Disclosure: I receive an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.
Please note: This book has potential triggers for those who are sensitive to violence or may have anxiety.
Genre: Adult Fiction
Pages: 270
Rating: 3 out of 5
THE QUESTION invites readers to consider this premise:
If you could have the answer to one question, and only one question, what would you ask… and who would try to stop you from asking it?
To what extremes would they go?
THE QUESTION is a thriller that explores a new way of thinking, a method powerful enough to answer very complex questions . . . perhaps powerful enough to solve the universe’s most fundamental mysteries . . . perhaps powerful enough to resolve religions’ most beguiling unknowns.
THE QUESTION is an adventure story . . . fiction that you may wish, may believe, may know, is true. The narrative occurs in the present, with scenes in California, Washington, D.C., Paris, Shanghai, New York, and Afghanistan.
The story is aimed at high-school and older readers and contains some graphic violence and occasional sexual allusions. The plot is action-oriented with an element of scientific fantasy, similar to Jack Finney’s “Time and Again.” The prose is crisply written, professionally edited, and organized into movie-scene chapters.
THE QUESTION is ideal reading for anyone who is curious . . . for those who gaze into the cosmos at night and wonder . . . for those who look into the mirror and imagine . . . for those whose hearts beat faster when confronting the unknown . . . for readers who enjoy a fast paced, contemporary thriller that inspires them to think.
Buy the book… Amazon.com, Book Depository
First and foremost, I feel this book should definitely have a trigger warning. As someone with controlled anxiety disorder, I would highly recommend someone with anxiety not read this book. Additionally, if you are sensitive to violence; read the book with caution.
My head is still whirling from this book. The first two chapters had my heartbeat racing and I couldn’t wait to delve deeper into the book. But then it changed and confusion ensued.
After the first two chapters, the book slowed down significantly. There were parts of the book that were so heavily fleshed out that I found myself glazing over because I just could not comprehend what was being (a lot of science-y talk.) Then – BAM. Total unexpected and frankly, if it was a movie, I probably would have jumped. In fact, I am almost certain my jaw hit the floor and remained there for a chapter or two.
Unfortunately, I felt the book slowed down again and didn’t pick back for a few chapters where I then found myself flying through chapters without even realizing it because I couldn’t read it fast enough.
I am still flustered with the book because while I understand what they were trying to achieve with Unity, the question that was proposed was not one that I found to be the number one question that I would want the answer too. Additionally, the results did not surprise me and I wished I was there with them so that I could share with them why the results were what they were.
Maybe I am dense because I choose not to follow a lot of modern day “news” that relates to this book, but I can’t wrap my head around the “actions” that occurred as a result of “the question”. (I know I am being vague, but I don’t want to give anything away because it really is the entire basis and intrigue of the book!)
All in all, I really wanted to love this book, but it tended to be slower than I prefer with some areas of confusion that I felt could have been left out without removing any vital information from the book. If you enjoy “suspenseful” reads, this one is definitely suspenseful.
About the Author
R. Breuer Stearns is an investor and author.
Mr. Stearns graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover (1970), Harvard University (AB, 1974), University of Chicago (MBA, 1977), and DePaul University College of Law (JD, 1979). He rapidly ascended on Wall Street in the 1980’s, serving as Managing Director, Mergers & Acquisitions at Lehman Brothers and Head of Investment Banking (North America) at UBS Securities. While living in New York, he founded “Terrific Teachers, Inc.,” a foundation dedicated to identifying and rewarding the best of the best of the city’s public high school teachers.
Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mr. Stearns launched a private investment bank in the former Soviet Union. He spent the early 1990’s seeking to marry emerging science, primarily emanating from Russia’s Defense sector, with Western capital. During this period, Mr. Stearns made a small fortune, albeit from a larger one. The venture provided a remarkable lesson in hubris, a tremendous reservoir of internal strength, and first-hand source material for Mr. Stearns’ first book, Winning Smart After Losing Big (Encounter Books, Beijing University Press).
Subsequently, Mr. Stearns served as Chief Financial Officer of The Dial Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of Columbia/HCA Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of PacifiCare, Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer of Vascular Genetics, Inc., and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quepasa Corporation (QPSA:Amex).
Mr. Stearns is a Founder of VestaPoint Capital LLC, a family of investment funds focused on real estate development. He lives in Arizona with his wife, two dogs, two cats, and a horse. He travels extensively and is intensely curious.
Find the Author at… Author’s Website
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