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Domain (2002)

Domain (2002)

Book Info

Author
Genre
Rating
3.5 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0812579569 (ISBN13: 9780812579567)
Language
English
Publisher
tor books

About book Domain (2002)

Well, wasn't that a disappointment. Some time ago--probably a year or two back--I saw a paperback copy of this book in the bookshop. I glanced at the blurb and thought interesting, but put it back and decided to look it up in the library. Aren't I glad I did. It wasn't the sketchy science that I found unpalatable. I'm too lazy to look up the real numbers but I can smell circular mathematical reasoning when I stumble on it. By nature I'm an easy sell. Just put some effort into the storytelling, make sure your basic facts are straight, and I'll suspend disbelief long enough to breeze through the book and won't notice a thing. Of course once someone else points out the failures I'll happily join in on the lambasting. And by put some effort into the storytelling I mean, have the characters act like the rational, slightly cynical but impossibly curious scientists they're supposed to be. I've seen actual physicists act like children at the face of some new exiting data--I felt it--and I wasn't even in position to understand what was so damn intoxicating about it. Dominique did not in any way fit the mould. Usually that would be a good thing to say about a character, but not when she's supposed to be an abuse survivor dealing with her past by becoming a clinical psychologist. I could have understood a moment or two of weakness at the face of an emotional dilemma, but I could not tolerate her bawling at every single turn. Psychology is different from physics or archeology, but she's gone through the school and the moves. Unless she's bought every single test and article she's written for her professors, her first plan of attack towards Mick's hallucinations would be to verify the facts from independent sources. She did not. Any academic should know better and that the author would brush it aside so makes me doubt his qualifications. Then again, I know nothing about sport medicine. But I do know a thing or two about story telling. The mixing of first and third person limited narratives didn't work. Having finished the book I can appreciate what the author was trying to do with Julius' journal entries, but it did not work. The beginning was too slow and bogged down by the numerology-would-be-archeology and choosing Dominique as the main character from whose point of view to introduce the alternative world, did not work. Failures in her characterisation prevented me from connecting with the story. Once the focus was shifted to Mick and the actual thriller part was embraced, I could see why people could--some would--like this very much. I've already mentioned characterisation failures, but I've said nothing about the villains. Borgia is the most interesting character of the lot and he has some kind of background to justify his actions. However Foletta, Raymond, Groznyi, and every other nameless halfwit doesn't. I've only taken few basic courses but reading about these characters made me sincerely wish that Alten would invest in a few psychology course books help him write human beings and how they interact with others. Then again, if my guess about the sequel is correct, he didn't need to. Not that I'm in a hurry to find out.The fact that this book was written over a decade ago shows. With some things Alten gets very close to today's technology but other things made me shake my head. As always the human factor distances his view of status quo from the reality. People die, people cheat, people get elected to office. Also, I'm not convinced by his chosen method of intimidation. Somehow failing economy and the possibilities it creates with new world order(s) seems scarier than a nuclear holocaust. After all, I doubt I'd have to live through the latter considering my geographical location so close to St. Petersburg. One last note. This was the last book I expected to read a bad romance in. I have read enough actual romances for that, I don't need it in my science fiction.

I started reading this book years ago when i was on a long distance bike trip and staying at a friends house for a few nights. I had never heard of the mayan doomsday prophecy or even of many of the ancient places in this book like the nazca plateau. I was horrified, i was intrigued. Unfortunately i had to leave before i could finish the book. It had ignited in me an intense curiosity of the mayans and their prophecy and i started learning all i could about both which led me to learning much more about the ancient world and its amazing structures. For that i'm very grateful that i came across this book. I finally tracked down the book again (i had forgotten both the title and authors name) and determined i would finish it. Of course i couldnt remember most of the story line so i had to read it all over again and what a disappointment it was. The characters are, each and every one of them, completely unbelievable and actually quite unlikeable, especially the main character Dominique. What a sniveling, whining, unimaginative, gullible excuse for a phycologist who could always be counted on to do the wrong thing, be the annoying screamer, and trust the wrong person. The writing was boring, too bogged down by wordy descriptions and excerpts from too many different peoples perspective that had little to nothing to do with the rest of the story. I found myself skipping or quickly skimming whole sections of the book, mostly the political scenes and the scenes where i could tell, following the previous pattern, that the person whose perspective it was written in was about to die. I read it, i managed to finish it, i'm relieved to be done with it. Finishing this book took a serious act of willpower, ugg.

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Libro all'inizio un po' duro da digerire, non coinvolge subito nella lettura e in alcuni tratti presenta un linguaggio molto tecnico, talvolta del tutto incomprensibile per chi non sappia già di che cosa si sta parlando. Oggetto del libro è - come suggerisce il titolo stesso - la fine del mondo, prevista secondo il calendario Maya per il 21/12/2012, ma che tuttavia è possibile evitare. Non voglio rivelare niente perché rovinerebbe la sorpresa a chi lo sta leggendo, ma qualche accenno ad un paio di cose li farò. Nel libro si alternano le pagine del diario di Julius Gabriel, un archeologo che ha trascorso tutta la sua vita a cercare di scoprire il significato della profezia maya e un modo per impedire che si avveri, e lo svolgersi della vicenda vera e propria, che vede protagonista Micheal ( Mick) Gabriel, figlio dell'archeologo. All'inizio è piuttosto noioso, alle pagine del diario di pura storia segue la descrizione della vita di Mick, rinchiuso in un manicomio da 11 grazie alle macchinazioni di un "nemico di famiglia". Nemmeno quando la sua strada si incrocia con quella di Dominique, una psichiatra, le cose sembrano cambiare. Mick è convinto che le informazioni incredibili contenute nel diario del padre siano vere, ma nessuno vuole credergli, all'inizio nemmeno la sua psichiatra ( Dominique appunto). Con lo svolgersi degli eventi, il lettore deve sorbirsi un sacco di informazioni, sulle culture mesoamericane, sulle piramidi di Giza, sul processo di fissione- fusione nucleare, sulla descrizione di gigantesche astronavi aliene, e soprattutto se la lettura non è continua, il lettore rischia seriamente di perdersi per strada. Ma soprattutto, in un primo momento non si riesce a capire dove voglia andare a parare l'autore, è come se girasse intorno a qualcosa ( la profezia maya) senza però dire tutto quello che sarebbe bene sapere su di essa ( espediente del resto necessario per far proseguire la ricerca di Mick). E poi, alla fine, tutti i più piccoli indizi, anche quelli che sembravano del tutto irrilevanti, trovano un loro posto nel progetto di salvezza del mondo, prcesso che non riguarda unicamente gli umani o gli abitanti del pianeta Terra... La parte finale è sicuramente la migliore, quella in cui il lettore può finalmente dire "ok, adesso ho capito". Il finale è inaspettato, e lascerebbe spazio eventualmente a un secondo volume - questo dovrebbe infatti essere il primo di una saga.Elementi puramente scientifici sono intrecciati con particolari fantascientifici per non dire fantasiosi, sebbene ci sia una accurata e quasi maniacale documentazione alla base del libro( basti pensare che di ogni edificio citato vengono descritte le misure, le forme, la composizione eccetera). Quello che all'inizio sembra soltanto un'opera che si avvicina al tema della profezia maya da un punto di vista puramente scientifico e razionale, in realtà poi si svela essere molto di più, introducendo elementi come il bene, il male, i nephilim, serpenti piumati, il Signore del Mondo Sotterraneo e via dicendo, elementi tipici della cultura e della tradizione Maya che fa da sfondo a tutto il libro.Un po "palloso" soprattutto nella prima metà, il ritmo diventa più serrato e le vicende incuriosiscono di più a partire dalla metà circa in poi. Non è catastrofista e questo già mi pare un tratto particolare per un lavoro che invece ha come tema la distruzione della razza umana... insomma, chi ha paura che il 21-12-2012 possa succedere qualcosa, si tranquillizzi, perché forse c'è qualcuno su questo ( o un altro) mondo che sa cosa fare...
—Chiara Martin

I wanted to read at least one "2012 Apocalypse" novel before Dec 21. I chose Domain. Alten manages to take facts and theories behind the Mayan calendar and blend them effortlessly into a storyline that is gripping, fascinating, action paced and believable. At times its hard to tell the difference between fact and fiction. I actually went on line to varify some of the research Alten used in the book.The story kept me turning pages until I fell asleep reading. Turn after turn the storyline kept me guessing at what would happen next.At the completion of the novel, I discovered it is the first in a trilogy. I gave the book four stars because I don't know if I was that enamored to want to complete the series.
—Ed

El Testamento Maya By Steve Alten is about the Maya calendar and the Maya prophecy. In the Maya caledar it says that the world is going to end on december 21, 2012. The most important characters of the book are Michel and Dominique. Michel was an archeologist, him and his father julius Gabriel a famous archeologist tried to discover the significant of the Maya prophecy. After his father presented their discovery to te scientist community, no one believe what they said and his father reputation that took him thirty years to build was destroyed. after the presentation Michel's father died of a heart attack. Michel went mad and attack the scientist, he was put on a mental hospital. Dominique is a psycologist, she has Maya ethincity from part of her mother. after her parents died she was adopted and move to Florida there she became a psycologist. Dominique attends michel. There is a lot of interesting things on the book but, the thing that I found most interesting is when they said that the sun is going to be in the center of the milky way on december 21 ,2012. that is something that I found very interesting because it's something that is actually going to happend on december 21 ,2012. it is also intereting because it's amazing how the Mayas were able to predict something like that. A word that could describe this book would be intence because there is a lot of action and interesting facts of things that could happend on the future. Another word that could describe the book would be interesting because is interesting to know how the Mayas,the Olmecs, And the Aztecs were able to be so advanced in astronomy,mathemathics, and architecture.
—Edgardo

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