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Prism takes us to a slightly alternate universe in which medicine and health care do not exist, and in which sick people are allowed to die without any care. Set in New Mexico and California, the novel features three teens who fall through a cave at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico while on a field trip. They are plunged into a frightening parallel universe—seven weeks in the past, in which their "normal" worlds of family and high school remain the same except for the fact that no medicine exists and when people die in the street they are picked up and disposed of.
Faye Kellerman is the author of twenty-seven novels, including twenty New York Times bestselling mysteries that feature the husband-and-wife team of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. She has also penned two bestselling short novels with her husband, New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman, and recently teamed up with her daughter Aliza to cowrite a young adult novel, Prism—the story of four teens in an alternate universe. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Kellerman, who was inspired by her husband to begin writing, is also the author of Moon Music, a contemporary thriller set in Las Vegas, and The Quality of Mercy, a historical novel of Elizabethan England. Fans needn't worry, however, that Kellerman is going to abandon the pair she is best known for. "I never tire of them," Kellerman says in an interview on her publisher's web site of Decker and Lazarus. "I like them very much, but to keep them fresh is the main reason why I have two 'outside-the-series' or 'stand alone' books. Once in a while you have to sit back and gain some perspective on these people that you are writing about year after year."
Prism
Chapter Three
"He didn't get out?" Zeke was in a panic. "What do you mean he didn't get out!" He kicked the ground with the type of anger found only in boys and men.
"You don't know that," I told Joy. "Don't say that!"
"The car was completely mangled..."
"We got out!"
"Exactly," Joy said. "We got out. So where is he?"
"He's around here somewhere!" My tears were falling fast and furious. Think,
Hutchinson, think! "Let's back it up. Everyone just shut up a moment and let's try to think!"
No one spoke, which made things even creepier. The only thing that was now making noise was the fire...loud popping noises that expelled glowing embers upward like an erupting volcano. To drown it out, I started talking. "What happened exactly? I mean I know we crashed, but. .. how?"
"I'm pretty sure we hit something." Joy's voice wasn't much louder than a whisper.
"What about Mr. Addison?" I continued. "Should we go back to the car and check? Maybe he got flung out and needs us and. . ."
"Did you see him?" Zeke questioned.
"No," I responded.
Joy gulped. "I might've. I mean I think he was still in the car. .. or maybe between the car and a rock or maybe. .. Everything was getting hot and smoky."
"Oh, God." I felt revolted. I felt sick.
"I...I really can't be sure.. . ."
I twisted my shoe into the dusty ground. The desert was vast and completely alien. It was dark but not black because of the fire and the overcast night, the cloud- covered full moon providing some visibility. I couldn't make out any bugs or beasts, but we all knew that terrible things wereout there. I felt an electric breeze run over my face, blowing my hair in all directions. Up above, the winds were pushing the clouds across the sky.
"Okay." I drew a line in the dust of the New Mexican desert. "Let's think."
They continued to breathe heavily and say nothing.
"Okay." I rubbed my hands together and then clapped them, trying to signify something official. "Where's everyone else from our school?"
"Driving miles ahead of us." Zeke groaned.
"Or miles behind us," I proposed. "Our car could have moved quicker than the big vans they were using. So maybe all we have to do is wait until they catch up."
"Does anyone have a phone?" Joy inquired.
"Mr. Addison made us pack them in the trunk of the van so we wouldn't be on the phone, blah, blah, blah." Zeke sat down and banged his head against the fold of his arms. He was right. All of our luggage and provisions had been incinerated. I had my messenger bag and Zeke had his backpack. Joy had escaped empty-handed. Everything else was gone.
"Check your bag, Kaida," Zeke prodded. "Just in case."
I groped around, but my phone wasn't there. "It's freaking black." Actually more like a subdued navy. I heard rustling and saw the faint outline of Zeke's hands searching through his own backpack. A click sounded and a bright beam shone.
"Wow..." I shielded my eyes.
"Aha!" he shouted comically. "It works!" The light focused on me, then my bag. "Now look for your phone!"
I opened my beautiful, worn bag and sifted through my remaining possessions lovingly. I discovered I had a flashlight, too...thanks, Mom!...and quickly extracted it. I turned it on. "Let's all go through our stuff. You know, to see how much food we have, et cetera."
"Good idea," Zeke agreed.
We sat down on the cold, dusty ground and rifled through our bags. For the next two minutes, the silence of the desert was broken as we tore through items, hoped, waited, listened for some car motor or anything that signified salvation.
"No," I stated dryly. "No phone."
"What do you have, Hutchinson?"
"Where's Joy?" I panicked. I hadn't heard her voice for a few minutes.
"I'm here."
"Stop pacing and sit down," I told her. "We need to stick together." She sat. Her face was wet and she was still shaking. It dawned on me that she was walking to burn off all that nervous energy. "I didn't bring my bag. That was stupid."
"Who had time?" I told her.
"Did you find anything, Kaida?" Zeke asked me again.
"Yeah." I focused my flashlight on the ground. Inside my bag was a thrift-shop sweatshirt that said DANCE! DANCE! in loopy black scrawl. I also had a poncho, the ugly yellow kind you beg your mom not to pack. Thank goodness Mom disregarded my wishes. I also had aspirin that I didn't remember packing and Benadryl that I vaguely associated with fire and Maria. I also had pretzels, a bag of potato chips, and lots of candy, along with two bottles of water, which was now worth its weight in gold. I turned to Zeke. "How about you?"
Zeke gestured at his pack. There was another sweatshirt, blue and crumpled. Another poncho, but his was red. He had some Cheez-Its and Doritos and another couple bottles of water. He also had a GPS, probably the most useful thing either of us had managed to bring. Suddenly I felt like I was suffocating and I began to cry.
"I feel like I'm in a bad movie." Joy rubbed her arms. Then a small light flicked by her face.
I ignored Joy's words and focused on the pinpoint of sparkling orange by her cheek. What was that? A firefly maybe? The strong, shady scent of tobacco filled my nostrils and I was absolutely baffled.
"Wait. . ." I stared at her. "You forgot your bag. You didn't sneak in your phone. But you have a lighter and a cigarette?"
"It's a disposable lighter. It cost less than a dollar. I had two smokes left in my pocket. I didn't even know I had them."
"A disposable lighter?" Zeke cried.
Joy blew out a cloud of smoke in response. I always wondered if people actually puffed out smoke rings in real life, or if actors just did that in movies.
"How many times can you use it?" he pressed.
She flicked it on and off several times. Nothing came out. "It's empty. .. disposable." In the dark, Joy's face was shadowed. All I could see of her were the wispy ribbons veiling her eyes. "Who cares?" Her voice had become less quivery.
Prism. Copyright © by Faye Kellerman. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.This book was soo interesting. the story is well done. It has a realistic end and I have a feeling there might be a sequel to this book. Can't wait to read it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.i read this book because it looked kool. i didnt expect it to be great though. it was sorta predictable. but i think it was a good read. i wouldnt recomend it though unless you have nothing els to read or you are just looking for a book with a happy ending or something. i just think it was a cute story.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I started reading this book a little over a week and a half ago, and even though I am infamous for completing 400 page books in less than 24-hour sessions, it took me a LONG time to finish this novel. The beginning was exciting, but after that it sort of dragged on. I don't honestly suggest this book to most people, unless they have a Hulk-sized attention span.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kaida isn't that excited for the school trip to Carlsbad Caverns, especially when her van includes two people she can't stand. Little does she know, those two people will become her lifeline.
Their car crashes and blows up right as the make their escape. They're not sure what happened to their teacher. As the skies open and the rain pours down, they find shelter for the night. In the cave, Joy falls into a hole. Kaida and Zeke fall in as they attempt to rescue her. As they struggle to find a way out, they fall sleep until dawn.
Kaida wakes up in her own bed -but in a parallel world. She soon discovers this world is vastly different and people don't like anyone asking questions. Danger follows her around as she attempts to make contact with Joy and Zeke.
Together the three of them attempt to unravel the differences between the worlds and if they can return to normal. Is there any hope for Kaida and her friends?
My Thoughts: I really liked the book until the abrupt ending. Its hard to explain without spoiling the book, but I needed more, much more.
Prism is so shocking and suspenseful that it will keep you hooked until the very last sentence. In Prism Kaida is not happy about going on a class trip to the desert where everyone is split into vans. Kaida the girl with the purple hair is van pooling with Zeke star of the swim team and Joy who seems nice but is a smoker. They are not the same social circle so the trip starts of really quiet.
Mr. Addison, one of the teachers, is driving the van and keeps reminding them to be stay buckled because the road can be dangerous. Soon after they get into a car accident and the van goes up in flames. Kaida, Zeke, and Joy manage to get out and stick together, but there is no sign of Mr. Addison. While trying to decide on what to do in the middle of the dessert it starts to rain and they are forced to find shelter. The shelter they find brings them more problems than help.
Kaida wakes up from a strange dream that leaves her feeling uneasy. Everything seems normal except it's days before her trip. When she arrives at school she feels drawn to Zeke and Joy. As the story goes on they discover a world without medicine and healthcare. Kaida meets Ozzy who will risk anything to help her. The world simply believes the weak die out and the strong survive. They try to learn the new rules without drawing to much attention.
The group hopes that reliving the crash will lead them back, but surviving long enough is a bigger challenge. Prism is the first book I read by mother daughter duo Faye and Aliza Kellerman. I read the book in a matter of hours because there was no way I could put it down. If you are looking for a good suspenseful thriller I recommend this one!
Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2010
This was an amazing read! I couldn't put it down. Enjoyable from beginning to end!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I have to start off this review stating that I wasn't 100% certain how to classify PRISM. It's one of those stories that definitely transcends more than one category. It's part science fiction with the parallel dimensions. It's contemporary with the tentative love story. But I guess, overall, mostly it would be a mystery as Kaida, Zeke, and Joy try to figure out how they got to where they are and how will they get back home.
Kaida Hutchenson (many characters resort to calling her Hutchenson throughout the story) is dreading the class trip to Carlsbad Caverns. It's over a ten hour drive and she's going to be stuck in a van with the jock, Zeke Anderson, and the smoking loner, Joy Tallon. She'd give anything to be in the van with her best friend, Maria, and her sort of boyfriend, Iggy.
On the drive, Kaida's van winds up separated from the others. The drive lulls the three to sleep, only to harshly awaken them when the van crashes, flips, and starts to catch fire. The three make it out relatively unscathed, only for them to realize that their teacher has been left inside and is surely dead, as the fire grows out of control.
Seeking shelter from the cold and rain, the three teens enter a cave. But it's within this cave that their world changes.
Kaida wakes up in her own bed, confused by the bizarre dream she had. She opens her medicine cabinet in the bathroom to retrieve some pain medication, only to find it barren of all medications and containing a bizarre tube: Coyote Cream. She vaguely recalls buying it on a trip somewhere. But when her brother comes into the bathroom and sees the tube, he freaks out, empties the contents, and asks Kaida where she got it and what was she thinking?
It's just this sort of bizarre experience that seems to keep happening to Kaida. She's in her familiar surroundings, but it just doesn't seem right. When she approaches Zeke, and he starts to say he had a dream about her...the two slowly come to realize they're involved in something, but not sure what. And when the two speak the same name, Joy, at the same time, they know that something is wrong.
With the help of a new student, Ozzy, the teens learn about the world they're now stuck in - a world where health care is nonexistent and medication is illegal and called "spills." They believe the only way back to the world they know is to get back to the cave they sought shelter in the first time.
With a very Twilight Zone feeling to the story, PRISM is a book that will keep you entranced until the very end. The concept of a world without any health care is frightening. With dark images of the clean-up crew and a town of dying and ill people, you'll be left to wonder how society survived without everyday staples such as pain medications or antibiotics.
PRISM will make you thankful you're in this world and not the alternative one that Kaida, Zeke, and Joy found themselves.
Anonymous
Posted July 10, 2009
the story is a sound one, but the dialogue and characters leave A LOT to be desired. The middle portion of the novel is exciting, but the end drags and did I mention the dialogue was poor?
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Where do I begin? I am a bit speechless. Prism was simply amazing! Prism was so wickedly delicious I had to pinch myself to make sure I didn't have the most awesome of dreams.
I mean, was this a Jerry Bruckheimer production? Was I on the Warner sound stage? This book definitely has what it takes to make it to the silver screen.
Psst! I have a feeling Prism won't take too long to make it to the big screen.
Now, I'm not sure how much I want to divulge since this is a stunning book w/ so much going on.
Faye & Aliza Kellerman definitely have a best seller in Prism. While Faye is no stranger to the list, Aliza will definitely make her best seller debut this summer w/ her break out Young Adult novel, Prism.
Prism has an eclectic array of action, adventure, suspense, chills & thrills. Prism is like riding the cyclone unbelted during a black out. Really!
Aliza & Faye definitely know how to formulate characters. Kaida is my fave. I found myself not just relating to her but understanding her. The characters in Prism are exceptionally written.
The players are lavishly coated, extremely authentic & incandescent. The cast is sweeping w/ real adolescent expectations, imperfections & misgivings. The teens are not written by some adult "remembering" their teen trials & tribulations, but by a bona fide teen. Bravo!
Faye & Aliza have entered the YA arena w/ this gripping debut. While Faye's name is on the cover, it is Aliza's striking aura that takes center stage. Prism has a distinctive voice that is so different from Faye's usual compelling drama you know you've stepped into Aliza's literary orb.
Aliza is a luminous star on the rise. Prism is just a morsel of what Aliza has in store for reader's looking for ingenious stories that make your brain do imaginative calisthenics.
At times, Prism left me holding my breath. Prism has a soulful inflection that speaks volumes for an artistic sixteen year old making her literary inauguration!
Throughout most of Prism, the characters are superbly three-dimensional ~ from time to time even four-dimensional! ~ and move along smoothly through the narrative.
Faye & Aliza left me shaking my head because this mother-daughter duo set the benchmark for how we should look @ parental author collaborations.
Prism is an outstanding read! A definite must for all ages.
The plot is absolutely striking & it poses the question, "What if ?" " What if ? " "What if"... Utterly chilling!
Trust me there was a "Do Not Disturb" vibe while I was curled up w/ this baby!
Faye & Aliza are exquisite storytellers, seizing your attention from the first page. Aliza & Faye used a kaleidoscope of color to saturate this vibrantly rich tome w/ spine-tingling paranormal suspense.
So, get comfy, grab a tight grip & prepare for an awesome adventure from the minute you open Prism!
California high school student Kaida is on a field trip to Carlsbad Caverns when there is a horrific van accident. Kaida spends a terrible night with two other students Zeke Anderson and Joy Tallon in a cave. The next morning she awakens to find herself in her California bed with her class trip to come next week. Something is not quite right besides the time disparity, but she is unsure of what.
The strangest thing Kaida notices is health care or the lack of as there are no doctors or hospitals. People who are ill are left to recover naturally or sent to the desert to die. Kaida knows this is not her California as the only people who do not look at her as insane over medical care is her two van mates.
This faster than the speed of light action-packed science fiction targets middle school students with an intriguing message about health care. The story line's hyper speed overwhelms the cast even the transplanted trio who are the stars and the world they somehow enter. Still young adult fans will enjoy this accelerated ride that never slows down for a nanosecond.
Harriet Klausner
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Overview
Prism takes us to a slightly alternate universe in which medicine and health care do not exist, and in which sick people are allowed to die without any care. Set in New Mexico and California, the novel features three teens who fall through a cave at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico while on a field trip. They are plunged into a frightening parallel universe—seven weeks in the past, in which their "normal" worlds of family and high school remain the same except for the fact that no medicine exists and when people die in the street they are picked up and disposed of.