Customer Reviews

The God Particle: A Novel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Richard Cox has written an exciting work of fiction melding the diverse perspectives of his characters, quantum physics, religion, romance, and conspiracy theory into an accelerating read.

The science is woven into the book in a way that appeals to both science minded non-fiction readers and those who enjoy the fantasy of fiction.

His characters are human, rich, and vivid allowing empathy for even the ones I loved to hate. I enjoyed the conversations of science and religion and found them to be as engaging as the plot itself. The last half of the book really speeds up, keeping the reader pushing towards the end to reveal the answers.

The God Particle is a book about seeking answers. If you spend time pondering the deep questions, I recommend giving the God Particle a read. Also pick up Rift by Richard Cox. You'll dig it.

The God Particle has all of the trappings of a very interesting story. It has intrigue, mystery, action, romance and, of course, science. As one who has an interest in Physics, I found the scientific content of the story fascinating as the author adeptly presented some fairly involved theories through conversation and introspection. While the story is a work of fiction, I believe the more important work contained on the pages within are of the possibilities that still exist in the universe, many of which we can yet only dream. It was both entertaining and enlightening.

I was lucky enough to read this novel several months ago. I found that it perfectly blended a current mystery ( the search for higgs ) and a real world setting for a suspence novel. I love how the author uses science for a bases of his novel that is rooted in current theory and practice. The characters were believeable and engaging in their different careers and in the way that they were brought together to participate in the search for Higgs. This is the second novel of Richard Cox and i found it to be better than the first. ( The Rift was the first ) I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a mystery that is set in science and backed by fact. I would rank this one close to The Davinci Code in it's use of cold hard truth instead of rumor and superstion. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys science and the unexplained phenomenons of the universe!

I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for an entertaining fast read. I really enjoyed the way the author described some of his pasages. I could really picture the scenes in my head and visualize what the writer was talking about. I really enjoyed the female interest (Kelly) and the interaction she had with Mike. This book really picks up speed in the last half of the book and I couldn't put it down. I am really looking forward to another novel by the writer.

I picked this up a few weeks ago after reading and enjoying "Rift" by the same author and was extremely entertained. The scientific aspects of the plot were handled in ways that the non-scientific readers can understand it and the plot twists were dramatic and emotional enough to have impact on the reader. All in all this book was a fascinating summer read. I highly recommend it to any interested readers.

I bought this novel in part due to the description on the back cover and in part because it came recommended by a shelf tag from a store employee touting this novel as a "high concept" bit of science fiction that blends spiritual themes with emerging ideas in physics.

For me, this novel failed to deliver what was promised. I'm a big fan of books about the metaphysics of quantum mechanics. Among my favorites is Gary Zukav's "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" which gave a great intro to quantum physics and tied it in very well with metaphysical and even spiritual implications.

While "The God Particle" has Mike McNair and Dallas news anchor Kelly Smith engaged in an airplane coversation about the relative territories of science, reason, and faith, these are never explored much beyond seeming contention between science and spirituality. There's no common ground explored aside from each being ways of seeing the universe.

In fact, in 300 pages of novel, I'd estimate that barely 30 pages of the entire book are spent exploring the implications of discovering the Higgs boson or of the experiment performed on Steve Keely in which he seems at first to be able to sense the Higgs field. Most of the story was spent on the sexual liasons and betrayals of various characters. This book was more a poorly-constructed tale of lust than an exploration of how the Higgs boson might be a key link between the worlds of human consciousness and the fundamental construction of reality.

If Cox had spent as much energy dealing with the implications of the science as he did voyeurism, sexual betrayal, and failed relationships, this might have been a read worthy of being called science fiction. As it was, the science felt like draping around a Harlequin paperback, much as you would find the trappings of pirates or colonial America.

When the narrative finally turned the bulk of its attention to the subject at hand near the end of the novel, the connection between the experimental brain surgery performed on Steve Keely and the superconducting super collider in Texas felt rushed and poorly explained, as if the author realized he had to drag the tale out of the bedroom and back into the science to wrap up a loose end or two.

The God Particle is an interesting read, to say the least. Mr. Cox manages to combine science, theology, and even a bit of romance in this novel of suspense and intrigue. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a bit more character development for a couple of the characters, but overall it was a solid effort. I will certainly look forward to future works by Mr. Cox.

Richard Cox's The God Particle is told from multiple points of view, but principally through the eyes of its two good-guy male protagonists. The first is Steve Keeley--a super-charged businessman type who's looking to gain the vice presidency of his company within a few weeks of the book's opening, and looking to propose to his girlfriend within twenty-four hours. His path will eventually cross that of Mike McNair, the brilliant physicist in charge of a 12-billion-dollar independently-funded super collider in Texas aimed at discovering the "God particle" of the book's title, a theoretical particle physicists believe gives mass to other particles. The book opens promisingly: readers quickly feel a sick sense of dread as Steve, on a business trip to Switzerland, is pursued by an overly aggressive female employee whom we suspect--and whom he suspects--might very well "tumble off her precarious ledge of good judgment and fall into the Fatal Attraction abyss." But nothing comes of this, and more unpleasant events propel Steve toward his true fate, a fall from a third-floor window that leaves him with a serious head injury. He undergoes brain surgery and survives, but during his convalescence Steve begins hallucinating and finds that, among other things, he can sometimes read people's minds.

Steve's story eventually becomes the less frequently visited of the book's two storylines. We read about Mike McNair's work and his incipient relationship with a certain Kelly, an attractive anchorwoman with whom he exchanges emails laced with scientific and religious musings. One cares about Mike and wants his relationship with Kelly to work out, but in the end what happens between the two does not matter very much to the story. And while some of their weighty philosophical back-and-forth is necessary to provide readers with background information about Mike's work, it tends to slow the narrative down, particularly when they continue the discussion as the book's denouement approaches. In the end, Steve's and Mike's stories intersect, as Steve's hallucinations, he begins to think, are somehow related to the God particle, though precisely why he and the book's bad guys converge on Mike's super collider at the same time was never very clear to me. By the book's end, meanwhile, Steve has become a secondary character, and the people who filled out his story at the book's beginning--his parents, his amorous employee, his would-be fiancée--have been mostly forgotten. After an unsatisfying ending one leaves the novel feeling that the story never quite came together--that several characters in the book never fulfilled the promise of their introductions.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

I have to say the author did an outstanding job of drawing you into the storyline of this book from the beginning. I probably would not have continued the read if he were to throw the physics at me right away, but he didn't.
Instead he draws you into the life of a man, Steve, who was chosen to be part of an experiment that he never volunteered for and introduces you to one of the men, Mike, who is working on finding the Higgs field. You see there are those working to find a particle that binds the universe together, if uncovered it will give whoever has the knowledge great power. Mike is an honest man, truly believing in his lives work but of course with anything like this, you always have the bad guys, and in this work believe me these guys are very bad and will stop at nothing to be successful in their quest.

Our main character Steve seems to have had something implanted in his head that he knew nothing about after a bizarre accident in Zurich. Upon arriving back in the states he begins to experience some disturbing things and after much investigating realizes he was targeted as part of this experiment. In his attempt to find answers, he seeks out Mike. Thus, the lives of Steve and Mike are thrust together to fight the evil men that covet the God Particle.

This was a very interesting story, strange in part, yet compelling and thought provoking as well. A little bit off the beaten track, this book will keep you guessing and leave you wondering. Nice piece of work.

Los Angeles-based businessman Steve Keely is in Zurich with his assistant Serena who does not hide how much she wants him although he plans to marry Janine. After a spat with Serena, Steve answers his ringing cell phone to overhear his beloved Janine making love to someone named Barry. Heartbroken he quietly and sadly says goodbye. He picks up a Russian, Ana, in a bar and goes to her place, but someone enters her room and beats Steve up. He goes to the hospital where after physically healing he finds he is able to predict the future with uncanny accuracy and perform things on a par with a Jesus miracle.

Mike McNair is the head physicist of the North Texas Superconducting Super Collider project. On a plane heading to Dallas, he meets news anchor Kelly Smith over Mark Twain. As they become acquainted his Noble Prize obsession takes back seat to this woman who has opened his eyes to a vast world he ignored. However, she will take a back seat to the universe that Steve shows him when the business mogul desperately turns to the physicist for help as he struggles to cope with powers beyond that of a human.

THE GOD PARTICLE is a superb science fiction thriller that uses relatively up to date theories on subatomic particles as a base for a terrific action-packed thriller. The amazing feat of this tale is even with a deep science base that educates the reader and plenty of non-stop action, the key players, especially Steve and Mike, seem genuine. Richard Cox writes a deep thriller that will remind readers of Ursula Le Guin's THE LATHE OF HEAVEN.

Harriet Klausner