Synopsis (from
the publisher):
David Swift, a professor at Columbia University, is called to the
hospital to comfort his mentor, a physicist who's been brutally
tortured. Before dying, the old man wheezes "Einheitliche Feldtheorie."
The Theory of Everything. The Destroyer of Worlds. Could this be
Einstein's proposed Unified Theory--a set of equations that combines
the physics of galaxies with the laws of atoms? Einstein died without
discovering it. Or did he? Within hours of hearing his mentor's last
words, David is running for his life. The FBI and a ruthless mercenary
are vying to get their hands on the long-hidden theory. Teaming up with
his old girlfriend, a brilliant Princeton scientist, David frantically
works out Einstein's final theory to reveal the staggering scope of its
consequences.
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Final Theory
Non-series
Mark
Alpert
Touchstone (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-4165-7287-2 (1416572872)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-7287-9 (9781416572879)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $24.00
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Review: Mark
Alpert crafts a thrilling quest in search of Einstein's final theory,
the one that unites the forces of the universe into a single set of
equations, in the aptly titled Final
Theory, an exciting if rather routine novel that seems destined
for the silver screen.
David Swift is a historian who has written the definitive guide to the
physicists who studied under Albert Einstein. David, who once studied
physics under one of these physicists, Hans Kleinman, is summoned to
his hospital bed after he was found near dead, tortured. With his dying
breath, he relates a fantastic tale that Einstein had developed the
final theory, the Einheitliche Feldtheorie, but suppressed its
publication. He recites a code, a sequence of numbers, to David then
dies. As David tries to leave the hospital, he's taken into custody by
the FBI. Escaping, he's pursued by both the FBI and an unknown hit man
who's also determined to know exactly what David knows. It isn't until
David meets up with a former colleague, also a physicist, that they
piece together the puzzle of the final theory.
Final Theory is
certainly a thrilling adventure in the same way that the Indiana Jones
and Ben Gates (National Treasure) movies are since they all follow the
same basic plot. Indeed, some scenes in the book seem lifted directly
from one or more of these movies. Instead of looking for the Ark of the
Covenant or a secret hidden treasure of gold, though, David is seeking
a series of equations. But don't try to dig too deeply here or ask the
"Why didn't he just do such and such?" type of questions (and there are
dozens of these) lest be disappointed with the obvious answer. With
this kind of novel it's best simply to sit back and enjoy the ride.
For those who insist on reading more into Final Theory, however, one of the
more entertaining exercises is to make note of people (or objects) that
are introduced into the story but who (or which) have little apparent
connection to the plot. At some point in the future, that person (or
object) will get David and his cohorts out of a life-threatening jam,
which, it must be said, happens with alarming regularity. So whether
it's a snake handler or a Zippo lighter or the many, many other
unexpected people and things that keep popping up along the way, they
all come into play eventually.
Final Theory is a fine
choice for anyone looking for light, escapist entertainment that
doesn't tax (in a supremely ironic way) the intellect too greatly.
Otherwise, it's rather disappointing.
Special thanks to Touchstone for providing an ARC of Final Theory for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Final Theory? How would you rate it?
Novels by this author …
Final Theory
Touchstone (Hardcover), June 2008
ISBN-10: 1-4165-7287-2 (1416572872)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-7287-9 (9781416572879)
Omnimystery keywords for Final Theory ...
Location(s) referenced: New York City, Princeton, Pittsburgh.
