The God Wave Is a Sci-Fi Thriller for Grown Ups
It’s long been said there’s nothing new under the sun, and no one knows that better than writers. Even Shakespeare was drafting on the classics, after all, andeven in science fiction and fantasy—genres that trade in the deliriously impossible—most new books involve ideas we’ve all seen before. The trick is dealing with those ideas in fresh, original, and exciting ways.
The God Wave: A Novel
Hardcover $24.99
The God Wave: A Novel
Hardcover $24.99
In Patrick Hemstreet’s The God Wave offers a nearly perfect example of how to do it: its core idea—humans stumble upon telekinetic powers that might be the next stage of human evolution—isn’t entirely new. The other threads he weaves in, from shady government agencies, to the erosion of personal rights and rule of law, to plain, old-fashioned conspiracy theories, aren’t new either. But Hemstreet pulls all these elements together into a smart, human-scale thriller that is reminiscent of Michael Crichton’s best work. It’s a book that sells its SF-nal concept to both genre fans and wider audiences via a grounded approach—and rock solid science.
Rise of the Zetas
The God Wave is the story of scientists and engineers: neuroscientist Chuck Brenton, mathematician Matt Steegman, and their respective teams. Together, they stumble onto a way to translate human thought into instructions for computer interfaces, whether software or hardware. Matt sees profit potential, Chuck sees a way to make the world a better place with robots that fight fires or interfaces that help surgeons—but neither anticipates what comes next. The test subjects they’ve recruited start to exhibit a new brain wave, officially designated a Zeta Wave, but referred to as the “God Wave.” Subjects who enter this high level of mental activity first find they can manipulate the interfaces when not connected physically to them—and then start to exhibit abilities even beyond that.
Thrilling
All of this is fascinating, but Hemstreet perfectly places these really smart and—by and large—well-meaning people in an unfamiliar environment when Matt convinces the team to sign a contract with what they think is a Department of Defense group known as “Deep Shield.” The money is incredible, the facilities top-notch, and the contract they eventually agree on makes them feel protected. But slowly, the team becomes disconcerted. As the team’s abilities increase (often thanks to under-the-radar, after-hours practice), their new employers become increasingly scary—and their motives grow increasingly questionable. Hemstreet matches the growing power of the “Zetas” with the growing unease they feel about their situation, resulting in fantastic, nigh-unbearable tension.
No holds barred
Hemstreet isn’t coy; where some writers make the mistake of throttling back the implications of their core premise, he dives in, though not without grounding the narrative in fundamentals of science and engineering that give the story a sheen of verisimilitude. The real fun is finding yourself echoing the characters as they wonder, well, if I can do this, maybe I can do that. Their power grows organically, and by the end, even the most incredible feats seem perfectly reasonable, because Hemstreet has laid a foundation for them.
The narrative doesn’t hold back either. Once the team realizes they’ve gotten themselves into a scary situation, they don’t sit back and take it. They decide to fight back in different ways—and Hemstreet doesn’t shy away from the collateral damage that results. The last act of the book is split between two tense, exciting set pieces that allow the Zetas to demonstrate just how far they’ve come—and just how hard their enemies will fight to dominate them.
Grown up complexities
The characters are refreshingly mature—but that doesn’t mean the book forgoes drama and romance. It’s in their motivations that the characters’ maturity shines through—these are highly-educated, confident people at the top of their various fields (which include performance and martial arts in addition to math, programming, engineering, and neuroscience—we’re talking serious talent here), and the conflicts they enter into are about real issues. At the same time, Hemstreet reminds us they are human, with doubts and personality quirks that feel lived-in. That contributes to the sense of stakes, because when things get sticky, it’s easy to get caught up in the moral and ethical decisions they’re facing.
Sequel T/K
The best part is that, though the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, there are still unanswered questions, and a perfect setup for a sequel—a sequel you’ll be desperate to read. Hemstreet has created a complex story filled with complicated characters, and by the end, all the pieces have moved around on the board—but the ultimate endgame is still in the offing. We can only hope we don’t have long to wait.
The God Wave is available May 17.
In Patrick Hemstreet’s The God Wave offers a nearly perfect example of how to do it: its core idea—humans stumble upon telekinetic powers that might be the next stage of human evolution—isn’t entirely new. The other threads he weaves in, from shady government agencies, to the erosion of personal rights and rule of law, to plain, old-fashioned conspiracy theories, aren’t new either. But Hemstreet pulls all these elements together into a smart, human-scale thriller that is reminiscent of Michael Crichton’s best work. It’s a book that sells its SF-nal concept to both genre fans and wider audiences via a grounded approach—and rock solid science.
Rise of the Zetas
The God Wave is the story of scientists and engineers: neuroscientist Chuck Brenton, mathematician Matt Steegman, and their respective teams. Together, they stumble onto a way to translate human thought into instructions for computer interfaces, whether software or hardware. Matt sees profit potential, Chuck sees a way to make the world a better place with robots that fight fires or interfaces that help surgeons—but neither anticipates what comes next. The test subjects they’ve recruited start to exhibit a new brain wave, officially designated a Zeta Wave, but referred to as the “God Wave.” Subjects who enter this high level of mental activity first find they can manipulate the interfaces when not connected physically to them—and then start to exhibit abilities even beyond that.
Thrilling
All of this is fascinating, but Hemstreet perfectly places these really smart and—by and large—well-meaning people in an unfamiliar environment when Matt convinces the team to sign a contract with what they think is a Department of Defense group known as “Deep Shield.” The money is incredible, the facilities top-notch, and the contract they eventually agree on makes them feel protected. But slowly, the team becomes disconcerted. As the team’s abilities increase (often thanks to under-the-radar, after-hours practice), their new employers become increasingly scary—and their motives grow increasingly questionable. Hemstreet matches the growing power of the “Zetas” with the growing unease they feel about their situation, resulting in fantastic, nigh-unbearable tension.
No holds barred
Hemstreet isn’t coy; where some writers make the mistake of throttling back the implications of their core premise, he dives in, though not without grounding the narrative in fundamentals of science and engineering that give the story a sheen of verisimilitude. The real fun is finding yourself echoing the characters as they wonder, well, if I can do this, maybe I can do that. Their power grows organically, and by the end, even the most incredible feats seem perfectly reasonable, because Hemstreet has laid a foundation for them.
The narrative doesn’t hold back either. Once the team realizes they’ve gotten themselves into a scary situation, they don’t sit back and take it. They decide to fight back in different ways—and Hemstreet doesn’t shy away from the collateral damage that results. The last act of the book is split between two tense, exciting set pieces that allow the Zetas to demonstrate just how far they’ve come—and just how hard their enemies will fight to dominate them.
Grown up complexities
The characters are refreshingly mature—but that doesn’t mean the book forgoes drama and romance. It’s in their motivations that the characters’ maturity shines through—these are highly-educated, confident people at the top of their various fields (which include performance and martial arts in addition to math, programming, engineering, and neuroscience—we’re talking serious talent here), and the conflicts they enter into are about real issues. At the same time, Hemstreet reminds us they are human, with doubts and personality quirks that feel lived-in. That contributes to the sense of stakes, because when things get sticky, it’s easy to get caught up in the moral and ethical decisions they’re facing.
Sequel T/K
The best part is that, though the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, there are still unanswered questions, and a perfect setup for a sequel—a sequel you’ll be desperate to read. Hemstreet has created a complex story filled with complicated characters, and by the end, all the pieces have moved around on the board—but the ultimate endgame is still in the offing. We can only hope we don’t have long to wait.
The God Wave is available May 17.