Will certainly leave sci-fi fans elated, but should attract all readers.
In Hunt’s debut sci-fi thriller, one man must stop the launch of a spacecraft that might lead to the extinction of humankind.
The U.S. government sees Duke Nolan as a threat: Officials have surmised that he was taken by an alien race many years ago, so his recent knowledge of military secrets must mean that he’s either abetting aliens or is one of them. Duke, however, has another purpose. He’s been gifted with God’s Light—the same energy force used to create the universe. His mission? To prevent the completion of a ship designed after an alien spacecraft that is powered by a particle accelerator with the strength of God’s Light—and which could lead to catastrophic results. The notable presence of aliens makes it easy to define Hunt’s novel as sci-fi, but religion and (modern) science are also integral to the plot. In fact, Duke, intending to educate humans, says that God and science are “one and the same.” It’s a fascinating concept, asserting that evolution is part of God’s plan in lieu of a naturally occurring progression. The book is respectful to both sides of the debate; it does lean more toward religion, especially Christianity, but is never heavy-handed. Particularly compelling are the understated themes of the Crucifixion, the Great Flood and a clever reimagining of Adam and Eve. And Duke, despite his “power,” is kept human. When his family is killed in an attempt to get to him, readers can’t help but wonder if revenge is his true drive, especially after he dedicates some of his kills to family members: “This is for….” Hunt maintains suspense with a constant reminder of the impending launch—the book’s chapters are in descending order, like a countdown—and the final act blazes with solid action, a few surprises and an inspired way of tying together some of the lingering minor plots. Perhaps most significantly, readers are provided with an early taste of the particle accelerator’s destructive capabilities—planes falling from the sky, an entire country lost—so there’s no question of what the characters should fear.
Will certainly leave sci-fi fans elated, but should attract all readers.Pub Date: July 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-1470013592
Page Count: 356
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
A charming and incisive debut.
Four young nuns wind up running a halfway house full of quirky characters in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Four Catholic sisters live with the elderly Sister Roberta in upstate New York. All on the edge of turning 30, the young women are at loose ends: Their day care is shuttered, and Sister Roberta is retiring. However, the four women refuse to be parted: “We were fixed to one another, like parts of some strange, asymmetrical body: Frances was the mouth; Mary Lucille, the heart; Therese, the legs. And I, Agatha, the eyes.” Eventually, the Buffalo diocese decides to transfer them to Rhode Island, where they are put in charge of running Little Neon, a “Mountain Dew”–colored house for residents trying to get sober and get back on their feet. When the local Catholic high school needs someone to teach geometry, the sisters volunteer Agatha, who is labelled as the quietest but the smartest of the quartet. As Agatha immerses herself in her new life, she finds the residents of Little Neon, from parolee Baby to Tim Gary, whose disfigured jaw prevents him from finding love, open her eyes to new realities, as do her colleagues and students at the high school. Eventually, Agatha can no longer ignore that the church, and most of all she herself, is changing. Luchette’s novel, her first, is structured in small chapters that feel like vignettes from a slightly wacky indie film. The book is frequently vibrant with resonant images: Agatha learning to roller skate in Little Neon’s driveway or a resident drunk in a sequined dress riding a lawnmower through the snow. But even though the book feels light, Luchette does not turn away from the responsibility of examining the darkness undergirding the institution of the Catholic Church.
A charming and incisive debut.Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-26526-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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