Review of Quantum Terra
Posted: 15 Aug 2021, 19:58
[Following is a volunteer review of "Quantum Terra" by Kirk Marty.]
Thirty-five year old real estate attorney Nick Shuman had no idea what was in store for him when he was hired by beautiful and charming Fatima Carruthers to settle a land dispute on behalf of her late husband, Eliot Carruthers. While in the process of settling the land dispute, Nick finds his tenuous hold on reality shattered; not only does he find himself shifting from one reality to another, but he is also the main suspect in the brutal slaying of a colleague.
Kirk Marty's novel, Quantum Terra: A Nick Shuman Legal Thriller, starts with a fairly standard legal case between his late client's institute, The Foundation for the Study of Electro-Magnetic Energy and another group called The Society of Metaphysical Acolytes. Shortly after taking the case, Nick's life becomes rather complicated. Nick falls madly in love and material objects suddenly seem to change or disappear. He receives guidance from intangible otherworldly advisors, either via mediums or dreams. He takes self-led crash courses in quantum mechanics, gets kidnapped, has his life threatened, and he is charged with first-degree murder! This is the second book in the Nick Shuman series. Adverse Possession is the first novel in the series, and although there are probably references to the first novel in the second book, having read the first novel does not seem prerequisite to enjoying the second.
I really liked the love story aspect of the book. It is not often that successful attorneys fall out-of-their-minds, head-over-heels in love and it is a refreshingly humorous break from society's perspective of legal personnel. I did not care for the lengthy descriptions of quantum theories. As the alternate reality groups in the novel seem to have their own terminology for specific concepts, the background on quantum theory was not actually necessary. It is fairly interesting, and it is likely these parts of the book that would make this novel a fun and cherished favorite for readers with a background in quantum theory.
As the book contains both violent and erotic scenes, I would not recommend this book for younger audiences. The shifting from one reality to another is sometimes presented as indicative of mental instability. Because Nick and his "motley crew of legal vagabonds" (51) are supposed to be pillars of society, and because of the callous relationship such men often have with one another, their (and Nick's) perspective on his plight, along with their gruff references to mental instability, might be considered politically incorrect. As such, I would not recommend this book to readers who are extremely sensitive to unsympathetic treatment of mental illness. I would definitely recommend this book to science fiction readers. While Quantum Terra: A Nick Shuman Legal Thriller might not have the futuristic feel of some of Kurt Vonnegut's sci-fi novels, it is still reminiscent of sci-fi as done by Vonnegut. Reader's who enjoy Vonnegut's science fiction will probably also enjoy this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Quantum Terra: A Nick Shuman Legal Thriller and give Marty's novel 3 out of 4 stars. The book contained several spacing errors as well as minor punctuation errors. There were a couple times that comprehension issues arose as words were either missing or added to sentences. The author did a nice job defining some quantum theory or alternate reality concepts. In certain case, after the theoretic definition is provided, Nick, the protagonist, integrates these concepts into his speech or thoughts, giving the reader a more applied perspective of these concepts. While some of the secondary characters might have been developed a bit more, I think their personalities might have already been introduced in Adverse Possession. The plot is good and it is accompanied by some action scenes as well as a good dose of romance. As Nick's life becomes more and more complicated, that his colleagues stick with him in spite of the mess his life has become, also makes this a story of true friendship.
******
Quantum Terra
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Thirty-five year old real estate attorney Nick Shuman had no idea what was in store for him when he was hired by beautiful and charming Fatima Carruthers to settle a land dispute on behalf of her late husband, Eliot Carruthers. While in the process of settling the land dispute, Nick finds his tenuous hold on reality shattered; not only does he find himself shifting from one reality to another, but he is also the main suspect in the brutal slaying of a colleague.
Kirk Marty's novel, Quantum Terra: A Nick Shuman Legal Thriller, starts with a fairly standard legal case between his late client's institute, The Foundation for the Study of Electro-Magnetic Energy and another group called The Society of Metaphysical Acolytes. Shortly after taking the case, Nick's life becomes rather complicated. Nick falls madly in love and material objects suddenly seem to change or disappear. He receives guidance from intangible otherworldly advisors, either via mediums or dreams. He takes self-led crash courses in quantum mechanics, gets kidnapped, has his life threatened, and he is charged with first-degree murder! This is the second book in the Nick Shuman series. Adverse Possession is the first novel in the series, and although there are probably references to the first novel in the second book, having read the first novel does not seem prerequisite to enjoying the second.
I really liked the love story aspect of the book. It is not often that successful attorneys fall out-of-their-minds, head-over-heels in love and it is a refreshingly humorous break from society's perspective of legal personnel. I did not care for the lengthy descriptions of quantum theories. As the alternate reality groups in the novel seem to have their own terminology for specific concepts, the background on quantum theory was not actually necessary. It is fairly interesting, and it is likely these parts of the book that would make this novel a fun and cherished favorite for readers with a background in quantum theory.
As the book contains both violent and erotic scenes, I would not recommend this book for younger audiences. The shifting from one reality to another is sometimes presented as indicative of mental instability. Because Nick and his "motley crew of legal vagabonds" (51) are supposed to be pillars of society, and because of the callous relationship such men often have with one another, their (and Nick's) perspective on his plight, along with their gruff references to mental instability, might be considered politically incorrect. As such, I would not recommend this book to readers who are extremely sensitive to unsympathetic treatment of mental illness. I would definitely recommend this book to science fiction readers. While Quantum Terra: A Nick Shuman Legal Thriller might not have the futuristic feel of some of Kurt Vonnegut's sci-fi novels, it is still reminiscent of sci-fi as done by Vonnegut. Reader's who enjoy Vonnegut's science fiction will probably also enjoy this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Quantum Terra: A Nick Shuman Legal Thriller and give Marty's novel 3 out of 4 stars. The book contained several spacing errors as well as minor punctuation errors. There were a couple times that comprehension issues arose as words were either missing or added to sentences. The author did a nice job defining some quantum theory or alternate reality concepts. In certain case, after the theoretic definition is provided, Nick, the protagonist, integrates these concepts into his speech or thoughts, giving the reader a more applied perspective of these concepts. While some of the secondary characters might have been developed a bit more, I think their personalities might have already been introduced in Adverse Possession. The plot is good and it is accompanied by some action scenes as well as a good dose of romance. As Nick's life becomes more and more complicated, that his colleagues stick with him in spite of the mess his life has become, also makes this a story of true friendship.
******
Quantum Terra
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
. The erotic scenes remind me a very little bit of the song "Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte, or at least the line "...and when she dances oh brother, she's a hurricane in all kinds of weather." Except with sex and earthquakes. Strange. If you do read the book, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the comment!
I'm not sure if either question is totally and completely answered in the book in any definitive sort of way. Maybe it's because he falls in love that all these strange things happen, maybe he just happened to be in the right(wrong) place at the wrong(right) time. Maybe it was because of the type of person he is. It's hard to say but the book is quite interesting. If you read it, I hope you enjoy it!