Review of GOD’s Secrets - Not Intended for Humankind
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Review of GOD’s Secrets - Not Intended for Humankind
In 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutron. The events that followed led to the development of the atomic bomb and the MASER. The rest, as they say, is history. In 1959, Gordon Gould discovered the polarised LASER. However, these discoveries had one thing in common: they overlooked the Terahertz frequency during their respective developments. Decades later, when a retired engineer, Jim Zimberman, develops an interest in physics and the ability of light rays, he may have been forgiven for having a bit of a mid-life crisis.
Meanwhile, America has gone crazy; the country's radical politics is as polarized and violent as it has ever been. It threatens to divide the country, leaving the regular citizens worried and caught in its crossfire. One such citizen, Jim's wife, Pida Zimberman, is shot to death when she is caught in the middle of a fight between two extremist groups from rival political parties. The painful murder of his wife becomes Jim's sole driving force as he seeks both revenge (for his wife's murder) and justice (a stand against polarizing politics). This leads him down a long road where he leverages his physics knowledge and subsequent scientific research in unique ways. His quest will have far-reaching ramifications that will be felt all over the United States.
In God's Secrets – Not Intended for Humankind, Brian Cole spun an intriguing tale that included much science talk without losing its excitement. This was a testament to his storytelling ability. The plot was more or less divided into two parts. The first part (the first two chapters) focused on the scientific discoveries from the 1930s and 1950s. This part of the book was the foundation that set the tone for Jim Zimberman's story arc in this novel. The second part of the book was set in present-day America, where radical politics was eating away at the nation's soul.
The book began with a lot of physics content, most of which flew over my head. There was much talk about stuff like electrons, photons, frequencies, and electromagnetism. Thankfully, the author warned about this in the book's forward, so the science talk didn't take me by surprise. The warning also helped stretch my patience enough to read past the first two chapters, and I'm glad I did; true to Cole's warning, I began to see the formation of a good fiction story by the third chapter. The connections between the beginning of the book and the rest of the novel became even more apparent as I continued reading, and by the end of the book, I realized how hollow the story would have felt without those first few chapters.
I like it when fictional stories are firmly tethered to reality. This was why I appreciated how Cole referenced the discoveries of impactful physicists from the early to mid-1900s. Names such as James Chadwick, Otto Frisch, Gordon Gould, and Neil Bohr graced the pages of this novel. Fast forward to Jim Zimberman's time—which was set in the early 2020s—there was talk of the COVID-19 pandemic and the gross lack of bipartisanship in America's politics. These elements helped to keep the story grounded and relatable in my mind.
I enjoyed Jim Zimberman's role in this story. I liked how Cole developed his character. He didn't choose to be in the situation in which he found himself. Having just lost his wife to a senseless political squabble, I could understand his need to get revenge for her murder. Interestingly, he didn't lose his humanity, kindness, and empathy even while he was essentially on a revenge mission.
Sadly, this novel wasn't professionally edited. The number of errors I found seemed too many for a 107-page book. Consequently, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars and recommend it to all lovers of science-related and adventure stories.
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GOD's Secrets - Not Intended for Humankind
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