Customer Reviews

The Silk Code

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I found The Silk Code to be wonderful. I had just finished reading Patricia Cornwell's "Black Notice" and had been disappointed. A pinch of enthusiasm is worth a pound of technique. This was a real treat and had exactly what I had been looking for. It blends mystery and science fiction perfectly. One of the most pleasant aspects of the book was that it clear the author was excited to be writing it and that excitement really shines through. The plot was well thought out, creative and unique. I found the characters to be very believable. I never had any interest in the Neanderthals before, but found myself intrigued enough to watch a Discovery Channel special on them. I always have shelf space for books that expand my interests. The fact that people either love or hate it speaks to its originality. I hope that there will be sequel or at least more offerings from Dr. Levinson.

In The Silk Code, Paul Levinson has crafted a mystery that reaches back to the dawn of humanity for answers to an intriguing mystery. Investigation of sudden death brings anomolies to light, and it's up to Phil D'Amato to find the facts as he reaches into unexpected areas and finds startling answers. One of the things I enjoyed most was spending time with a variety of people who were both interesting and delightful. As a history buff, I appreciated Levinson's invitation to speculate about events in our earliest prehistory. Good read, generous spirit. Enjoy!

This book uncovered a world I never knew existed -- I grew up in Pennsylvania, and saw the Amish, but I never imagined the possibility that they could do some of things they do in this book. I also loved the part about the ancient world -- it becomes real to you. My grandfather used to talk about how much he loved science fiction. I bet he had stories like this in mind.

I am always delighted to find a new science fiction author. There are simply not enough of them being published these days to suit me. I found "The Silk Code" in an airport bookstore, where the science fiction pickings were very slim, and was delightfully surprised. This one came with recommendations from Stanley Schmidt and Connie Willis, so I had to give it a try.

Levinson is still new at writing novels, and it occasionally shows. I sometimes wanted a section to move faster, and occasionally felt that the dialog dragged a bit. Overall, it was was too interesting to put down. The annoyance of an extra-long morning in the airport and an aching back disappeared by the end of Part One, and it kept me engrossed until the very end.

"The Silk Code" is is a solid first novel, and I very much hope to see more from Paul Levinson.

I think The Silk Code is really two books in one. One story is about a detective -- Phil D'Amato -- with a lot of heart and a great sense of humor. The other story is about a strange people who lived along the Silk Road over a thousand years ago. Paul Levinson weaves the two together in a very captivating way -- he goes so deeply into the Silk Road people that we almost forget about D'Amato, but then we're suddenly back in the present and it all ties together in a way at the end. As a graduate student in anthropology, I especially enjoyed the 750 AD part -- the thinking of the characters in that section seemed very real to me, and that's hard to do for an ancient culture. All in all, a *very* enjoyable book -- almost a new kind of science fiction.

This remarkable novel contains one of the great rarities of popular literature: A truly original idea, namely that "advanced technology" need not involve computers, rockets, lasers, indeed machinery or electronics of any kind. Living as I do among the Amish, it never occurred to me that these amiable but seemingly backward people might harbor secrets as old as time itself, that in their own quiet way, their organic technology might leave ours in the dust. After reading "Silk Code," I did a little investigating of my own (following in the footsteps of forensic sleuth Phil D'Amato) and found that many of the ideas presented in the book-- i.e. Mendelian lamps utilizing specially bred fireflies, herbal remedies designed to counteract food allergies, long-range communications by means of trained insects-- are indeed based on actual Amish research and practices. Author Levinson obviously did his homework.
The novel ideas and spine-tingling revalations don't stop there, but are threaded through "The Silk Code" like the rogue genome of the title. Levinson's knowledge of ancient cultures and philosophies, his knack for creating quirky and intriguing characters, and his ease with the Film Noir world of the hard-bitten investigator all add up to a wonderfully compelling debut novel, a worthy winner of the Locus Award. But be warned: You'll never look at fireflies dancing on a summer night quite the same way again...

I read The Silk Code more than a month ago -- and I haven't stopped thinking about it. Bits and pieces pop into my head just about every day. When I was reading it, I was frustrated at times. Lots of loose ends throughout the book, and only some of them are resolved at the end. But maybe that's like life itself. And the ideas in this book, like the possibility that lots of our carbon-14 dating may be distorted, and why ... they just keep coming at you, and stay in your mind. I can't remember the last time a novel stayed with me so long. Thanks to my wife, who bought The Silk Code for me for the holidays.

I guess its a question of what you think is worth spending money on, but for me, a great sci-fi book is always worth it. And this book is a great sci-fi book. I've read other books about neanderthals and I've read other books that claim to be mystery sceince fiction, but this book has them all beat. You can't wait to get to the next scene and you're never disappointed. It moves along quickly and keeps you guessing. What more can you ask from a book? I don't for the life of me understand what a few of these people are talking about - this is the best damn money I've spent on a book in quite a long time! Let's hear more from this writer!

Even though Paul Levinson (author of non-fiction works such as DIGITAL McLUHAN and THE SOFT EDGE and former student of Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman) is well qualified to write a cyberpunk novel in the same league as Gibson or Sterling -- he decides not to do so. Not only that, Mr. Levinson steers clear of the "hard SF" camp even though he is the published author of over 20 stories in ANALOGE.

Instead, the SILK CODE is something much better, an original work with an extremely engaging premise. Levinson has combined anthropology, social history, linguistics, genetic engineering and information theory in the context of a detective story ... and it reads a little like Linus Pauling and H.G. Wells collaborating on an episode of QUINCY. It may be one of the most intellectually ambitious SF novels I've read in the last 10 years.

I do have a few disagreements with the way he handles the passage through Canadian Customs (Mr. Levinson should try dealing with the uniforms facing north sometime!) and as well as his handling of the British character...but that's all pretty minor stuff.

Definitely has my recommendation.

Hugh A.D. Spencer

Paul Levinson's first book pieces together threads of his brilliant short stories and in the end, is a cohesive intriguing read.

Levinson used one of his short stories as the basis for this novel, and the reader can tell. The first 'section' is brilliant. It captured my interest. I was hungering for more. Then he switched gears. Unlike a previous reviewer, I wasn't enamored with the 750 A.D. portion of the book. I found it tedious. It wasn't overtly significant to the plot.

Overall the book is an enjoyable experience. Forensic detective Phil D'Amato is a great character. I hope to see more books featuring him.