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Though not SFF, I feel that R. Scott Bakker's Neuropath should please the speculative fiction crowd. Indeed, such readers habitually relish challenging reading experiences, and Neuropath is that and more!
Right off the bat, let me begin by saying that Neuropath is the most disturbing book I have ever read. Yes, I had been forewarned that it was a very controversial novel by Bakker and those who had read the manuscript. But hearing about it and experiencing it firsthand are two different things. This one went beyond my expectations.
Neuropath is a psychological thriller that will challenge you in ways that will leave you thinking long and hard after you put the book down. Its principal premise is that there is no such thing as human free will, that consciousness as we know it is illusory. As a result, Neuropath raises a constant stream of troubling interrogations, which in and of itself is even more perturbing than the thriller itself. All the more disturbing is the scientific tone used by the author to support his claims, that "believe what you want if it makes you feel better and helps you sleep at night, but science brakes for no one"tone. As Bakker explains, science doesn't give a damn about what human beings want to be true.
Tom Bible's life takes an abrupt turn for the worse when his old college roommate from Princeton shows up at his doorstep. To his dismay, he discovers that Neil, who was supposedly teaching neurology in California, was in truth secretly working for the NSA, cracking the minds of terrorists. The next morning, as he reaches his office at Columbia University, Tom is informed by FBI agents that Neil has cracked and gone AWOL. Moreover, Neil is now using his skills on innocent civilians to control their brains. Before he knows it, Tom is caught in a terrifying downward spiral as Neil kidnaps and mutilates people with a connection to him. He manipulates their brains, leaving them altered in ways that will shock some people. The FBI needs Tom to help them understand what Neil is trying to accomplish. Slowly, Tom will realize that it's all related to what they used to refer to as the Argument. Distraught, it suddenly dawns upon Tom Bible that Neil might have been right all along. . .
Those who like their psychopaths crazy and unpredictable will undoubtedly appreciate Neil Cassidy. Indeed, that man makes Hannibal Lecter look about as frightening as Sponge Bob. That guy is a scary freak, no doubt about it.
Neuropath will challenge your perceptions, your sense of self, and the way you look at the world around you. It draws incredibly distressing conclusions that raise uneasy questions to ponder. Fascinating, stimulating, throught-provoking, tormenting, and downright worrying at times -- Neuropath is all that and more.
Check out the blog for the full review!
Patrick
