The Twin Paradox by Charles Wachter is a highly recommended, wildly entertaining YA techno science fiction tale that will make a gripping, engrossing movie.

Alastair, Leo, Milk, Kat, and Zack are high school students in an honors program when their whole class is told they will be graduating a year earlier. At their private graduation they learn that they aren't who they thought they were. They are all clones from the DNA of famous scientists and leaders, including in part Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Jr., Catherine the Great, and Isaac Newton. Their next year is to be spent as interns in research for the Gene-E Corporation. Seven members of their class will be headed to North Dakota, while Alastair, Leo, Milk, Kat, and Zack will be sent down to Corpus Christi, Texas.

Their first day of orientation in Texas, which is covered in entirety in the novel, is a time-bending, mind-numbing, action-packed adventure of unthinkable on-the-job training. The group along with a government representative is shown an example of what can be done by Gene-E founder, Ralls, and an older Isaac Newton clone who is considered the genius behind parts of the project. The teens are to be a part of the Cornerstone Project, where a large, powerful particle accelerator is used to control energy, mass, light and time. The eco-system and evolution in the area is manipulated by the particle accelerator.

Divided into six sections, The Twin Paradox reads like a movie and that is exactly what it should be. While reading I kept thinking of Malcolm's quote in Jurassic Park, "Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Which is a great intro to use for all sorts of unexpected events and heart-stopping struggles. The world building and the action are perfect for a series of action movie or a TV series. The plot zooms along at a break-neck pace, which I found thoroughly enjoyable.

Admittedly, the characters are light in development and you have to suspend disbelief, but that wasn't a detraction for me to enjoy the novel. I liked the teens; they are presented as enjoyable characters. There are so many twists and turns as the plot unfolds that I was totally engrossed in the story. The world building and plot make up for any deficits in writing and depth. What The Twin Paradox excels at is sheer adrenaline-packed action and an entertaining plot set in cinematic scenes.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Trevaney Bay.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/06/the-twin-paradox.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4046263744 ( )

Review of eBook

Sometimes it can be difficult being in the Honors core curriculum classes at Union High School, but smart is smart. Only Alistair has plans . . . and they don’t include spending his senior year in the Honors track; he wants to play football.

Imagine his surprise when the sudden scheduling of the private Honors Graduation for his class finds him graduating a year early. And it is there that the graduates will finally learn the truth . . . that they are identical genetic clones of some of the greatest minds in history including Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Martin Luther King, Jr., Charles Darwin, Sakichi Toyoda, Thomas Edison, Emilie Chatelet, Lucien Freud, Leonardo da Vinci, Catherine the Great, and Albert Einstein.

And in two days, seven graduates will head to North Dakota while Alastair, Leo, Kat, Milk, and Zack will be on a plane, headed for Corpus Christi, Texas and a summer internship with Gene-E Corporation.

What lies ahead for these teens who bear the burdens of being some of the greatest minds in the world?

“The Twin Paradox” is part “Jurassic Park,” part “Lost World,” part “Dark Matter” and all science fiction-techno-thriller. The world-building is complex, effective, and exciting. The characters aren’t too well-defined but are believable; readers are likely to find themselves cheering for the teens as they face a plethora of death-defying situations.

Divided into six sections, the story puts the teens inside the Cornerstone Project, where the powers-that-be hope they will help solve the problem of planes falling out of the sky. From here, the plot twists and turns, moving in unexpected directions as the narrative becomes more and more convoluted. And, while parts of the narrative require excessive suspension of disbelief, the captivating concept and the non-stop action keep the pages turning.

There are some cringe-worthy, gruesome moments in the telling of this tale. But the weaving together of time compression, strange biospheres, and strong friendships makes for a memorable story. Although this book works as a standalone, it is part of a series; “Divine Paradox” continues the story.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Trevaney Bay and NetGalley
#TheTwinParadox #NetGalley ( )

The Twin Paradox
by Charles Wachter
Trevaney Bay

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book. It's a bit science fiction bordering on fantasy and parts are just fanciful. It reminds me a bit of some of Preston and Child books where there is some science fiction but then there is creepy monsters.

This has cloning of historical personalities, 'evil' persons, geniuses, and thinkers. There is also a way to slow down time and speed it up! Need a wormhole to China? Got one of those too! It's a wild ride through time with characters in the past, good and bad, along with creatures never before seen.

I found it a fun novel. It started out as a science fiction but it slowly turned into a creature feature. I think it was a bit over the top but okay. ( )