Resonance

A. J. Scudiere
Griffyn Ink (2010)
ISBN 9780979951008
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (01/10) 

 

“Resonance” by A. J. Scudiere is a rock solid and quite entertaining sci-fi saga, based on the premise that the Earth is long overdue for a magnetic shift. Following several sets of scientists who, at first independently from each other, are discovering that weird things are happening in certain areas of the country, the storyline eventually brings all of them together in the discovery that the shift has already begun. When one takes into consideration that the last shift, which happened some 65 million years ago, most probably managed to kill all of the dinosaurs and more, the humankind should be truly worried about the upcoming one even without the added worries of strangely mutated frogs, a weird and deadly epidemics killing people seemingly at random and a discovery of spots where the shift is already occurring.

A. J. Scudiere’s plot is complex and quite ambitious. While the story drags slightly in some spots, it is overall very engaging and at times quite a page turner. The first part of the book is very realistic sounding, obviously based on real research about pole shifting and offers a number of interesting scientific theories and insights. This is decidedly the part that will appeal greatly to those readers who like sci-fi firmly rooted in actual facts and reality. Then there is a shift in the book itself, where the realism is clearly gone and the author indulges in some rather interesting, if decidedly fantastic developments.  Personally I preferred the first part of the story, but I could also appreciate the dramatic change in the storyline and the rather unexpected developments and conclusions resulting from it.

I found A. J. Scudiere’s writing intelligent, graceful and entertaining. The author managed to keep the very complex story neatly together, with only a few slightly crawling sections. The characters were well defined, nicely fleshed out, easy to relate to and quite believable. There was a healthy dose of humor sprinkled throughout the story, which helped to alleviate the sometimes nearly unbearable tensions and scariness of the situation. The dialogue was fluid, the descriptions vivid and the many theories presented therein will leave the readers with several points to ponder.

If you like fresh and intelligent sci-fi stories, you might want to read “Resonance” by A. J. Scudiere before the shift comes…

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