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Title: Standing Wave by Howard V. Hendrix ISBN: 0-441-00553-5 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: September, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.8 (10 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Applause for the Author!
Comment: I eagerly looked forward to this second novel of Howard Hendrix's, STANDING WAVE, after thoroughly enjoying his first novel LIGHTPATHS. I wasn't disappointed, I could hardly put it down! The story is sequential to LIGHTPATHS, yet stands alone well. However, it would be best to read LIGHTPATHS first in order to understand the ever-evolving consciousness technology that permeates both novels.
Hendrix's speculative treatment of consciousness, information revolution, and odyssey toward universal oneness is fascinating. Read this novel to find out how the (seemingly plausible) physics (or, bio-physics!) of standing wave technology and its possible future implications for human beings play out! This is indeed an imaginative, complex story that successfully connects all the dots, crosses all the t's, and dots all the i's. The author has my admiration for keeping track of any and all loose ends! Hendrix is surely on his way to science fiction stardom!
However, STANDING WAVE is not for everyone. Those not interested in or patient enough for intricate storylines and speculative, scientific-research-related topics will not be happy with this book! I highly recommend this novel to those who are. I'm looking forward to a third novel from Howard Hendrix!
Rating: 4
Summary: Intelligent speculative fiction
Comment: I usually don't review books but some of the other reviews of this book were, I thought, rather unkind so anyway here is my two cents... first of all the author is true to the genre - 'Standing Wave' is nothing if not speculative and the authors grappling with the bleeding edge of theoretical physics, artificial intelligence and information theory is well done and integral to the story. The characters are interesting and multidimensional as, in some 'big idea' science fiction, they are not and the story itself is well structured. I don't think the novel gets lost in subplots but the previous reviewers who mentioned the fact that a lot of what happens is based on Hendrix's earlier work seem to be correct (I say seems because I have not read his other work yet but it is true that the characters constantly refer to earlier events and you definitly feel like you are missing something if you haven't read the prequel). Even so the book is excellent and it does stand alone though I am adding 'Lightpaths' to my reading list. Another point I would like to make is that the author does not drag the book out - this could easily have been a 600 to 700 page book but Hendrix resists the tempatation to have his characters engage in endless monologues to make his point. His science is, contrary to what other reviews said, founded firmly in the more cutting edge speculation I have read about string theory, artificial intelligence not to mention the possibilities of evolved consciousness and the philosophical ideas of Tielhard, Jung, RAW, Tim Leary, Terrance McKenna etc, etc. I don't see the 'New Age' criticism as being very appropriate either, there really isn't anything here that falls into the kind of shiny happy goofiness that I, at least, associate with New Age 'thinking' and the author is never heavy handed or preachy - his characters have points of view but they are consistant and plausable. Anyway, if the book has a flaw it may be that there are places where Hendrix left me wishing for more, some of the most interesting characters appear all too briefly and the end is a bit disappointing but all in all this is one of the better science fiction books from a 'new' author I have read in a while and it is well worth the time. Also, for the previous reviewer, mescalin is the psychoactive component in Peyote which is a cactus, not a mushroom.
Rating: 1
Summary: Confused and unfocused
Comment: Let me first admit that I did not finish this book. The plot apparently depends on reading the author's previous work. Characters, ideas, and plots seem to just appear in mid-stride. I kept extrapolating what must have gone before to make sense of the book. The other problem was the lack of any real direction. Characters just appear, pontificate over some very questionable philosophy and physics, and then just leave. Even this might be acceptable if the philosophy and/or physics were interesting. However, the author seems to think throwing together ideas that sound good result in a coherent philosophy. For example, one "idea" is that something called informational complexity, as a result of expanded human consciousness, will result in some type of physical subspace conduit through which people can travel. In Hard science fiction the extrapolations conform to our basic concepts of reality. Speculative science fiction builds a world view that is separate from our scientific ideas, but still internally consistent. Combining these two types of science fiction results in this book.
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Title: Ilium by Dan Simmons ISBN: 0380978938 Publisher: Eos Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: Better Angels by Howard V. Hendrix ISBN: 0441006523 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: October, 1999 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Lightpaths by Howard V. Hendrix ISBN: 0441004709 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Empty Cities of the Full Moon by Howard V. Hendrx, Howard V. Hendrix ISBN: 0441009379 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 06 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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