I am traditionally not a science fiction reader. However, Peter Clines "The Fold" is not a traditional science fiction book. It is a book of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance and government conspiracy theory.
I thought that I would struggle to get through this book but found I was shutting myself in my room for hours just to get to the end of this amazing tale. The main character of this engaging read is Mike Erickson, a high school English teacher who wants nothing more than to be normal. However, his mind is anything but normal. Mike has an eidetic memory giving him "instant access to a time-stamped DVD of everything I've ever seen". Clines creates an interesting image of red and black ants that are the warring parties of Mike's brain. One is his memories and the other is his thoughts and they each fight for supremacy.
Mike is sent to investigate a government program run by a famous scientist that has been creating some questions about it's viability. He soon finds himself utilizing his talent more than he ever wanted to figure out what this group of scientists is up to and more importantly what they are attempting to hide from everyone.
Clines creates fascinating characters that seem to change with each turn of the page, keeping the reader guessing as to what their motive is and what could possibly happen next. There were time during this book that I laughed out loud at the wit of the Sherlock Holmes type hero, and times I sat with my mouth ajar at the plot twists I never saw coming.
Even if you do not typically pick up science fiction books I would highly recommend this book as it is so much more than just science fiction.
I received a free copy of this title from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
