What a marvelous, marvelous read! Insomnia inducing addictive page-turner. A thrilling and suspense filled tale of adventure and friendship that is a delightful blend of sci-fi drama and an exploration of scientific concepts so smoothly interwoven to make it a gripping and stimulating read. Sure to inspire an active interest in STEM.
A man wakes up clueless in an unfamiliar white room hooked up to what seems like a state-of-the-art robotic device. Enveloped by amnesia, he cannot recall his name, where he is or why or how he got there. Without a moment’s hesitation he puts his power of reasoning and deduction to use, exploring his surroundings and begins figuring out the where, what, why, how and who in a step-by-step manner, offering tantalizing glimpses, peeling layer after layer to reveal a complex and captivating plot driven by an extraordinarily bright, inquisitive and passionate protagonist brimming with razor-sharp cleverness. While some challenging situations might appear deliberately contrived just to drive across the smartness of the character it does not diminish the energetic flow, rather it enhances and cranks up the excitement even more. As he begins regaining his memories, his enigmatic identity and purpose are unveiled.
He is on a journey. (Elaborating on it might serve as a spoiler, giving away the sense of the intrigue, discovery and lessen the effect of the reading experience)
What is used to fuel the journey is a real kicker…And that ending! Told in a mix of first-person real-time narrative with flashbacks, by the end of the book, everything clicks into place, with no loose ends. A satisfying, amazing read overall. Was interesting to see the author showing ISRO’s role in making a major breakthrough, though it may seem like just a mention in passing. Every character, however brief the appearance, leaves a memorable mark and plays a significant role in moving the story forward. And to add to that, the refreshing humor and witty banter made it all the more irresistible and unputdownable.
‘With a little help from my friends by Beatles’ is an apt soundtrack for this book in more ways than one.
Too cryptic?!
You absolutely want to learn more about the plot?
Your choice. Scroll down for the partial spoiler. Else stop here, go ahead pick up the book and treat yourself to a fun reading experience.
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Ryland Grace is a schoolteacher who has been sent on a critical mission to save humanity, given his intelligence, depth and breadth of knowledge and ability to think on his feet and apply the same. It is a space mission. An Interstellar quest conceived, designed, planned and executed by a spectacular team of scientists from all over the world in a globally concerted effort and the team is put together and led by an extraordinary individual conferred with the power to make executive decisions. And Grace is an unlikely and reluctant astronaut who has been forcibly sent on a one-way journey to a distant star system in a last bid attempt to find a solution to rid the sun of an infection and save the human species. While he regains consciousness from the induced coma during the long trip, his two other teammates/space crew have succumbed to unexpected complications while in coma, making it a solitary mission that rests solely on him.
Enroute, he meets a resourceful alien with complementary skills from another impacted star system and promptly teams up to avert the danger.
A.R Sara 