November 18, 2013
Holt's (Blonde Bombshell) unsatisfying science fantasy caper starts off entertaining, when genius physicist Theo Bernstein is unable to find work in his field after blowing up the VVLHC (Very Very Large Hadron Collider). Bernstein is left penniless by a private equity scam, forced to work and live in a slaughterhouse, dumped by his fourth wife, and handicapped by an invisible right hand. Things get even worse when he receives a unique inheritance from his mentor, Nobel Laureate Pieter von Goyen: $5000, an apple, and the multiverses inside a bottle, guarded by mathematical equations. Solving the equations sends Theo tumbling dangerously through parallel universes populated by telepathic green aliens, murderous Disney characters, and western gunslingers. With amusingly absurd set-pieces but inconsistent characterizations, this assemblage of increasingly slipshod humor and illogical plot twists fails to deliver and, true to title, is rather hollow.
Starred review from March 15, 2013
Physicist Theo Bernstein loses his job when he accidentally blows up Switzerland's Very Very Large Hadron Collider. As his life plummets into chaos, he receives an unexpected inheritance from an old friend, Professor Pieter van Goyen, and careens into a world of impossible possibilities that not only defy the laws of physics but also demand a rewrite. In between, Theo travels to many worlds; meets a cast of friends, relatives, and enemies; and even encounters an alien or two as well. VERDICT Holt (Lucia in Wartime; Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages) adds to his repertoire of comedic sf, one of the most difficult genre acts to master. Theo is an engaging hero; his brilliance is counteracted by his laziness and his compassion, which is matched by his sense of survival. Place this title alongside Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens, Pratchett's "Discworld" series, and the absurdist works of mainstream authors such as John Barth and Gilbert Sorrentino.
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