The Omega Theory

Final Theory #2

by Mark Alpert

When their autistic son Michael--a genius descended from Albert Einstein--is abducted by a cult bent on the destruction of the world, science historian David Swift and quantum physicist Monique Reynolds must stop the cult members from recreating the Big Bang and destroying mankind.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Science Fiction, Action, Mystery, Adventure, Audiobook

320 pages

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Mark Alpert, author of Final Theory, The Omega Theory, Extinction, The Furies, and The Six, is a contributing editor at Scientific American. In his long journalism career he has specialized in explaining scientific ideas to readers, simplifying esoteric concepts such as extra dimensions and parallel universes. And now, in his novels, Alpert weaves cutting-edge science into high-energy thrillers that elucidate real theories and technologies.

A lifelong science geek, Alpert majored in astrophysics at Princeton University and wrote his undergraduate thesis on the application of the theory of relativity to Flatland, a hypothetical universe with only two spatial dimensions. (The resulting paper was published in the Journal of General Relativity and Gravitation and has been cited in more than 100 scholarly articles.) After Princeton, Alpert entered the creative writing program at Columbia University, where he earned an M.F.A. in poetry in 1984. He started his journalism career as a small-town reporter for the Claremont (N.H.) Eagle Times, then moved on to the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. In 1987 he became a reporter for Fortune Magazine and over the next five years he wrote about the computer industry and emerging technologies. During the 1990s Alpert worked freelance, contributing articles to Popular Mechanics and writing anchor copy for CNN's Moneyline show. He also began to write fiction, selling his first short story ("My Life with Joanne Christiansen") to Playboy in 1991.

In 1998 Alpert joined the board of editors at Scientific American, where he edited feature articles for the magazine and wrote a column on exotic high-tech gadgets. With his love for science reawakened, he wrote his first novel, Final Theory, about Albert Einstein and the historic quest for the holy grail of physics, the Theory of Everything. Published by Touchstone in 2008, Final Theory was hailed as one of the best thrillers of the year by Booklist, Borders and the American Booksellers Association. Foreign rights to the novel were sold in more than twenty languages, and the movie rights were acquired by Radar Pictures, a Los Angeles production company. Alpert continued the saga of the Theory of Everything in his second book, The Omega Theory, a gripping story about religious fanatics who try to trigger Doomsday by altering the laws of quantum physics. His next thriller, Extinction, focused on brain-computer interfaces and a collective intelligence that decides to exterminate the human race. His fourth novel, The Furies, told the story of an ancient clan who share a genetic mutation so shocking that its discovery could change the course of history. And his first Young Adult novel, The Six, is about six dying teenagers whose lives are “saved” when their minds are downloaded into U.S. Army robots.

Alpert lives in Manhattan with his wife and two non-robotic teenagers. He's a proud member of Scientific American's softball team, the Big Bangers.

Reviews

[Maha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's true - most of this book is as much of a page-turner as Final Theory. But Alpert really screwed this one up by meddling too much in (politically incorrect) politics.

Take for example the Lebanese-Palestinian terrorists who enjoy slitting throats and repeatedly telling main characters how much they love "killings the Jews" and "not killing enough Jews." Subtle enough? Alpert then makes the ultra-orthodox Jews with Torahs and Uzis out to be heroes. Curiously, the Jewish characters don't seem to express the same sort of racist hatred toward any one. I guess only brown terrorists from Lebanon and Palestine ever do that - right? The Jewish characters even engage in honorable self-reflection to a point where you think Alpert is making the Palestinians and Lebanese out to be uncivilized animals, incapable of such levels of emotional intelligence.

For a book that purports itself to be heavily based on science and the scientific community, I am extremely disappointed with his political spin. It was completely inappropriate and completely detracted from the main story. Sure, he may win a few ultra-conservative hearts and Israeli fans - but in the end, he's done nothing more than aggravate tragic stereotypes. I have plenty of Lebanese friends. I've worked with a UN agency focused on Lebanese affairs. What Alpert did in this book was a dishonor to these people, the country, and its culture - all for a quick claim to fame.

His specialty is science writing and he should have stuck to it. He upset a reader with his political antics, and he ruined the rest of his book for her.

Now, political upset aside, I enjoyed the book's introductions to new and exciting scientific theories. His writing style is thrilling - and keeps you on the edge of your seat. In fact, before the political infiltration began, I was reading this book for 6 hours straight. He really took the characters from Final Theory on yet another thrilling adventure. Despite his botched political spins, he does a good job keeping to the particular nature of Michael Gupta's autism, too.

It's a worth a read - but keep in mind the blatant political incorrectness of the book. I also didn't believe that the main villain could amass so much covert support from Israeli, American, and Iranian spies. After a while, it seemed like he used this almost-unstoppable power to get the villain out of otherwise damning situations. It just wasn't as believable as Final Theory.

Also, atheist scientists turning to God? Dawkins, Hawking, Harris, and deGrasse Tyson would not be impressed.

[Marieke · Rating 2 out of 5]

“No, we’re on our own now. The only person who can help us is old Mr. Glock here.”

Riveting dialogue here my dudes.

Continuation of Final Theory in all its aspects. More escapes-via-asspull, hijinks, and conviently-placed-plot-elements-are-convenient. Fun if you suspend your disbelief but even that has its limits and it gets tiring after a while.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Omega Theory" is a continuation of Mark Alpert's first book "Final Theory". Albert Einstein was able to unlock the secret of the Universe when he discovered "The Theory of Everything". This discovery could be either the salvation of the world, or its destruction. The formula is only known by Michael, a teenage boy, who is autistic, but also brilliant.

Brother Cyrus wants the formula so that he can hasten the end days, destroying the corrupt world we now live in and establish the "Kingdom of Heaven", a new world that will exist in peace and harmony.

The story is largely based in physics and computer technology. Although you do not need to be an expert in either category, it will have deeper meaning and significance to those who work in the scientific world.

The "Theory" is that the universe is based on knowledge and that this knowledge is part of a program that began 14 billion years ago starting with the Big Bang. The "Kingdom of Heaven" can only be hastened if the program can be disrupted. This can only occur if a nuclear device can be detonated and a forgotten experiment left over from the "Star Wars" program can be used in conjunction with the detonation.

This is a good read, maybe not as good as "Final Theory" because of the unbelievability factor. It seems that Brother Cyrus has been able to recruit very high ranking military personnel to join his cause. A scheme is devised to detonate a nuclear device in Iran that almost belongs in the realm of science fiction. There is also the incredible capture and escape by just about everyone in the book.

Again, a good read, with a lot of action interspersed with physics and computer technology. If you are looking for reality you will not find it in this book, however, I am not a physics or computer person, if I were, maybe; just maybe, I would take a different view of this story.

[Nachman Kataczinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Alpert definitely knows how to write an action thriller. If you don’t analyze the action too much (and why would you?) this is a gripping book. Things happen all the time.

Now to the bad news: the FBI are a bunch of evil idiots – all of them, no exceptions, the Vice President is an imbecile and the Secretary of Defense is so stupid that it is surprising he can find his way to the bathroom and even more surprising that he knows what to do once he gets there. On the other hand, the Russian SPECNAZ mercenary is the smartest and most violent person alive – at least as far as fooling the FBI goes and can do anything with impunity. He is also thoroughly crazy.

The day (and the world) is saved, eventually.

An amusing book and also not a bad introduction to some physics. I liked it over all, despite the strange stupidity of everything American. One thing bothered me: it seems that the author shares his characters’ opinion that some scientific discoveries should be suppressed for our own good.

I enjoyed reading this book.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally and completely unbelievable. A Divinci Code knock off with a very heavy emphasis on the religious zealots and a crazy leader who believes he has been chosen by god to bring on the end of days. Also I think the author who did some research on computers and the theory of many sciences having to do with time and space also need to do research on autism which I'd say he winged most of it. When you have a character that is autistic for a main one you need to know what you are writing about.

[Steve Schlutow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was much better than his first and do look forward to his third as the characters become more developed.. I do enjoy ALbert's technical jargon..

[Ted Waterfall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omega Theory, by Mark Alpert
This is a science fiction action packed thriller that is top notch. A sequel to Final Theory, which should be read first, science historian David Swift and his quantum physicist wife Monique Reynolds discover that their autistic teenage son, Michael, has been kidnapped by religious fanatics. It’s not an ordinary kidnapping.
Michael has memorized Albert Einstein’s Unified Field Theory, a set of equations that explains absolutely everything about physics in the Universe. It is the fundamental nature of reality. It shows how particles and forces in the universe originate from the convoluted folds of spacetime but also how spacetime could be manipulated to release the immense energies contained in these folds. And that is why the bad guys want him.
The book also centers around an actual theory about the nature of reality in which reality is essentially a binary system. Am I sitting in a chair? yes/no. Am I working on a laptop? yes/no. Is that a car? yes/no. Is the grass green? Yes/no. Is there a floor beneath my feet? Yes/no. Rather like a binary computer operating on a program of 0-1. It’s either on or off, the Universe is also a binary computing system. Don’t be too quick to scoff at this. Go to your search engine and type “It From Bit” and see what pops up. But like any computer system, it can be overloaded and crash.
So what can make the entire Universe crash? That’s right, the Big Bang, 14 billion year old Universe? Well, a group of religious fanatics led by Brother Cyrus and his True Believers have found the way in Michael and his memorized Unified Field Theory equations. These equations, combined with nuclear warheads and a super powerful laser called Excaliber, properly aimed and timed, could overload a certain point in the Universe and begin a tearing of space/time that would bring about the absolute crash of the entire sinful Universe and initiate the promised Kingdom of God where everybody who ever lived would then be resurrected and live peacefully and happily ever-after in the loving embrace of God. David and Monique know this to be true, at least the destruction part, and lead a team to prevent it from happening.
Considering the outrageous storyline, I don’t think there are too many authors who could get away with writing a story like this in a very convincing fashion. But Mark Alpert majored in astrophysics at Princeton, no less, earned an MFA in poetry from Columbia, and was a contributing editor to Scientific American. And he does a masterful job of tackling a tricky theme in a most convincing fashion. His writing style is engaging, his characters are interesting and diverse, and we are most fortunate in that he is still active today. I am looking forward to reading whatever else he may write.

[TTRF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started out great for me, then the story took a turn that I had to adjust to. The twist and turns are continuous. I've recommended this book to several friends. I'll keep it in my library to lend to anyone. This is the first Mark Alpert book I've read and am looking forward to reading more books by Mar.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hardcore science meets nonstop action

This story is believable and wonderfully geeky! The characters all come to life and they use science to save the universe. This is what hard science fiction should be!

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Same old same old, guns and action blah blah, the science is weak and felt like he was making a Hollywood movie. Predictable.

[Giorgos Papavasileiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Στην Ελλάδα κυκλοφορεί με τον τίτλο "Η φονική εξίσωση".

[Melb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grew on me...

[Brian Quick · Rating 3 out of 5]

another run around and hide environment. good read but not as good a #1

[Greg Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if the universe is nothing more than an incredibly intricate computer program? Sounds a bit Matrix-y, yeah? But apparently famed physicist John Archibald Wheeler theorized this "It From Bit" idea -- that literally everything in the universe could be described with 'yes' or 'no' binary choices -- near the end of his career. And it's an idea still being kicked around in some scientific circles. This It From Bit theory is the basis for Mark Alpert's taut, fast-paced scientific thriller The Omega Theory. Only Alpert poses the question: If the universe is a computer program, what could cause it to crash?

As our thriller opens, Columbia University science historian David Swift and his wife, physicist Monique Reynolds, are opening a Physicists for Peace conference in New York City. But just before Swift gives his keynote, the news arrives that Iran has just tested a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, David and Monique's adopted autistic son Michael is kidnapped by some religious nut-jobs who are after a secret stored in his head.

We soon learn, though, that the nuclear test may not be quite what it seems. And with the help of the FBI and a mysterious Israeli physicist and computer scientist, David and Monique race through the back alleys and secret tunnels of the Old City of Jerusalem to the deserts of Turkmenistan to try to rescue Michael and find the truth about a dastardly plot to destroy the universe.

Along the way, Alpert gives us some fascinating tidbits about everything from quantum computing to particle physics to code-breaking to the always-interesting science vs. religion debate. In fact, Alpert primes the pump with a quote from Albert Einstein to kick off the novel: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

The Omega Theory is the second book in Alpert's David Swift series, and it's everything the first book in the series, Final Theory, should've been. I'd even go so far as to recommend skipping the first book and starting with this one. You'll pick up the gist of the first one along the way. Four stars for The Omega Theory -- it's a fantastic read for science-based thriller fans!

[Daniel Rudge · Rating 2 out of 5]

David Swift, physics historian, and his family return in the sequel to Final Theory. Basically, in the first book, Swift discovered that Albert Einstein proved the unified field theory. The theory was that space and time were interconnected. in the end, the only one who memorized the unified field theory was Einstein's great-great autistic grandson Michael because Swift was worried that the unified field theory could help man create the ultimate weapon. In this book, Michael is kidnapped by religious zealot's who want to create a weapon that would compress space and time and bring Heaven to earth while destroying the world and the universe. The race is on to find Michael and stop Armageddon. Unfortunately, the main characters religious views and their pacifist attitudes make this book almost unreadable. Swift and his wife Monique Reynolds (an interesting husband a and wife interracial couple not found in most novels I've read) claim to be pacifists, but are given guns and shoot people with aplomb. They claim to be atheists, but every time the going gets tough they say prayers to God. Finally, to bring down the religious zealots hell bent on destroying the universe, they turn to a group of Jewish religious zealots toting Uzi's to save the day. I give the author Alpert credit for making difficult physics theories easy for the average reader to understand, but this book felt forced. So much of the novel is a set-up for the last fifty pages of action that it is a grind to get through the book. For lovers of fiction based on modern day science only.

[Maurizio Codogno · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quanto pare, la fantascienza - a meno che non si parli del buonanima di Asimov, e a ondate di Dick - non tira più: resta ancora la fantasy che però nel gruppo Mauri Spagnol è spesso più appannaggio della Salani, e pertanto l'Editrice Nord ha cambiato un po' il suo catalogo. Fortunatamente, come scrisse Clarke, "ogni tecnologia sufficientemente avanzata è indistinguibile dalla magia" e così è possibile fare una buona approssimazione di hard SF ambientata nel 2011, come in questo libro: secondo volume con protagonista David Swift, e il seguito dell'Ultima equazione. Abbiamo il pronipote autistico di Einstein (cose di famiglia!), i computer quantistici, le interruzioni dello spazio-tempo che in realtà è un computer cosmico, il tutto condito con Qabbalah e fondamentalismo religioso di vari tipi.. Ma se proprio dovessi incasellare il libro in una categoria, direi "thriller" se non addirittura spy story: abbiamo i servizi segreti americani e israeliani, gli iraniani, esplosioni atomiche, e soprattutto la caratteristica principale di questo tipo di libri: i personaggi tendono a morire prima o poi... più spesso prima. La traduzione di Roberta Zuppet è scorrevole: il gergo scientifico sembra essere corretto, per quel poco che io riesco a capire.

[Olof · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it - up until the end! Much better than the first in many ways.
But the end... Waaaay to simpe. A cop-out!
I would have wanted either: The overload was triggered. This would have meant that the universe went into pause. Many computer programs have timeouts. Why could not this program not have paused for a day, a year, a million years, and then timed out. Then all resumed. We will not have noticed anything. Maybe some scientific measurement (in the book) would show this.
OR (more dramatic and fun): The pause-bubble could have expanded enough to swallow the nuclear explosion (and save our main characters) then some sort of safety-mechanism kicked in and froze the expansion. That way our main characters would be able to see the bubble.
OR: The scientists calculated wrong and something unexpected happened :)
Any of these three endings and I'll gladly give one more star!

[Ginger Weirich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, let me catch my breath a minute. What happens when you mess with the time/space continuum? Can you think of the disaster(s) it might cause? Once again, we meet our autistic teenager, his adoptive parents, a religious psychopath and a smattering of other characters, once again involved in the “theory of everything”. All of these characters are three dimensional and very believable, including the “theory”. I found that I couldn’t sit still; I couldn’t breath; I couldn’t even think. This grabbed me at page one and didn’t let go. I have asked the author via Goodreads, however, if there will be at least one more. There has to be at least one more. I’m not satisfied that this is the end of it. 5+ stars.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A techincally complex novel, not as involving as the first in the series- It would appear that the author allowed some of his political views to seep into the plot- never a good thing in a novel- especially a thriller- which is aimed at a broad audience- Characters were somewhat plastic- and stereotyped- the "True Believers" were a bit hard to believe - pun intended and the overall plot was a bit on the far out side- a bit too much details on physics ect- stopped action - Alpert obviously is extremely intelligent in this area- but when I read a thriller-I like to learn some new things- but not take a course in Quantum Physics!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow-moving and predictable, I never really got into this book. The characters were not developed at all and relied heavily on any character development that had happened in the first book. The physics was decently sound, which is always nice, but overall, I just couldn't get emotionally involved in the story. The first book was better.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the scientific theory behind the plot - and it dovetails perfectly with the latest from Stephen Hawking about the creation of the universe. But I didn't find that it "crackles with suspense" as promised on the book cover...

[Marios Tasos · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sequel has its good points that you get familiar with Final Theory. Too technical at same points but i liked it, people may find it boring. Does not have the same rush, action and suspense as the Final Theory. I enjoyed the scientific theory that Alpert created for the plot.

[Wilma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Omega Theory" by Mark Alpert. It's about Iran testing a nuclear bomb and tests show it is more dangerous than any previous one. Something happens that had not occurred since the "Big Bang". The excitement builds from there.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book was predictable and not a good read. I liked the author's later books, though, so I gave book 2 a shot. This one was like day compared to the night of the first and I loved it. I hope someday the author will give this series another entry.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun to find a new author and read everything back to back! Great job furthering character development and also creating a suspenseful narrative. I was intrigued by some of the religious themes. I really enjoy it.

[Shaon Castleberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The universe has been saved once again - at least until the next installment.

[Scott Butki · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting premise - my interview for this book is here
http://sbutki.newsvine.com/_news/2011...

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good momentum. I enjoyed it. Ending not so great.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was action packed, but really the physics of it all was over my head. wish I started with the first in the series.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really need to read the first book in this series, this one was very good, and I really enjoyed it!