ReCO2gnition - CO-ANDA 19 Vccine - Part 2 by Mark Dowson - An Uncommon Multidisciplinary Sci-Fi Story!

ReCO2gnition - Co-Anda 19 Vaccine - Part 2 by Mark Dowson

Back in August 2019, author Mark Dowson introduced me to his book, ReCO2nition Part 1. I read it and was fascinated by the story and the concepts presented. One of the major concepts was redesigning sports stadiums and adding wind generators to the rooftops to provide electricity not only for the stadium, but for the surrounding businesses and homes.

Several weeks ago, Mark sent me an early draft of part two in the series. I read it and was again intrigued by what was written there.

Overall, Part 2 picks up shortly after the events in the previous volume. There are many  twists, turns, and backstory reveals. All those are interlaced with philosophical ideas about corporate structure, leadership, and many others. Included in the text are discussions on science, science fiction, time travel, history, art, and religion. It always amazes me how Mark gets all of this into a single volume, yet writing so it makes sense.

Dr. Ben Richards wakes up in the hospital disoriented and suffering from memory loss. He remembers having some strange dreams but cannot figure out what they mean. As he awakes, his friend Grazia Rossini attends him. What he also doesn't realize is that Rossini is not the Grazia he has become enamored with, but she is actually the evil Shui Feng, a shapeshifting android assassin sent from the future to eliminate Richards before he can see his dream of efficient, clean production of electricity come to fruition.

It seems though Feng is no longer trying to take Richards' life following the failed attempt in Part 1, but is more curious about what Richards' next move will be.

When 'Grazia' leaves the room to get Richards some tea, he is contacted by Agent Merisi, the man from Part 1 who was also sent from the future to make sure Richards' dream isn't lost by his assassination. Merisi knows Grazia is actually Feng and tells Richards to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible.

Richards complies with Merisi's suggestion and they meet up near the hospital. Merisi gives Richards a drug that helps him recover his memory and think more clearly than ever before. In a secluded place, the two discuss drawings by the Italian artist Caravaggio (1571-1610) (Note: the illustrations discussed are included in the book. To get the full effect of these striking drawings, one should view them in a paper and ink copy of the book, or use a computer, tablet, or color-enabled e-reader to view them). Merisi then tells Richards he needs to travel to the future for a deeper understanding of the role he can play in the survival of life on Earth. So begins the adventure for Dr. Richards.

Dr. Richards is a good man who finds himself in a dangerous situation. He has a few hang-ups and a slight case of PTSD because of an incident as a youngster. He was always curious and open to learning new things and now, all he wants to do is apply what he has learned for the betterment of people and the environment. Ben is very intelligent and knows what needs to be done and how. Unfortunately, rather than working on selling his ideas to those that can set the wheels of progress in motion, he has to fight for his life. He seems to be a little naive as far as his dealings with people are concerned.

Merisi moves in and out of the story, helping Ben when needed. He seems to want Ben to learn things on his own, but gives him a lot of encouragement and advice. Merisi is a time traveler who got the Caravaggio drawings from the artist himself. He uses leading questions to help Ben find the answers to his questions. He just appears to be a nice older man, a kind of Merlin-like figure.

Shui Feng is an Artificial Intelligence enhanced, shapeshifting android assassin. He is programmed in the most efficient ways to incapacitate his targets. He is very effective in his role, but he is not perfect, he gets it wrong from time to time, but his faux pas are usually not noticed by Richards. The best description of Feng comes from Merisi...

" He has no trace of humanity, no scruples and so there is never any danger that he might hesitate in his mission."

Feng's original mission was to eliminate Richards, but in Part 2, he appears to have been given new orders. But even then, he is still a killer. 

If I had to choose a favorite point of the plot, it would have to be when Richards travels to the future. The future is not a better place in the least. Mark's description of the dystopian nature of the world is downright depressing. As Richards and his escort fly from the time travel portal to a place for Richards to rest, he sees the air is so polluted that sunlight cannot even reach the planet's surface. The city of Beijing is bathed in light just so everyone can see, and the lights are on 24 hours a day. The people Richards meets seem friendly enough, but some of them are Artificial Intelligent beings, and he cannot tell the difference between the AI's and humans.

It is also at this point in the book where the action ramps up into a major struggle for survival.

Among the themes that stood out to me were...

How the style of leadership may determine the effectiveness of the success of a project. Richard's idea is to switch the world over to cleaner, more efficient, and renewable sources of energy production. According to the author, if the project were left to the corporate world, it may not happen at all. In the story, before Ben was saved from assassination, his project never got off the ground. In the first book, it was thought by a businessman that the cost of redesigning a stadium to Richard's specifications is prohibitive. Obviously, the businessman didn't immediately see the redesign as an investment. So, the corporate world's leadership for such a project would be determined by the bottom line.

There are many business leaders who start out with a vision, but it often seems that when they see that vision become a reality, they also see how much money there is to be made. I will not throw around any names, but some just get bigger and bigger; billions in assets are never enough.

Richards is not looking to get rich off his ideas, he is doing what he thinks is best for the environment and for the people of the planet. His style of leadership is for the betterment of all. He's not looking at the profit, just a better future.

Another theme is what might happen if climate change is left unchecked. In this story, GIATCOM may do whatever they want. They are solely invested in nuclear power and damn the consequences. As a result, in this world, there is an oxygen debt, and the atmosphere is full of carbon dioxide. The heat has risen to where many coastal cities no longer exist. There are a lot of places that have been flooded because of the melting of the polar ice caps, so there is a food shortage. People are sick and viruses spread wildly because of inadequate ventilation and air quality. Are Ben's ideas the cure for the problem? Dowson's story shows that it at least may be a step in the right direction.

The Nature of Artificial Intelligence is also a theme that stood out to me. Shui Feng is a highly intelligent being. He has his programming, but also can learn and interpret situations from a strictly logical point of view. What makes him different from humans is that, while he can understand and even invent, he doesn't have humanity in him. There are no experiences that have shaped his thought processes. Feng has no compassion or capacity for it. An extensive discussion on this very subject happens in the book; it is quite thought provoking.

ReCO2gnition Part 2 is a complex book with a lot of philosophical ideas. But it is written in such a way one can understand what is in the text. Mark is sharing his thoughts as a story while leaving room for the reader to make up their own minds about what is presented. The author is calling upon his life experiences to present a plea to think about what we leave our children and grandchildren after we are gone, but it is done in such a way that leaves hope if something is done soon.

I enjoyed this book and the story it gave me through the eyes of excellent characters and innovative ideas. We see ideas that come from the ancient Romans all the way past our time, and into the future. We get some amazing artwork to fuel our imaginations, and, is pleasing to see to the eye..

This is not your common Sci-Fi story because of the way it draws many diverse disciplines. It is presented well and I would recommend it for readers looking for writing that is innovative and fresh. Mark told me, “anyone who is a fan of the first Blade Runner movie will enjoy this second part of the ReCO2gnition series.”

In the acknowledgment section, Mark thanks me for helping with the editing of this volume. So I will extend my thanks back to Mark for the opportunity to help and learn from the experience.

Mark Dowson's own inspiration to write the trilogy of books has come from his knowledge and experience gained in carrying out his own personal wind energy research at a masters of science degree level. The story's foundation is based on his own factual research dissertation and has transformed and expanded upon these facts to create an exciting fictional mystery thriller. Mark has published a wind research article for Amida recruitment based on his wind research. Mark has worked on some of the most prestigious renewable power generation projects in the UK as a practicing commercial manager for the past 15 years, which substantiates his factual research being valid and reliable.

Well, there it is…

Qapla!

ReCO2nition: Oxygen Debt Part 1 By Mark Dowson - The Key To The Future Lies In The Past!

ReCO2gnition: Oxygen Debt Part 1 by Mark Dowson

The year is 2112 and the Earth is reaching the point of being unable to sustain life. Technologies have advanced, but unfortunately, those advances have not fulfilled the promise of making life better. For whatever reason, humans have stopped using fossil fuels as a means of producing electricity. A massive corporation, GIATCOM believed the answer was to go exclusively nuclear for power production. With a stronghold on producing technology as well as power, they are making all the profits and, as such, are willing to do anything to keep their position secure.

It is known by the United Nations Authority that there was a man, Dr. Ben Richards, who had come up with a way to use wind power that would have changed the course of human history had he not died under mysterious circumstances.

As GIATCOM has a stranglehold on tech and power production, it is in their best interest to see to it that nothing happens to change that position, not in their present or in their past. Enter Shui Feng, a shapeshifting android sent back to the year 2017 to make sure that Dr. Richards cannot bring his dream of making wind power the premier form of generating electricity in the future. As a countermeasure to Feng, the UNA sends Merisi, a shapeshifting cyborg to inspire and protect Dr. Richards to see his vision become reality.

The result of all of this is an amazing read with action from beginning to end, lots of twists and turns, and some interesting characters on a roller coaster ride that will either change the world for the better or leave the planet a nuclear wasteland.

What amazes me about ReCO2gnition is how many various bits of subject matter author Mark Dowson packs into his story. There are references to science, history, geography, religion, and the arts. All of that along with compelling characters and some great action scenes make this book one that should appeal to any Sci-Fi aficionado.

What Dr. Richards proposes is that stadiums everywhere undergo a refit to support wind generators and to maximize the airflow through those units. It makes a great deal of sense since most stadiums are only used periodically. If these places are refit, they will not only generate enough electricity to sustain them when in use, but produce enough excess to feed the power grid, not to mention making a nice profit for the stadium owners.. Richards' proposal will require a substantial initial investment, but the long term benefits could be staggering. It is no wonder that a company dedicated to producing nuclear power would try to find a way to stop it.

The story is spread out in locations in Italy, where Leonardo da Vinci performed his research and let his imagination loose in many disciplines. Mark's descriptions of the places the characters visit are vivid enough to say that one could actually visualize the landscapes and buildings.

All through the book are references to what is known as the SATOR square. No one really knows what it means, but it is commonly found around Europe. The SATOR square is a palindrome of five words that are a mystery of their actual meaning. Many have tried to solve this ancient puzzle and there are several theories as to its meaning, but in this story, it serves as a time portal between 2112 and the present. While GIATCOM and the UNA have discovered this, it remains enigmatic to those from 2017.

With so many things to be found in this story, a reader might think it is too complicated to tackle, but this is not the case with ReCO2gnition because everything in the story fits into place easily and is relevant to the action. That is not to say that the story isn't thought provoking, there’s plenty to think about as Mark not only entertains, but educates as well. The reader may not realize that he/she is learning though because the story is just that good.

As with any great story, there has to be characters that the reader can care about. In the case of ReCO2gnition, Mark has created several characters that one can have feelings for, and one that is so bereft of compassion it is terrifying.

Dr. Ben Richards is a genius. He came up with the wind power idea and wants to do his best to sell it. He is also a bit naive and shy at the same time. I would guess he has spent so much time working on his ideas that he hasn't really taken time to stick his head up and learn about life. This makes him an easy target for those that would stop him from seeing his dream come to reality. He is also an endearing fellow because he apparently doesn’t have any ulterior motives beyond his life's work. He doesn't seem to care about wealth or fame, but rather only how he can make the world a better place. Along with my observations, author Mark Dowson adds:

"The protagonist not only suffers from autism, but long-term PTSD stemming from the tragedy he witnessed of seeing his mother die in a Tsunami caused by climate change. He has the ability to use his self-motivated creative drive developed from his PTSD compounded by his innate divergent thinking coming from his autistic traits, as his strength to be able to develop creative ingenuity and leadership."

Dr. Richards is joined by Grazia Rossini, a beautiful former athlete turned reporter. She is interested in Dr. Richards' work and, as time goes on, she is also interested in his safety. There are hints that Grazia may not be all that she seems up front, but for the time being, she plays a key role in helping Richards stay safe. Along with her is Merisi, who seems to come and go at the most opportune times. I enjoyed Merisi's role as Richards' guardian angel. Merisi is a shapeshifting cyborg that shows up to save Richards and also helps guide him to safety from one of the most evil characters I have ever encountered.

The main antagonist in the story is Shui Feng, an android that has powers that include shapeshifting, superior strength, and the skills of a master assassin. There is no doubt that if it weren't for Merisi, Feng would have no trouble accomplishing GIATCOM's mission of securing their position by eliminating Richards. Feng has no redeeming qualities whatsoever and is a stone cold killer. This would not be unexpected from an android, but Feng is also artificially intelligent. He enjoys killing and seems to have ambition; a dangerous combination.

For me, I find the characters fascinating and, naturally want to see the "good guys" win.

 Author Mark Dowson demonstrates an appreciation for many disciplines in his work. He is well researched and has obviously spent many hours of studying to bring so much together in the pages of his first installment of what promises to be a trilogy of stories. After reading the first part, I cannot even come close to trying to predict which way the story will end, which makes me want to move on to the next book.

On Mark's website, one will find many bits of information showing what went into creating this unique story. If you are interested, go to markdowsonauthor.com to learn more about the inner ideas behind the book which will be released in October, 2019.

From Mark's website, here is a brief biography...

"Mark Dowson's own inspiration to write the trilogy has come from his knowledge and experience in carrying out his own personal wind energy research at a Masters of Science degree level. The story's foundation is based on his own factual research dissertation and has transformed and expanded upon these facts to create an exciting fictional mystery thriller. Mark has published a Wind research article for Amida recruitment based on his wind research. Mark has worked on some of the most prestigious renewable power generation projects in the UK as a practicing Commercial Manager for the past 15 years which substantiates his factual research being valid and reliable."

I give ReCO2gnition high recommendations for its action, characters, and the theme that hopefully will raise awareness of the dangers of climate change.

Check out the trailer for ReCO2gnition...

Well, there it is...

Qapla!