Customer Reviews

The Omega Theory: A Novel

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What is it with this guy? I can't put his books down. Great read. And now I also know something about quantum computing, a phrase I thought I'd no sooner write in a review than actually understand. WHEN'S THE MOVIE COMING OUT?

Mark Alpert has all the ingredients to write a great scientific thriller. His knowledge of, and ability to explain science, his great skill in producing a plot that puts it all together, and his talent in putting a high end suspense to the whole story. Loved this thriller and I loved the characters. Some characters I love to hate the most are religious fanatics and there minions. This thriller will give you that and more. The only minor grievance I have was that the ending could have been a bit more satisfying. In other words, some deaths came too quick. This one's a hit!

Iran tests a nuclear device; a Columbia University physicist, based on readings from scientific instruments, claims that for a nanosecond the test ripped asunder the universe as if the Big Bang was about to explode. On the same day, the Upper Manhattan Autism Center informs science historian David Swift and his physicist wife, Monique Reynolds that their nineteen years old autistic adopted son Michael Gupta was snatched.

The True Believers cult kidnapped Michael, whose ancestor is Einstein and who has memorized his late relative's little known Unified Field's Final Theory. Worried for their son, FBI special agent Lucille Parker joins Swift and Reynolds on the rescue quest because the True Believers plan to deploy the Omega Theory as those who know the Big Bang of alpha creation also know the Big Crunch of omega nothingness.

From New York to Jerusalem to Turkmenistan, the chase is on as the good guy scientists (angels) battle the bad guy cultists (devils). Although none of the cast is developed beyond their role in the potential apocalypse final war, fans will enjoy the non-stop action as Mark Alpert provides an exhilarating Big Crunch thriller.

Harriet Klausner

What if the universe is nothing more than an incredibly intricate computer program? Sounds a bit Matrix-y, yeah? But apparently famed physicist John Archibald Wheeler theorized this "It From Bit" idea -- that literally everything in the universe could be described with 'yes' or 'no' binary choices -- near the end of his career. And it's an idea still being kicked around in some scientific circles. This It From Bit theory is the basis for Mark Alpert's taut, fast-paced scientific thriller The Omega Theory. Only Alpert poses the question: If the universe is a computer program, what could cause it to crash?

As our thriller opens, Columbia University science historian David Swift and his wife, physicist Monique Reynolds, are opening a Physicists for Peace conference in New York City. But just before Swift gives his keynote, the news arrives that Iran has just tested a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, David and Monique's adopted autistic son Michael is kidnapped by some religious nut-jobs who are after a secret stored in his head.

We soon learn, though, that the nuclear test may not be quite what it seems. And with the help of the FBI and a mysterious Israeli physicist and computer scientist, David and Monique race through the back alleys and secret tunnels of the Old City of Jerusalem to the deserts of Turkmenistan to try to rescue Michael and find the truth about a dastardly plot to destroy the universe.

Along the way, Alpert gives us some fascinating tidbits about everything from quantum computing to particle physics to code-breaking to the always-interesting science vs. religion debate. In fact, Alpert primes the pump with a quote from Albert Einstein to kick off the novel: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

The Omega Theory is the second book in Alpert's David Swift series, and it's everything the first book in the series, Final Theory, should've been. I'd even go so far as to recommend skipping the first book and starting with this one. You'll pick up the gist of the first one along the way. Four stars for The Omega Theory -- it's a fantastic read for science-based thriller fans!

I started this book with some hope. But soon, it was apparent that the reader would be required to accept LOTS of absurd improbabilities that made zero sense. For example, the idea that a nuclear bomb and an arrangement of lasers could end the universe. Or that Einstein's relative would inherit his genius (shades of Lamarckism - lol). Or that the Theory of Everything can be rattled off the top of your head. Or worst, that a monumental secret was kept by thousands on all continents.

The religious folks seems a murdering crew and Kabbalism mixes with cosmology but why insist on sense when you have LOTS of action? In fact, this would be a great movie if there hadn't already been a few hundred just like it. David (hero, "Peace physicist") was really secondary to Michael, the autistic genius, who stole the show - great characterization. But Daniel's wife, their rescuer, even the bad guy were throwaway caricatures - the physicist from the Ghetto, the Jew with a patch on his eye who alternate Hebrew and English, the FBI agent heroine. Ridiculous to the extreme was the notion that generals, scientists and policy analysts would join a nutty conspiracy to engineer heaven.

I also stayed up reading since the action was pretty non-stop. Dialogue could have been better - lots of unnecessary yapping and explanation. The "F" word's sudden appearance seemed out of place. The "science" satisfies those who don't know too much science or think a bomb can bring heaven. Needless to say, in the end the good guys win.

Mr. Alpert seems to have learned a little about writing thrillers since his first outing, Final Theory. Last time, though Mr. Alpert's use of science was strong, his plotting and characters left a little to be desired. In this novel, his science is, if anything, better, but now the intensity is ratcheted up with the immediate potential for universal disaster, the relationships between the characters having more depth, and by mostly avoiding common pitfalls of thrillers by getting the FBI and Israeli Intelligence on the side of our protagonists.

In The Omega Theory, Mr. Alpert brings back a number of characters from Final Theory, including the Swift family--David, the science historian; Monique Reynolds, physicist and now David's wife; and Michael, the autistic boy who has Einstein's final theory in his head--as well as Lucille Parker, the FBI agent who tracked the Swifts throughout the last novel but is now on their side when Michael get kidnapped. On the other side is a religious fanatic named Brother Cyrus who hopes to bring about the end of Creation using Einstein's theory. With the help of adherents in high places and some well-drawn followers (Tamara and Angel, in particular) he makes an interesting foe. Olam ben Z'man, the mystical scientist, also deserves mention as an excellent and memorable character.

But what really stands out here is the science behind the plot. On the surface, this appears to be a straightforward narrative about a kidnapping and a nuclear test detected in Iran. Instead, it turns out to be something a bit cleverer related to information theory, quantum computing, and the underlying structure of the universe. Though Mr. Alpert walks right up to the line of believability, specifically in more inept professional killers and treason in governments everywhere, he manages to skit it by writing himself some decent outs and clever reveals.

I happened to be reading The Information by James Gleick at the same time I was reading this. That turned out to be a nice bit of serendipity, since Mr. Gleick's book happens to give a solid, scientific grounding to the concepts Mr. Alpert uses in his novel. It actually enhanced my enjoyment of The Omega Theory. Still, Mr. Alpert's novel stands on its own. If not the best scientific thriller I've ever read, it ranks high, and shows a clear improvement in Mr. Alpert's skills. I look forward to his next novel.

Mark Alpert's latest release, THE OMEGA THEORY, is a scientific thriller of the highest caliber and a terrific companion piece to his debut novel, FINAL THEORY.

The action begins with a brilliant and severely autistic young man named Michael being kidnapped by a band of rouge military types from his home at the Upper Manhattan Autism Center. Michael's legal guardian is science historian and Columbia University instructor, David Swift. Swift, along with his wife, quantum physicist Monique Reynolds, were the protagonists of FINAL THEORY and now are faced with saving the universe from a religious zealot.

The group that kidnapped Michael is the True Believers, an organization/cult made up of various military and senior government officials who are all doing the bidding of their leader, known simply as Brother Cyrus. Brother Cyrus has a grand scheme to destroy the world as we know it and, in essence, bring about the End of Days by opening up the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Brother Cyrus needs Michael's brain to complete the complex code required to activate his secret weapon --- known simply as Excalibur. Excalibur was actually the brain child of Edward Teller - father of the H-Bomb - and essentially is a series of laser controlled nuclear weapons capable of launching multiple strikes and wiping out all living beings on the planet. Using a replica of the same "Little Boy" atomic bomb that leveled Nagasaki in World War II, Brother Cyrus plans on coaxing the U.S Military into striking with their own stealth bomb upon a pre-determined location that will se t off Little Boy and Excalibur and bring about ultimate destruction.

Working again with FBI Agent Lucille Parker, David Swift and Monique Reynolds head to the Middle East to try and stop Brother Cyrus from following through on his deadly plan. They infiltrate various groups and agencies in Israel in an attempt to gain some foothold against Brother Cyrus and his band of True Believers --- who have succeeded in infiltrating the highest levels of government in both the U.S. as well as in key Middle Eastern countries. The U.S. is going to be fooled into believing that Iran is attempting a nuclear strike against their ally, Israel, and this should force the President's hand to retaliate --- giving Brother Cyrus the spark he needs to fire up Excalibur!

Brother Cyrus appears unstoppable in his efforts to unsheathe Excalibur and aim `God's sword' at the weakest part of a broken world. Will David Swift, Monique Reynolds and their allies be able to win their race against time to stop Brother Cyrus? Author Mark Alpert pulls out all stops in this fire-cracker of a thriller that combines the best of current scientific research with the pace of a Jason Bourne novel and the surprises never cease to amaze.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for New Mystery Reader

Omega Theory will not disappoint fans of Alpert's brainy science thrillers. Using the turbulent Middle East as its backdrop, Alpert takes us on another suspenseful thrill ride that both educates and entertains.

What a great book! I was hooked from the first page. The main character is an autistic genius who has memorized Einstein's unified theory and holds the fate of the universe in his hands. He's kidnapped by an army of religious fanatics who are trying to use physics to speed up the apocalypse. The book has all the things I love to see in a thriller -- car chases, gunfights, hidden nukes, helicopter battles. Plus some interesting ideas about science and religion. I recommend it highly.