I received an advance review
copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I found this book on the
BookSirens site. What immediately caught my attention was the cover art and the
title. The blurb sealed the deal, and I downloaded it. I've since read An
Audience for Einstein and was mesmerized from the first page. This is an
incredible treatment of the old sci-fi trope of transferring memories from one
being to another. It is young-adult sci-fi book I would say is appropriate for
7th grade readers and up. Don't be fooled by the designation young adult.
Anyone who is just looking for a great story to enjoy will enjoy this one, no
matter the age, or what genre you enjoy.
Percival Marlowe is a retired
professor and Nobel laureate, dying from old age.
Dr. Carl Dorning is a former neurosurgeon
turned researcher.
Miguel Sanchez is a street
urchin who hangs out with older boys who spend their days on the streets
panhandling for cash.
So, what do these three people
have in common? Dr. Dorning's research is to prolong life by transferring one
person's memories to others. He receives funding from Dr. Marlowe to continue
his research and have his memories transferred to someone younger so he can
continue his groundbreaking discoveries in astrophysics. Thinking Miguel has no
family or future, Dorning chooses Miguel to inherit not only Marlowe's
property, but his memories as well.
Dorning delivers an amazing
sales pitch to Miguel, but doesn't tell him everything. One small detail
Dorning leaves out is, if what he plans to do is successful, Miguel will no
longer exist while Marlowe continues to live; Miguel will become Marlowe.
Miguel is not a bad kid, but he
is in a bad situation as far as his family life is concerned. His situation
leaves him vulnerable to be exploited by Dorning. He never seems to trust
Dorning, but the promises made to him are so appealing, he doesn't want to pass
it up. He believes it will not only help him but will help his family as well.
He is scared, but really has no place else to go. Miguel meets Dr. Marlowe, and
they have a friendly relationship, visiting together about many things.
Dr. Marlowe is old and frail.
He doesn't have long to live, and he's made a deal with the devil in the person
of Dorning. He also doesn't know all of what will happen when his intellect is
transferred to Miguel. If he did, he most likely wouldn't go through with the
procedure.
Dr. Carl Dorning quit his
career as a neurosurgeon to pursue his idea on mind transfer. He lives alone in
a home with a full laboratory in his basement, funded mostly by Marlowe. His
character is strange in that, as a reader, I liked the guy one minute and
despised him the next. He seems to care for both Miguel and Marlowe, but he
actually only cares for his work and its success. It is more of an obsession
than a research project and this make him scary.
All three characters are well developed,
and in the case of Miguel and Marlowe, they are people the reader can care about
and a young reader might actually empathize with Miguel at some level. As far
as Dorning is concerned, he comes across as somewhat of a snake-oil salesman
who convinces others his motivations are noble, but his only motivation is a
successful outcome to his project and his own fame once he releases his
findings.
My favorite point of the plot
in An Audience for Einstein is when we meet Miguel's family and see that they
aren’t the people they are assumed to be. I found my own implicit bias causing
me to make judgements about his mom and dad and thinking he might be better off
with Dorning. I was pleased to learn his parents do care about him and are
working toward making a better life for themselves and Miguel as well.
What I am taking away from this
book is the theme of one's identity. Dorning justifies taking Miguel's identity
by deeming him as one who has no potential. As far as he is concerned, Miguel
will be given a gift that will improve his life. He is, in essence, plotting
the murder of one human being's personality in favor of making them someone who
they were not meant to be. On the other hand, Miguel thinks he and Marlowe will
live sharing personalities. When he learns the truth, he asserts he wants to be
who he is, free to explore his own potential. Dorning is not just unethical, he
is criminal, and one might even find him pathological. Along with Miguel,
Marlow doesn't have all the facts, but when he learns the eventual outcome
intended by Dorning, he also rejects the taking of another life to enhance his
own.
I was fascinated with An
Audience for Einstein from the first page and the book held my interest and
attention all the way through the end. There isn't any filler in this story,
and it moves at a lightning speed. There is a lot in it to provoke thought on
many levels and I think it is a wonderful story to introduce a young person to
the world of Science Fiction. There isn't a lot of jargon the wade through, the
language is plainly written on a level anyone can enjoy. The characters are
well written and real. They will elicit emotions and reactions in the reader's
mind.
I looked on Wakely's web page
and found he has done his homework on the science in the story. There is an
actual scientific hypothesis on the idea of memory transfer. Follow this link
to see the basis for that part of the story:
http://www.anaudienceforeinstein.com/from-the-author.html
The author also provides
resources for teachers who may like to use An Audience for Einstein in their
classes. Follow this link for those resources:
http://www.anaudienceforeinstein.com/resources-for-educators.html
I recommend this book for
anyone who enjoys a good story whether or not a sci-fi fan. Five Stars.
Here is a link to the author's
blog: https://markwakelyauthor.blogspot.com/
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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