolphus Junger has his eyes on both men, with an apparent extrasensory perception allowing him to watch James in Malaysia. But James and Winston soon return to the United States in hopes of freeing the former’s imprisoned fraternal twin, who’s an immortal gorgon. Though James isn’t short on enemies, his biggest threat may be Abdullah, a mysterious individual who could prove a menace to SuiLeng and her boys. Terranova’s (Gemini Ascending: Book 1: Eternal Twins, 2017, etc.) sequel begins with Chapter 22, following a summary of the preceding installment’s 21 chapters. The succinct summary adequately details the earlier plot but doesn’t clarify everything. For example, it’s unclear how Junger has been “manipulating” James’ life or how he can “steer the fate of the world.” This book nevertheless clearly elucidates other plot points, like what specific danger Earth is possibly facing and Junger’s somewhat cryptic but still engrossing genesis. Though much of the narrative is dialogue, Terranova’s concise prose generates memorable scenes. James’ mental and physical trials at Snake Temple, for one, include regular beatings and exposure to snake venom. The doctor monitoring John’s subconscious sees “a dirt crossroads in a lush valley,” surrounded by “streams, fields, and farm land.” The story triumphantly fuses fantasy with real-world relationships: Junger and Katherine’s association is complicated since they’re former lovers; SuiLeng isn’t keen on James’ telepathic link to his twin, especially during private spousal moments. But Terranova’s novel isn’t quite the “self-contained” story that he asserts it is in his preface. Though the Book 1 recap eases new readers into the tale, it still feels like part of a larger saga. The sequel opens with subplots in progress (for example, John’s hypnosis) and leaves numerous plot threads untied for, presumably, a future installment to pick up. Regardless, the strong ending will likely spark readers’ interest in continuing the series.
A captivating, otherworldly sequel that should appeal to both new and returning readers.Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-977207-86-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Not as thematically ambitious as Whitehead’s earlier work, but a whole lot of fun to read.
Another surprise from an author who never writes the same novel twice.
Though Whitehead has earned considerable critical acclaim for his earlier work—in particular his debut (The Intuitionist, 1999) and its successor (John Henry Days, 2001)—he’ll likely reach a wider readership with his warmest novel to date. Funniest as well, though there have been flashes of humor throughout his writing. The author blurs the line between fiction and memoir as he recounts the coming-of-age summer of 15-year-old Benji Cooper in the family’s summer retreat of New York’s Sag Harbor. “According to the world, we were the definition of paradox: black boys with beach houses,” writes Whitehead. Caucasians are only an occasional curiosity within this idyll, and parents are mostly absent as well. Each chapter is pretty much a self-contained entity, corresponding to a rite of passage: getting the first job, negotiating the mysteries of the opposite sex. There’s an accident with a BB gun and plenty of episodes of convincing someone older to buy beer, but not much really happens during this particular summer. Yet by the end of it, Benji is well on his way to becoming Ben, and he realizes that he is a different person than when the summer started. He also realizes that this time in his life will eventually live only in memory. There might be some distinctions between Benji and Whitehead, though the novelist also spent his youthful summers in Sag Harbor and was the same age as Benji in 1985, when the novel is set. Yet the first-person narrator has the novelist’s eye for detail, craft of character development and analytical instincts for sharp social commentary.
Not as thematically ambitious as Whitehead’s earlier work, but a whole lot of fun to read.Pub Date: April 28, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-52765-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2009
BOOK TO SCREEN
Genetically engineered dinosaurs run amok in Crichton's new, vastly entertaining science thriller. From the introduction alone—a classically Crichton-clear discussion of the implications of biotechnological research—it's evident that the Harvard M.D. has bounced back from the science-fantasy silliness of Sphere (1987) for another taut reworking of the Frankenstein theme, as in The Andromeda Strain and The Terminal Man. Here, Dr. Frankenstein is aging billionaire John Hammond, whose monster is a manmade ecosystem based on a Costa Rican island. Designed as the world's ultimate theme park, the ecosystem boasts climate and flora of the Jurassic Age and—most spectacularly—15 varieties of dinosaurs, created by elaborate genetic engineering that Crichton explains in fascinating detail, rich with dino-lore and complete with graphics. Into the park, for a safety check before its opening, comes the novel's band of characters—who, though well drawn, double as symbolic types in this unsubtle morality play. Among them are hero Alan Grant, noble paleontologist; Hammond, venal and obsessed; amoral dino-designer Henry Wu; Hammond's two innocent grandchildren; and mathematician Ian Malcolm, who in long diatribes serves as Crichton's mouthpiece to lament the folly of science. Upon arrival, the visitors tour the park; meanwhile, an industrial spy steals some dino embryos by shutting down the island's power—and its security grid, allowing the beasts to run loose. The bulk of the remaining narrative consists of dinos—ferocious T. Rex's, voracious velociraptors, venom-spitting dilophosaurs—stalking, ripping, and eating the cast in fast, furious, and suspenseful set-pieces as the ecosystem spins apart. And can Grant prevent the dinos from escaping to the mainland to create unchecked havoc? Though intrusive, the moralizing rarely slows this tornado-paced tale, a slick package of info-thrills that's Crichton's most clever since Congo (1980)—and easily the most exciting dinosaur novel ever written. A sure-fire best-seller.
Pub Date: Nov. 7, 1990
ISBN: 0394588169
Page Count: 424
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1990
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