Author: Nick Cook
Website: https://therealnickcook.blogspot.com/
Genres: Scifi Technothriller

Review: The Signal, Prequel Novella

Massive download from the cosmos.

If you enjoy non-stop action, this scifi novella will keep you hooked. If you’re looking for interesting concepts, you’ll find dark matter experiments, parallel realities, synaesthesia, AI’s, UFO’s, and hidden agendas.

Lauren and Steve, two scientists running the Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank, are blown away by an enormous signal that floods the telescope’s systems and those of others all over the globe. Even before the massive download completes, Lauren begins to perceive specific geometric shapes triggered by the flow of data and they begin to realize they are dealing with an intelligence not native to this reality. The situation devolves quickly when government agents take over the site and outside forces storm the facilities.

The writing is solid and flows beautifully. I could have done without the government goons and the main character picking up a gun, but the author takes us into ideas about our world that are well worth exploring. The story presents the launching event that carries through both the Fractured Light trilogy and the Earth Song series, all part of the Multiverse Chronicles.

Review: Fractured Light, Book 1, Fractured Light Trilogy

Action-packed, great concepts.

This exciting story centers around an experiment into dark energy gone wrong. Jake Stevens lost his father six years prior in a lab explosion that claimed the lives of dozens. When he is nearly hit by the catastrophic crash of a satellite, his life turns upside down. A computer board from the wreckage sends Jake and his childhood friend Chloe down the proverbial rabbit hole where they find themselves swept into a globe-threatening drama of altered perception and abilities, an alien AI, dark shadow beings, possession, and appalling government cover-ups.

Despite this series being labeled as YA with teen protagonists, which I usually have little interest in, this book kept me riveted way into the night several nights in a row. The characters are finely crafted with remarkable emotional depth. They grow and expand to meet horrific challenges and heal deep traumatic scars. The plot rolls along at a fast clip, with clues to the unraveling mystery deftly woven into the action. The writing is exceptional – full of color and vivid imagery, fluid and intelligent, with a clear, natural rhythm.

I am constantly on the lookout for paradigm popping concepts, so when Sentinel explained who he was, I laughed out loud. The story to that point had been really good, but Sentinel’s character made it great, just what I was hungry for. Since I love multi-faceted, interlinked storytelling, I will definitely be continuing with this series and the rest of Nick Cook’s Multiverse Chronicles. Well done!