Supersymmetry by David Walton, Superposition #2Ryan Oronzi is a paranoid, neurotic, and brilliant physicist who has developed a quantum military technology that could make soldiers nearly invincible in the field. The technology, however, gives power to the quantum creature known as the varcolac, which slowly begins to manipulate Dr. Oronzi and take over his mind. Oronzi eventually becomes the unwilling pawn of the varcolac in its bid to control the world.
The creature immediately starts attacking those responsible for defeating it fifteen years earlier, including Sandra and Alex Kelley—the two versions of Alessandra Kelley who are still living as separate people. The two young women must fight the varcolac, despite the fact that defeating it may mean resolving once again into a single person.
Earlier this year I read David Walton's Superposition, the book to which Supersymmetry is the sequel. I knew David Walton from a different epic fantasy book Quintessence which took be by surprise, which also happened with Superposition, I am a big fan of Science Fiction that could well play into our current time frame. This is precisely what David Walton did in Superposition, when you meddle with quantum physics... You can open a whole load of unpleasantness...
Supersymmetry takes place fifteen years after the events of Superposition. Jacob Kelley and his family are still living a merry life. Until one day when a stadium blows up where Jacob was watching a game. Now some strange things happen (a things you might find strange if you haven't read the first book). Sandra one half of Alessandra Kelley, who is now a police officer, discovers her father body including ID. However not long after that she gets a phone call by her father. Now this should be impossible since Jacob's body was found... but what if, Jacob was split into two just before the explosion? There can only be one explanation, the varcolac is back. But how is that possible is Jacob banished it fifteen years ago? I can assure you that the varcolac is back, but not by what Jacob and his family has done over the past fifteen years. No, a scientist, Ryan Oronzi has developed a new technology for the US military that relies on quantum mechanics, and with this he has given rise once again to the varcolac. And now it is out with only one goal, destroying Jacob Kelley's family. The varcolac was hard to defeat fifteen years back and now that Jacob has died as well, Alex and Sandra have to rely on each other and on Ryan Oronzi. but you know what they say. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And this is what Ryan is facing, being the brilliant mind he is, he always wants more power to learn more, this is what the varcolac offers him, with a lot of consequences...
Just as with Superposition, David Walton managed to create a thoroughly enjoying story in Supersymmetry. The first story has more of a thriller murder mystery feeling to it, for the sequel you knew (if you read Superposition) just what the varcolac can do etc, the thriller aspect was definitely there but for this book it felt for me that David Walton delved deeper into the science in his fiction story.
This bring me to the world building. Though it was shown in a nice depth in the first book, in Supersymmetry, David Walton steps it up a notch and shows that there are barely any limitations... As I said above there is more science involved, this time around David Walton delves deeper into what all is possible with the famous Higgs Boson, even going so far as proposing it for teleportation and the biggest things in science, time travel. Now of course by introducing such aspects to the story, it could have gone over the top, but there are enough rules and regulations that have to be taken into account that teleportation and time travel don't run out of control. Some of you might not have heard of some of the science terms in this book but that shouldn't pose a barrier to read it, as just as with Superposition David Walton very nicely breaks down the heavy science into chunks for you to understand, making this aspect of the book readily approachable for everyone.
In the first book we got introduced to mainly Jacob Kelley, he led the investigation into what happened there. For the sequel David Walton has chosen to switch to different characters. The daughters of Jacob, Alex and Sandra, now if you read the first book you know Jacob only had one daughter, but due to some events, Alessandra was split into two. Sandra is currently working as a police officer and Alex is following into the footsteps of her father, also wanting to become a physicist. When Alessandra split up, they became two different beings making their own decisions and thus two separate girls. A bit like identical twins, but formed much more later on. I really liked this shifted narration to the young girls, they do bear traits from their father Jacob but have their own more young-woman attitude. When you compare them, they are very much alike, owing to the thing above, but due to the individual choices they made they are different. Next to these two girls, the focus is also on the brilliant scientist Ryan Oronzi. He is something to be honest, you can directly see that he is what you think a scientist is. Smart and doesn't give up to find the truth of a new theory and such. But also that he has become addicted to learning more, gaining more knowledge. He knows what he is doing and the creature that he has called forth, in the process he also learns just what the varcolac is capable off... but his attitude changes when he is presented with ultimate knowledge, you can clearly see that Ryan is struggling with what to do, the right thing or the... a nice little dimension to his character with this.
Supersymmetry is an edge of your seat action packed Science Fiction thriller. If you thought that Superposition had it all, wait till you get to read this book, though some aspects of the first book are now more in the background, when it comes to down fast pacing and science fiction action, Supersymmetry has it all and much more. You can read Supersymmetry without having read the first book as it takes place fifteen years later, but I think you will appreciate the overall story much more if you start with the first book. All in all David Walton has outdone himself on this second book. Having deliverd two stunning books in a row I am curious to find out what he has in store next!
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