The Fold: A Novel

by Peter Clines

Overview

A page-turning science-fiction thriller from the author of Paradox Bound and the Ex-Heroes series.

Step into the fold. It's perfectly safe.

The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's chosen isn’t much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he’s content with his quiet and peaceful existence.  

That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve: far out in the California desert, a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device they affectionately call the Albuquerque Door. Using a cryptic computer equation and magnetic fields to “fold” dimensions, it shrinks distances so that a traveler can travel hundreds of feet with a single step.

The invention promises to make mankind’s dreams of teleportation a reality. And, the scientists insist, traveling through the Door is completely safe. Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine isn’t quite what it seems—and that its creators are harboring a dangerous secret. As his investigations draw him deeper into the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there’s only one answer that makes sense. And if he’s right, it may only be a matter of time before the project destroys…everything.  

A cunningly inventive mystery featuring a hero worthy of Sherlock Holmes and a terrifying final twist you’ll never see coming, The Fold is that rarest of things: a genuinely page-turning science-fiction thriller.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553447477
Publisher:	Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	479,583
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

PETER CLINES has published several pieces of short fiction and countless articles on the film and television industries. He is the author of Paradox Bound and the acclaimed Ex-Heroes series. He lives in Southern California.

Read an Excerpt

ONE
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Fold"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Peter Clines.
Excerpted by permission of Crown/Archetype.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

A must-read for anyone who likes a good science-fiction thriller…an intelligent, exciting story with a brilliant protagonist and a mystery that genuinely surprised me."
—Andy Weir, New York Times bestselling author of The Martian 

“A terrific SF mystery.”
—Fantasy Book Critic

“A fun, brilliant read. Technical enough to enthrall, fast-paced enough to stay engaging to the explosive end, The Fold has everything I want in an SF novel, and then a little bit extra.”
—Mira Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Feed
 
“Part techno thriller, part supernatural mystery, all awesome.”
—SF Signal  

"That rare thriller that always keeps just one step ahead of the reader...a crackling, electric read."
—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Aftermath

“A little Crichton and a little Sherlock—and sure to please fans of both."
—Wesley Chu, author of Lives of Tao

“An ingenious science mystery with a terrifying Lovecraftian twist.“
—Dread Central
  
“A science fiction thriller with a bit of Sherlock Holmes and a bit of H.P. Lovecraft thrown in…a book you’ll want to pass along to your friends when you’re done.”
—FantasyLiterature.com
 
“I was enthralled…a mix of scientific extrapolation, fast-paced plotting, surprising twists, clues for the savvy reader, and credible characters.”
—Sci Fi Bulletin
 
“Absolutely riveting…[features] weird science, great characters, snappy dialogue, a slowly developing mystery and edge of your seat action.”
—SF Crowsnest
  
"A mind-blowing science fiction mystery that kept me guessing right to the end…Clines’ writing is steeped in popular culture and unexpectedly funny, yet highly perceptive and infused with a subtle intelligence. If you haven’t read him, you’re in for a wonderful surprise." 
—Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Dead City 
 
"A smart, intense thriller with just a dash of dark humor, The Fold will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning. Well done, Peter Clines!"
—DJ Molles, author of the Remaining series
 
“Wow! This is why I love spec fic. Brilliant, unpredictable, and mind-bending, The Fold is one of the best books I’ve read in years. An SF thriller that summons Lovecraftian monsters, it will surprise you again and again. Read it!”
—John Dixon, author of Phoenix Island 

From the Publisher

04/06/2015
Clines (the Ex-Heroes series) adds to the comfort-read shelves with this fun, character-driven techno-thriller. Leland “Mike” Erikson is a supergenius who is gifted—and cursed—with a truly perfect memory. He’s content to teach high school in a small town until his DARPA-employed friend Reggie convinces him to investigate a government-funded teleportation project that has encountered some issues. Mike’s amazed to find that the teleportation works, but there’s something seriously wrong behind the scenes. The scientists consider him a distraction at best, and a spy at worst, until a fatal accident forces them all to work together. Clines lays the groundwork nicely as the tale evolves from a scientific mystery into a thriller with elements of horror and adventure. The solid and diverse cast of characters helps compensate for the slower pace of the first half and nicely raises the stakes once things go really awry. A good smattering of pop culture references serves to ground the story and characters, and it even enhances some plot twists. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/15/2015
Mike Erickson has been turning down jobs from his friend Reggie for years, but he can't resist when Reggie tells him there are scientists working on a project involving instantaneous travel through the folding of space. Reggie works for the Department of Defense and wants Mike to check on the team's progress as he has been unable to get the group to release any information about the project. Mike arrives at the compound where the scientists are working, encountering hostility and a level of secrecy beyond anything he expected. The team is hiding something about the machine and how it works. VERDICT A fascinating and accessible treatment of quantum physics make this a terrific example of science-run-amok that gradually turns to horror as the project's secrets are revealed. Clines (who wrote the excellent zombie superhero series that began with Ex-Heroes) has created a great character in Mike, who has a rare form of nearly photographic memory, making him an ideal eyewitness to events unfolding.

Library Journal

2015-03-21
A schoolteacher with unusual gifts is recruited by the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects division to investigate a troubled project.There's a great big bait and switch in the middle of this sci-fi thriller by Clines (Ex-Purgatory, 2014, etc.), but it's unlikely to deter readers intrigued by its full-on Michael Crichton-esque premise. Our hero is Leland "Mike" Erikson, whom we meet quietly teaching the last day of a high school English class in Maine. We soon learn that Mike is one of those gifted people who's chosen to walk away from his talents, but his gifts are particularly thorny. Not only is he a certified genius, but he also got a bonus: an eidetic memory. "I've got...complete, instantaneous recall of anything I've ever seen or heard," he explains. Mike is intrigued by an offer from his childhood friend Reggie Magnus, who's now the head honcho for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. A team of six DARPA scientists working on a small campus near San Diego appears to have created a working teleportation device dubbed "The Albuquerque Door," and Reggie asks Mike to see if it's bogus or not. There's definitely Weird Stuff going on. One team member returns from the portal convinced that his wife has been replaced with a stranger. Another comes through the portal with fatal wounds and massive radiation burns. Mike discovers that the team's math is largely based on the work of an obscure, possibly insane Russian scientist named Aleksander Koturovic. There are some leaps of faith to be made—why would the government limit access to a universe-changing technology to six scientists and a schoolteacher? But fans of Clines' colorful fantasy novels will happily follow him into the Lovecraft-ian nightmare that follows. Fans of the author's popular novel 14 (2012) will want to pay particular attention, as these shared universes share other horrors as well.

Kirkus Reviews