Wormholes: A Novel

by Dennis Meredith

Something is devouring Earth. . .
A suburban house in Oklahoma vanishes into a roaring abyss. A supertanker at sea suffers a fiery destruction. A blast in China drills a gigantic cavern into a mountainside. A severed arm plummets from the sky in Missouri.

Could these catastrophes possibly be related? Intrepid geologist Dacey Livingstone is nearly killed by her first attempt to plumb the mystery-a perilous descent into a house-swallowing sinkhole. Still determined, she joins with eccentric physicist Gerald Meier in a quest that takes them from the ocean's depths to interstellar space.
What are these exotic "wormholes" that threaten Earth? Can their secrets be discovered, their power even harnessed? Or will they spawn a celestial monster that will annihilate the planet?

Brilliantly original, Wormholes reflects Albert Einstein's famous assertion that "Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine."

Veteran science writer Dennis Meredith has crafted this cosmic adventure drawing on his decades of experience working at leading research universities such as Caltech, MIT, Cornell and Duke.

Genres: Science Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2013

About the author

Dennis Meredith brings to his novels an expertise in science from his career as a science communicator at some of the country's leading research universities, including MIT, Caltech, Cornell, Duke and the University of Wisconsin. He has worked with science journalists at all the nation's major newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV networks and has written well over a thousand news releases and magazine articles on science and engineering over his career.

He has served on the executive board of the National Association of Science Writers and has written numerous articles and guidebooks on science writing and science communication. He has also served as a judge and manager for the NASW Science-in-Society Awards and the AAAS Science Writing Awards.

He was a creator and developer of EurekAlert!, working with The American Association for the Advancement of Science to establish this international research news service, which now links more than 4,500 journalists to news from 800 subscribing research institutions.

In 2007, he was elected as a AAAS Fellow "for exemplary leadership in university communications, and for important contributions to the theory and practice of research communication." In 2012 he was named the year's Honorary Member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society.

He holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Texas (1968) and an M.S. in biochemistry and science writing from the University of Wisconsin (1970).

He is currently writing science articles, non-fiction books and science fiction novels. He also develops and conducts communication workshops for researchers seeking to enhance their communication skills, both professional and lay-level. He has developed workshops for researchers at universities, research foundations, and government agencies and laboratories.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Info: Genre: Speculative Fiction
Reading Level: Adult (there is also a YA version available)
Recommended for: fans of speculative fiction
Trigger Warnings: mention of domestic violence in the past

My Thoughts: All in all, this is a fairly entertaining book. I'm no physicist, so I can't tell you how accurate the science is, but it seems plausible in a rather fantastical way.

The one complaint I had was the method the author used for exposition. He would have one character bring something up that he felt needed explanation and then have another character explain what it meant. The reason this bothered me is that some of the lack of knowledge shown by some of the characters is very unrealistic. For example, Dacey has a PhD (admittedly in Geology), but has no idea what a black hole is? I mean, come on, I know what a black hole is. So, essentially, unrealistic holes in characters' knowledge.

However, other than that I was highly entertained by the story. The characters are all well rounded and developed, and there is plenty of action to keep the reader engaged. If you enjoy speculative fiction, heavy on the science, definitely check this one out.

Disclosure: I received an e-galley from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Something is devouring Earth. . . 

A suburban house in Oklahoma vanishes into a roaring abyss. A supertanker at sea suffers a fiery destruction. A blast in China drills a gigantic cavern into a mountainside. A severed arm plummets from the sky in Missouri. 

Could these catastrophes possibly be related? Intrepid geologist Dacey Livingstone is nearly killed by her first attempt to plumb the mystery—a perilous descent into a house-swallowing sinkhole. Still determined, she joins with eccentric physicist Gerald Meier in a quest that takes them from the ocean's depths to interstellar space. 

What are these exotic "wormholes" that threaten Earth? Can their secrets be discovered, their power even harnessed? Or will they spawn a celestial monster that will annihilate the planet? 

Brilliantly original, Wormholes reflects Albert Einstein's famous assertion that, "Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine." 

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geologist Dacey Livingstone is called in to investigate a mysterious sinkhole that has opened up and swallowed an entire house in Oklahoma. Upon descending into its depths, the only evidence of debris is the roof. Why is there nothing else? It's as if it has disappeared into thin air.

Elsewhere, other strange incidents are occurring; a supertanker apparently breaks up and sinks to the bottom of a boiling ocean; a severed arm plunges to the ground during a football game. These strange phenomena are gaining impetus yet no one can offer an explanation. That is until genius astrophysicist Gerald Meier comes up with the crazy notion of wormholes. He and Dacey join forces in what becomes a race against time to save the world from impending disaster.

Wow, what a fantastic adventure! This is just the type of book I love. I'm not sure how plausible the science is in real life but it really didn't matter because the author made it all come together in a way in which it seemed real in the book. When an author can do that with competent professionalism, you know you're on to a winner. Yes, there were clichés - the handsomely charismatic young scientist, the wealthy-beyond-dreams estranged father, the Armageddon disaster scenario - but heck, it was an exhilarating, rip-roaring ride!

The eclectic mix of characters made for interesting reading, especially one in particular during the closing chapters. I shall say no more about that though because I'm sworn to spoiler secrecy 😉. If you love science, space and adventure you can't go far wrong with Wormholes.

Thanks to Dennis and Joanne Meredith for inviting me to review this book. My opinion is my honest view.

http://barnseybooks.blogspot.co.uk/20...

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to say two things that are going to sound bad. The first is that I've had this book on my NetGalley to-read shelf for... too many months to say. At least a year. It was one of the first books I got and then avoided reviewing because I got overwhelmed. Because of course I went on an obnoxious month-long requesting and read-now! rampage across the whole website and ruined many things in the process for everybody. And then school started and I didn't read for fun anymore. And then I didn't want to read scifi. And then I didn't want to read my kindle. Etc, etc. I am a child.

So now for the second bad thing: this book was so much better than I was convinced it would be. I mean, look at the cover. The title. The description. It all sounds like over-the-top sci-fi that would have wooden characters and terrible dialogue. Well, I was wrong!

The story goes: mysterious "appearances" and "disappearances" have been happening all over the world. A 38-inch hole drills clean through a San Francisco office building, with infinitely smooth edges. A house collapses into a deep pit. An ocean tanker burns up in the middle of the Pacific. And an arm interrupts an admittedly boring high school football game. Gerald Meyer, brilliant physicist/genius/sexy hobo look-alike, teams up with a spunky geology professor with a dark secret, to try to get a grip on what's happening. And to maybe try to control it.

The characters are quite fun (esp. the San Fran crime scene investigator duo), the pacing is relatively fast, and it's easy on heavy jargon while still appealing to the sciency readers. I was afraid I would be bogged down with boring drones with what too-many authors think are nerdy tics, but that didn't happen here. The main lady protagonist is a khaki-shorts and baseball cap-wearing outdoorsy woman with firm calves, and Gerald, her opposite, is a gentle-spoken man with a cool secret. They had believable chemistry in their work and friendship, which was a strong positive.

I didn't particularly like the ending or the way the plot veered towards the end too much, but that's just me probably. There was also some intentionally tear-jerky moments that were reminiscent of Jodi Picoult and Armageddon, so it turned me off a bit. But you'd be a fan if you already like these types of stories and a more bombastic way of telling them. I don't often see such easily likeable characters in sci-fi, so worth it for that!


-I got an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review-

[Travis Starnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knowing that the author spent his previous career in the world of science explains why the science in this book is very solid and well detailed. Everything that happens in this novel comes off as completely believable and if I had not known some of the science covered beforehand, the parts of the book where he jumps from actual science into speculation would have all seemed like fact. He also does a good job with the thriller aspects of this book. The chase for answers and then solutions is interesting and at times pushed me to read faster in order to find out what was going to happen next. There are parts of this book that strongly reminded me of Carl Sagan’s Contact, both in the way the science is approached and in how Meredith dealt with the government and scientific community’s reactions to the main characters and their quest.

The author does an excellent job of showing how amazing acts of nature can destroy and wreck our structured environment. Meredith seemed to have a certain glee when writing the scenes of carnage and devastation.

That might be where the real big fault I have with this book comes from. The book takes a very long time to get going. The story didn’t feel like it really started until almost forty percent through reading it, which might be the longest set up I have ever read in a story. While I can understand the need to set up these wormholes and their destructive power Mr. Meredith seems to be a bit over enamored with this setup. We could have done with just 2 scenes showing us their power, say the opening scene and the destruction of the super-tanker. That would have been enough to get what was going on, give the main characters something to investigate, and set the stage. Unfortunately the author felt the need to write many other instances of wormholes causing havoc. I get that he wanted to show the difference aspects of the wormholes in order to set up later events, but those could of have been condensed into just a couple of examples and the result would have been the same. As it is the reader has to slog through the first half of the book waiting for something interesting to happen.

However, if you can make it through all of the setup, once the story gets going it really moves at a fast pace and is worth reading. Dennis Meredith is a good writer and has the ability to keep the reader engaged when he wants to. While not my favorite sci-fi book it was none the less an enjoyable read and one I would recommend to anyone who likes hard science fictions or books like Contact.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I have repeatedly stated here, I read and review most military science fiction. On occasion, I do stray and will pick up a book that I know is not going to be a military sci-fi book, but it is going to be science fiction. This book was one of those. I was reluctant to take a chance on it, but after having read a few bloody military science fiction books, I needed a break. And this book provided that break, but it also provide a lot of excitement! A surprisingly lot of excitement!

I had a preconceived idea of what a “wormhole” was supposed to be. But, the author has put a new twist on that term and I was caught totally by surprise. I won’t get into the specifics, and I don’t have a clue if the science behind these wormholes is anywhere near plausible, but for the sake of book, I’m very glad the author has such a vivid imagination. We’re going to meet two very intelligent people, Dr. Gerald Meier, Theoretical Astrophysicist and Dacey Livingstone, Geologist. They are the main characters and are well developed. Then we’ll meet a whole bunch of other characters who also get pretty good build ups so you know who they are and what role they play in the book. I think the author did a very good job with the character building. It turns out that I liked most all of these characters and even the one that isn’t so nice has his reasons.

There are a lot of surprises in the book. There’s also a lot of science involved none of which I have a clue as whether it’s right or not. I’m just reading the book for entertainment value and not for critical scientific knowledge. The story goes from Oklahoma to China and back a few times. China isn’t a big player in the story, but it does have it’s place. The Chinese do cause some problems, but nothing that can’t be solved with money, lots of money. As you can tell, I’m trying very hard not to tell you what the story is about. It’s best if you go in with an open mind. You’ll soon find it interesting enough to keep you going. Oh, there are no spaceship, starships or anything like that in this book. The military isn’t involved at all, but there are some rather cataclysmic explosions; one in particular blows Neptune to pieces!

This is a complete story, so there doesn’t appear to be any kind of a sequel and there doesn’t really need to be. But, I hate to lose some of these characters. Still, if this is an example of the authors writing, then I just might start reading a few more of his books. I see on Amazon that he has written a few others, but not my kind of books, although I said that about this on too. Well, you never know what I might read next.

[Faith Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solidly compiled adventure that explores an old theoretical physics model (then science fiction concept) in an entertaining way, with medium paced storytelling, and it then presents a good twist that the reader almost certainly wouldn’t have thought of on their own. I wouldn’t say this book was extraordinary throughout or the only source you ever need to learn about wormholes but I would strongly recommend the author send it to several the main sci-fi archive collections in the world because this may be the first time anyone has put the next step of concept development included here into fiction (I might be incorrect but this isn’t something I can check quickly, so add a comment if you’ve seen the following before). Specifically, this book presents passing through a wormhole, disengaging the Earth end and then steering it from the other end to potentially explore previously inaccessible reaches of our own galaxy. With no inertia, the limits of physical speed would melt and travel distance would no longer be governed by the human life span because you’d only begin travelling through after the wormhole had got there. Count me in please (packs towel and satchel).

As a fictional work on wormholes, this story includes everything the layperson would look for to cover that subject and, importantly, it doesn’t ape other wormhole influences (Pratchett’s The Long Earth, the TV show Sliders, Stargate, Deep Space 9 etc) so the reader is getting something fresh and dare I say it more realistic with this. There are things which are necessarily alike, such as casting two well educated scientist characters: a radical thinker man (similar roles were Dr Fox Mulder in X-Files and Professor Daniel Jackson in Stargate) and a bright, independent woman (e.g. Dr Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park) but I can’t imagine dim or unscientific people would be the first humans to bring such a phenomenon as this under control, so of course it would be people of this type. Dimensionally, I’ve just looked at myself out of the corner of my eye but it probably won’t happen.

In this, the arrival of the wormholes is made as realistic as possible, the leading characters then being drawn together and pulled in, if you’ll forgive a pun. There’s nothing supernatural about this story as it is all published and accepted physics, with the possible exception of magnetic containment working but more on that quibble below. Although the events are arguably US-centred, the author develops the idea at a global level and I think avoids the trap of whenever anything visits Earth it always lands in Central Park and wants to meet the same person (not my leader, thanks).

The author also has a good line in non-terrestrial animal design, avoiding the childish trap of imagining aliens as fitting the standard terrestrial vertebrate pattern (head on top, four limbs, rib cage, central spinal axis), which exists because Earthlings all share a common ancestor – which would not be in common with non-terrestrial life. The author is also correct when he says that any astrophysicist or physicist you ask can tell you there are other dimensions that the ones we see. Mathematically, that’s correct and we can model multi-dimensional shapes with data visualization to get our heads around the idea; add a length scale, add breadth, add height and then add another at a right angle to those. Easier that going around Hyde Park Corner on a moped.

The writing flaws were fairly marginal. I think I just spotted one spelling mistake (it’s/its) in this long book, so that’s pretty amazing by modern standards, i.e. to have a smooth read.

On the mechanical side my flow of consciousness travels into deep, intangible places and I might be badly wrong and tripping over my own brain stem but I don’t think that in our four dimensional reality (length, breadth, height and time) within the two standard physical models, that we could influence a wormhole’s geographical boundary/horizon position using magnetism (or the strong or weak nuclear force) unless it did not involve a separate universe dimension. In other words, yes I’m a nerd, but to use the author’s method of describing dimensions at right angles to our own: If you label our dimensions a, b, c and d and a wormhole opens to another dimension of e, f, g and h, the physical laws are only compatible if it is in another part of our own Universe (folded space) and the Newtonian and quantum settings match exactly (the same settings for physical conditions in separate universes is billions to one). Then again, the settings which allow life to exist in this universe are also fine-tuned to an improbability of a similar magnitude (don’t use the word design, don’t go there). If I’m correct (I could knock on a door at this university to find out if that’s possible, but I owe too many favours already) the scientist characters should conclude that if you can move the diameter of the aperture or the hole’s location with anything, showing the same physical settings across the boundary – even if you’re only testing magnetism, that indicates an immensely high probability that the wormhole must exist within the same universe as us (the other end is far away?). So, why go to the other end to steer it within our Universe if you can do the same thing from this end? If the wormhole is connected from ours to an alternative pocket universe or unique set of dimensions, the framework should collapse instantly (revert to one side, mutual exclusivity). Even if it didn’t collapse, the odds say life there would be impossible (too hot, too cold, matter too dispersed, atoms not holding together, elements not existing…) and any matter coming through would change state because the forces pushing and pulling it have changed.

I know I'm asking for trouble here because I sense the author has a scientific background but I can't help myself when the ball is rolling. I guess what I mean is, is this an extra dimensional wormhole structure which connects two areas of the same universe in which the same laws apply (I think so) or is it an extra dimensional wormhole structure that connects our universe to different universes where different laws apply (I don’t think that works)?

A related problem (okay, same problem, different application) is the rescue mission: A second wormhole is used to reach people stranded by the first. I can’t see any reason why the second wormhole would open in the same universe at all, let alone in any realistic proximity to the end of the first wormhole. Even if it formed comparatively very close, e.g. one solar system away, without a map of the other side it would be hard to bring the two together. If their dimensions are somehow linked to ours, geographical point position in 3D won’t obey quantum superposition rules over in dimension number 2, I think, although that assumes the small scale and large scale will obey the same laws over there (when they don’t here). If it works, in proximal space, this also suggests that the Earth system is rubbing up at right angles against (the same) other area of our own Universe, i.e. that the three dimensional topographic plane has folded and we’re meeting the same place on the other side, two close points here, two close points there – which would explain the rescue hole appearing nearby although I think I’ve said the same thing in four different ways. Congratulations me. So, the author is right, I don’t have to snog a beardy postgrad physicist and I’m free to cool my aching head down in this bucket of water. Whoosh, slosh, splosh and on to the next book.

[Jeff Soyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a pleasure to discover a talented author I had not known of before. Wormholes: A Novel, by Dennis Meredith, Glyphus Press (Amazon link) is a first rate thriller in the best tradition of hard science fiction. What an enjoyable break from the endless, militarized or “fantasized” sci-fi that has overrun the field of late.

A series of reports of strange and deadly phenomena catch the interest of theoretical physicist Gerald Meier, who enlists geologist Dacey Livingstone and others in his investigation to find out what they are and how they’re connected. And, by the way, to save the planet.

Our Earth revolves around the Sun, and our Sun, located midway in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way, begins to pass through a region of space where there are defects in the space-time continuum allowing wormholes to open at random, connecting different universes with, I might add, potentially disastrous results for our world and the solar system at large.

Dennis Meredith’s Wormholes reminds me a lot of the work of Michael Crichton in that the science in the story is close enough to existing theory to make the reader a believer that this could all happen. It’s also kept enough in check as to not slow down the story.

There’s a wonderful, likable cast of characters and the descriptions of the wormhole ‘events’ are fast-paced, vivid, and in some cases downright scary.

Wormholes would make one heck-of-a movie! It’s a terrific and well written book that gave me several hours of engrossed reading.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Dennis Meredith's Wormholes was one of the best science fiction novels I've read. Although certain story elements reminded me of Robert McCammon's "Something Passed By" and the TV show Fringe, the world of Wormholes was fresh, exciting, and well-developed; by the end of the (short) first chapter, I was hooked. I did have a little trouble understanding the science underlying the ability to "fly" the wormholes, but that did not prevent me from eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next. Since initially writing this review, I have discovered a blog post in which Meredith acknowledges "faking" the science, which may explain why I had difficulty understanding it, but again, it was the story, not the science, which grabbed me and never let me go.

The ending was particularly well done. I can't say more without spoiling it, but it provided a nice little twist that I didn't see coming.

The interpersonal relationships among the main characters were also handled very well. I felt the visceral punch of every tragedy and triumph.

I received a free copy of Wormholes through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacularly written apocalypse thriller that seems destined for the big screen. Are those scary sinkholes we see in the news really caused by dissolving carbonate rock? Or could they instead be a sign of something far more mysterious and terrifying? That’s the addictive premise of Dennis Meredith’s sci-fi novel, Wormholes. Check out the rest of my review on BestThrillers.com.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published inLooking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5

Without warning, an apparent sink hole completely swallows up a home in Oklahoma. Other disasters also occur around the world about the same time, and when a human arm falls out of the sky in Missouri, geologist Dacey Livingstone teams up with physicist Gerald Meier to understand what's happening. Dacey had already explored the house-swallowing sink-hole with near fatal results.

The occurrences are wormholes - a phenomenon that occurs in space, allowing for long-distance travel. Which begs the question - where did these come from? Is there an alien race (or races) that will soon be appearing? Or is it simply an invitation - waiting for humans to step on through? Is it just a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens to have hit Earth?

Dacey and Gerald work together to uncover the secrets of the wormholes and, if possible harness their power before other countries get their first.

I found the story to be simple and slow. Our brilliant scientists have to explain every step of every process to each other as though the other can't follow along. I recognize that this is a means of getting information to the reader, but aside for the 'telling' rather than 'showing', it makes our scientists look like they must have faked their way through their degrees.

As readers, we can figure out what's happening simply based on the title, but our scientists take awhile to get to the point where they even think they know what these 'holes' are, so there's no mystery for us and no surprise discovery.

I really did like the general concept and this is one of those rare books (for me) where I'd actually like to see this story revisited - there's a great idea here but the writing just doesn't live up to the potential. In addition to being both brilliant scientists and dunces who need things explained in layman's terms, our protagonists have no real depth to them. They're stock characters in a community theatre play - moving from point A to point B because the author told them to.

Looking for a good book? Wormholes by Dennis Meredith is a good scifi thriller concept but the adventure (and the characters) don't created the thrills we hope for.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book free through Goodreads "First Reads" program.

Weird events have been happening all over the world, either matter is disappearing, or appearing, and often with disastrous results for those nearby. One scientist figures out what's happening (psst, the answer's in the title), and then works to harness this power.

I'm afraid I never really got into this book. The premise is an interesting one, from a distance, but, there are just too many issues with the plot. In short, it never felt real, which is especially a shame considering how it mostly tried to stick to an Earth-based plot with scientists investigating a new phenomenon, rather than explore the wilder frontiers of SF.

One of the big problems was that the characters, and world in general, seem to take too long to reach conclusions that should be obvious, and often it's all the same guy making the discoveries. I can, just barely, accept that the novel's scientist-protagonist may be the first one to realize wormholes are causing all the variety of weird problems. But even if the book wasn't called "Wormholes!" I think I, and a lot of other people who are fans of science fiction would make that connection at least as a possibility, so scientists absolutely should have (in fairness, it's quite possible the character knew right away but was cagey about his ideas to everybody else in the story and perhaps other scientists were the same). I can give that one a pass. But when other problems come up in tracking or controlling the wormholes, or saving everybody from a threat, and that same scientist is STILL the one who figures out every development (except one insight provided by his love interest who's not a physicist at all), when the whole world is aware of the phenomenon? That's just too simplistic, and feels like poor writing in the most egregious cases. In fact, when there comes a big threat that, for a time, everyone in the world thinks it's hopeless, there was an obvious solution that I came up with immediately, but nobody else seems to until the main character decides it's just the thing to do. A lone scientist hero who solves everything can work in a story where the science is secret, but when the whole world's watching, it's not believable. A few times I was crying out just for a few references to problems being solved thanks to a paper by a scientist in another lab elsewhere in the world that we never heard from before or see again, but who kept up on the initial theory and made his little contribution. THAT's how science is done, and it's lovelier for that.

And even leaving aside how the discoveries are made... it's not really presented in a very entertaining manner. The first third of the book is everyone investigating and figuring out that a lot of disparate phenomenon are actually due to wormholes. But "Wormholes: A Novel" is the title of the book, so it's hardly like it'll be a surprise to the reader. Instead it feels like a slog as characters trudge slowly towards the conclusion the readers knew about from the cover page. And later in the book, it seems to not be that interested in directly exploring the wider potential of the scientific developments that wormholes present to the human species, and how it might affect their society, we're merely told about all the wild potential, and the action instead sticks mostly to mundane tech problems (that can cost lives or risk the whole world) and solutions. Now that kind of book CAN work, especially in science fiction. You can produce a work that's more about how science is done, the tension leading to the discovery rather than the discovery itself, but it takes a skillful writer to pull it off, and, as I just mentioned, the struggles to figure out what's going on, and sudden insights by the hero, don't feel genuine. The book does have some entertaining scenes of the damage the uncontrolled wormholes bring to the Earth, but it's not worth the long wait. The only time I thought, "Okay, cool, we're getting into interesting territory here," only about 2/3 of the way into the book, and even that plotline is swiftly abandoned for another. My favorite part of the book was the brief exploration of an alien planet, and that was genuinely cool for a while, but far too short.

The characters are a little on the one-dimensional side... it's not as bad an issue as the plotting, and the author seems to be trying to give them depth, but they come off a little like the sort of one-note archetypes you'd see in a disaster movie. In fact, the book could probably be adapted into a pretty entertaining disaster film, as there's a lot of good visuals and a threat that hasn't been done to death. The worst is probably the scientist hero, who seems to be constructed almost from a template of a Heroic Scientist. Brilliant, Kind and Caring, Incredibly Rich, with a few problems, but mostly they highlight his good qualities: he's got Daddy issues with a jerky father to contrast what a great caring guy he is, he's a little awkward but doesn't let it stop him, and all his peers come to ridicule his theory (but he'll show them, he turns out to be right!). The rest of the cast are better, but mostly they don't come alive, and, worse, the poor plotting comes into play here as well, as the team that eventually winds up investigating the wormholes more thoroughly once they're tamed includes a geologist, two cops, and a medical examiner, all of whom just happened to be investigating sites of wormhole activity and got friendly with the Heroic Scientist rather than being particularly qualified or suited to be on the frontiers of science. They don't organically form a team or seem like they belong together, and it renders even the ones I like (like the cops) more ridiculous when I have to suspend my disbelief, not for the exotic physics causing the wormholes to act as they do, but just to accept why these guys are still playing driving roles in the book.

I'm being a little harsh here, particularly for what I think is a first novel, but only because I genuinely think there's a chance for improvement. It's not a total trainwreck. There's nothing wrong with the prose style itself. It's got some genuinely tense moments of action, there are some vivid descriptions that provoke a sense of wonder, and it flowed well from sentence to sentence (even if there were problems with the overall pacing of the plot). The scientific underpinnings of the story... I can't judge whether they're correct, but they're at least plausible and believable. And as I said, the characters are mostly okay... compared to some early SF works that are still considered classics, they're well ahead of the game. But we're not in that era anymore, where the science and the idea are enough, they have to all come together in a compelling plot. I don't think they do that here... but I think the author can get there in future works, if he pays a little more attention to plotting and pacing, and cut out the elements that don't work.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a pretty much unique possible apocalypse novel that depends on wormholes causing the destruction. The basic idea is that the planet is going through an area of space where wormholes are fairly numerous and this causing destruction all over the place.

Gerald is the guy who thinks he knows what is going on but when he presents his idea the scientists in the room go ballistic, treating him like a piece of dirt. Unfortunately this is the way many scientists think, that they are the intelligent ones and anyone who dares question what they believe to be canon is an idiot. UFOs? You're a nut. Cryptids? You're a nut. Ghosts? Likewise.

Their opposition coincides with the growing viciousness of political/social/ideological divide among people in this country. Minds-open discussion has pretty much died. If you hold a different view from 'the group,' then you're dirt. This is the type of opposition Gerald must endure.

Dacey is the other major character and both of these people are believable. (Admittedly, Gerald can be kind of quirky.)

All those two, and the few open-minded willing to work with them, is to determine exactly what the wormholes are, how can they possibly manage to catch one and how, then, can they use it in some manner to help with what is going on?

Lambert, the guy with the financial backing (and not really a very nice person) is the one that will get involved with them and the book really gets into some fascinating things. If you fall down a wormhole, what will you find on the other side? A white rabbit with a pocket watch? Another world? Instant death?

The strength of the book is in the second half, really, and it stays incredibly interesting throughout.

[Liquid Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, for me, is a hodge-podge of thoughts.

Straight from the book blurb: a roaring abyss, a supertanker catastrophe, a severed arm, and huge hole in a mountainside..."Could these catastrophes possible be related?" Um, yeah? If not, it would really be weird to just toss them into the fold, right? These vignettes set the stage to introduce the main players. Outside of that - they are a vehicle to provide some action in an otherwise slow start.

Spoiler not spoiler: Wormholes (whisper it for dramatic effect). So, we have some super smart scientists and a super hot, smart, and brave, yet flawed, heroine geologist. A love pairing is obvious from the beginning. I won't spoil how that pans out.

But the characters and the story don't really reach out and suck you in - at least not me. Then, an anti-matter arc drops into the read and turns this book into an Armageddon -esq (Ben Affleck variety).

For my reading experience, this one is a bit slow without too much character interest. The writing and editing are pretty good. The science and concept is fun, too. But, I got the feeling that the author used mild action, mild character development, and over-the-top conflicts to drive the true purpose: show scientific knowledge about the theory and possible destruction capabilities of wormholes.

In all - a fair read! Nothing grabbed me, but I was entertained.

ARC provided by author.

[Maison Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

i just……im not sure if it’s because this book is more about plot holes than wormholes, or possibly because a geologist/respected professor had never heard the term “black hole” before a man explained it to her, but this book did not deliver like i wanted it to on a large scale or in the details. it was a cool concept, but that was not enough to save it. 2.25 stars

[Ron D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

Outstanding Plot (so unique and different). Outstanding Characters (with a lot of depth, a lot of variety, and very engaging). Outstanding Scene Settings (perfect for the storyline without being too flowery). I would definitely consider reading more by this author.

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turning story !
**Thank you for my free Goodreads copy**

[Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good SF thriller -- very heavy on the science.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the "Young Adult Version" notation on the cover, this is not a YA book. The characters are all adults and behave as adults, not teens. Which is as it should be. The "Young Adult Version" refers, instead, to the fact that foul language and adult situations have been removed from the text. Honestly, I didn't miss them. At all. It was nice to be able to read a book and not have to worry about coming across something too "adult" for me. :)

I know. The title and cover are terrible, but it really is a good story, packed with so much science that it made my brain very, very happy. Okay, so the ending was way predictable, but that's okay. I can live with that. I enjoyed the book and would happily read more by the author.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited but got it on one of those freebie days. Never been so glad, even with my sci-fi etcetera background to not really do synopsis or anything of a plot, since no idea where to start. Simplest way to explain is to say just read it, or otherwise I will have to resort to quoting my favorite shows {Doctor Who and Babylon 5}. Still haven't read anything quite like this. Will say my personal quote: Look to the Stars {rating}.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a full-length sci fi thriller, engaging and generally thrilling, which nonetheless could have lost about fifty pages in length without losing any real substance. Interesting characters, fascinating plotline, wonderful settings, excellent science indivisible from the fiction, and some real edge-of-the-seat moments — which then gave way to a slower pace that encouraged skimming.

The main purpose of a thriller is to thrill the reader. Long sections of angst and soul-searching don't generally fulfill that purpose. The first time the main character made a mistake and someone died, his remorse was compelling. It was less so the second and third times.

I didn't find the research team's composition to be entirely believable, especially when the stakes ratcheted up. Granted the team needed a medical doctor, but it didn't seem appropriate for a small-city coroner to take on that role when NASA specialists would have been available. And why two forensics experts were hanging around — well, they were entertaining, at least. Although [SPOILER ALERT] once we learned one of them was ill, his role in the plot turned into a cliche.

[SPOILERS CONTINUE] Author Dennis Meredith skillfully avoided another cliche when the presumably cold-blooded, greedy corporate billionaire turned out to be a real human being after all. Kudos there. [END SPOILERS]

Despite the slow bits, I was never tempted to put the e-reader down, even when this non-scientist solved the big problem at the end before the scientist-hero did. That's worth a few points. Let's call it 3.5 stars, with room to grow.

Please note that I received a free copy of this novel through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway program. The price of the book has no bearing upon the review received.

[Alex McGilvery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wormholes
Dennis Meredith
Glyphus L.L.C.

Wormholes is one of those books that just starts and carries the reader along for the ride. The presentation is polished and professional looking. From the striking cover to the energetic and entertaining plot. The writing is not technically perfect with a little bit of Point Of View flipping happening here and there, yet I enjoyed the story enough that I just didn’t care about the minor slips in technique.

The story opens with a cavern appearing beneath a city and geologist Dacy needing to explore it to determine its cause. Only there isn’t one that she can find. She meets up with an eccentric astro-physicist and is soon on a global quest for the cause of strange disasters. The disasters are shown to us with gusto and a great talent for putting the reader on the spot to experience what is happening. As they travel they pick up more companions who each bring their unique personality and talents to the team.

The really interesting part of the story begins when they figure out the cause of the disasters. Wormholes are cross-dimensional holes posited by modern mathematical cosmologies. It was a delight to read a science fiction book that used truly cutting edge science as its premise.

The main characters are well drawn and interesting. We learn bits about them as we go along. The other characters are not cardboard cutouts but they are less well defined. As I mentioned above, this isn’t a problem. This book is a roller-coaster read and is engaging and fun to read.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a good serious science fiction novel, very readable and with an engaging cast of characters. It takes a while to get the actual storyline going, as the first part of the book is concerned with detailing the catastrophes caused by the wormholes, and the efforts of the scientists to determine the cause. I did not have a problem with knowing about the wormholes in advance, as this section was very well written, and I enjoyed the pace and the process. However, in contrast, I found that the pace picked up very quickly in the last third of the book. An awful lot of ground was covered very quickly, and I wished the author would have rounded out the plot a bit more. The section on the exploration of the alien planet, for one, felt disconnected from the rest of the book, like it had been dropped in from another novel. Also, I found a bit of choppiness in jumping from one time frame to another. All of a sudden, it's six months or eighteen months later - has nothing interesting occurred in the meantime? While the first half of the book would make a good movie, it would take a miniseries to do justice to the plot of the second half.
All in all, I found this to be an entertaining read, and would like to thank the Goodreads First Read program for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

[Yana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well deserved 5 stars.

Wormholes by Dennis Meredith is one of the greatest sci-fi novels I have read. I too had not heard of the author and was pleasantly surprised. This novel is very well written, perfectly suspenseful and will keep you reading for hours. I couldn't put it down.

I have to disagree with the comments about it over-educating and seeming like a lecture. I did not feel that way at all.

What's fantastic about this novel is that it is very believable, like previously commented, it is not overly fantasized and because it is so close to existing theory it seems very possible.

The characters where greatly crafted and developed, they're very real.
The novel begins with individual events throughout the world tied together by their similarities, eventually bringing all of the characters from each event together.

Wormholes is a perfect blend of science, action, adventure and a touch of love. I too would love to see this novel become a movie.

This is one I will re-read for sure.

I highly recommend reading Wormholes, especially if you have an interested in astronomy and astrophysics.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I received this book through the First Reads program. I enjoy science fiction and found the premise interesting. The story starts out with action and keeps going. In that respect it is cinematic. There are many descriptions of the surprise and destruction created by this mysterious event. Then there are the various characters with their differing motivations.

The book is very well written. It flows evenly and well. The events, and the reactions of governments and the scientific community are realistic. I have three reservations with the story. The first is that I found myself getting lost among the many characters. The second is that I felt there were some logical gaps in some of the decisions made. The third is that the romance didn't work for me. There was no chemistry between the characters. Perhaps on screen it would work, but on paper I didn't buy it.

Overall, this is a fun adventure story. I particularly liked that the dangers of scientific discovery weren't downplayed.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first read the synopsis for this story, I thought I would be reading something combining all the STARGATE series in one, but sadly this was not the case. If, like me you are expecting STARGATE and all the information involved, this story is not for you.

WORMHOLES opens with an imagination-catching scene. The house disappears, owner and all mysteriously, the main characters are introduced and the story plummets from there, picks up, plummets etc. Although there are some very good portions in the story, for the most part, I found myself skimming the pages wondering when things were going to pick up. Then things would get interesting again and it would once more plummet and I would want the story to end. The characters are not likeable and when they died it didn't make any difference. Although the writing itself is technically proficient, the story is lacking in most other aspects and I thought it could have been much better than what it was.

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dacey Livingstone, a geologist, is sent to investigate an unusual sinkhole but stumbles upon a bigger mystery. Gerald Meier is an astrophysicist that explores theories no one else wants to deal with or acknowledge. The strange phenomenon appears and disappears in random places from Oklahoma, New York City, San Francisco, and Atlantic Ocean to name a few places. Gerald stumbles upon a stunning idea that will rock the scientific community. It's a race against time to stop this deadly menace. Will Gerald and Dacey come up with a plan? Will they be believed? What is the deadly menace? Your answers await you in Wormholes.

I was surprised by how my scientific information was discussed that didn't leave me feeling dumb for not knowing this information. I appreciated this very much because it kept me engaged in the story. I love the mix of science and out of the box type of thinking presented here. I would definitely consider reading more books by this author.

[Jeanine Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holey cow!!

This book starts with a bang, and gets even better from there. If you are a fan of disaster novels where the very existence of the earth is threatened, you will certainly enjoy this novel. The world reels as one unexplained disaster follows another. We first meet our intrepid heroine Dacey, and it's a pleasant change to have a heroine in a novel who is smart and brave and capable. Our hero is a bit unusual but proves up to the task of saving the world.

Dacey and Gerald are a mismatched pair at first and it's sweet to see their relationship grow when things aren't exploding and cities being destroyed in various ways. Eventually Gerald figures out what is causing the disasters, but now he has to convince the rest of the scientists. While they argue, a threat that can destroy the planet emerges.

To say that a book is a page turner has become a bit of a cliché, but in this case it's true. Don't miss this fast-paced and exciting read.

[Jay Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing and imaginative story that continually leaves the reader in suspense. For someone with a casual knowledge of modern theoretical physics, the descriptions of the realities and the technology are quite believable. As the story develops, a cast of interesting characters is assembled, well-described, and carried through a number of interesting situations. The frustration and heartbreak of selling a new theory of the universe, the dangers posed by strange and unfamiliar phenomena, and the awakening of love for long-term loners all play into the continuing drama. The narrative has many gaps in the chronology, but the reader is quickly caught up, and the actions of every scenario are very well described. By the end, the reader is drawn into an emotional relationship with all the major characters. This is a good book for everyone.

[Amanda Rhoads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the possibility of wormholes and what the hell kind of catastrophes they may cause. The characters are fun and you really want Gerald to succeed at convincing the scientific community that he is right about the strange phenomenon that is destroying the Earth. When team up with Dacey, a geologist, they become an unstoppable couple that is determined to save us all by capturing the wormholes. Of course corporate greed and the like stir-up trouble from time to time. Will they capture a wormhole and what could it be used for? Find out in this fast-paced and easy to understand work of fiction.

[Denise Berube · Rating 3 out of 5]

I put this as a 3 but I would give it a 3.5.

I enjoyed reading this book, it immediately intrigued me from the very first wormhole incidence. There was a lot of scientific detail and explanation, this trend continuing for a good portion of the book with minor incidences occurring which made for a bit of a sluggish and heavy read. Once the book got past all the science, the suspense and excitement returned keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. I would certainly recommend this book, the plot is well developed with exceptional detail and characters that are easily related to.