Observer

Starred review from November 28, 2022
Lanza, a pioneer in the fields of stem-cell and cloning science, makes his mind-blowing theory of biocentrism—“that the universe springs from life, not the other way around”—the focus of this brilliant Crichtonesque thriller, coauthored with SF veteran Kress (Sea Change). After Caroline Soames-Watkins, a gifted neurosurgeon at a Florida hospital, accuses her superior of sexual assault, the hospital administration dismisses her complaint, and she’s targeted by an online smear campaign. Caroline gets an opportunity for a new start and a lucrative payday from her great-uncle, Samuel Watkins, who operates a private research facility in the Cayman Islands and needs her skills to implant computer chips into brains. She agrees to participate in an audacious experiment to prove her great-uncle’s theory that it’s only the act of observation on the part of an individual that creates reality. That participation proves to be more than she bargains for when a family member dies, and the facility becomes the focus of a murder inquiry. The authors imagine what the implications of that would be, integrating them into a page-turning plot complete with betrayals, violent deaths, and difficult moral choices. This is perfect for fans of Blake Crouch. Agent: Michael Signorelli, Aevitas Creative.

Starred review from April 15, 2023
A neurosurgeon gets involved with a scientific research team's mind-bending project in Lanza and Kress' SF novel that blends elements of biology, physics, and multiverse theory. Caroline "Caro" Soames-Watkins is a capable, smart young neurosurgeon whose promising career is threatened after she reports a fellow doctor for sexual harassment and an onslaught of her harasser's supporters come after her on social media. Drowning in loans, and with a sister and a disabled niece who rely on her for financial support, Caro accepts an invitation from her great-uncle Samuel Louis Watkins, whom she's never met. He's a terminally ill Nobel laureate who offers her a lucrative position as surgeon at a remote facility in the Caribbean. Her suspicions that the facility isn't an ordinary hospital are proven right when, after signing nondisclosure agreements, she's told about the real research going on behind closed doors. Her great-uncle--together with his lifelong friend, genius physicist George Weigert, and with support from tech developer Julian Dey--are apparently in the process of creating technology that will allow people to observe different branches of the multiverse. The process involves brain-implant surgery that Caro will be doing on volunteers. It's supposed to be life-changing, potentially Nobel Prize-winning science, but Caro isn't entirely convinced--until her personal life and the scientific project converge. This compelling novel by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Kress and medical doctor and scientific researcher Lanza strikes a fine balance between hard-SF ideas around quantum physics, consciousness, and biology and accounts of the lives of people who deeply engage with those ideas. Caro, as one of the viewpoint characters, effectively acts as a surrogate for lay readers: "She said aloud, "I am made of quantum foam that has been collapsed into Caroline Soames-Watkins." No, she thought, I am made of confusion." The other viewpoint character, George, provides more in-depth scientific takes, but both speakers are equally well-developed and accessible. Overall, it's a novel full of life-affirming ideas that's likely to make readers rethink concepts of time and space. A thought-provoking fictional examination of big ideas.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)