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Spears of God: A Novel
In the early decades of the twenty-first century, the most commonly held truth is that knowledge is power. Yet a select few men and women begin to suspect what few will we know nothing at all.
The world’s oil resources have dwindled. The rich are turning richer and the power-mongers are becoming more powerful. China and the United States dominate the globe in a geopolitical chess match. The human mind has merged with the cybergrid, yet the human race seems not to have evolved much at all.
Then, on a remote South American mountain, two scientists stumble on a grisly scene. Here, while trying to protect an ancient sacred rock, a primitive tribe has been slaughtered. No witnesses remain to reveal what could have inspired such carnage. Or so it would seem.
In the international arena, meanwhile, a new global race is a weapon capable of tipping the balance of power is discovered. Among the competitors are a National Security Agency director who is playing at an elaborate doublecross within his own agency and a vengeance-seeking Israeli meteor hunter. Shamans and zealots, geniuses and madmen–all seek to unlock mysteries that fell to earth millennia ago. But the key lies with four mute children who may unwittingly hold the secret to the planet’s survival–or its destruction.
The world’s oil resources have dwindled. The rich are turning richer and the power-mongers are becoming more powerful. China and the United States dominate the globe in a geopolitical chess match. The human mind has merged with the cybergrid, yet the human race seems not to have evolved much at all.
Then, on a remote South American mountain, two scientists stumble on a grisly scene. Here, while trying to protect an ancient sacred rock, a primitive tribe has been slaughtered. No witnesses remain to reveal what could have inspired such carnage. Or so it would seem.
In the international arena, meanwhile, a new global race is a weapon capable of tipping the balance of power is discovered. Among the competitors are a National Security Agency director who is playing at an elaborate doublecross within his own agency and a vengeance-seeking Israeli meteor hunter. Shamans and zealots, geniuses and madmen–all seek to unlock mysteries that fell to earth millennia ago. But the key lies with four mute children who may unwittingly hold the secret to the planet’s survival–or its destruction.
- GenresScience Fiction
394 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 3, 2022
Well, I finally finished this book, and it was quite a slog. In fact, I almost gave up at various points.
Spears of God is apparently the sequel to another book, going by the constant references to a previous event. Having read that book isn't necessary to follow this book, but it would have been nice if it had been clearer that it was part of a series.
Basically, a lost tribe is murdered by unknown fighters in order to steal the meteorite they are protecting. Four children survive, and are found by two scientists following the stories on the dead aunt of one of them. Various groups are stealing famous meteorite samples from around the world for different reasons: creating supersoldiers, provoking armageddon, scientific curiosity. The climax involves trying to start nuclear war in the Middle East.
All in all, the story had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the writer breaks several rules of writing, and not in a good way.
The main problem in the book is that research should be like an iceberg; the reader should only see about 10%. Instead, for the first half of the book, there are a couple interesting scenes, but the rest is lectures. Characters are introduced apparently just for the purpose of delivering lectures on meteorites, biology, legends, prophecy, and a bunch of other things that I started to tune out. By the halfway mark, I was beginning to wonder if there was ever going to be a coherent plot.
There wasn't. Not really. I couldn't tell if there were two groups, three, four or more involved. Motivation was rarely clear. Characters change sides with no apparent reason. Character motivations are dictated, but rarely made believable by actions. At times, I wanted to throw the book across the room. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that it was loaded on my ereader. Instead, when I got too frustrated, I switched to rereading old favourite books for a while before going back to it.
Finally, in the last hundred pages, things finally started to come together, and the story picked up. Unfortunately, by that point I almost didn't care.
In the end, what I will remember of this book is that the author spent so much time on lectures that there was little story development and pretty much no character development, and the result was a highly unsatisfying read.
Spears of God is apparently the sequel to another book, going by the constant references to a previous event. Having read that book isn't necessary to follow this book, but it would have been nice if it had been clearer that it was part of a series.
Basically, a lost tribe is murdered by unknown fighters in order to steal the meteorite they are protecting. Four children survive, and are found by two scientists following the stories on the dead aunt of one of them. Various groups are stealing famous meteorite samples from around the world for different reasons: creating supersoldiers, provoking armageddon, scientific curiosity. The climax involves trying to start nuclear war in the Middle East.
All in all, the story had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the writer breaks several rules of writing, and not in a good way.
The main problem in the book is that research should be like an iceberg; the reader should only see about 10%. Instead, for the first half of the book, there are a couple interesting scenes, but the rest is lectures. Characters are introduced apparently just for the purpose of delivering lectures on meteorites, biology, legends, prophecy, and a bunch of other things that I started to tune out. By the halfway mark, I was beginning to wonder if there was ever going to be a coherent plot.
There wasn't. Not really. I couldn't tell if there were two groups, three, four or more involved. Motivation was rarely clear. Characters change sides with no apparent reason. Character motivations are dictated, but rarely made believable by actions. At times, I wanted to throw the book across the room. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that it was loaded on my ereader. Instead, when I got too frustrated, I switched to rereading old favourite books for a while before going back to it.
Finally, in the last hundred pages, things finally started to come together, and the story picked up. Unfortunately, by that point I almost didn't care.
In the end, what I will remember of this book is that the author spent so much time on lectures that there was little story development and pretty much no character development, and the result was a highly unsatisfying read.
June 26, 2012
Religion and science have traditionally been quite antonymous with each other, one inspired by humans interested in the faith and knowledge of a god, and the other inspired by the discovery and knowledge of testable explanations. Over time, the two have tried to work within the same world, since neither is going anywhere. Some people, view science as just another form off any type of faith. Wiki has a quote from Historian Jacques Barzun who termed science "a faith as fanatical as any in history" and warned against the use of scientific thought to suppress considerations of meaning as integral to human existence.
Howard V. Hendrix, however, in his novel Spears of God, uniquely combines the two, or rather, allows the two to exist together. One scene I found to be a bit ironic is when Mahmoud is traveling from Wabar to Mecca, and is asked if anyone has attempted the seven hundred mile in summer and he replies, "I don't believe so. When you consider that our route has inevitable detours, it's more like a thousand miles, actually. But then again, no one has had ATV quads like these before, either" (Hendrix 295). The use of quads, and GPS systems instead of navigating by the position of Jupiter to reach a religious location shows that although the journey can be made either way, with use of technology and scientific means, any spiritual journey can be made. Unless ,of course, the journey is the spiritual experience, then the route of less luxury may be needed.
I like how Hendrix does not always give either science or religion a cure all power, and even says, "for in the great endgame, both science and religion have failed" (379). Or that religion is not the only form of faith that preaches peace but seems to be the root of much world violence. "Having now met and spent time with so many people raised in that faith, he did not see Islam as any more likely to spawn a culture of violence than Judaism, or Christianity, or any other religion - or scientific secularism, for that matter - given the same historical circumstances" (344). I like how Hendrix gives both science and religion their blows and praises, never truly giving hard evidence of his position on the two.
Howard V. Hendrix, however, in his novel Spears of God, uniquely combines the two, or rather, allows the two to exist together. One scene I found to be a bit ironic is when Mahmoud is traveling from Wabar to Mecca, and is asked if anyone has attempted the seven hundred mile in summer and he replies, "I don't believe so. When you consider that our route has inevitable detours, it's more like a thousand miles, actually. But then again, no one has had ATV quads like these before, either" (Hendrix 295). The use of quads, and GPS systems instead of navigating by the position of Jupiter to reach a religious location shows that although the journey can be made either way, with use of technology and scientific means, any spiritual journey can be made. Unless ,of course, the journey is the spiritual experience, then the route of less luxury may be needed.
I like how Hendrix does not always give either science or religion a cure all power, and even says, "for in the great endgame, both science and religion have failed" (379). Or that religion is not the only form of faith that preaches peace but seems to be the root of much world violence. "Having now met and spent time with so many people raised in that faith, he did not see Islam as any more likely to spawn a culture of violence than Judaism, or Christianity, or any other religion - or scientific secularism, for that matter - given the same historical circumstances" (344). I like how Hendrix gives both science and religion their blows and praises, never truly giving hard evidence of his position on the two.
June 27, 2008
Forget the blurb on the back. Hendrix summarizes the book perfectly on Pg. 369 :"The history of the Mawari, of their sacred stone and totemic mushroom, of their search for quartz stones of a particular lattice configuration as parts for the building of a shamanic machine with which to defy space and time and gravity. Of the role of sacred stones in tents and temples and holy cities throughout the world...of...who all sought transforming power and the power to transform. Of tulipak and fairy folk. Of phoenix phenotypes and metaphages, metadiamond cages and silica nanoparticles. Of the meteorite in Mecca as open ended superstring spawnthread weaving to the plenum of all possible universes. Of cosmic ancestors from the end of time and back again...All pieces of truth. All liquidly sparking shards fallen from the infinite, destined to return to the infinite, paradoxically never having left the infinite..."
Did you feel a prickle of excitement? Pick this book up immediately.
Others and hard sf haters, stay away.
Did you feel a prickle of excitement? Pick this book up immediately.
Others and hard sf haters, stay away.
Read
April 23, 2018«Las lanzas de Dios es perfecta tanto para los amantes de los thrillers geopolíticos como para los que gustan de la literatura más científica» —scifi.com A finales de la era cretácea, América Central sufrió un tremendo impacto causado por un meteorito que provocó la destrucción de los dinosaurios, el surgimiento de los mamíferos primitivos y, finalmente, la humanidad. Los científicos especularon que este gran paso en la evolución sucedió debido al cambio climático causado por este enorme impacto. Pero ¿y si ese meteorito contuviera material con propiedades extraordinarias que nos ayudaran a evolucionar? En Estados Unidos, un sospechoso grupo de coleccionistas está acumulando esta sustancia, y no parará ante nada para explotar su tremendo poder. El camino para detenerlos pasa por las junglas de los Andes y llega a la fuente de la roca más sensacional: La Meca.
December 7, 2024
No tenía planeado escribir una reseña, pero aquí va. Excelente idea, super documentada, inteligente. Ahora bien, si cada giro de la trama, por mínimo que sea, necesita de cinco páginas de explicaciones, ya sean cientíificas, técnicas, religiosas, históricas, políticas o incluso filosóficas, estamos ante un problema grave. Todo necesita ser explicado bajo cada uno de dichos parámetros. Esto, sumado a que los personajes no se distinguen en lo más minimo unos de otros....
Tres estrellitas, solo por la cantidad de información descripta y por gran capacidad sincrética del autor.
Tres estrellitas, solo por la cantidad de información descripta y por gran capacidad sincrética del autor.
did-not-finish
August 27, 2014I couldn't finish this book. I read the first forty pages at a torturously slow rate. Neither the premise nor the characters grabbed me the way they usually do, even in books that get 2-star ratings from me.
Read
November 27, 2016Great descriptive imagination. How real? Quite possible. I am rather inclined to think, each being is a parallel universe to the rest and an algorithm that can compute all such relationships to keep all in sync will bring about the peace Mr. Hendrix is seeking.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews