by
Zach Hughes
ISBN: 0-88677-588-4 Order from: Amazon.com
An average quality novel of humans suddenly granted god-like power.
Reviewed by David on August 20, 1998
Genre: Science Fiction (ESP)
Synopsis: A group of young human archeologists, investigating the disappearance of all life from a group of twenty planets, encounter a mysterious phenomenon that may hold a clue not only to the tragic demise of the ancient civilization, but the destiny of the human race.
Full Review: The human federation has spent years trying to determine why a group of earth-like planets have been scoured of all traces life and culture tens of thousands of years before men have entered space. A new team of archeologists, including four mutated humans from the ancient and poisoned Earth arrives on the planets hoping to complete their degrees and find something publish-worthy in the rubble of the once-teeming planets.
During the investigations, they are affected by a mysterious phenomenon which grants some of the members superhuman powers. As the investigation progresses, aided by the new abilities, it appears that it is these very powers, along with the hubris brought by them, they may have doomed the earlier civilization.
The archeologists are not immune to the corrupting influence of their rapidly strengthening abilities, and the resulting struggle of ethics versus power may carry the seeds of human destruction.
The science of the phenomenon is pretty implausible, and consists mostly of hand-waving. The moral struggles are pretty lightweight, and the result is a mildly entertaining space opera, with a rather inconsistently upbeat resolution.
Overall: 5; Plot: 4.5; Characters: 3.5; Style: 4; World-building: 4.5; Originality: 5;
Copyright date 1994, Donald A. Wollheim (DAW Books), January 1994, Mass-market, 253 pages
ISBN: 0-88677-588-4 Order from: Amazon.com