When reading M.A. Rothman's Primordial Threat, you might think, "Yeah, I've seen this movie before." A global disaster threatens earth, and a team of scientists, politicians, and regular people have to band together to figure out how to save all of humanity. . . . Rothman takes this familiar archetype and adds enough originality to make Primordial Threat fresh and entertaining.
A group on the lookout for near-earth objects--meteors that threaten to impact earth--finds that the increased activity they detect is due to a black hole that happens to be on a course to intercept earth's orbit and swallow it up. This, of course, would be a very bad deal for the future of the human race. Since there's no way to alter the course of the black hole, the obvious solution is to move earth out its path. Simple, right?
Thankfully reclusive supergenius Dave Holmes had an inkling of this and has been preparing for a decade. When he comes out of hiding, his scientific team goes into high gear, producing the materials and power sources needed to pull of his plan to move the earth to another solar system. In the meantime, a secretive global network of religious zealots believes that the black hole is God's deserved judgement, so they fight to thwart Dave's plans at every turn.
This is a big-budget, action-packed, special-effects-driven popcorn movie in a book. Just as with those movies, you have to sit back, suspend disbelief, and enjoy the ride. Do you have questions about the science involved in moving the entire planet into orbit around another distant star? Well, stop! Your place is not to question, but to enjoy the ride! And a fun, science-y ride it is.
If you like your sci-fi at a fast pace and on a grand scale, you get it in Primordial Threat. If the earth is ever truly in the path of a black hole, lets hope a real-life version of Dave Holmes steps up to bat.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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