Customer Reviews

The Babel Effect

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I will admit a connection to the book; I did some of the scientific research that backs it up, and I know Daniel Hecht. I never actually read the book till it came out, but when it did, I read it through in a few long sittings.

What I found was three books in one. On the surface, it is a good international thriller, with a talented but flawed hero, a team of realistic supporting characters, some whiz-bang science and spy tradecraft, and a varied assortment of bad guys. I appreciated the fact that the violence was not romanticized, and the consequences of violence had equal billing. The second book, contained within the first, is the story of a man who drinks too much, battles with anger, guilt, and his own limited emotional perception, and is afraid that his wife is drifting away from him. His search for his wife is literal, emotional, and globally metaphoric.

The third book, paralleling the first two, is a scientific and philosophical exploration of the fundamental question of evil. Hecht provides no easy answers, but provides a number of interesting avenues of thought. The one that catches me is this: Are good and evil human-created concepts that we impose on events, or are these concepts inherent in the structure of the natural world?

It is the love story, the hero's inner struggles, and the wide philosophical scope that lift this book above the usual cold war spy story or nuke terrorist novel. It is a fitting second novel for Daniel Hecht, after Skull Session. Skull Session was a gothic murder mystery that explored the question of human destiny and genetics by way of neurology. Hecht entertains us and makes us think.

I can't remember reading many books that made me think so much, all the while engaging me in such a well woven story. This is, perhaps, the only suspense novel that I've ever given to other people to read just so that we could discuss the underlying ideas. I'd recommend The Babel Effect as highly as anything I've read in a long time.

As he demonstrated in Skull Session, Daniel Hecht is a gifted writer of formidable imagination. He is a producer of trenchant prose on wonderfully unique themes. In The Babel Effect, he tackles the malaise that affects much of the general population as a result of escalating violence, and suggests a very viable thesis for the underlying cause(s). This is not light reading, but it's a powerful, thought-provoking book that ultimately catches fire and burns, hot and bright, right to the end. Compelling, fascinating--all the good adjectives apply to a very special book. I recommend both Skull Session and The Babel Effect. Both will stay with you for a long, long time.

It's been a long, LONG time since I've read a novel this intense. I started leafing through the first chapter as I was getting ready to fall asleep, and found myself finishing the book as the sun came up the next morning!

I found the book completely satisfying. There were obvious plot turns I thought it was going to take, but it kept me guessing. It's a gripping thriller, but at the same time a truly intelligent book that stretched my intellect and served up what were ultimately profound insights about humanity (at least at 5:00 in the morning! :-) The characters were very real to me, very human, and at the same time were truly compassionate.

I'm very picky about my fiction, and find much of it to be lacking. I LOVED this book, and I'm ordering Daniel Hecht's first one today.

This is an international suspense thriller and powerful love story with an usual plot. The main characters are members of a creative and broad gauge think tank commissioned to figure out the causes of human violence. This is a detective story in its own right, and involves a sorting through the many possible explanations. But mysterious--sinister and violent--forces don't want them to succeed. This story began to make me wonder if we are really conscious beings capable of making human choices, whether we are just vehicles for perpetuating DNA. What a web the author weaves! I found that the story picked up the pace as it progressed and the characters contended with dangerous challenges and contemplated the meaning of their lives. The action is especially grippimg in the midst of a vividly described civil war in Africa. READ THIS BOOK!

See storyline above.

Daniel Hecht has written a superb novel that makes you think. I like that. A great intellectual thriller with action, suspense and emotion. A highly researched novel concerning genetics, and the idea that evil and violence can be hereditary or passed on via memes or virus's. A wide range of characters provide a wide array of opinions on this subject. Great subject. Great story. Great charcters.

Highly recommended for all.

Daniel Hecht has a good grasp of the topic of Cognitive neuroscience and he does a superb job of integrating a facinating story with vital facts. I feel more people should read this book, and should think about where they fit in the big picture of altruism vs evil. Despite the complexity of the topic, this book is a very quick and easy read. I highly recommend it.

The Babel Effect is the kind of action thriller that will make an exciting and thought-provoking movie, in the hands of the right director. It has the necessary elements - a love story, heroes and heroines, high-tech intrigue, and scientific references which will not necessarily be understood by the audience in the first viewing but will require repeated viewings.

I love a book that combines a plot that interests you, characters that grip you, and unique ideas. This book has all of that and more. Such a totally original idea. This is the first review I've written at Amazon, though I've read many. This book is worth the time. Here's hoping there will be another coming soon.

I just discovered Daniel Hecht and was looking for hard cover edition of this book (not easy to find). This is a used book so I was a bit unsure about purchasing sight unseen, but it arrived promptly and was in very good condition. I would definitely buy from this seller again!