A fun, sometimes over-the-top blend of SF, horror, and fantasy that should satisfy fans of all three.
Connelly takes readers on a wild ride through the near future as humans struggle to survive disaster in this speculative thriller.
An asteroid hits Earth, taking out Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Nevada, creating a “new continental divide” in southern California. Subsequent tremors make California an official “No-Go Zone,” and most residents flee north. But Max Walker, a widower still reeling from the death of his wife, Charlene, remains, alongside his elderly scientist parents, Cathy and Andy, as part of a group of 110 people participating in “Project Z.” Hidden in the canyons of California, this group attempts to discover an antidote to Zworsky’s vaccine—a miracle drug that promised to cure people of all sickness and disease but was discovered to grant some users the ability to fly. Now called Metas, these flying humans consider “Terries” (short for “Terrestrials,” meaning nonflyers) their mortal enemies. When Max becomes an accidental stowaway and winds up at the Metas’ home base in Los Angeles International Airport, he meets Darlene Verity, a Meta who slowly comes to believe that not all Terries are bad. As time runs out to help the Metas (whose life spans are shortened by their condition), Max and Darlene team up to fight enemies on all sides—including “Creepers,” zombielike Metas who are believed to be a product of horrific scientific experimentation: “The Creepers were like ghost figures, as she could not make out their faces, just those piercing eyes underneath those dirty bandages.” An eerie backstory combined with raucous action makes this novel an entertaining romp, with more serious themes of scientific responsibility, loss, and the nature of humanity thrown in for good measure. There are uses of profanity scattered throughout the text, but the novel never dips too heavily into overtly graphic depictions of gore or violence. Quick but steady pacing leads to an ambiguous ending that sets up the forthcoming second installment of the Zworsky’s Children series.
A fun, sometimes over-the-top blend of SF, horror, and fantasy that should satisfy fans of all three.Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 399
Publisher: Madness Productions
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.
A woman accused of shooting her husband six times in the face refuses to speak.
"Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband. They had been married for seven years. They were both artists—Alicia was a painter, and Gabriel was a well-known fashion photographer." Michaelides' debut is narrated in the voice of psychotherapist Theo Faber, who applies for a job at the institution where Alicia is incarcerated because he's fascinated with her case and believes he will be able to get her to talk. The narration of the increasingly unrealistic events that follow is interwoven with excerpts from Alicia's diary. Ah, yes, the old interwoven diary trick. When you read Alicia's diary you'll conclude the woman could well have been a novelist instead of a painter because it contains page after page of detailed dialogue, scenes, and conversations quite unlike those in any journal you've ever seen. " 'What's the matter?' 'I can't talk about it on the phone, I need to see you.' 'It's just—I'm not sure I can make it up to Cambridge at the minute.' 'I'll come to you. This afternoon. Okay?' Something in Paul's voice made me agree without thinking about it. He sounded desperate. 'Okay. Are you sure you can't tell me about it now?' 'I'll see you later.' Paul hung up." Wouldn't all this appear in a diary as "Paul wouldn't tell me what was wrong"? An even more improbable entry is the one that pins the tail on the killer. While much of the book is clumsy, contrived, and silly, it is while reading passages of the diary that one may actually find oneself laughing out loud.
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30169-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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