 |
This book, the latest by John Case (aka the husband and wife writing team, Jim and Carolyn Hougan), is a little out of the ordinary compared to the previous 5 offerings. Only 1 of the 6 books by John Case has disappointed me (The Eighth Day; it was not nearly as good as the others). Their books are, or up to now have been, mystery/thriller/suspense type books with great stories based mainly in science or medicine. This book is based in science, specifically, the facts and mysteries surrounding Tesla (no not the band), the Serbian inventor, electrical and mechanical engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla. Tesla created, discovered, pioneered and/or patented many wonderful engineering marvels, including alternating current A/C (as opposed to Edison's D/C) electric power and wireless communication. He also advanced the studies of nuclear and theoretical physics and ballistics. Basically, the man was a friggin' genius, the likes of which we don't see very often. Many scientists and researchers now refer to him as "the man who invented the twentieth century". An ex-convict, Wilson, who is wildly intelligent, plans to use Tesla's notes to create a device that will bring about the end of the world as we know it; a device that will stop anything with moving parts, electrically powered, or computerized. He wants to knock the world back to the dark ages, and he has the brains, gets the money and has the capability to build the device. A former photographer, Burke, who works for a company that forms companies is unknowingly involved in Wilson's plan for international terrorism. Due to a cruel twist of fate, Burke is the only person who can (or will) track down Wilson before the cataclysm occurs. The plot is very busy and moves from subject to subject including post 9/11 terrorism, drug trade, weapons trade, diamond trade (like in the movie "Blood Diamond"), scalar waves (don't worry, I didn't understand either), resonant frequencies, and physics, very quickly. There are many characters that come and go and come back again, throughout the story, but each adds to the plot; although I can imagine it might be a lot to keep up with if you don't read the book quickly, I can't imagine not enjoying the genius of the plot and the character development that went in to this complex story. Many characters, their personalities, their motivations, their secrets make this an in depth character study, and a great one at that. To sum up, this is like nothing Case has done before, but it is an excellent read. The characters are all developed well and the connections between them laid out well. The plot, though busy, is very good but merely borders on suspense, I wouldn't say that this is a suspenseful read; I would classify it as a MYSTERY / CHARACTER STUDY with a bit of suspense. It is, in my humble opinion, the best book by John Case to date. Overall, the book is excellent, obviously well researched and very entertaining. If you are a John Case fan, I am certain you will enjoy this. If you are looking for taut suspense, this is not like The Genesis Code, The First Horseman or The Syndrome, but it is an excellent mystery.Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Audiobooks
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Audiobooks
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
