The Psychotic State: Dawn Of Awareness (Paperback)

~ Kenneth Sullivan (Author)
Key Phrases: isolation boxes, animal boxes, lab building, Dawn of Awareness, Karen Miller, The Psychotic State (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this age of terrorism, fears subvert the presumption of innocence.  Citizens are ready to believe in a plot behind a disaster, and malevolence behind the plot.  In this science mystery, mass psychosis hits a southern valley town, emerging first at a genetic engineering company in its research biosphere.  Readers cannot help but leap to conclusions about the technology and the characters that emerge, and debut author Kenneth Sullivan, using his experience as a practicing psychologist, exploits the readers' readiness to delude themselves and gives them a taste of the psychotic state.  The book has a straightforward, clipped writing style that evokes the feel of a documentary, there is authority behind the scientific procedures described, and the plot turns naturally, without a hint of artifact.  The result is convincing, fun, and a little frightening.  --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Description

When we say it's crazy out there, we usually mean that the traffic is bad. In The Psychotic State, psychologist Jim Fleming discovers that it isn't just his mood; memorably quirky southern characters throughout town are slipping over the edge. Jim teams with an engaging team of scientists in a race to discover the cause of an epidemic psychosis before it engulfs all. This science mystery unfolds like a matter of fact, generating an explanation for mass psychosis that is haunting, yet the psychotic characters have appeal, keeping this a fun read for the beach or the plane. The Psychotic State is Outbreak meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (June 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434873412
• ISBN-13: 978-1434873415
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,147,016 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book by its cover, July 16, 2008

By	Etsuko Ueda - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book at my husband's urging. From the cover and title I expected whiz bang action and villains. What I got was a dramatic tension that built from clue to clue, interview to experiment to interview, and I forgot I was reading fiction and got caught up in making discoveries. This book is more about how the scientists find out what is going on - I won't give that away - and while the turns are unexpected when they occur, they all fall into place naturally. This is more of a mystery than an action novel, although there is the requisite explosion. I was intrigued more than I expected to be, and it gave me more to think about than I had signed up for.
I think the author is making a point about jumping to conclusions. From the start you are pretty sure about what is going to happen, but, no, not that, something else. Of course, so now it will be so, but nope, this other thing. It gets almost funny, because the book's plot is more plausible than what I was imagining. I'll not say any more about that. Just like my husband did, I want to hand this book over with a smile to some unsuspecting fiction reader.