NEW SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY REVIEWS
Reviews Of Recently Published Science Fiction And Fantasy Books
Reviewer: Forrest Schultz schultz_forrest@yahoo.com 770-583-3258
Blog Address: http://newsciencefictionandfantasyreviews.blogspot.com/
October 28, 2016
The Karma Of Physics And A Fantas--Tick Boy
A Review of James Dashner's The 13th Reality Quadrilogy
Reviewer: Forrest W. Schultz
In the late 1960s a book titled The Tao Of Physics was published showing the similarity between various concepts in Eastern religions (such as the Tao) and the Copenhagen School of Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (held by most physicists). In the book under review here, in which quantum mechanics is very important, the Tao is not mentioned but Karma is. In fact Karma is so important that the story ends with a victory produced by Karma when the hero, a boy nicknamed "Tick", presses a button on a (magical?? scientific?? both??) box which releases the Karma. In the world-view of this story the science fiction and the fantasy are so tightly interwoven that it is really impossible to classify by genre as one or the other. AND on p. iv the story is NOT designated as either or both but as 1. Space and Time -- Fiction; and 2. Adventures and Adventurers -- Fiction. To see what I mean, you really need to read the story, which I encourage you to do: it is one of the most interesting tales I have ever read, and the characters are well-drawn and unforgettable. It will be especially interesting for those who like to read about alternate time-lines, which, in this story are referred to as alternate realities, of which there are 13. And the story involves a good deal of solving riddles, which are similar to some of those found in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. For info on this quadrilogy and its author you can visit his website at www.jamesdashner.com or the13threality.wikia.com.
