Fringe Backstory - A Review of Fringe: The Burning Man by Christa Faust

Fringe: The Burning Man by Christa Faust – 2013

Not long ago, I learned there were to be three novels released dealing with the Fringe universe.  I will have to admit tight off the bat here that I didn’t watch the television series as it was airing, so I was a bit of a latecomer.  I have watched most of the series, but not all.  The Burning Man is the second of the three novels following the first in the series titled The Zodiac Paradox (click the title to read my review).

This second story centers on the pre-teen and teen years of Olivia Dunham.  While going through the Cortexiphan experiments under the supervision of Dr. Walter Bishop in Jacksonville, Florida, young Olivia learns of the death of her military father.  To make ends meet, Olivia’s mother marries an abusive shady character named Randall.  Olivia and Randall never hit it off in a father/daughter relationship.

Randall earns most of his income through illegal activity.  He hooks up with a crooked cop named Toni Orsini and the two of them are planning to rob some drug dealers, but Randall has forgotten his gun at home.  When he arrives at home to get his weapon, he finds himself facing Olivia; she shoots him and Tony enters the house to see what happened.  He grabs Olivia and one of her powers is revealed as Tony has his right arm burned, and eventually has to have it amputated.  Randall is out of the picture.

While Olivia’s mother is suffering an illness, Olivia has to grow up fast, learning how to take care of the household and her little sister, Rachel.  Olivia’s mother dies and before the state can take them in as wards, Olivia receives an anonymous letter from a company that sports a 3D logo with the letter M.  In the letter are two airline tickets to Boston and the promise of full tuition scholarship for her and Rachel to attend a very fine private school.

In the meantime, Tony is always in the background and he has made it his mission to destroy Olivia because he views her as a demon with powers to cause electrical disturbances and to burn people alive, as she had done to him.  Randall goes on a killing spree that spans several states to get to Olivia.

I really enjoyed this book.  I especially liked the pacing of the story, it never slowed down and I found myself going right along with the pace.  I couldn’t put it down, and when real life forced me to quit reading, I couldn’t wait to get back to it.

Before I read the story though, I noticed that there were several very uncomplimentary reviews on the Amazon.com web site.  Some were actually scathingly bad reviews.  It made me a little apprehensive to read, but as usual, I don’t rely on other’s opinions to guide my own judgments.  Apparently the problem that some of the diehard Fringe fans are having is with the author’s getting some names and known backstory facts wrong.  This might bother some of the people that are very familiar with the television show.  I have read many stories that have departures from canon and found that I personally am not bothered by it.  But I also know a lot of people who feel that there should be a “bible” for movies and television shows that lay out all of the facts and precise back story, just as exists for Star Trek.  So be warned, if you are a person who wants strict canonic accuracy, you may be disappointed reading this.  On the other hand, if you are wanting to read a story that has good, developed characters, good pacing, and some vivid visualizations, and are a fan of Fringe, then you might enjoy this installment.

As far as I am concerned, canon isn’t always necessary for a good story.

I do have a warning for those that may be considering reading The Burning Man though, there are, as was in the show, some very graphic descriptions between the cover.  Many of those are in the section when Olivia escapes from the genetic research facility following when Tony disappears.  I am talking VERY graphic, to the point of rivaling a Stephen King story.  I have a pretty strong stomach for this kind of thing, but Faust’s descriptions of the people affected by experimentation being carried out in that facility made me cringe.  You have been warned.

Well, there it is…

QaplaH’!

Fringe: Season 1

It's Christmas Morning and I am in Green Bay.  Fortunately, there is WiFi at my Mother-In-Law's house and I am able to post.  I was hoping that I could while the first season of Fringe is still fresh in my mind.  Thanks to a snow day from work, I had time to finish watching before we left for the Frozen Tundra, or as I term it, the "Great White North."

As I have mentioned before, for me Fringe is like the X-Files on steroids.  It has everything that a good sci-fi show should have.  It has some hard science, some really good stories with seeming impossible things happening, and a cast of great characters.  One of the things that appeals to me the most about this show is that almost every episode is a story within itself while at the same time fitting into an overall story arc.  I like this because with shows, such as another favorite of mine, Falling Skies, if you happen to miss an episode, you loose track of the story.

 

I guess, as is the case with many others, my favorite character is Walter.  Obviously, Walter is a brilliant scientist who is a little off center.  Well, actually a lot off center.  I love his little obsessions and he has one in every show.  Many times it is some item of food that he is craving, and he doesn't shut-up about it until he is indulged.  I can only imagine how it must be to live with this guy because no one knows what to expect.

Walter's son Peter is also a brilliant individual and well read in many areas, but his previously undisciplined behavior was apparently leading him into trouble.  His role is to assist Walter, help come up with answers, and to interpret what Walter is ranting about that eludes everyone, including the audience.  He is also Walter's "keeper," or as peter terms it, babysitter.

Olivia is an FBI agent assigned to a division of the Bureau that investigates unexplained phenomena.  As the season progresses, we learn that she possesses certain gifts that helps her in these investigations.  She relies heavily on Walter and Peter for interpretations of what is happening.

Special Agent In Charge Philip Broyles was a character that at first gave me the creeps, but as time went on, I learned that he cares for Olivia and does many things that are outside of ethical practices for a man in his position to aid her in her work, and runs an effective interference against Sanford Harris who has a personal axe to grind with Olivia.

One character who really gives me the creeps is Nina Sharp.  She is the Chief Operating Officer of a company that seems to be at the bottom of many of the happenings on the series, Massive Dynamic, a company that into some very shady science and technological research.  The company is headed by William Bell, who apparently exists mainly in an alternate Universe and pulls all of the strings for his company with impunity.  Bell and Walter were research partners, and while Walter wound up institutionalized, Bell made good on the research and became filthy rich and learned to control phenomena that can only be imagined.

 The overall story arc, at least from my point of view, is to expose how Olivia cognitive powers that have been caused while she was a test subject of Walter and William Bell.  She was injected with a drug called Cortexiphan, that apparently turns on special abilities in the human brain.  This drug allows Olivia to perceive the alternate, or parallel Universe that she enters at the end of the season finale to meet William Bell.  It also introduces the Observers, a group of people that watch what happens and takes notes.  The one observer that appears in the first season seems to have some very weird tastes in food.  It will be interesting to see what happens with Olivia in the coming season, that I will begin watching as soon as I get home from my trip.

Well, there it is, please feel free to comment and fill in the blanks that I have missed.  All comments are welcome, as always.

I remain...

Kahless.

Q'aplah!