Official Review: The Thought Killer by Hendrik Witmans
Posted: 02 Jun 2016, 17:24
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Thought Killer" by Hendrik Witmans.]
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In the near future the young son of a billionaire dies from an epileptic seizure. His grieving father decides to fund the Excalibur Center. The Center's goal is to find a cure for seizures and other brain disorders. At the same time a genius named Yabul Kozak is finishing his PhD combining philosophy and physics. Yabul goes to work at the Center eventually becoming its director. He begins a secret project to develop a virus that will change the way people think. He believes he can create a Utopian Society. Little does he know of the unintended consequences his experiments will have on the world.
So begins The Thought Killer by Hendrik Whitmans. This book has an interesting plot and is well researched. The futuristic setting and advances in technology are realistic enough to be believable. It is an ironic twist that Yabul, who wants to change how people's minds function, admits early in the story that he is almost incapable of making emotional connections with others. I found the most sympathetic character in the book to be Yabul's wife Carol. She tries her best in a difficult marriage and is not well rewarded for her efforts.
The author's stated goal of his work is to discuss how technology and human spirituality interact. This book is the first in a group called the Oscar Series. I found the book difficult to read at times. The story is presented as a mystery/science fiction novel with the subtitle "He wants your Soul!" It is not what I was expecting. It reads like a dissertation topic turned into clumsy fiction. Much of the book wanders from subject to subject. There are large sections, such as describing Carol going to an organic market to buy fresh food that could be deleted or condensed into a few sentences. Many chapters are spent discussing the years that Yabul spends at the university completing his studies. There is relatively little information obtained that effects the rest of the story. Conversely, there is a scene where Carol has "virtual sex" with a stranger using a special suit and a computer. She feels driven to this due to her lonely and unhappy marriage. The depth this adds to her character is covered in a couple of pages and not referred to again.
The characters in the story feel flat and one dimensional. I did not really care about what happened to any of them. The secondary characters are particularly staged and stereotypical. For example, Lieutenant Johnson is the "rouge police officer" saying at one point that he is "not your average policeman....and takes liberties and shortcuts to get things done." The dialogue is stiff and formal in some sections and casual in others for no apparent reason. "Oscar" does not appear until the last few pages of the novel. His arrival feels disjointed compared to the subject matter in the rest of the book. I assume the next book begins at this point because there are several story lines left without solid conclusions.
While l found The Thought Killer to be a poor mystery/thriller I enjoyed the premise of the book. I also thought the topic of how our humanity is effected and changed by technology to be a very timely one. I think with some significant editing and improved character development this could be an interesting novel. With the above suggestions in mind I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
******
The Thought Killer
View: on Bookshelves
Like tortoise keeper's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In the near future the young son of a billionaire dies from an epileptic seizure. His grieving father decides to fund the Excalibur Center. The Center's goal is to find a cure for seizures and other brain disorders. At the same time a genius named Yabul Kozak is finishing his PhD combining philosophy and physics. Yabul goes to work at the Center eventually becoming its director. He begins a secret project to develop a virus that will change the way people think. He believes he can create a Utopian Society. Little does he know of the unintended consequences his experiments will have on the world.
So begins The Thought Killer by Hendrik Whitmans. This book has an interesting plot and is well researched. The futuristic setting and advances in technology are realistic enough to be believable. It is an ironic twist that Yabul, who wants to change how people's minds function, admits early in the story that he is almost incapable of making emotional connections with others. I found the most sympathetic character in the book to be Yabul's wife Carol. She tries her best in a difficult marriage and is not well rewarded for her efforts.
The author's stated goal of his work is to discuss how technology and human spirituality interact. This book is the first in a group called the Oscar Series. I found the book difficult to read at times. The story is presented as a mystery/science fiction novel with the subtitle "He wants your Soul!" It is not what I was expecting. It reads like a dissertation topic turned into clumsy fiction. Much of the book wanders from subject to subject. There are large sections, such as describing Carol going to an organic market to buy fresh food that could be deleted or condensed into a few sentences. Many chapters are spent discussing the years that Yabul spends at the university completing his studies. There is relatively little information obtained that effects the rest of the story. Conversely, there is a scene where Carol has "virtual sex" with a stranger using a special suit and a computer. She feels driven to this due to her lonely and unhappy marriage. The depth this adds to her character is covered in a couple of pages and not referred to again.
The characters in the story feel flat and one dimensional. I did not really care about what happened to any of them. The secondary characters are particularly staged and stereotypical. For example, Lieutenant Johnson is the "rouge police officer" saying at one point that he is "not your average policeman....and takes liberties and shortcuts to get things done." The dialogue is stiff and formal in some sections and casual in others for no apparent reason. "Oscar" does not appear until the last few pages of the novel. His arrival feels disjointed compared to the subject matter in the rest of the book. I assume the next book begins at this point because there are several story lines left without solid conclusions.
While l found The Thought Killer to be a poor mystery/thriller I enjoyed the premise of the book. I also thought the topic of how our humanity is effected and changed by technology to be a very timely one. I think with some significant editing and improved character development this could be an interesting novel. With the above suggestions in mind I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
******
The Thought Killer
View: on Bookshelves
Like tortoise keeper's review? Post a comment saying so!