No Rest for the Wicked by Dane Cobain
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Science and Religion collide when researchers at the new CERN particle accelerator try to discover the elusive theoretical Boson-Higgs particle, aka the “God Particle.” Despite the misnomer, the particle’s existence has zero bearing on religion, nor does the research conducted prove or disprove or in any way relate to religion nor the existence of a deity. However, that’s a repeated subtheme in the tale here, that somehow CERN research set about to disprove God.
In the fantastical, speculative world of the story, the research unleashes hibernating “Angels.” And they are horrifying. [Think: Dr. Who‘s episode “Blink.”] Angels are supernatural, light-based beings who judge harshly and murder. What’s left unclear is where the angels get their moral-code from. It seems to assume the Bible which clashes with the narrative itself.
Working against the narrative is the short story plot stretched into a novel without further development and the highly disjointed first half of the book. Chapters aren’t chronological, but without a good enough reason to not be. They also jump characters frequently without distinguishing the importance of said characters. 3-4 interspersed chapters taking place a half-century before the events of the tale, would have worked just as well as a single flashback, or better yet, could’ve been omitted for the sake of pace as they added little to the tale.
I received my copy of this novel directly from the author through bookreviewdirectory.wordpress.com. I previously read and reviewed this author’s Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boats Come Home and Former.ly.
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