The Fold: A Novel by Peter Clines

Leland Erickson, small town English teacher that prefers to be called ‘Mike’ (you’ll love this explanation) gets a call from an old friend for some help. The twist is, the friend is very high placed and the favor could help usher a discovery that could greatly benefit all of humanity. All Mike needs to do is find out why the scientists behind the discovery are not willing to share it, yet.

I have been a fan of the science-fiction meets techno-thriller story line since I read my first Michael Crichton book. Melding the impossible with the improbable and a generous mix of current technology can be the recipe for a riveting story. This is what Peter Clines seeks to do in The Fold.

From the beginning, we’re given a pretty good idea of Mike Erikson’s feelings and some of his motivations while revelation of their origins are more slowly revealed. Mike seems to be one of those ‘every-guy’ character that makes him not only likeable but, a real protagonist. He’s somebody you really want to succeed. In a time where antiheros are almost the norm, it’s good having a character that has character. Since the story is told from Mike’s point of view and he is the main character, his character along with one or two others show pretty good development through the story.

The overall story, though not terribly original, is well done. There are some over-used tropes employed here that almost always get brought up when bending, warping or folding space/time is done in a story. The worst of these come and go so quickly they are easily forgotten and don’t distract from the narrative. The pacing of this story is excellent. We’re brought in, much as poor Mike is, with a slow tease and soon we’re swept up into a story that won’t let us turn away.

I also have to applaud Peter Clines for his use of setting. He takes us through 3 cities in the US but the one that gets the most time is my home, San Diego, CA. His use of setting was very judicious in that, he didn’t use too many points of interest. All too often, a story is damaged by misplacement of landmarks in well-known locations. The author also gets points for proper use of many terms used by the US Marines. I’ve seen so many in my time that proper treatment stands out like it did here.

This is a high impact, high paced sci-fi techno-thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton. It’s a well told tale enough that I will likely look into more of Peter Clines works. This is not, however, for the little ones or even for teens at home. It gets an R rating from me because of some of the language, violence and a somewhat tepid sex scene.

 

Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Crown Publishing Group, Peter Clines, Purchased, Review, Science Fiction, techno-thriller, teleport  2 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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