Singularity [Hardcover]

Bill DeSmedt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005

A maverick astrophysicist, a rookie secret agent, and an uncanny consultant join forces in this technological thriller to stop the capture of a submicroscopic black hole whose power will be harnessed to transform—or end—the world. More than a hundred years earlier, the most violent cosmic collision ever recorded flattened a remote area in Tunguska, Siberia. Now, astrophysicist Jack Adler, conducting research at the site, discovers a tiny black hole at the center of the mysterious event, and alarmingly, the object has been burrowing its way through the Earth's core ever since. Meanwhile, secret agent Marianna Bonaventure enlists the help of Jonathan Knox, an analyst with an uncanny ability to find hidden relationships between seemingly disparate people and events, to search for three missing scientists and infiltrate the floating headquarters of a Russian industrialist. From the trackless wastes of Siberia and the rooftops of Manhattan to the stygian depths of the North Atlantic, this meticulously researched tale looks at global power struggles, cosmology, and human relationships in rich detail.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bill DeSmedt should be on the bestseller lists with Tom Clancy and Dan Brown. DeSmedt's ambitious and exciting debut novel, Singularity, mixes a post-Cold-War conspiracy with cutting-edge quantum physics and a century-old mystery to create a terrifying techno-thriller.

A secret US government agency, CROM, fights terrorism by apprehending or terminating post-Soviet scientists before they sell the technology of mass destruction to terrorists. A rookie CROM agent, Marianna Bonaventure, and a brilliant consultant, Jonathan Knox, find themselves on an undercover mission to locate a missing Russian physicist. Instead, they discover a secret far scarier than terrorists with nuclear weapons.

The famous "meteor" that devastated Siberia's Tunguska wasteland in 1908 was no meteor. It was a microscopic black hole that entered the earth's crust--and never exited. Trapped, it may eventually devour the earth. But a small, clandestine group has developed secret technology to capture the black hole. If the conspirators succeed, the world will be enslaved by a dictatorship made omnipotent by the black hole's quantum effects. If the conspirators fail, they will accelerate the black hole's destructiveness--and guarantee the earth's immediate annihilation. Bonaventure and Knox rush to stop the conspirators--but they may already be too late. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly

DeSmedt's debut SF thriller, a brisk Michael Crichton clone, vividly depicts the Tunguska event that leveled a big patch of Siberia in 1908, then shifts to the near-future, where warrior woman Marianna Bonaventure is working for CROM (Critical Resources Oversight Mandate), the U.S. Department of Energy's branch for dealing with loose WMD talent. Meanwhile, in Siberia, scientist Jack Adler discovers that Tunguska was actually hit by a microscopic black hole, not a meteorite. Marianna and an intuitive analyst, Jonathan Knox, are assigned to infiltrate the gigantic yacht Rusalka, owned by the Russian billionaire Arkady Grishin, who is on the trail of something odd. It turns out that Grishin is not who he seems and his motives for finding the Tunguska object are a great deal more sinister than anyone had supposed. The book bounces along, from well-developed scenes to lesser ones and back again, with a good deal of deft if not particularly original characterization. The sexual chemistry between Marianna and Jonathan adds spice. Exotic hardware, lifestyles of the rich and notorious, double- and triple-crosses and a slightly rushed and facile conclusion all make a respectable if not outstanding first effort.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Per Aspera Press; 1St Edition edition (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974573442
• ISBN-13: 978-0974573441
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great ride!, December 5, 2004

By 

N. D. Cernadas "Avid Reader" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Singularity (Hardcover)

I had no idea what to expect from Singularity written by new author Bill DeSmedt. After reading the blurbs from the likes of Kevin Anderson (Dune: Battle of Corrin) and Greg Bear (Darwin's Radio), I had to give it a try. What a great ride!

The novel is gripping from the very beginning. It has spies, killers, not-so-altruistic scientists, and consultants ... yes, consultants - but these are not the same ones that read your watch and tell you what the time is. The characters are smart, witty and engaging. I found myself wishing my plane ride was longer so I could continue reading!

There are various storylines cleverly weaved together. I kept wishing I could read faster so I could find out what is happening to protagonists Jonathan Knox and Marianna Bonaventure. The unexpected twists and suspense reminds you of The DaVinci Code - but Singularity is so much better. The story is just so solid, witty and smart.

As for the writing, Singularity is beautifully written - similar to CRYPTONOMICON or even My Life as a Geisha or The Grapes of Wrath - you are transported into the characters lives and into exotic locations. The writing is witty and delicious. It is also a smart read - the author weaves the story around a mysterious microscopic black whole. You unwittingly learn more physics than you expect. He brings in science more artfully than Michael Crichton.

In addition to the great story and writing, the characters are clever and interesting. There is a strong female protagonist that is smart, can take care of herself (a la Alias) and knows how to wear Gucci. The male character - now there is a real man!

The one negative is that the book had to end. I can't wait until the sequel comes out.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bill DeSmedt, hot new writer, November 27, 2004

By 

M. K. Melloy (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Singularity (Hardcover)

Bill DeSemdt is an "Information Engineer," an amateur physicist, a student of Sovietology, and now a first-time novelist who reads like he's been doing this for decades. With his debut book, "Singularity," DeSmedt demonstrates a knack for pace and plotting that make the "international thriller" aspect of his book a hair-raising adventure. But there is a science fiction angle at work here, too, and it's just close enough to plausible science fact that you'll wonder, even as you devour the pages, just how scared you should be.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Debut!, January 9, 2005

By 

Jeffery Edwards "Novelist and Naval Warfare S... (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Singularity (Hardcover)

Start with a cataclysmic planetary collision, add one part hard science, one part espionage, a dash of shamanism, and shake mixture vigorously until it explodes. Bill DeSmedt's `Singularity' moves at the speed of light, careening from science to adventure and back again without ever quite losing control. His characters are interesting and three-dimensional, his writing is crisp, and his storytelling is captivating. This man was born to write cutting-edge Science Fiction. Now all I have to do is wait for his next book.

Jeff Edwards, author of `Torpedo: A Surface Warfare Thriller'