The God Wave

A Novel

By: Patrick Hemstreet

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A team of neuroscientists uncover amazing new capabilities in the brain that may steer human evolution toward miraculous and deadly frontiers in this spectacular debut work of speculative science fiction - Limitless meets James Rollins - that combines spirituality and science in an inventive, mind-blowing fashion.

For decades scientists have speculated about the untapped potential of the human brain. Now, neuroscientist Chuck Brenton has made an astonishing breakthrough. He has discovered the key - the crucial combination of practice and conditioning - to access the incredible power dormant in 90 percent of our brains. Applying his methods to test subjects, he has stimulated abilities that elevate brain function to seemingly godlike levels.

These extraordinary abilities can transform the world, replacing fear and suffering with tranquility and stability. But in an age of increasing militarization, corporate exploitation, and explosive technological discovery, a group of influential power brokers are determined to control Brenton's new superbeings for their own manipulative ends - and their motives may be far from peaceful.

©2016 Patrick Hemstreet (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

it lost its way at the end, but I liked it

without spoiling it, I'll just say that it started out as a good science fiction story, butt forgot all of its own rules at the end; and turned into a scene from a video game.The technology and biological functions that were described throughout the book suddenly devolved into magic. Disappointing.

Sensational!

Very creative and well written sci-fi thriller. The audible narrator also does a great job with the various characters. Suspenseful till the end!

It was such a great story

I will now say that Hemstreet is the new Crichton. This story was intelligent, funny, & unusual in a refreshing perspective. It was good to meet you Patrick at the Phoenix Comicon. I'll buy the paperback for my wife.

A Good Ways Beyond Suspension of Disbelief

For a book to be truly disappointing it has to have a kernel of an idea. This book does and is. With engaging characters and a fun or suspenseful story, the reader can tolerate some amount of nonsensical technical/business/political foofery. This can work even within the predictable confines of the genre.

Conversely, the reader may be engaged by a sense of place. Authentic detailing may help support lightly sketched characters or an imperfect story arc. In my Audible Library, Blue Gemini is a good example.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed the god wave part of the story more if it had not been preceded by the nonsense of the cool math and the brain interface. As it was, the nonsensical elements just kept piling up.

I think the logic here is something like it is better to tell one big lie than lots of little ones.

To contrast the energy and drama and fun of E.E. Doc Smith's brain wave stories with this poor effort is to realize why some stories stand the test of decades and some will be forgotten like a bad meal at a restaurant that will reopen under a new name in a year.

The characters were as flat and predictable as could be imagined. I neither cared for them or disliked them or was engaged in any way by them.

I have seen some of the positive reviews about this novel. I can only imagine that somehow the literary reviewers are afraid to say the emperor is naked because they don't understand how many nonsensical elements are in the story. To praise the character development and plotline of this novel is to give up on having any standards for literature in or beyond this genre.