Fragments [Mass Market Paperback]

James F. David (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fragments | Publication Date: August 15, 1998

A team of psychologists has gathered in a small college town to conduct a revolutionary experiment: To find five "savants" with extreme and diverse aptitudes, in order to create a sixth composite intelligence using new cybernetic technology. The first experiments show promise, but a terrifying secret from the past will transform the project in ways the researchers never anticipated--and infect the newborn intelligence with a catastrophic thirst for vengeance.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Where are the new Stephen Kings and Dean Koontzes coming from? Former psychology professor James F. David puts himself near the top of the contenders' list with his second thriller--an absorbing story that soon leaves implausibility behind in the dust. Research psychologist Wes Martin fuses together the minds of five idiot savants, hoping to create from the shattered fragments of their individual psyches one superior being. But--wouldn't you know it?--a sixth fragment gets into the mix: the raging spirit of a woman raped and murdered in the very house where Martin's melding is going on. She, of course, wants revenge--and most readers will be red-eyed but satisfied with the way things work out. David's well-received first thriller, Footprints of Thunder, is available in paperback. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Thriller writer David turns from dinosaurs dropped down into present-day Central Park (Footprints of Thunder, 1995) to a clutch of idiot savants bonded into one being. ``It's as if an intellect so great that we can't fathom it was shattered and fragments of that genius sprinkled among the population. What if we could reconstruct that great mind--that superconsciousness--how many tracks would it have?. . . What problems could a mind like that solve if we could knit it together once more?'' This is the question asked by Dr. Wesley Martin, whose team of brainwave specialists at a university research center tries to integrate the minds of five damaged individuals (each possessed of a great gift) into one mind called ``Frankie,'' short for Frankenstein. The savants include Daphne, a musical prodigy with an amazing calendar-counting ability; Gil, who's not considered retarded, as are the others, but is gifted with precognition and a preternatural ability to suggest thoughts in others; Luis, whose uncanny eidetic imagery grants him a photographic memory; Archie, who has an incredible skill for pattern recognition and can solve an immense jigsaw puzzle in minutes; and Yu Tran, who can calculate large numbers and solve word puzzles without thinking. The basic receiver of all these talents is Gil, who, unbeknownst to Dr. Martin, has already tried to kill three people by mind suggestion. Each of the savants begins to share parts of the others' abilities. Then a pastor is murdered, and the body of a dead girl is discovered. Other murders follow. Frankie becomes a remarkable ``integration,'' powerful, inscrutable, seemingly driven by some need for revenge. But against whom? And for what? The climax features a droll reversal of Hitchcock's famous shower scene from Psycho, this time with the guy in the shower and the girl with the knife. David makes large strides over his debut novel in bringing greater focus to his storytelling, and his savants have charms more easily warmed to than dinos. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812571479
• ISBN-13: 978-0812571479
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, horror, suspense, and fantasy in one book!, July 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Fragments (Hardcover)

I couldn't put the book down! I had a big project due, butinstead of working on it, I spent the entire weekend reading thisnovel. I was kept guessing until the very end! The story is extremely well developed and very well written. (I'd say more but I don't want to give anything away.) From the very beginning I felt attached to the characters. This is one of the best books I've read in a while and as a bookstore manager I read a ton of books!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent, engrossing thriller, June 13, 2000

By 

Greg Seupaul - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fragments (Mass Market Paperback)

I simply could not put this one down - I read it in two sittings over the course of a weekend. The level of scientific detail is just right - doesn't overwhelm the reader with jargon, but doesn't patronize either. The characters are well-defined and sympathetic. The lead characters play off each other well, reinforcing the age-old science vs. spirituality debate. I wonder if Mr. David has thought about turning this into a screenplay - it reads like a movie as is. Definately worth your time.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately disappointing, March 11, 2001

By 

D. Hern (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fragments (Mass Market Paperback)

The concept of fusing several savant talents into one "mind" is both original and interesting. Unfortunately, it never really goes anywhere. The set-up is well done. The characters are introduced well. After that, the plot just loses substance.

I think the main problem here is that the author couldn't decide where to focus. The book would have been better, and more cohesive, if the focus had been on the experiment and the resulting events. Instead, we get the formulaic romance: They meet, they disagree/argue/misunderstand, they work together, they (apparently) begin a relationship. The whole thing is very forced and quite repetitive. At times, the dialogue reads like an old teen-gothic romance. Distracting.

As others have noted, the ending is quite abrupt. It leaves the reader feeling that either something was left out, or that the author just ran out of things to say.

This is the first book I've read by James David. I believe this is only his second novel. The concepts are there. If the storytelling improves with time, this will be an author to watch.