Final Theory: A Novel

Author - Mark Alpert ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Hardcover Book item from Touchstone was reviewed on 29-Jul-2008.

Search ISBN:1416572872 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Final Theory: A Novel Reference Book. Classifications : General Classics Literature & Fiction Subjects Books Contemporary Literature & Fiction Subjects Books Action & Adventure Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Subjects Books General Thrillers Mystery & T . Click the following link to view the cover of Final Theory: A Novel.

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1) Hardcover Book Final Theory: A Novel by Touchstone. I read many thrillers, at least one per month, and I can tell you that Final Theory is very good. If you know something about science you will recognize that the information in this book is accurate. Albert Einstein really was working on a Theory of Everything. Scientists are still reaching for this goal today; that´s what string theory is all about. There really is a Tevatron at the Fermi national laboratory in Illinois, as well as a massive tank of mineral oil that is kept always in the dark so that sensitive instruments can see the light from speeding particles. It is very enjoyable to read a book that imagines a grand adventure in this fascinating place.¤

2) Hardcover Book Final Theory: A Novel by Touchstone. This book reminded me of the Bond movies: thrilling fun action, one man against the world. With cool scientific weapons, of course. Final Theory is about the hidden secrets of Albert Einstein and it has a lot of real science in the plot. (The author works for Scientific American.) But the book also has exotic locales, car chases, guns blazing from helicopters - all the things you love in a Bond movie.¤

3) Hardcover Book Final Theory: A Novel by Touchstone. To be honest, I didn´t read the whole book. I only made it about a quarter of the way through (to the part where David and Monique set out for Pittsburg) before I was overwhelmed by the sheer buffoonery of it.

Bear in mind that I am a big fan of F. Paul Wilson, Preston & Child, and James Rollins, so it´s not like I´m unable to suspend disbelief. But the author has to exercise a bit of craft to make the believable at least seem believable while you´re reading. Alpert has no such craft.

The protagonists are cardboard cutouts, and the villains (just about everybody else) are cartoons. Early on, an FBI agent is described as "an Oklahoma farm boy who´d picked up his conversational skills in the Marine Corps." A later description: "...Simon recognized the men from their gait: ex-Marines and ex-Rangers assigned to headquarters duty, most likely with the FBI." Would it have over-taxed Mr. Alpert to at least go to the FBI website and take a look at the qualifications required to become an FBI agent? (And if you think the FBI agents look foolish, just wait and see how the Secretary of Defence is depicted!)

The ridiculous elements that ruin many thrillers are all here, writ large. The lone killer, who can casually saunter into the FBI´s secure compound, disable their communications and kill all the agents, the protagonists who can out-maneuver professionals and the entirety of America´s law enforcement and solve cryptic puzzles by improbable feats of logic. Early in the book, the hero manages to escape from FBI custody (and the killer) because the FBI agents conveniently left him alone in the interrogation room, uncuffed, with a Super Soaker water rifle, a flask of alcohol, and a cigarette lighter. No, I´m not kidding, and it wasn´t even at this point that I gave up; it had to get a lot dumber.

The novel is also tainted by the unmistakable whiff of contempt this author seems to hold for anybody not of his peer group. This includes the police, military, and ordinary citizens (all of whom seem to have enormous beer bellies).

The only redeeming factor in this mess is that the author knows his physics and can explain it well. But if you´re interested in this, you´d be better off picking up a copy of Brian Greene´s "The Elegant Universe."

Don´t waste your money on this drivel.
¤

4) Hardcover Book Final Theory: A Novel by Touchstone. My favorite novel of the summer. First and foremost, it´s an incredibly fast read. Once you start the book, it´s almost impossible to put it down. I completely identified with the characters, especially David Swift, the Columbia University professor who stumbles upon the Final Theory discovered by Albert Einstein. And the story is very up-to-date. Shadowy terrorists and rogue states threaten America with terrible new weapons, and the political bureaucrats in the federal government (who are supposed to protect us) make a mess of things instead. You can´t help but root for David. Against all odds, the ordinary guy outsmarts the bad guys.¤

5) Hardcover Book Final Theory: A Novel by Touchstone. Final Theory was great on the science. However, the plot was entirely predictable. As stated in an earlier review, it is filled with rank amateurs eluding the claws of professional killers. Reminiscent of B-Movies from the 50s & 60s, the hero often escaped because the killer took great pride in explaining either what evil was going to happen next or how much fun it was going to be killing the hero and then molesting his family and friends. Of course, these speeches provided the "good guy" sufficient time to figure out a means for "getting the drop on the killer". I guess the author didn´t realize that modern day terrorists tend to dispense with explanations and quickly proceed with the be-headings unless there is a need to gain some other objective in holding a hostage. Ho-Hum....

The real dangerous scenario in the story was caused by an American Delta Force helicopter crew that mistakenly kills the family of a Russian mercenary who has the predictable angry reaction and conveniently becomes the villain in the story. The author implies that invading Iraq could potentially set off such a scenario. There were other anti-war political innuendos in the story. All of this helped in the construction of the plot.

The other thing that amazed me is that the author wrote an epilogue to justify the science. Mmmmmmm... if something is believable it generally doesn´t require an additional explanation... Right????

If you are at the beach, this B-book will give you a couple of afternoons of "shoot-em up" - "Blow-em up fun"!!!! No more... no less¤

6) Hardcover Book Final Theory: A Novel by Touchstone.

A Spellbinding Thriller about a Science History
Professor on the Run for his Life and an Unpublished Einstein
Theory that Could Change the World

Debut novelist Mark Alpert brings one of the most explosive books of 2008, seamlessly weaving current issues of science, history, and politics with white-knuckle chases.

David Swift, a professor at Columbia University, is called to the hospital to comfort his mentor, a physicist who´s been brutally tortured. Before dying, the old man wheezes "Einheitliche Feldtheorie." The Theory of Everything. The Destroyer of Worlds. Could this be Einstein´s proposed Unified Theory--a set of equations that combines the physics of galaxies with the laws of atoms? Einstein never succeeded in discovering it. Or did he? Within hours of hearing his mentor´s last words, David is running for his life. The FBI and a ruthless mercenary are vying to get their hands on the long-hidden theory. Teaming up with his old girlfriend, a brilliant Princeton scientist, David frantically works out Einstein´s final theory to reveal the staggering scope of its consequences.

With publishers around the world snapping up rights in twenty-two countries, the book has already become a global phenomenon, and the dynamic characters and gripping plot will keep readers compulsively turning the pages until the very end.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 26-Aug-2008, 14165728729781416572879, 670-150-790-380-580-3X1-781-721-8

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