Guest Reviewer: Jay Graham
Title: The Genesis Code
Author: Christopher Forrest
Publisher: Forge/Tom Doherty Associates
ISBN-13: 978-0-765-31603-5
Release Date: August 2007
Genre/Sub-genre: Suspense
Year/Setting: Present Day / USA
Overall Rating: 5.0
Sexual Content Rating: Sensual
Language (Profanity/Slang) Rating: Minimal
Violent Content Rating: Moderate
Christopher's Website:
www.christopherforrest.com
It has been said the best way to keep a secret, is to keep it out in the open. That is the key premise of this book. A secret, critical to our own survival as a species, is hidden right in our own DNA. Of course this wouldn’t be a story if someone didn’t already know about the Genesis Code and would do anything, including murder, to keep others from sharing in that knowledge.
The book opens with Christian Madison’s mentor, Dr. Joshua Ambergris, found brutally murdered. This is especially troubling as Christian is still reeling from the protracted bout of leukemia and eventual death of his young son. It is immediately obvious to Christian and to Dr. Ambergris’ assistant, Grace Nguyen, that they will be framed for the incident. In a very short time they also realize being caught by the police is the least of their worries. A web of conspirators closes around them leading them to race to finish the work Dr. Ambergris had started. To their horror they learn that the people pursuing them will stop at nothing to eliminate them and eventually everyone they contact along the way is at risk as well.
This book attempts to unravel millennia of parallel developments in cultures spread across the globe. Using artifacts from civilizations as disparate as the Mayans, the Egyptians, the ancient Hebrews, Greece and others, critical clues emerge. It is especially enjoyable to see how the author aligns ancient calendars to point to common events, and to forecast what it is to come. For most authors, introducing mathematics into a storyline is tedious at best. In this work, several key story elements emerge numerically. The authors’ command of intricate mathematical constructs and theory is both brilliant and compelling further enhancing the story.
In the pursuit of truth of and about the Genesis Code, Christian and Grace personally experience dangers that increase with each twist in the plot.. The attraction the author builds between these two builds to a fever pitch, but the frantic pace they are on keeps them from physically drawing close. The author masterfully crafts a genuine love between these two, forged both by the shared struggle and by the sacrifices they must make for each other. Each on more than one occasion risks their own life to save the other. If this were a screenplay, the point at which these two eventually have the opportunity to fall into each others embrace is exactly when the theatre audience would erupt into cheers.
By degrees the author skillfully decodes the secret, so that as the story unfolds the reader participates, step by step with the characters. When they stand on the threshold of the larger mysteries involved in this work, we too can stand back, mouth agape and say, "I wonder…" I won’t spoil Mr. Forrest’s ending by giving it away here, this tale is far too well done and deserves your attention, one page at a time.
Few things in literature are more appreciated by the reader than an author who manages to hit the ‘Grand Slam;’ to weave a compelling storyline, build deep and meaningful characters, share well researched and expert command of the subject matter and develop just the right pace to keep the reader anxiously turning the page. Christopher Forrest has presented such a marvel in The Genesis Code and that is even more remarkable as a first publication. I anxiously await his next work, as this is an author we will want to watch in years to come.
Jay
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