06/12/2017
In 2016’s The God Wave, researchers discovered a way to unlock amazing mental abilities, only to have their project co-opted and subverted by a secret military program. This led to half the team fleeing while the other half barricaded themselves in a mountain stronghold. Now, in this solid sequel, the renegades threaten the world with their superpowers, demanding that all wars cease. Meanwhile, project originator Chuck Brenton and his people have found refuge with the Benefactors, members of a secret society who possess their own method of manifesting superhuman abilities. It’s an uneasy alliance of convenience at best, and Chuck struggles to convince the Benefactors to intervene against his former comrades. As Hemstreet further develops his premise, he gives it a timely feel by introducing issues such as confronting ISIS and demanding universal health care. This fast-paced, thought-provoking technothriller maintains a level of plausibility even as the author bumps up the supernatural power levels considerably. The book moves the series plot forward significantly while still leaving several open threads. Agent: Emma Parry, Janklow & Nesbit. (Aug.)
For nearly two decades, Jim Killen has served as the science fiction and fantasy book buyer for Barnes & Noble. Every month on Tor.com and the B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog, Jim shares his curated list of the month’s can’t-miss new SFF releases.
Last year, Patrick Hemstreet’s The God Wave delivered a smart and grown-up sci-fi adventure with an outsized premise—what would happen if a group of ordinary people developed psychic powers?—delivered with a sense of realism. A handful scientists, artists, and others becomes as gods though a plausible scientific experiment, and experience the fallout after taking a […]
In the twin worlds of science fiction and fantasy, sequels aren’t just a fact of life; they’re entirely welcomed. Us nerds are a wordy people, and it always seems like a waste when an author creates a brilliant and engaging world, only to have it disappear after a mere one book. Can you imagine? That’s […]