A cinematic, if sometimes-stilted, supernatural adventure.
In Sanyal’s (Colour Me Confounded, 2017) fantasy series starter, a university freshman is pulled into a world of ancient prophesies and modern terrorism.
Zoya Carter is about to start at Stanford University, but an hour before her flight from her native Los Angeles, she narrowly escapes a terrorist bombing in the airport cafe. If not for a warning that she received from a mysterious voice in her head, she’d have been killed. It turns out that she has a mutated hippocampus, resulting from exposure to strong magnetic fields at the time of her birth, which gives her an unusual power of intuition. A group of other people, known as Hekameses, also have superpowers due to similar brain abnormalities. They include Alejandro Garcia, an anthropologist who can send and receive electronic signals with his mind; Chris Wright, who can read other people’s thoughts; and Dr. Wanda Faraday, Zoya’s neuroscience professor, who may be more than 200 years old. They want Zoya to join them to fight against the terrorist organization Aifra. Zoya is reluctant, as she just wants to keep her head down and lead a normal life. But when the terrorists claim the life of someone close to her, Zoya knows she must make use of her innate abilities to get justice. It’s discovered that Aifra’s activities line up with ancient Egyptian, Mayan, and Indian prophecies, and only Zoya and her new friends can prevent a world-ending cataclysm. Sanyal crafts a plot that’s steeped in ancient legends. However, the sense of mystery is often undercut by exposition. Zoya figures out a lot of things for herself, but none of the other characters shy away from explaining things to her, to each other, and, ultimately, to the reader. As a result, the dialogue sometimes feels unrealistic, and this impression is furthered by Sanyal’s formal prose style. Yet this same stylization also evokes the action-film genre, and indeed, Zoya and company would not feel out of place in a movie. Their scenes are easy to visualize, and the mix of science and myth effectively draws the reader in to the story.
A cinematic, if sometimes-stilted, supernatural adventure.Pub Date: Feb. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77539-501-0
Page Count: 329
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
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