Prophecy
Paul Mark Tag
Reviewed by Jenny Salyers
In 1889, a
poorly maintained
dam failed, letting the waters of Lake Conemaugh
rush across Johnstown, Pennsylvania and destroying the
town. It was, one of the worse
environmental disasters to befall the United States, and 2,200 people died
in the flood.
Moments before the dam burst, a
young woman entered the Trinity Lutheran Church in Johnstown, and put a bottle
containing an extraordinary
letter into the church’s safe. This letter reveals that the writer knew
of the
impending flood.
In 2009, a United States scientist has found
the gene that could
scientifically explain clairvoyant powers. In Russia, laboratory
experiments done by their own
scientists have also found this genetic mutation, the “prophecy gene”
as it is
dubbed. This gene, if made into a synthetic replacement could turn the
world
into upheaval. Letting powerful men and women buy the ability to see
the future
and manipulate it to their own advantages.
When the American scientist
disappears, his friend Dr. Victor Mark Silverstein is thrown into a
cyclone of intrigue
after receiving a strange text message concerning the kidnapping. While
trying
to track down his friend Dr. Silverstein and his assistant Linda
Kipling find
themselves tangling in the spider web grasp of greedy and corrupt US
senators,
the CIA, and a Middle Eastern terrorist organization. All of whom are
trying to
find a present day carrier of the gene who can confirm that the gene
exists
outside of laboratory experiments. When the safe containing the letter
written
before the Johnstown flood is unearthed, it
accelerates the race to
control the “prophecy gene”.
The gene, if found could prove
the right or wrong hands the ability to control the planet, and throw
the
worlds religions into chaos.
Paul Mark Tag’s second novel is a fast paced thrill ride of
an adventure. The author makes use of his experience as a meteorologist
with
the Navel Research Laboratory to bring his readers an exiting story
that takes
a look into theoretical science and the consequences it can have on the
world. I
really enjoyed the realism and development of Prophecy’s plot and found
myself
savoring the book and trying to make it last longer.
One thing I enjoyed was the fact that
Silverstein and Kipling’s relationship as coworkers and friends is so
developed. The author also does a wonderful job of bringing in the
story
elements that have been carried over from his first book Category 5 and
explaining them in a way that doesn’t leave new readers confused, and
also
doesn’t bog down the plot.
Prophecy was a wonderful introduction to a new author for
me. I look forward to reading Category 5, and future books by the
author.