The Fold Is a Great Science Fiction Novel and a Great Mystery Novel
Peter Clines is no stranger to blending genres and blowing minds, and he’s at it again with The Fold. In the author’s afterword, Clines mentions that the idea for this novel has been with him since his school days, when a creative writing teacher’s disdain for it made him put it aside. It’s easy to see why he finally returned to it: the premise is awesome.
The Fold: A Novel
Hardcover $25.00
The Fold: A Novel
By Peter Clines
Hardcover $25.00
Leland “Mike” Erikson has perfect recall, a “photographic memory” that he envisions as ants in his head piecing together high-definition memories of everything he’s ever experienced—every book read, every death of a pet or a loved one, all as fresh as if he’d experienced them this morning. As he’s worked hard to avoid absorbing so much information that he loses his ability to connect with others, only one person is truly aware of Mike’s talents: his childhood friend Reggie, who now works for the CIA. Reggie visits Mike and asks him to investigate a remarkable science project being funded by the government—a secretive team claims to have invented a device that uses a “fold” in space/time to cut travel distances exponentially. In other words, you walk two feet, but travel thousands of miles (think the seven-league boots of fairy tales). The implications for society are unfathomable.
Except, something’s wrong. From a dead dog, to a team member who apparently went insane shortly after a trip through the device, to an ominous sense of dread pervading the facility, something’s very wrong. And as Mike investigates, the story exists in two parallel quantum states: a cracking sci-fi adventure, and a mystery novel. How does that work?
Mike’s a great detective
Like many of the most famous detectives, the protagonist is a genius, and his nickname, Mike, is a shortened version of Mycroft—as in Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s smarter brother. Mike remembers everything he sees, hears, tastes, or touches in excruciating detail, yes, but he also rapidly understands things, at one point teaching himself the a programming language in a few hours, with no prior training. Like many of the world’s most famous literary detectives, Mike doesn’t just spot details the rest of us miss, he knows how to interpret them.
The clues are all there
Speaking of clues, Clines plays fair: all the clues you need to figure out what’s happening are right there in the early goings. You won’t need an advanced physics degree to have a sporting chance of solving the mystery before Mike, even if the author does withhold a few details here and there to heighten the tension. All the best mystery stories play keep their noses clean, allowing you, the reader, a shot at playing detective.
It observes classic mystery tropes
The first half is structured exactly like a classic mystery story: the reluctant detective drafted by a person in authority. The hostile locals who resent the investigating interloper, probably because they have secrets to safeguard. It’s even got a that scene where the detective gathers everyone together in order to reveal, bit by bit, what he’s figured out, and how.
There’s no cheating
Some writers use a sci-fi setting as license to make up whatever they want in order to solve a problem. Characters develop previously unmentioned abilities, rules are tweaked, and literal deus ex machinas arrive, belching plot smoke and producing plot mirrors. Clines’ mystery is free from such trickery. Yes, the basic premise is science fiction, but the mystery of what’s going on, and what’s become of a few unfortunate souls, is straightforward, and fairly played.
But it’s also a great sci-fi premise
So yes, it’s a fun mystery, but The Fold is also a fantastic science fiction story. The premise is an ideal science fiction scenario, and the way the mystery plays out naturally draws on some great SF-nal concepts.
Bottom line? This one’s for sci-fi fans, mystery fans, and fans of books that take you in unexpected directions, neatly wrapped up in witty writing, perfect pacing, and a sense of fun.
The Fold is available now.
Leland “Mike” Erikson has perfect recall, a “photographic memory” that he envisions as ants in his head piecing together high-definition memories of everything he’s ever experienced—every book read, every death of a pet or a loved one, all as fresh as if he’d experienced them this morning. As he’s worked hard to avoid absorbing so much information that he loses his ability to connect with others, only one person is truly aware of Mike’s talents: his childhood friend Reggie, who now works for the CIA. Reggie visits Mike and asks him to investigate a remarkable science project being funded by the government—a secretive team claims to have invented a device that uses a “fold” in space/time to cut travel distances exponentially. In other words, you walk two feet, but travel thousands of miles (think the seven-league boots of fairy tales). The implications for society are unfathomable.
Except, something’s wrong. From a dead dog, to a team member who apparently went insane shortly after a trip through the device, to an ominous sense of dread pervading the facility, something’s very wrong. And as Mike investigates, the story exists in two parallel quantum states: a cracking sci-fi adventure, and a mystery novel. How does that work?
Mike’s a great detective
Like many of the most famous detectives, the protagonist is a genius, and his nickname, Mike, is a shortened version of Mycroft—as in Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s smarter brother. Mike remembers everything he sees, hears, tastes, or touches in excruciating detail, yes, but he also rapidly understands things, at one point teaching himself the a programming language in a few hours, with no prior training. Like many of the world’s most famous literary detectives, Mike doesn’t just spot details the rest of us miss, he knows how to interpret them.
The clues are all there
Speaking of clues, Clines plays fair: all the clues you need to figure out what’s happening are right there in the early goings. You won’t need an advanced physics degree to have a sporting chance of solving the mystery before Mike, even if the author does withhold a few details here and there to heighten the tension. All the best mystery stories play keep their noses clean, allowing you, the reader, a shot at playing detective.
It observes classic mystery tropes
The first half is structured exactly like a classic mystery story: the reluctant detective drafted by a person in authority. The hostile locals who resent the investigating interloper, probably because they have secrets to safeguard. It’s even got a that scene where the detective gathers everyone together in order to reveal, bit by bit, what he’s figured out, and how.
There’s no cheating
Some writers use a sci-fi setting as license to make up whatever they want in order to solve a problem. Characters develop previously unmentioned abilities, rules are tweaked, and literal deus ex machinas arrive, belching plot smoke and producing plot mirrors. Clines’ mystery is free from such trickery. Yes, the basic premise is science fiction, but the mystery of what’s going on, and what’s become of a few unfortunate souls, is straightforward, and fairly played.
But it’s also a great sci-fi premise
So yes, it’s a fun mystery, but The Fold is also a fantastic science fiction story. The premise is an ideal science fiction scenario, and the way the mystery plays out naturally draws on some great SF-nal concepts.
Bottom line? This one’s for sci-fi fans, mystery fans, and fans of books that take you in unexpected directions, neatly wrapped up in witty writing, perfect pacing, and a sense of fun.
The Fold is available now.