Issue #8 May 12th - May 25th, 2006

Book Review:
Vision2 by Kristi Brooks
By: Michael Taber

It isn’t often we get a crazy Sci-Fi novel in the mail to review. We’ve NEVER gotten one from an Oklahoma author. It was a pleasant surprise to get both in the form of Vision2, a great book in a tough genre by OKC author Kristi Brooks.

Vision2 is the tale of an Oklahoma man named Roger Fulbright. Like most Okies, he leads a fairly middle of the road existence that only enhances his knowledge of being right on the edge of something... extraordinary. Roger crosses that edge, but it doesn’t lead to madness. The other side is real, just a dimension or two away, and it is filled with terrors.

Of course, there are aliens. The Obawok live on the other side, and they aren’t just observing “human behavior.” As a matter of fact, they directly influence it. Roger is controlled by them, and has been all his life. There are “Watchers” assigned to certain humans, for reasons best left unsaid here. These are not the highly advanced, friendly little grayskins you hope aliens turn out to be. As a matter of fact, it is a little unclear as to whether they’ve been influencing the sicker parts of human culture, or were corrupted by exposure to it.

In Vision2, Kristi Brooks addresses human/alien interaction in a truly unique and inspired way, the depth of which I haven’t felt since the first three Ender books by Orson Scott Card. There are 207 pages in the book, and they went by quickly. The pace is quickened by the “Trials” that Roger must undergo to save his own skin, as well as interesting alien characters.

The world of Vision2 is believable, and Ms. Brooks gives more than a few nods to the visionaries of Sci-Fi. As a matter of fact, one juvenile Obawok risks extreme punishment because he likes to read Human literature... The Time Machine, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Dracula and Frankenstein.

That’s all for now, get a copy! Full Circle, Book Beat or PegLeg Publishing.

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