An Audience for Einstein

Mark Wakely
Mundania Press (2005)
ISBN 1594260966
Reviewed by Kelley Anderson for Reader Views (9/06)

Dr. Carl Dorning has come up with a brilliant surgical procedure. He has discovered a way to transplant the memories of one person into another. Completing his years of research, he has perfected his technique and discovered a way to completely transfer the personality without any chance of relapse. However, he does not reveal his startling revelation that perfected his technique until it is almost too late for Miguel. Miguel is the 10- year old boy that is the recipient of the memories of Professor Marlow, one of the most brilliant astrophysicists ever.  Dr. Dorning takes a poor street-boy and turns him into Professor Marlow -- his memories, at least. But, at the price that Miguel's self is lost forever, this seems to be too much for both the Professor and Miguel.

Mark Wakely does an amazing job of putting enough medical detail into the procedure to make it believable without becoming overwhelming. The thoughts, memories and actions of the characters are realistic and likeable and I was drawn into the story quickly. The only low point, in my opinion, was the "dark revelation" of how Dr. Dorning perfected his technique. I was expecting to be blown away by some horrible secret and instead, my reaction was, "Oh, that's all?" You'll have to read for yourself and decide, but I was hoping for a more dramatic secret.

Even so, I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys science fiction with a little suspense and a big dose of ethics. The writing style and storyline strike me as appropriate for teenagers and young adults, as well as anyone who enjoys a good story.

An “Audience for Einstein” was a pleasant surprise. From characters I could connect with, to a fast moving storyline, it was an enjoyable read from beginning to end.

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