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The Tinker & the Fold #1
Problem with Solaris 3
They have been watching… Because of him, they are coming… Jett Joseph Javelin Junior is enjoying the eighth grade until his scientific tinkering goes dangerously wrong and attracts the attention of The Fold, an extraterrestrial force, tasked with keeping peace in the galaxy. When The Fold comes to collect him, Jett's life is thrown into disarray. From alien abduction, to life in Tower 100, to becoming a castaway on Lanedaar 3 and savior to the Boonans, to flooding the White House with living alien pom-poms that eat everything in sight, Jett’s adventure to save Earth from The Neutralization Protocol and integrate it into The Fold is fraught with peril and will keep you guessing all the way to the end.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2015
13 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Evan Gordon
9 books2 followersEvan Gordon (2003 - Present) was born in Orange County, CA. The Tinker and The Fold is his first book (co-wriiten with Scott Gordon). He is currently working on Part 2 of this Problem With Solaris 3 trilogy and an additional sole-written novel entitled The Impossible Dreamer. Evan enjoys the shows Doctor Who, Supernatural, Arrow, The Flash, Sherlock, and Psych and is also is a huge fan of Star Wars, The Lord of The Rings, and The Hunger Games. He likes to go out dressed as characters that inspire him including Castiel, The Doctor, and Dean Winchester. Evan says that, "Life is short, so always take advantage of free lemonade."
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 2, 2016
Four years ago a father and son collaborated on a fun project to write a science fiction story; an effort that was to blossom into something more than a one-time partnership. The Tinker and the Fold: The Problem with Solaris 3, sees their effort brought to full fruition in this first book of a trilogy, a result of that process; but if readers anticipate a genre read replete with conventional devices, they will immediately realize there's far more happening here than a predictable story line.
Many sci-fi reads for young adults revolve around events and characters which don't stand out from the crowd. Not so with The Problem with Solaris 3, which opens with sassy young Jett's increasing defiance of the status quo. His attitude crosses over from school to life in general, and though his twin brother Jack strives to blend in, Jett is determined to carve his own path and personality as he navigates his world.
It's this attitude that earns the eighth grader a unique place in the scheme of things to follow when his proclivity for tinkering attracts the attention of The Fold, a galactic peacekeeping organization, and leads to quite a different kind of alien abduction than popular literature portrays.
From an invention that tests his mother's quantum theories and opens the door to strange new worlds to Jett's place not just on Earth, but in the universe, The Problem with Solaris 3 succeeds in going where few other young adult science fiction reads can follow, transporting its readers to a unique universe replete with kidnappings, unexpectedly hilarious alien invasions, and a "must have" list of tools that includes impeccable and funny logic.
Each chapter adds a dose of humor and wry observation that defies normal sci-fi approaches. Each builds upon Jett's clever, creative character and the strange worlds he encounters, which are graphically and beautifully described from a pre-teen's viewpoint. Even when dialogue and extraterrestrial encounters are taking place, the sassy, spunky interactions between characters are fun and refreshingly original.
The difference between a one-dimensional, predictable sci-fi read for young adults and one which is a standout in its genre often lies in a combination of author approach and fresh, original details; and the father-son team of Evan & Scott Gordon succeed in going where few writers (much less family authors) have gone before.
Rich in characterization, plot, development, and humor, the story unfolds as a winner and is highly recommended not just for the young adult audience it's intended for; but for many an adult sci-fi fan looking for the truly remarkable standout read that includes thought-provoking reflections on the nature of peace, collective consciousness, and ruling systems.
Many sci-fi reads for young adults revolve around events and characters which don't stand out from the crowd. Not so with The Problem with Solaris 3, which opens with sassy young Jett's increasing defiance of the status quo. His attitude crosses over from school to life in general, and though his twin brother Jack strives to blend in, Jett is determined to carve his own path and personality as he navigates his world.
It's this attitude that earns the eighth grader a unique place in the scheme of things to follow when his proclivity for tinkering attracts the attention of The Fold, a galactic peacekeeping organization, and leads to quite a different kind of alien abduction than popular literature portrays.
From an invention that tests his mother's quantum theories and opens the door to strange new worlds to Jett's place not just on Earth, but in the universe, The Problem with Solaris 3 succeeds in going where few other young adult science fiction reads can follow, transporting its readers to a unique universe replete with kidnappings, unexpectedly hilarious alien invasions, and a "must have" list of tools that includes impeccable and funny logic.
Each chapter adds a dose of humor and wry observation that defies normal sci-fi approaches. Each builds upon Jett's clever, creative character and the strange worlds he encounters, which are graphically and beautifully described from a pre-teen's viewpoint. Even when dialogue and extraterrestrial encounters are taking place, the sassy, spunky interactions between characters are fun and refreshingly original.
The difference between a one-dimensional, predictable sci-fi read for young adults and one which is a standout in its genre often lies in a combination of author approach and fresh, original details; and the father-son team of Evan & Scott Gordon succeed in going where few writers (much less family authors) have gone before.
Rich in characterization, plot, development, and humor, the story unfolds as a winner and is highly recommended not just for the young adult audience it's intended for; but for many an adult sci-fi fan looking for the truly remarkable standout read that includes thought-provoking reflections on the nature of peace, collective consciousness, and ruling systems.
June 22, 2016
This book made me take a good look at my self and my life a realized that there is something greater in the world for me. Thank you I very much recommend this heroic tale of action and adventure.
June 8, 2017
PROBLEMS WITH SOLARIS 3 features Jett who has a knack for physics and technology. Following his mom's physics notes, he builds a teleportation device. But while showing a demonstration, his brother knocks into him and sends Jett miles away, plummeting to his death.
Jett is saved by members of the Fold. The Fold watches over the universe to determine which planets are threatening themselves and which are remaining balanced. Earth, or Solaris 3 to them, is on the path to destruction and Jett is the only one who can save it.
Wanting nothing but to get home, Jett attempts to teleport but ends up on a different planet and things just go down hill from there. All the while, the Fold are trying to track him down and keep tabs on him.
Final Verdict: I would recommend this book to fans to YA Science Fiction. It's an easy read but a bit random at times. Everything seems to tie together as the story unfolds. I give it a solid 3.5 stars.
Jett is saved by members of the Fold. The Fold watches over the universe to determine which planets are threatening themselves and which are remaining balanced. Earth, or Solaris 3 to them, is on the path to destruction and Jett is the only one who can save it.
Wanting nothing but to get home, Jett attempts to teleport but ends up on a different planet and things just go down hill from there. All the while, the Fold are trying to track him down and keep tabs on him.
Final Verdict: I would recommend this book to fans to YA Science Fiction. It's an easy read but a bit random at times. Everything seems to tie together as the story unfolds. I give it a solid 3.5 stars.
January 18, 2017
Ambitious, But Restrained
The premise is simple enough. Jett invents a quantum transporter that draws the attention of the Fold, an inter-galactic group that monitors civilizations and "neutralizes" planets that are poised for inter-stellar travel but aren't "morally advanced" enough to handle it. This is not at all a new concept. But, the authors handle it about as well as it can be done.
First, the action/adventure is handled superbly. We have an appealing, bright, well-intentioned, and only slightly sarcastic eight grader who carries the burden of being the book's hero lightly and well. As part of his tale we have him being kidnapped by the Fold, escaping, hooking up with a hilariously deadpan partner, traveling the galaxy, and then returning home to warn Earth. This part of the book is loaded with funny lines, clever set scenes, compelling supporting characters, and suspense, all recounted with energy and a sprightly pace. The humor is neither ironic nor edgy, and so we get a sort of mellowed out middle grade "Hitchhiker's Guide..." kind of vibe. Great.
But second, we get the whole "Earth must be neutralized because of its wicked ways" story line. The Fold follows the "Ten Laws", which is of course the "Ten Commandments". In fact, the Fold actually handed the original Ten Commandments to Moses, and there's a lot of tsk-tsking about how poorly we've followed them. This sort of storyline torpedoes most books that try to go this way. Either those books go for a slapstick White House in disarray scene, or a military defiance scene, or a lot of heavy-handed, preachy speechifying, with or without explicit Christian references. This book tiptoes around that. The Jett-at-the-White-House scenes are brief. We never go near a military-space-opera thread. We get some speechifying - Jett defends Earth in some sort of Fold assembly - but it's not ham handed. The assembly scenes are actually fairly thought provoking, and the authors don't shy from the fact that the Fold is pretty patronizing, self-satisfied, and rather uppity in a moral superiority fashion for a group that goes around wiping out entire planets.
The upshot of all this is that you have two books mixed together; it's written almost in alternating chapters. The action/adventure/humor is absolutely top drawer - well written, and with imagination to burn. As to the preaching, well, if you don't ever like any of that, this book may be too much. If you like a little moral dilemma with your sci-fi, (say, questions about who gets to play god, and the difference between wrong and bad and evil, and really any of the paradoxes and problems with the Ten Commandments), then this book could be just right. Reflecting on this I thought about some of the great moral and ethical issues addressed by the great writers of the Sc-fi Golden Age, and decided it might be a good idea to inject a little more of that into today's sci-fi. But that's just me and you're you.
In any event, this is an entertaining book with surprising substance, and is worth a close look. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
The premise is simple enough. Jett invents a quantum transporter that draws the attention of the Fold, an inter-galactic group that monitors civilizations and "neutralizes" planets that are poised for inter-stellar travel but aren't "morally advanced" enough to handle it. This is not at all a new concept. But, the authors handle it about as well as it can be done.
First, the action/adventure is handled superbly. We have an appealing, bright, well-intentioned, and only slightly sarcastic eight grader who carries the burden of being the book's hero lightly and well. As part of his tale we have him being kidnapped by the Fold, escaping, hooking up with a hilariously deadpan partner, traveling the galaxy, and then returning home to warn Earth. This part of the book is loaded with funny lines, clever set scenes, compelling supporting characters, and suspense, all recounted with energy and a sprightly pace. The humor is neither ironic nor edgy, and so we get a sort of mellowed out middle grade "Hitchhiker's Guide..." kind of vibe. Great.
But second, we get the whole "Earth must be neutralized because of its wicked ways" story line. The Fold follows the "Ten Laws", which is of course the "Ten Commandments". In fact, the Fold actually handed the original Ten Commandments to Moses, and there's a lot of tsk-tsking about how poorly we've followed them. This sort of storyline torpedoes most books that try to go this way. Either those books go for a slapstick White House in disarray scene, or a military defiance scene, or a lot of heavy-handed, preachy speechifying, with or without explicit Christian references. This book tiptoes around that. The Jett-at-the-White-House scenes are brief. We never go near a military-space-opera thread. We get some speechifying - Jett defends Earth in some sort of Fold assembly - but it's not ham handed. The assembly scenes are actually fairly thought provoking, and the authors don't shy from the fact that the Fold is pretty patronizing, self-satisfied, and rather uppity in a moral superiority fashion for a group that goes around wiping out entire planets.
The upshot of all this is that you have two books mixed together; it's written almost in alternating chapters. The action/adventure/humor is absolutely top drawer - well written, and with imagination to burn. As to the preaching, well, if you don't ever like any of that, this book may be too much. If you like a little moral dilemma with your sci-fi, (say, questions about who gets to play god, and the difference between wrong and bad and evil, and really any of the paradoxes and problems with the Ten Commandments), then this book could be just right. Reflecting on this I thought about some of the great moral and ethical issues addressed by the great writers of the Sc-fi Golden Age, and decided it might be a good idea to inject a little more of that into today's sci-fi. But that's just me and you're you.
In any event, this is an entertaining book with surprising substance, and is worth a close look. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews