Customer Reviews

EDEN: The Novel

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eden is an inspired book which explores Consciousness and Imagination as forces in life. What is consciousness without imagination? Can we imagine, and then construct, perfect harmony? Are we gods, or do we need gods? These are a few of the intriguing questions posed and developed throughout this extraordinary Sci Fi novel. But this isn't just a book of theoretical clap-trap. It's a fast-paced fantasy full of weird beings, strange happenings, and tense human drama. A competition of creation! A frightening army of bioengineered insects! What happens to a futuristic idea gone bad? As a complement to the fictional story, the author provides a look inside his own mind and his experiments with hallucinogenic drugs, which led him to a kind of philosophical epiphany. You will enjoy reading Eden and won't be able to put it down.

Part philosophical treatise and part science fiction adventure, neither of which disappoints. It is a study of the roll of both science and the creative process in the human condition. The ideas Mr. Wisman puts forth in his personal recollections would be enough to recommend this book on their own. But it is the story of Eden itself that is the real gem here. Mr. Wisman is not afraid to let a story build, to detail the landscape of the planet or study the relationships of its inhabitants. He allows the reader to settle into the world of Eden then takes them to its exciting and devastating climax. The final confrontation is better then any Hollywood epic you'll see this year.

"Eden: The Novel" is a treat. A thought provoking book, to be sure, but also a hell of a fun read. Highly recommended!

Ken Wiseman has written one of the most original novels I have read in a very long time. Any science fiction fan will love this book as will anyone interested in the nature of our existence. Ken questions our belief in a divine being in a thought provoking manner while entertaining us with a great story. The book is so timely, touching on the divisions in our country over such diverse issues as evolution, stem cell research, the religious right, Isalm and so much more. I can't wait to read more from this author!

This was a thought-provoking read, and I found myself in constantly trying to anticipate the development of the novel. With so much mythology and so many preconceived notions about "Eden" (the place), it was very refreshing to find myself using the novel as a vehicle for exploring what "Eden" really means in human/modern terms.

Buy it! Read it!

Both "Lord of the Flies" and "Eden" deal with the transformations in behavior/culture after the thin layer of civilization is stripped away.

Eden is a slow build to a fast finish. The ending satisfies and, at the same time, leaves you wanting more. Though intellectually and emotionally complete, the finale leaves you wondering what the next phase of evolution will be.

Highly recommended for everyone -- and in particular, anyone interested in spiritual and societal evolution.

Being a fan of the author's previous work, Hi-Tek, I was very excited to receive a copy of his newest novel for my reading pleasure.

A short 180 pages, I quickly consumed the novel in a weekend on the beach. And while it was short, it definitely was not lacking in substance.

The reader is taken on a journey into a future, far from here in some sense, yet still close enough for it to seem plausible. A world full of interplanetary travel and multiple civilizations scattered throughout the cosmos, where they have all come together to exchange ideas, culture, and money.

Unfornately, as do most good things, it turns bad. Civilization becomes corrupted and the shiny new feeling of new peoples and ideas is lost.

Of course, there is one man who strives to recreate a place of peace and happiness. He solicits a group of seven highly talented artists that specialize in a new art form where images of the mind become physically tangible. In addition, he hires a team of engineers and scientists to help the artists make their visions a reality. His vision to create this new land takes them on a long trip across the galaxy to an uninhabited planet that remains suitable for a population to survive.

The meat of this story chronicles the trip out to this planet and the events that ensue once the travelers make landfall. I won't give away too much more of the plot, but this experiment isn't all peaches and cream.

What I liked about this story was its ties to the current modern world. Advances in biotechnology, computers, space flight, and all things scientific make the story a bit more plausible, as the out-of-this-world gadgets that exist in this story have roots in the scientific advances of today. Some of these details are skimmed over, as you might imagine, but others have a good amount of thought put into them and are explained successfully.

Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed was the psychadelic underpinnings. The author does not hide the fact that much of this story was created out of a series of psychadelic journeys he had over a three year period. Some of the details of these trips are shared with the reader in between chapters, as a way of explaining the how's and why's of the story. This was some of the more interesting parts of the book and has inspired me to research the psychadelic experience that was presented to the reader.

The flaws of the book are a short list. I felt that the story had some slow spots, particularly in the beginning. While the description of the flight out to the new planet is important for the development of the characters, I still felt like it partly dragged on for a bit too long. However, once the travelers land on their planet, the story races off towards an impressive climax.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a possible vision of a not-too far off future. The ideas presented through the story should cause the reader to take a moment to reflect on the current advances we as a civilization are making. They all have good intentions for sure, not everyone has the same ideas.