The Fold
A Novel
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- £9.49
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- £9.49
Publisher Description
A page-turning science-fiction thriller from the author of Paradox Bound and the Ex-Heroes series.
Step into the fold. It's perfectly safe.
The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's chosen isn’t much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he’s content with his quiet and peaceful existence.
That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve: far out in the California desert, a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device they affectionately call the Albuquerque Door. Using a cryptic computer equation and magnetic fields to “fold” dimensions, it shrinks distances so that a traveler can travel hundreds of feet with a single step.
The invention promises to make mankind’s dreams of teleportation a reality. And, the scientists insist, traveling through the Door is completely safe. Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine isn’t quite what it seems—and that its creators are harboring a dangerous secret. As his investigations draw him deeper into the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there’s only one answer that makes sense. And if he’s right, it may only be a matter of time before the project destroys…everything.
A cunningly inventive mystery featuring a hero worthy of Sherlock Holmes and a terrifying final twist you’ll never see coming, The Fold is that rarest of things: a genuinely page-turning science-fiction thriller.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Clines (the Ex-Heroes series) adds to the comfort-read shelves with this fun, character-driven techno-thriller. Leland "Mike" Erikson is a supergenius who is gifted and cursed with a truly perfect memory. He's content to teach high school in a small town until his DARPA-employed friend Reggie convinces him to investigate a government-funded teleportation project that has encountered some issues. Mike's amazed to find that the teleportation works, but there's something seriously wrong behind the scenes. The scientists consider him a distraction at best, and a spy at worst, until a fatal accident forces them all to work together. Clines lays the groundwork nicely as the tale evolves from a scientific mystery into a thriller with elements of horror and adventure. The solid and diverse cast of characters helps compensate for the slower pace of the first half and nicely raises the stakes once things go really awry. A good smattering of pop culture references serves to ground the story and characters, and it even enhances some plot twists.
