Official Review: Secrets of a Wormhole Civilization

[Lisa A Rayburn]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Secrets of a Wormhole Civilization" by Robert Mascatello.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

First, let me introduce our motley crew of twelve-year-old heroes. As the leader, we have Jagger Collins (recklessly brave, he really should have been named, 'the most likely to be a hero'). Reba Collins is Jagger’s fraternal twin (easily fascinated by details, excellent memory). Our ‘support crew’ in the team consists of Derek (brilliant, a true genius with computers), Chris (the logical voice of reason), and Michael (historian, fascinated by all things archaic).

It all started with a Halloween punchbowl Reba and Jagger’s Dad had spray-painted to glow green when the lights went out. In their hurry to get to a party, they had forgotten it in their father’s lab. When they all went back to get it, well… things got interesting. Unintentionally stumbling into a hidden area of the lab, they inadvertently started the countdown for a time-travel sequence essential to saving not just the earth’s timeline but also the future of the universe. They have the option to shut down the countdown, but it cannot be reset until current factors duplicate themselves, and the last time that happened was the Big Bang. Will the children sacrifice their own timeline and live with the ensuing consequences, or will they take the weight of the future on their shoulders and embark on an ill-equipped journey through time?

Secrets of a Wormhole Civilization, by Robert W. Mascatello, is a short YA novel appropriate for ages six through eleven. The chapters are brief, which would be encouraging for those just getting into chapter books. However, although most of the language is appropriate for the age level, I believe children would best benefit by reading the book with an adult due to some of the more complex words used. The novel is a sci-fi adventure featuring cybernetics, time travel, and futuristic technology. As such, the author often uses invented words to describe/define objects and concepts in the author's world. For instance, an ‘embloscribe’ is a machine used to scan and record multiple forms of data and information.

The logical descriptions of some of these seemingly ‘nonsense’ words drove me to do a bit of research. I discovered that some of these words equated to concepts in the real world! My favorite was the ‘infogravelelectronuclear field,’ which is defined in both our and the book’s world as “a state of zero entropy in which pure information may exist and the arrow of time may be reversed.” I loved that the author integrated real science into his story, but I’m sure you can see why a child might need an adult’s help with these words and concepts.

Even though the plotline was your typical pre-teen sci-fi adventure trope, it had a twist that I found enjoyable. The characters' interactions were well-done, often amusing, and hands-down my favorite part of the book. However, there were a couple of aspects I found disappointing. One of these was the minimization of Reba’s role. I can’t say much more than that without spoilers, but I can say that, as the supposed leader, she should have gotten much more ‘screen-time.’ Also, character development was lacking. The characters felt almost one-dimensional. The author gave no background for any of them, and no attempt was made to enhance their characters. The only thing they really had going for them was their personalities, which the author spotlighted. Normally, I comment on world-building. Unfortunately, with this book, there’s no way to do that without giving you a free peek inside. Let’s just say it was adequate.

As for editing, so far as I could tell, there hadn’t been any. Finding several errors on a single page was not uncommon, and going more than two pages without running across one just didn’t happen. Errors ran the gamut from misspelled/misused words to capital letters being where they did not belong. Punctuation errors weren’t lacking either, but they were difficult to judge as the author appeared to be using a mix of American and British grammar.

On the positive side, there was no vulgar language or intimate scenes. I would recommend this book to children with an interest in science fiction and time travel. As an adult who read a lot of sci-fi as a child, I found it a pleasant trip down memory lane. I daresay others of a similar mind might agree. I can’t give the book more than 3 out of 4 stars because of the numerous errors. However, the minimization of Reba’s role as the only female and the lack of character development would have brought the score down even without errors. I did not go as low as two stars because the characters' interactions were well-written and enjoyable. Also, the plot was interesting, with a unique twist on the standard YA sci-fi adventure trope. The main reason, though, was my delight at finding that some of the concepts the author worked into the story were real ones!

******
Secrets of a Wormhole Civilization
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Becca Olsson]

This sounds like a great book to grab the attention of young readers. Thanks for the review!

[PeterRabitt20]

It's too bad that the only female character was minimized. It might have been wise to have more female characters. The book sounds like it could benefit from better character building. Thanks for your review!

[Sakura5]

Sci-fi/fantasy with a cosmic setting is my favorite type of book, so this seemed like an interesting read for me. It is a pity the characters were not better developed and it was poorly edited, though. Thanks for the insightful review!

[Smmwallace]

This book sounds fun and entertaining, perfect for young readers who are just starting to appreciate sci-fi. Too bad there are so many errors, though, as these same young readers in this age group are also trying to learn correct spelling and punctuation. Thank you for your great review!

[Precious Naiti]

The storyline is intriguing and I strongly feel that young adults will find this book interesting. I love the review. Thank you.

[Lisa A Rayburn]

This sounds like a great book to grab the attention of young readers. Thanks for the review!

I think so too, though they'll definitely need some help with some of the words. Thanks for dropping in and commenting!

[Lisa A Rayburn]

It's too bad that the only female character was minimized. It might have been wise to have more female characters. The book sounds like it could benefit from better character building. Thanks for your review!

Sci-fi/fantasy with a cosmic setting is my favorite type of book, so this seemed like an interesting read for me. It is a pity the characters were not better developed and it was poorly edited, though. Thanks for the insightful review!

I agree; the book could definitely benefit from more attention to character building. Highlighting the characters' personalities was wonderful, but I do like to know a bit of background about the characters I'm reading about. The errors were definitely unfortunate. Thanks to you both for stopping by and commenting!

[Lisa A Rayburn]

This book sounds fun and entertaining, perfect for young readers who are just starting to appreciate sci-fi. Too bad there are so many errors, though, as these same young readers in this age group are also trying to learn correct spelling and punctuation. Thank you for your great review!

Exactly! Having them reading poor grammar is bound to have them repeat the same if they are consistently exposed to it. Thank you for the compliment and for dropping by and commenting!

[Lisa A Rayburn]

The storyline is intriguing and I strongly feel that young adults will find this book interesting. I love the review. Thank you.

I'm glad you enjoyed the review! I appreciate knowing that others enjoy my writing. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

[Yvonne Monique]

I know a couple of young adults who would definitely enjoy this book. Just a shame that a book for a young audience, that still is learning about correct spelling and grammar, has so many errors.

[Dimi1]

It seems like a very interesting plot that children will probably love. It's sad that the errors spoil the whole image. Thanks for an interesting review!

[Prisallen]

This sounds like an interesting science fiction novel that young readers would enjoy. I can certainly understand how it might be better to have an adult present to explain some of the terms. Thanks for an interesting and well-written review!

[Marcel Cantu]

You do a great job explaining this book and its target audience, I really enjoyed reading your review!

[Lisa A Rayburn]

I know a couple of young adults who would definitely enjoy this book. Just a shame that a book for a young audience, that still is learning about correct spelling and grammar, has so many errors.

It seems like a very interesting plot that children will probably love. It's sad that the errors spoil the whole image. Thanks for an interesting review!

I believe children would enjoy it, and they probably wouldn't notice the lack of character development. I agree that it should have been better edited, especially considering the target audience's age. Thanks to you both for dropping in and commenting!