While on a business tip to Zurich, Steve Keeley falls from a three story building. Although the fall should have killed him, he wakes in a hospital, knowing something about him has changed. For one, he can’t shake the idea that he should be able to levitate off his bed. When he returns home to California, things get even stranger. He finds he is able to sense things before they happen and apparently is able to read people’s thoughts. He sees and hears a kind of field that no one else does. When he investigates his hospital stay and finds that no insurance claim was filed, Steve is sure there is a conspiracy against him, especially when he starts to sense that he is being followed.

Mike McNair is a physicist in charged of a facility in Texas. In a privately funded venture, his team is in search of the so-called "God Particle," a sub-atomic particle that connects everything in the universe. (For a much better definition of the God Particle, see Wikipedia) Their mysterious backers wants faster results and send in someone else. Thanks to a saboteur, Mike doesn’t realize how close they are. Steve is drawn to the super collider without knowing why and thinks Mike will be able to help him.

There’s something compelling about The God Particle. The writing style was clear and concise, making this an enjoyable and quick read, with just enough science to impress us non-science types, but not so much that it gets didactic. I was instantly drawn into the story even though the characters weren’t all they could be. No one was any deeper than the plot required and their motivation were often singular and unconflicted. Much of the novel deals with the philosophies behind the physics with several discussion of the relationship between religion and science being some of my favorite parts of the book.

My Recommendation
The God Particle is an interesting read. While there is nothing earth-shattering about this novel, if you like philosophy and physics, this is a quick enjoyable read.

The God Particle

I was provided with a free review copy of The God Particle