The Twin Paradox

The Twin Paradox by Charles Wachter
8/27/20; 372 pages
Trevaney Bay

The Twin Paradox by Charles Wachter is a highly recommended, wildly entertaining YA techno science fiction tale that will make a gripping, engrossing movie.

Alastair, Leo, Milk, Kat, and Zack are high school students in an honors program when their whole class is told they will be graduating a year earlier. At their private graduation they learn that they aren't who they thought they were. They are all clones from the DNA of famous scientists and leaders, including in part Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Jr., Catherine the Great, and Isaac Newton. Their next year is to be spent as interns in research for the Gene-E Corporation. Seven members of their class will be headed to North Dakota, while Alastair, Leo, Milk, Kat, and Zack will be sent down to Corpus Christi, Texas.

Their first day of orientation in Texas, which is covered in entirety in the novel, is a time-bending, mind-numbing, action-packed adventure of unthinkable on-the-job training. The group along with a government representative is shown an example of what can be done by Gene-E founder, Ralls, and an older Isaac Newton clone who is considered the genius behind parts of the project. The teens are to be a part of the Cornerstone Project, where a large, powerful particle accelerator is used to control energy, mass, light and time. The eco-system and evolution in the area is manipulated by the particle accelerator.

Divided into six sections, The Twin Paradox reads like a movie and that is exactly what it should be. While reading I kept thinking of Malcolm's quote in Jurassic Park, "Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Which is a great intro to use for all sorts of unexpected events and heart-stopping struggles. The world building and the action are perfect for a series of action movie or a TV series. The plot zooms along at a break-neck pace, which I found thoroughly enjoyable.

Admittedly, the characters are light in development and you have to suspend disbelief, but that wasn't a detraction for me to enjoy the novel. I liked the teens; they are presented as enjoyable characters. There are so many twists and turns as the plot unfolds that I was totally engrossed in the story. The world building and plot make up for any deficits in writing and depth. What The Twin Paradox excels at is sheer adrenaline-packed action and an entertaining plot set in cinematic scenes. 

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Trevaney Bay.