Standing Wave

Hendrix uses physics and philosophy as the basis of a story which extrapolates from a unified field theory of existence. Matter and particles are only special kinds of waves or energy. A lot is going on it this book. The internet achieves such information density and complexity that it becomes sentient. A young man dies and his brain is used by a corporation as a data-handler. The universe itself becomes sentient and self directed. On the most basic level, this story is a murder mystery, with some entity -- person? artificial intelligence? what? -- horribly killing people with some internet borne agency. On another level it is a political thriller, with a secret agent of a right wing Christian nation recruited by the internet killer to start trouble. There is a great scene when the Christian undercover agent visits a goth amusement part with a H.P. Lovecraft theme, complete with live performances by a Cthulhu-like giant squid. Most of the narrative is simple, straight ahead and crystal clear. Other parts hope to suggest technical expertise and profundity in the way of most professions: unfamiliar vocabulary or jargon. I don't have the background to be sure, but most of this vocabulary is certainly in common use in various scientific and academic fields, while some Hendrix may have coined as needed. Sometimes the characters, instead of being sleepy after a big meal, feel "postprandial lassitude." This is a rewarding, entertaining novel, but not light reading. Hey, I like books with challenging vocabularies.

I usually don't review books but some of the other reviews of this book were, I thought, rather unkind so anyway here is my two cents... first of all the author is true to the genre - 'Standing Wave' is nothing if not speculative and the authors grappling with the bleeding edge of theoretical physics, artificial intelligence and information theory is well done and integral to the story. The characters are interesting and multidimensional as, in some 'big idea' science fiction, they are not and the story itself is well structured. I don't think the novel gets lost in subplots but the previous reviewers who mentioned the fact that a lot of what happens is based on Hendrix's earlier work seem to be correct (I say seems because I have not read his other work yet but it is true that the characters constantly refer to earlier events and you definitly feel like you are missing something if you haven't read the prequel). Even so the book is excellent and it does stand alone though I am adding 'Lightpaths' to my reading list. Another point I would like to make is that the author does not drag the book out - this could easily have been a 600 to 700 page book but Hendrix resists the tempatation to have his characters engage in endless monologues to make his point. His science is, contrary to what other reviews said, founded firmly in the more cutting edge speculation I have read about string theory, artificial intelligence not to mention the possibilities of evolved consciousness and the philosophical ideas of Tielhard, Jung, RAW, Tim Leary, Terrance McKenna etc, etc. I don't see the 'New Age' criticism as being very appropriate either, there really isn't anything here that falls into the kind of shiny happy goofiness that I, at least, associate with New Age 'thinking' and the author is never heavy handed or preachy - his characters have points of view but they are consistant and plausable. Anyway, if the book has a flaw it may be that there are places where Hendrix left me wishing for more, some of the most interesting characters appear all too briefly and the end is a bit disappointing but all in all this is one of the better science fiction books from a 'new' author I have read in a while and it is well worth the time. Also, for the previous reviewer, mescalin is the psychoactive component in Peyote which is a cactus, not a mushroom.

I eagerly looked forward to this second novel of Howard Hendrix's, STANDING WAVE, after thoroughly enjoying his first novel LIGHTPATHS. I wasn't disappointed, I could hardly put it down! The story is sequential to LIGHTPATHS, yet stands alone well. However, it would be best to read LIGHTPATHS first in order to understand the ever-evolving consciousness technology that permeates both novels. Hendrix's speculative treatment of consciousness, information revolution, and odyssey toward universal oneness is fascinating. Read this novel to find out how the (seemingly plausible) physics (or, bio-physics!) of standing wave technology and its possible future implications for human beings play out! This is indeed an imaginative, complex story that successfully connects all the dots, crosses all the t's, and dots all the i's. The author has my admiration for keeping track of any and all loose ends! Hendrix is surely on his way to science fiction stardom! However, STANDING WAVE is not for everyone. Those not interested in or patient enough for intricate storylines and speculative, scientific-research-related topics will not be happy with this book! I highly recommend this novel to those who are. I'm looking forward to a third novel from Howard Hendrix!

I am the Alpha and the Omega, is one way to summarize this book. As an exploration of the nature and scope of human consciousness this book has few rivals, if any, in modern science fiction. Putting down the book every few pages is the only way to absorb all the different levels on which this book can operate(if you give it the chance). It also keeps you from burning out :). While there are a few slow passages, the momentum this book builds up, on a meta-physical level as well as a story level, drives you on to the conclusion. The concept of a standing wave relentlessly and effortlessly pushing forward, is carried forth here in many ways. The story paths all share elements of parallelism and inevitable collision, in a way that is so fun to read about, and is somehow threatening as well. What a read. What a blast. Anyone who is widely read in science fiction and philosophy should find this book just fascinating. I highly recommend it.