The God Particle [Formato Kindle]

For long time fans of the inimitable R.K. Jr., this book is major departure from his previous work. Having already successfully made the transition from comics to graphic novels to satirical sci-fi novels, he dips his toes into the waters of serious fiction for this one.

I can usually get a pretty good general idea of where a story is going after just a few chapters, but this one had me guessing all the way. There's a surprise with every turn of the page, and this caused me to stay up way too late on more than one night. Not the usual quota of belly-laughs here, just a fine little mystery with the patented Kierkegaard flair.

Wow. This book was excellent. I wasn't expecting much actually-- I was thinking pulp based on the description. (Bad description here on Amazon -- "Koontz" and "Crichton" ? ugh. "technothriller"? not really.)

I'll put this in the "lit" column. Elements of sci fi, and thriller, or maybe mystery too.

Ricardo's four best friends are found together, and dead-- but was it suicide, and if so how did they die? They had formed a start-up (partially funded with Ricardo's life savings) and were working on a machine-- some kind of 3D scanner, or time machine? The novel revolves around Ricardo trying to figure out what happened to his friends, what is the machine, various women (adult situations abound), Ricardo's ill father Diego. (Diego is a Spanish novelist-- Ricardo reads several of his father's novels, and the stories of his father's novels are interspersed in this novel. A nod to Italo Calvino-- who is name checked.)

The God Particle begins with a classic puzzle - four men in a locked room have died of no apparent cause, leaving behind their best friend and business partner, Ricardo, who finds himself in the midst of a hi-tech mystery with a bevy of their wives, ex-wives and girlfriends, all anxious for answers and consolation. The author draws you into the book with a beautiful style that blends humor, romance and adventure into a wonderful story that surprised me at every turn.

The characters and the world he creates here are contemporary, and the plot was beautifully thought out and very satisfying. I thought I had the ending all figured out about three quarters of the way through, but a few clever twists proved me wrong. I'm hoping for a sequel that will explore the new possibilities.

The excerpts from the eccentric and delightful books by the main character Ricardo's desperately ill father are a brilliant counterpoint to the story. Having gone through the trauma of my own father's illness, I found the sympathetic portrayal of the interaction between Ricardo and his Dad very touching.

This is a great book that left me thinking about the story for days after I had finished it. If you love an involving and original story, I highly recommend you give it a try.