The Wave

by Walter Mosley Narrated by Tim Cain

Overview

The New York Times bestselling author returns to science fiction with an eerie, transcendent novel of the near future.



Errol's father has been dead for several years. Yet lately Errol has been awakened in the middle of the night by a caller claiming to be his father. Is it a prank, or a message from the grave? When he hears the unmistakable sound of a handset being put down on a table, he decides to investigate.



Curious and not a little unnerved, Errol sneaks into the graveyard where his father is buried. What he finds there changes his life forever.



Caught up in a war between a secret government security agency and an alien presence infecting our world, touched by the Wave, he knows that nothing will ever be the same again.

Editorial Reviews

bn.com

The Barnes & Noble Review
What would you do if a naked madman accosted you in a graveyard, introduced himself as the reanimated form of a deceased loved one, and knew intimate details of your life? That's exactly the dilemma facing Errol Porter, an unemployed computer programmer turned pottery assistant who begins a bizarre journey of self-discovery that includes the dearly departed brought back to life, a godlike million-year old communal organism, and roving bands of fanatical homeland security death squads.

When Porter begins receiving strange phone calls in the middle of the night from someone claiming to be his dead father, he tracks the calls to a security shed located in the cemetery where his father is buried. Overcome by curiosity, Porter visits his father's grave, coming face-to-face with a younger version of his dad. Refusing to accept that this stranger is his father, yet somehow knowing that he is, Porter takes him home to clean him up -- and becomes involved in a quest to stop humanity from essentially killing God.

Although he's known primarily for his bestselling Easy Rawlins mystery saga, Mosley has also made his mark in science fiction (Blue Light and Futureland), and this is arguably his most provocative -- and sublime -- effort in the genre. Equal parts visionary science fiction and psychological thriller, The Wave will appeal to fans of deeply probing and profoundly moving genre works like Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt and Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy; it will also satisfy those who enjoy authors like Koontz, King, and Straub. A brilliantly understated gem of a novel. Paul Goat Allen

Publishers Weekly

When Errol's long-dead father calls him in the middle of the night, Errol learns about "the Wave," a billion-year-old organism slowly creeping to Earth's surface and reanimating corpses into healthy vibrant replicas of their former selves with virtually intact memories. The more Errol learns, the more he comes to respect and identify with the living organism and seeks to protect it from the deadly machinations of the military. As the tale unravels through Errol's eyes, Tim Cain provides a steady and smooth tone for the narrative passages that corresponds well to Errol's speaking parts. Cain's use of emphasis for particular words and sentences jump out so that even the most inattentive listener picks up the important pieces. The soft and gentle style spoken by Errol's father, GT, generally corresponds to the nature of his character. GT's tone might also ignite the image of a hippie, which makes sense given the peace and love that his species promote. Cain's other vocal characterizations maintain a decent semblance to the people described within the text. His distinct, deep voice delivers emotion and intensity throughout the story, making it easy for any listener to enjoy. Simultaneous release with the Aspect hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 7). (Jan.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Cinnamon Kiss is Mosley's latest in his very popular Easy Rawlins detective series. It's 1966 in Los Angeles, and Easy is desperate for money to pay for the expensive treatments needed by his gravely ill daughter, Feather. Initially considering returning to a partnership with his criminal friend Mouse, Easy instead is hired to track down a missing lawyer and some mysterious legal papers-a job that takes him to San Francisco, where he experiences firsthand the burgeoning hippie culture. Happily for the listener, Michael Boatman is back to read, with nearly perfect vocal depth and breadth. Tim Cain gives voice to The Wave, a new sf novel-clearly a genre that interests Mosley if not his fans. Featuring a contemporary hero down on his luck, repeatedly disturbed by phone calls from someone claiming to be his dead father resurrected, this work flows with a hackneyed plot and shallow characters toward a rather 1950s B-movie-ish ending. Though read with some skill by Cain, it's not enough to make the experience satisfying to anyone but the most extreme of the author's fans. Cinnamon Kiss is recommended for all collections; The Wave, only where demand warrants.-Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The apparent resurrection of his dead father is only the beginning of an unemployed system administrator's fantastic confrontation with forces that could change the destiny of the planet. It begins with a series of crank calls from someone claiming to be Errol Porter's father, dead and buried since 1996. What's unnerving is that although the caller sounds increasingly like Arthur Bontemps Porter III and seems to know things only Errol's dad could know, he looks, when Errol meets him face to face, like a much younger man. Errol wonders just what this unearthly visitation foretells. Is the man Errol dubs "Good Times," or "GT," a ghost, a reincarnation or a fake? None of the above, says Dr. David Wheeler, a physician who's become a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Army. Under the auspices of Homeland Security, Wheeler pulls Errol in and imprisons him in his own home, where his wife uses Errol for sex as Wheeler looks for ways to deal with what he's convinced is a massive invasion of parasitic "demons from hell" who assume human form with the aim of colonizing the earth and reducing humans to helpless hosts. Whom can Errol trust, the federal government or an impossible version of his father? As the stakes continue to rise, the carefully controlled emotional conflicts Mosley (Cinnamon Kiss, 2005, etc.) has woven begin to scatter like fragments of an exploding star. Even so, Mosley's third foray into sci-fi (Futureland, 2001, etc.) is as provocative and deeply felt as ever, right down to the enigmatic ending. Agent: Gloria Loomis/Watkins Loomis Agency Inc.

JUN/JUL 06 - AudioFile

Walter Mosley is best known for his crime stories. With THE WAVE he proves he's just as skilled at writing science fiction/horror, and Tim Cain is just the narrator to deliver it. The story begins with a telephone call to Errol Porter from his father. The trouble is, Errol's father is long dead. Cain brings an air of innocence to his performance that is vital to the story. The listener must believe, on some level, that a confused young man somehow is Errol's father, even though it's impossible. Cain is equally adept at delivering the buttery tones of Errol's Jamaican girlfriend and the voice of the cold-hearted villain, who believes he is stopping an alien invasion. M.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169980929
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	12/27/2005
Edition description:	Unabridged

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