Singularity FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Reminiscent of novels by science fiction masters like Robert A. Heinlein, Larry Niven, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov -- authors who based their stories on hard science -- Bill DeSmedt's debut novel, Singularity, is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that revolves around a submicroscopic black hole in a decaying orbit deep inside the Earth's mantle that will persist until it has devoured the entire planet!
The story begins on June 30, 1908, in a remote Siberian area known as the Stony Tunguska Basin. There, something crashes into Earth and topples forests over an area half the size of Rhode Island. Was it part of a comet? An alien spacecraft? A solar plasmoid released from the sun? After nearly a century of conjecture, it remains the "cosmic mystery of the millennium."
But Jack Adler, an American astrophysicist, thinks he has it all figured out. Furthering a much-ridiculed 1973 theory known as the Jackson-Ryan hypothesis, which supposes that a black hole -- smaller than an atom and heavier than a mountain -- was responsible for the Tungaska Event, Adler believes the black hole didn't exit the planet as Jackson and Ryan surmised but remained inside Earth. Meanwhile, rookie government agent Marianne Bonaventure and an unassuming analyst, Jon Knox, are thrown together as they try to figure out why a powerful Russian industrialist is secretly gathering scientists and spending billions on alleged WMD research.
With a cast of engaging characters, highly inventive and witty prose, and enough intriguing plot twists to keep readers in a state of perpetual shock until the very last page, Singularity is easily as entertaining as any Michael Crichton or Greg Bear thriller. Equal parts hard science fiction adventure and mainstream technothriller, Singularity is arguably one of the best debuts of 2004. Paul Goat Allen
FROM THE PUBLISHER
June 30th, 1908 ﾽ In the remote Tunguska region of
Siberia, the most violent cosmic collision in recorded history flattened ancient
forests over an area half the size of Rhode Island. Yet after a hundred years of
international scientific research the cause of this impact remains a
mystery.
A
MAVERICK ASTROPHYSICIST
Jack Adler thinks heﾽs fingered the culprit: a submicroscopic black
hole, smaller than an atom, heavier than a mountain, older than the stars.
Whatﾽs more, that fantastic object is still down there, deep inside the Earth,
burrowing through the mantle in an ever-decaying orbit that will end only when
it has devoured the entire planet.
A
ROOKIE SECRET AGENT
Marianna Bonaventure is tracking three missing scientists suspected
of involvement in weapons of mass destruction research. The trail leads to
Rusalka, the luxurious floating corporate headquarters of billionaire Russian
industrialist Arkady Grishin. Determined to prove herself, Marianna creates an
elaborate ruse in order to infiltrate the megayacht ﾽ a dangerous gambit that
requires the coerced cooperation of a rather special civilian . .
.
AN UNCANNY CONSULTANT
Jonathan Knox is one of the countryﾽs most sought-after analysts; his
knack for intuiting hidden relationships among seemingly disparate events serves
his Fortune-50 clients well. But when Marianna compels the reluctant Knox to
join her undercover mission, he must grapple with puzzles of a whole different
order of magnitude.
Against violent and cunning opposition, the three of them unearth a
scheme to capture the submicroscopic black hole that caused the Tunguska Event
and use its awesome power to transform the world ﾽ or end it
altogether.
Bill
DeSmedtﾽs debut is a tour-de-force of breakneck plotting, complex characters,
and cutting-edge science. From the trackless wastes of Siberia to the rooftops
of Manhattan to the stygian depths of the North Atlantic, Singularity weaves a
richly detailed and intelligent tale, meticulously researched and elegantly
told.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
DeSmedt's debut SF thriller, a brisk Michael Crichton clone, vividly depicts the Tunguska event that leveled a big patch of Siberia in 1908, then shifts to the near-future, where warrior woman Marianna Bonaventure is working for CROM (Critical Resources Oversight Mandate), the U.S. Department of Energy's branch for dealing with loose WMD talent. Meanwhile, in Siberia, scientist Jack Adler discovers that Tunguska was actually hit by a microscopic black hole, not a meteorite. Marianna and an intuitive analyst, Jonathan Knox, are assigned to infiltrate the gigantic yacht Rusalka, owned by the Russian billionaire Arkady Grishin, who is on the trail of something odd. It turns out that Grishin is not who he seems and his motives for finding the Tunguska object are a great deal more sinister than anyone had supposed. The book bounces along, from well-developed scenes to lesser ones and back again, with a good deal of deft if not particularly original characterization. The sexual chemistry between Marianna and Jonathan adds spice. Exotic hardware, lifestyles of the rich and notorious, double- and triple-crosses and a slightly rushed and facile conclusion all make a respectable if not outstanding first effort. Agent, Jake Elwell at Wieser & Elwell. (Nov. 8) Forecast: A $25,000 promo budget, a blurb from Craig Bear and an 11-city author tour should ensure respectable sales. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Anthony Olcott
"Singularity is a three-bag homer of a book - a mind-bending technothriller set on the edge of tomorrow, an East-West political thriller chilling enough to refreeze the Cold War, and an old fashioned pageturner, of the sort you can't decide whether to zip through, for the excitement, or to read slowly, to savor." — Edgar- and Silver Dagger Award nominee
Kip Thorne
"Bill [DeSmedt] got the vast majority of the physics right, which is highly unusual - especially in a book that is such a good read." — national bestselling author of Black Holes and Time
Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy
DAVID BRIN
DeSmedt veers an action-packed thriller into perilous realms of black hole physics. The combination of adrenaline and intellect sizzles. — New York Times bestselling author; Hugo & Nebula award winner
KEVIN J. ANDERSON
Singularity juggles Clancy, Crichton, and The Da Vinci Code. An innovative concept for an end-of-the-world thriller, with convincing research and locomotive pacing. — New York Times bestselling author
GREG BEAR
Singularity is a swift, gripping novel with a goose-pimple mix of scary science and near-future action. An excellent debut from Bill DeSmedt - and I'll be looking forward to his next one! — New York Times bestselling author; Hugo & Nebula award winner
Home
