Terri-Lynne Smiles is a good writer, and this is a strong and compelling read.
Foreseen mixes coming of age with quantum foam, romance with political
conspiracy, in this able science fiction story. Kinzie Nicolosi, on
surface a rather ordinary college student, possesses extraordinary
gifts--gifts she will discover and develop throughout the story.
Accompanied by her resourceful (if often baffled) boyfriend, Kinzie
comes to terms with the depths and double edge of her considerable
powers, as her story widens to include community and nation.
One
of the problems I sometimes have with science fiction is when its
premise outweighs its people: for me to like a book, even the most
intriguing concept should work its way out through believable
characters. In this, Smiles succeeds unequivocally: Foreseen's
protagonists, Greg and Kinzie, are drawn sharply and sympathetically,
Kinzie especially so. Her gift is also her vulnerability, her strength
her weakness: smuggled to a secret school in Maine, she learns to shape
the decisions and responses of others, but also (and with greater
difficulty) to govern her own fears, insecurities, and desires.
The book's use of quantum physics is provocative but accessible. I am
no scientist, but I could follow Kinzie's experience with no difficulty,
and Smiles has a talent for making her concepts visually and
narratively vivid. That being said, the book expects an active reader.
You are kept guessing as to whether the characters' motives are
entirely their own, or swayed by some outside intelligence.
Foreseen makes you think as you enjoy. It's both speculative and
edge-of-your-seat. In short, it's the kind of fiction I like and would
recommend highly.
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