SubscribeThis is the Science-Fiction book I have been waiting for! It’s a bestseller in Germany, the country the author lives in. In Germany, the book is called Der Schwarm! I couldn’t pass this one up when I saw it!
I couldn’t put this book down! Its filled with so much good stuff. The basic story idea is simple. There are aliens living in the oceans, who have been here much longer than humans, are smarter than us, and are really, really, tired of us now. The book is incredibly action packed. One scene describes a coordinated whale attack, that is better than anything in “Jaws”. A scene towards the end where a gigantic boat is sinking is as exciting as some of “Titanic”. There is lots of explosions, some gunfire, and even a Tsunami! In between all of the action is a mystery the characters are trying to solve, as they try to connect the dots between the many catastrophies and plagues that are happening around the world, and the source of it all. Each character is extremely well developed, with his or her own history and problems. Its wonderful! Many are scientists, from different countries and branches of science. It would take too long to detail them all here, so I will leave the reader to meet them as you go through the book.
If all that is not enough to make you want to dive into this book, there’s more! The book is filled with lots and lots of science! For those of you who find biology and genetics as fascinating as I do, and can’t seem to read enough about it, this book will give you your fix. There is detailed talk about many of the ocean’s creatures, habitats, and how they all go together. Some of the characters in the book are scientists, and their work includes genetics, which they talk about with each other. Lots of talk about how cells function, what they do, what they can’t do, and how different chemicals affect that. If you don’t really dig biology that much, there is still something for you. Schatzing includes many computers, underwater robots, and even details about how different boats work. The SETI program also plays a part in this book, and uses mathematics! There are even aliens. The best part is that you don’t know about a particular technical thing mentioned in the book, Shatzing will give you a refresher course. He has placed at least one character in the mix in each part who isn’t familiar with the concept, and the other characters masterfully educate him and the readers at the same time.
If you are a nature buff, this book is also for you. Beautiful descriptions about the ocean, schools of fish, whales, sharks, and pods of dolphins. Much of this book can be viewed from an environmental standpoint. Of course, much of the planet in this book is under attack, so the book makes for a good Armageddon/end of the world story as well. I always seem to enjoy those!
Also interesting, is that the book isn’t centered only on what happens to America, and Americans. Few characters are Americans. Most of the ones that are Americans are not exactly shown in our best light. There is a lot of political backstabbing going on, spying, and lying. The President sounds an awful lot like our George. He relies on advisers to make key decisions, and keeps phrasing things in ways only Christians would choose to do. (In parts, he wants to kill the aliens because he thinks humans, especially Americans, are “formed in God’s Image” and therefore, supposed to “win”). One of the advisors is a woman named Judith Li, who is a General. She’s manipulative, and power hungry, and might even be actually crazy. (One thing I didn’t like was Shatzing often refers to her as the General Li. Makes me think of the car of a similar name from a popular TV show).
There is so much in this book! Its definately worth the time it took to read through the over 800 pages. I got this book as an Advanced Reader Copy, because I work in a bookstore. It should be out in June 2006. Science Fiction fans will enjoy reading this over their summer vacations.
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