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Decipher 259
Decipher | |
author | Stel Pavlou |
pages | 422 |
publisher | St. Martin's Press |
rating | 10 |
reviewer | Javed Ikbal |
ISBN | 0312280750 |
summary | Ties together all the myths you can think of (Atlantis/Pyramids/Maya/Inca/Noah/Flood) and does it very well. |
What it's about:
Tag line: Mankind had 12,000 years to decipher the message. We have one week left ...Let me make something clear. Although this is my first Slashdot review, I do not give this book a 10 lightly.
March 2012. The whole world is experiencing unusual weather. A commercial research ship is drilling in Antarctica when the drill breaks against something hard. The pressure sends up chunks of C-60 (Fullerene) with glyphs on them. Cameras show a wall miles under Antarctica: Atlantis has been found.
A linguist, a geologist, a physicist and an engineer convene at CERN, invited by the U.S. military to analyze the C-60 and the writing on it. They discover that the mysterious molecules can create standing waves to temporarily solidify liquids. The government wants them to go on an expedition to the site, assisted by some U.S. marines.
In the meantime, the earth is being hit by gravity waves emanating from the sun, and astronomers predict massive solar flare activity that will practically destroy earth.
And home by dinner time ...
Natural disasters are occurring everywhere because of the solar activity, and a plasma cloud is being sucked into a hole in Antarctica. Atlantis is sucking in all that energy without any trouble. Everyone is hoping that the answer to the coming cataclysm lies in Atlantis. Just to round things up, the Vatican wants Atlantis blown up with an atomic bomb, and the U.S. president agrees. The marines will be carrying a warhead; if Atlantis does not yield its secret, it will be blown away.The linguist and the physicist figure out that every 12,000 years the sun goes through a massive coronal mass ejection (it's a pulsar, but with a 12,000 year period) and last time this happened Atlantis was destroyed. They were building equipment to prevent the destruction, but could not do it on time. However, the Atlanteans left automated nanobots to complete the task for the next time it happened. The time is now.
The expedition reaches the core of Atlantis, but the nanobots, as a result of over 12,000 years of artificial intelligence evolution, do not want to help humanity. They know that if humanity dies, they will take over; but if humanity survives they will have to go. Last-minute tension, the hero gives his life for humanity, the earth is turned solid for a second by standing waves generated from structures all over the earth, the gravity wave passes safely and then earth and all its creatures are returned to normal form. All is well.
I strongly recommend this book, but note that this is not a quick read: you have to assimilate this book to appreciate the wide scope. Good reading!
You can purchase Decipher from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Please explain to me, (Score:5, Insightful)
Javed Ikbal, found dead in home at age 14 (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Please explain to me, (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Please explain to me, (Score:3, Funny)
Good thing I wasen't really interested in the first place or I'd be upset.
Solution to not revealing spoilers (Score:5, Insightful)
Slashdot should really do something like this. As I was reading the review, my interest really picked up. Man, I should go check this book out, I thought. Then bam, the whole end revealed in the last two sentences. Well, not much suspense in the book anymore, might as well skip it.
Re:Solution to not revealing spoilers (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Solution to not revealing spoilers (Score:3, Funny)
That's too bad, but you could always buy it for a friend who doesn't know the ending yet.
Re:Solution to not revealing spoilers (Score:2, Informative)
However, I don't think I am going to be reading this book for its literary prowess.
This is not a review (Score:5, Insightful)
Interesting. (Score:5, Funny)
go into a bar and the bartender says...
and the bartender says (Score:2)
He says ... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:He says ... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:He says ... (Score:2)
"My engineering buddy here says that you can make 20 minute phone call for only one duck!"
Re:He says ... (Score:5, Funny)
So the bartender turns to the linguist, and says "Cunning."
zerg (Score:5, Insightful)
Thanks.
Re:zerg (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:zerg (Score:4, Insightful)
Trailer Styles (Score:4, Insightful)
But seriously, from what little else we are told about the book, I'm pretty sure the reviewer is doing us all a favour. This sounds like a truly horrid book. Of course I'm not surprised the reviewer liked it. He's got to be, what, 12?
Re:zerg (Score:3, Insightful)
I would have read this book, but (Score:2)
I am in this book! (Score:2)
I can't wait until he second novel.
Eric Aitala
Re:I am in this book! (Score:2)
Re:I am in this book! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I am in this book! (Score:2)
woah (Score:3, Interesting)
Vatican vs Atlantis would have been a better name, probably. And with a story line like that (and with the new name) it should have been a computer game, not a book. Don't you hate the entertainment industry? They can fuck up even the best ideas!
Thanks (Score:5, Interesting)
Not exactly a "review" (Score:3, Insightful)
At any rate, it sounds like utter crap to me. If the Atlantans had this solution all working, why didn't they use it. And why would they Atlantis be under Antartica? I guess if I cared to answer these questions I'd reat the book. Which I don't. So I won't read it.
Re:Not exactly a "review" (Score:2)
>and then earth and all its creatures are returned to normal form.
Why/how did the change to non-normal form?
I was reading the review and was thinking "cool book must be well thought out" then its just degenerates into a "this happens and then this happens and then this happens" style that makes you wish you had a "un-read" function.
This "review" is so horribly composed its actually funny.
That was no ordinary spoiler (Score:5, Insightful)
Obviously... (Score:3, Informative)
Warning -- spoilers within.
What the big print giveth - the fine print taketh away...
---
Re:Obviously... (Score:2, Informative)
Very bad reviewer (Score:5, Insightful)
Please, try to REVIEW instead of give a synopsis of the story.
Re:Very bad reviewer (Score:2, Funny)
Go away!
Re:Very bad reviewer (Score:2)
BOOOO!!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Xentax
Re:BOOOO!!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
-Peter
Review? (Score:4, Insightful)
This isn't a review; it's a summary. (Score:5, Informative)
Where is all of that mythic influence you briefly mention? What do the characters bring to the story? What does any of it mean to you? What is this story's context within the rest of the world?
I can read the back of the book for a non-spoiler summary. Add something of your unique perspective if you're doing a review.
The /. Review of Moby Dick (spoilers) (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The /. Review of Moby Dick (spoilers) (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The /. Review of Moby Dick (spoilers) (Score:2)
Is this a fourth grade book report? (Score:5, Insightful)
This reads like Bart Simpson cribbing Treasure Island from the cover. You spoilered the conclusion (in a plot based book!), you didn't talk about characterisation, style, pacing, about comparable novels, you just blabbed out the plot. Were you making sound effects with your mouth while you wrote this?
I give this review a 1, and - SPOILER ALERT!- it sucks major ass. The only way this could be worse if if (when?) Taco dupes it.
Re:Is this a fourth grade book report? (Score:4, Interesting)
At least Timothy warned about the spoiler twice, so I clicked the link and applied my goatse.cx-honed ability to squint, read cautiously and avert trauma.
Anyway, it worked. I'll take a look at the book; that's the same "YOU GOTTA READ THIS!" rant my friends heard from me after I read Snow Crash.
You get what you pay for... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Is this a fourth grade book report? (Score:2, Funny)
Although at least Bart had the good sense not to spoil it by telling us the name of the pirate in the book. ;)
The nanites of MST3K would have ... (Score:2)
The way it was meant to be.
This post is spoiler free!
terrible review, but the book is well worth readin (Score:5, Interesting)
I found it passed the time on the bus to work quite nicely.
Re:terrible review, but the book is well worth rea (Score:2)
Re:terrible review, but the book is well worth rea (Score:3, Interesting)
I rarely fail to finish a book (well fiction, anyway), but I wasn't too sure about this at one point. A qualified 6/10 from me.
Thinking about it the only books I can remember deliberately abandoning are :
1) The first Thomas Covenenant (blecch!)
2) Paradiso Street Station (just didn't ever engage my interest)
3) Chasm City (got bored)
4) Anything by Dickens
One of the books I'm currently r
Re:terrible review, but the book is well worth rea (Score:2)
Sorry.
Re:terrible review, but the book is well worth rea (Score:2)
Re:terrible review, but the book is well worth rea (Score:2)
I had some friends at uni who went on at me so much about this series I ended up creating a monster in the AD&D games I was DMing and called it an Ur-Vile (not too many HD as they were all low-level). Whenever they wittered on about the books a pack of my Ur-Viles wold come
didn't research biology or geology (Score:4, Insightful)
Another review: Planet of the Apes (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Another review: Planet of the Apes (Score:2)
Seriously, that's exactly the same tone this review had. I envioned a 3rd grader standing in front of his class and making alot of "Uhs" and "ums" while shifting his weight back and worth.
+5 'teh funny'
Re:Another review: Planet of the Apes (Score:3, Funny)
In other news:
Soylent Green is People! Peeeeeeeople!
Re:Another review: Planet of the Apes (Score:2)
Slightly far-fetched, perhaps? (Score:5, Insightful)
The expedition reaches the core of Atlantis, but the nanobots, as a result of over 12,000 years of artificial intelligence evolution, do not want to help humanity.
Sure, this sounds really plausible... an Antartic based human society 12,000 years ago (wasn't this during the last ice age? When the south polar region would have been even more inhospitable then it is now?). And they developed such incredibly advanced technology as to construct AI nanobots, yet somehow never bothered to spread to other, warmer continents or leave any archeological trace of their existence behind?
Even with out that sun/gravity pulse stuff the review makes this book sound completely ridiculous to me. Sorry, I prefer my SF with at least a small dose of reality or plausibility.
Re:Slightly far-fetched, perhaps? (Score:2)
Some of Stel's science is a bit out there and some of it is not quite right, but he manages to pull a lot of threads together to keep you involved in the book..
Eric
Don't you realize that the Atlanteans .... (Score:3, Funny)
And where else are you going to get fresh penguin-sicles?
Re:Slightly far-fetched, perhaps? (Score:2)
You really need to read the book -- the author provides pretty plausible explanations for this.
Caution: Spoilers Ahead
The Atlanteans were all penguin fetishists.
When not developing advanced nanotechnology, they liked to spend most of their time ice fishing. In this regard, ancient Atlanti
Re:Slightly far-fetched, perhaps? (Score:2)
With this, it could be said that the earth was warm before the flood (think Bible times instead of great ice age). Upon the flood it would then have frozen the nanobots in. It would also mean that any other evidence of some other civilization would be removed due to a massive flood (water is very damaging).
It actually sounds like an interesting book. Even with the knowledge of the end
Katz (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Katz (Score:2)
I'm just a little too lazy to go and uncheck that box. Oh well.
That icon (Score:2)
That thing has always freaked me out. Make it go away, please. *sad*
Mod -1: offtopic.
Lone Gunmen (Score:2)
Re:Lone Gunmen (Score:2)
RTFFAQ! (Score:3, Insightful)
Since you've spoiled the ending and all the plot twists, there's no reason for me to read the book. This makes your review a waste of everyone's time. Please don't make this mistake again.
Timothy, the book may be good... (Score:2)
This is your first review, ok, but check and see...
1.)
2.)
Your stuff usually is good, timothy, but this review is extraordinaryly shoddy.
Sorry to have to say that.
Re:Timothy, the book may be good... (Score:2, Insightful)
Other reviews by Timothy (Score:5, Funny)
Matrix: Neo's world is a computer simulation!!!
The Usual Suspects: Kevin Spacey is Kaiser Soze!!!
The Sixth Sence: Bruce Willis is already Dead!!!
Presumed Innocent: The Wife did it!!!
Sightings: Water kills the aliens!!!
Soylent Green: Soylent Green is People!!!
The Wizard of Oz: It was all a Dream!!!
Re:Other reviews by Timothy (Score:2)
Don't forget: Vader is Luke's father!!!
Irony at its base level (Score:2)
Only on Slashdot...
Bobby Ewing (Score:2)
Re:Other reviews by Timothy (Score:2)
Re:Great (Score:2)
Awful review, awful book (Score:2)
Were I an English teacher, the above review wouldn't have been an acceptable homework from a kid!
(My booklog [dkennedy.org], my SF reviews [dkennedy.org])
wow (Score:2, Funny)
SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! (Score:2)
Spoilers replying idiots. (Score:2)
And everyone who modded a spoiler up falls in the same category as the whining bitch who posted the spoiler.
I don't usually give reviews a 1... (Score:2)
Best trolling ever (Score:2)
beyond the complete implossibility (astronomical research, fossil records, geohistorical, etc...)
why the hell would the vatican want to blow up atlantis? pat robertson maybee...
I dunno who's the bigger troll...the reviewer or the author
Don't you realize it's obvious? (Score:2)
That wasnt a review it was a book report (Score:2)
Thanks! (Score:2)
A book in a minute (Score:2)
You should submit your summary to "Book A Minute" at http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/sff.shtml [rinkworks.com].
A pulsar? (Score:2)
Pulsars don't have 12,000 year periods... if this is in the book, it's crap (the assertion, not the whole book!) and the reviewer didn't notice. Pulsars are pulsars because they happen to sweep their highly-outflowing magnetic axis directly in our line of sight... we see this as the object pulsing... thousands of times per second... not once every 12,000 years... this is just not reconcilable.
It must be a pulsar! (Score:2)
Seriously though, I think Star Trek also made a similar mistake. It is sad the science in this book is on the same level. (On one episode I remember they had a "pulsar" that was a star that would go from dim to bright and back about once per second.)
Re:It must be a pulsar! (Score:2)
Re:A pulsar? (Score:2)
Perhaps what was meant was a Cepheid variable star with a 12,000 yr period? In any case, I wont be reading it.
Useless (Score:5, Insightful)
How on earth can you actually let a book review through that gives away the entire ending? And you want people to subscribe to this sort of thing? What worse is their consistant lack of reaction or apology.
For a better human extinction book.... (Score:2)
The back of the book:
June 26, 1996:
One of Jupiter's moons disappears.
September 28, 1996:
A geologist near Death Valley finds a mysterious new cinder cone in a very well-mapped area.
October 1, 1996:
The government of Australia announces the discovery of an enormous granite mountain. Like the cinder cone, it wasn't there six months ago....
Oh, it was written back in '89 so 1996 was the near future back then.
Javed Ikbal, a reviewer (Score:2)
Seriously, for the author's sake... (Score:2)
What the hell? (Score:2)
I guess I should be glad that I didn't have to spend money to find out that the plot of this book is apparently a cliched piece of shit.
rot13 (Score:2)
Two thumbs down: a review of the "review" (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, the plot sounds interesting, but how does the guy write? WHAT did you find so deep about it? Did you like the author's writing style? How did he convey emotion, depict setting, build tension, describe the characters? Is it dense prose? Technical? Abstract? For a lot of people, these elements are as important as a complex plot.
All you did was give away the ending for most people without really explaining what was great about the book. The level of detail in your summary was totally unnecessary; you've actually done a tremendous disservice to anyone who might want to read this book. And since your intended audience is people who HAVEN'T read the book yet, a "Warning -- spoilers within" label doesn't automatically give you carte blanche to sloppily regurgitate the entire plot.
This would have been a great submission -- if we were talking about a high school newspaper.
Jesus, Slashdot editors, raise your standards a little. And take some remedial English / Journalism courses.
Here's the real review (Score:3, Informative)
In British screenwriter Pavlou's adolescent first novel, it's March 2012 and huge storms are raging around the globe, sparked by giant sunspots.
An unconvincing gaggle of scientists discovers they have only one unholy Holy Week to ship a nuclear device to Antarctica and bomb the underwater threat to smithereens.
The often ludicrous dialogue and the ham-fisted handling of human relations and motivations, however, make for an unfocused novel, one patched together like Frankenstein, with every stitching line, every unnatural feature, unblushingly exposed to the most casual glance.
I think I'll pass.
Re:Ugh... (Score:2)
That wasn't a review, that was a grade 5 book report.