Today, I am reviewing the science-fiction novel Quantum Consequence, Book 5 of the Physics, Lust, and Greed series by Mike Murphey. An unconventional novel, Quantum Consequence sees us move through several different perspectives, timelines, and alternate realities as our protagonists attempt to pin down the forces behind a friend's death...and discover much more than they anticipated.
Note: This is book 5 of a series, and I have NOT read the first four. When Mr. Murphey sent this book for my review, I expressed concerns about that, and he told me that others found it understandable as a stand-alone. Reading it, I found this to be correct, as I wasn't really lost or finding myself in need of information that Murphey didn't provide. However, you should be aware of this fact.
I give this book a 4/5. Here is my breakdown.
Characters: 4.5/5. Murphey is obviously comfortable with these characters, and even though I haven't read the books previous, I became so as well. Each has a distinct personality, humorous moments, and clear motivations. I enjoyed the interactions between the various factions, as well as the dynamic of "past-future" self that Murphey implements through his time-travel mechanics. There were a lot of them, though, probably because of the accumulated momentum of four prior novels, and a few got lost in the shuffle toward the middle-end. Still, a strong point of the book for sure.
Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5.The storyline for Quantum Consequence works because Murphey has well-established rules and characters, and that holds the verisimilitude together very effectively. The plot is engaging and fun to interact with, keeping the reader guessing with good twists that Murphey sets up well ahead of time. I had a lot of fun reading this book overall. My one issue is the humor; the humor isn't bad by any means, but it gets a little thick in certain places and became just a bit much for me. I also didn't like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so take that for what it's worth.
Flow: 3.5/5. Above-average, but the above-mentioned humor and some of the convoluted time-travel mechanics made me need to back up and reread a few times, causing a little turbulence in my literary ride. The punches and punchlines came a little too fast and heavy about a hundred pages in, but it smoothed out later.
Spelling/Grammar: 3.5/5. There are a few more typos and misspellings than I'm used to in work of this quality. Some missing punctuation, s's left off words, that kind of thing. Not problematic, but noticed.
Overall: 4/5. Quantum Consequences is a fun, energetic, character-driven science-fiction story that hits almost all the right notes. I do think it would have been even better if I'd been more familiar with the world, but it certainly works as a stand-alone read. I would recommend Murphey's writing to anyone who's a fan of this kind of story and enjoys a little bit of irreverent, tongue-in-cheek humor...especially if you're good with social commentary and references to a certain character's...equipment.
Find Quantum Consequences on Amazon.
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Thanks as always, and keep reading!