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Physics Incarnate by Jesse Pohlman
As a professor of physics at Catskill Community College, Emmett Eisenberg has a fairly relaxed life. His girlfriend, Dr. Maria Montclaire of the Psychology department, is quite the catch! His job pays well and his reputation in his field is top-notch. He even has students who appreciate his approach to academics, even if they don't all love the field of science as he does. His unique view of the world has afforded him unlimited opportunities, and when a former colleague of his invites Emmett and Maria to spend some time in New York City, he agrees. Unfortunately for the physicist, meeting with his old friend Jethro Marx opens up a door to his past; to ten years ago, when he, 'Geddy,' and his other co-workers worked together at a secretive research center called Connor Point. The overview of this facility's fate are well A nuclear accident forced its shut-down, one Emmett helped render harmless. It was safely dismantled. However, the details are more devilish, and a decade later the ghosts of Emmett's past arise to challenge his current contentment. From a gorgeous blonde singer with a vengeance, to a concerned investor with secondary motives, Emmett must face down his demons and redeem himself, or be swallowed alive by them.
Paperback
First published January 20, 2012
15 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Pohlman
19 books9 followersGreetings, Good-readers! My name is, well, probably at the top of your screen! But I'm Jesse Pohlman, and I'm an author from Long Island, New York. From publishing a weekly blog about my home-town of Freeport for five years, to penning a number of novels, such as Physics Incarnate, I just enjoy being creative and putting ideas and adventures out there.
Credentials-wise, I've earned a Masters in Secondary Education (Adelphi, 2007), a BA in English (Queens College, 2009) and a BA in History (Adelphi, 2006). I spent many years in the classroom as both a Teaching Assistant and a Teacher.
Credentials-wise, I've earned a Masters in Secondary Education (Adelphi, 2007), a BA in English (Queens College, 2009) and a BA in History (Adelphi, 2006). I spent many years in the classroom as both a Teaching Assistant and a Teacher.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 29, 2016
Physicist Emmett Eisenberg is physics incarnate - he can wield the principles of physics as a superpower - and during my favorite moments in this book, Emmett is aware of how things work at the molecular level, as people use everyday objects or make ordinary actions. As a science lover, this take on superpowers wows me, and if I were a grade school science teacher I would be devising ways to work parts of this novel into my curriculum. Other characters also have more traditional superpowers.
I wanted to like the characters and as the book progressed I did warm up to them (mostly because of occasional, unexpected bursts of wit) but I never came to care what happened to them. What I learned about them was pretty mundane stuff, superpowers aside.
The plot is more a collection of incidents than a story that builds to a climax. The revelations in the middle would be better if they occurred about 1/3 of the way through, and the end is more appropriate as a mid-way chapter ending than the novel's conclusion. And - maybe I'm old fashioned, but - when characters have superpowers, I need them to engage in action and adventure! There is little of either here. The ideas are there, but skimped upon: at one point, for example, Emmett and a superpal overpower a foe and send him to orbit the sun until he calms down. That is AWESOME and deserves at least a couple pages of detail, but the novel doesn't cover it much more thoroughly than I have here. These superpowers spend more time in restaurants than they do wielding their powers.
There is way too much attention paid to niggly details. Some of this is justified because that is how Emmett views the world. But most of it could be cut. For example, when a group of people meet, it is sufficient to say they shook hands all around, rather than itemizing who shook whose hand in what order.
This would make a kick-ass graphic novel and converting to that format would distill what is best here.
Four stars for ideas, two stars for execution.
I wanted to like the characters and as the book progressed I did warm up to them (mostly because of occasional, unexpected bursts of wit) but I never came to care what happened to them. What I learned about them was pretty mundane stuff, superpowers aside.
The plot is more a collection of incidents than a story that builds to a climax. The revelations in the middle would be better if they occurred about 1/3 of the way through, and the end is more appropriate as a mid-way chapter ending than the novel's conclusion. And - maybe I'm old fashioned, but - when characters have superpowers, I need them to engage in action and adventure! There is little of either here. The ideas are there, but skimped upon: at one point, for example, Emmett and a superpal overpower a foe and send him to orbit the sun until he calms down. That is AWESOME and deserves at least a couple pages of detail, but the novel doesn't cover it much more thoroughly than I have here. These superpowers spend more time in restaurants than they do wielding their powers.
There is way too much attention paid to niggly details. Some of this is justified because that is how Emmett views the world. But most of it could be cut. For example, when a group of people meet, it is sufficient to say they shook hands all around, rather than itemizing who shook whose hand in what order.
This would make a kick-ass graphic novel and converting to that format would distill what is best here.
Four stars for ideas, two stars for execution.
September 1, 2016
Can a super villain ever make up for their mistakes?
That’s the question at the core of Physics Incarnate, a book that looks at how one physicist is trying to come to terms with terrible decisions he made in the past and how they affect his present when people discover the truth.
I found the main character, Emmett, to be a really interesting lead and was thankful his explanations of Science were always easy to follow, stopping the book from becoming a textbook. He’s a complicated character, tangled up with depression and negative thoughts towards the wider world but by the end of the book you’ll really care for him.
Although the title hints at something action led and characters have various powers this isn’t the X-Men. Powers are rarely used throughout the book and the majority of the time, mostly in flashbacks. On the one hand this made me crave a prequel, with many elements of the past left out and an interesting mystery there that’s only party covered.
Instead we’re left with a look at Emmett’s present which is arguably less interesting than an action packed look at a man’s descent into madness and instead revolves around him trying to lead a normal life.
There’s still some value in the story that remains and if you are looking for an interesting character piece on the burden of doing something horrible and coming back from the brink then you’ll really enjoy what’s on offer here.
Although it wasn’t quite the book I expected it to be, I still found Physics Incarnate to be well written and the story it chose to tell was well done.
That’s the question at the core of Physics Incarnate, a book that looks at how one physicist is trying to come to terms with terrible decisions he made in the past and how they affect his present when people discover the truth.
I found the main character, Emmett, to be a really interesting lead and was thankful his explanations of Science were always easy to follow, stopping the book from becoming a textbook. He’s a complicated character, tangled up with depression and negative thoughts towards the wider world but by the end of the book you’ll really care for him.
Although the title hints at something action led and characters have various powers this isn’t the X-Men. Powers are rarely used throughout the book and the majority of the time, mostly in flashbacks. On the one hand this made me crave a prequel, with many elements of the past left out and an interesting mystery there that’s only party covered.
Instead we’re left with a look at Emmett’s present which is arguably less interesting than an action packed look at a man’s descent into madness and instead revolves around him trying to lead a normal life.
There’s still some value in the story that remains and if you are looking for an interesting character piece on the burden of doing something horrible and coming back from the brink then you’ll really enjoy what’s on offer here.
Although it wasn’t quite the book I expected it to be, I still found Physics Incarnate to be well written and the story it chose to tell was well done.
December 31, 2013
My first impression of physics incarnate was that I was not privy to what was going on for a great part of the first few chapters. It wasn't until Chapter 10 did I feel like I understood what was going on, when the protagonist explains his superpowers to his student/girlfriend.
The classroom scenes pretty much went over my head,with all the E=MC2 talk and all. I wanted to skip over some of them to get to the action, but the whole super-hero thing left me going "huh? What just happened here?" That being said, I think the action scenes were the strongest in the whole story.
I didn't find the characters very relatable, and didn't come away with any sense of liking any of them. But for its genre of fantasy, I think it was well-written.
Very few typos or other mechanical errors.
The classroom scenes pretty much went over my head,with all the E=MC2 talk and all. I wanted to skip over some of them to get to the action, but the whole super-hero thing left me going "huh? What just happened here?" That being said, I think the action scenes were the strongest in the whole story.
I didn't find the characters very relatable, and didn't come away with any sense of liking any of them. But for its genre of fantasy, I think it was well-written.
Very few typos or other mechanical errors.
November 5, 2012
Pretty good book Jesse. :) Better get on writing the next one. I want to know who or what Jasmine is. ;)
December 3, 2019
A bit Fantastic 4, a little University drama , mixed with big bold science fiction themes delivered with truly unique prose that fits it's themes. Give it a look!
August 3, 2016
Physics Incarnate by Jesse Pohlman
The title hints at a book that is action-packed with characters that have special powers but, unfortunately, those powers are only occasionally used throughout the book. This is disappointing and the unnecessary details that seem to be packed into a lot of the book’s narrative did not add to its appeal for this reader. The main character, Physicist Emmett Eisenberg is the “incarnate” figure of the title. Emmett seems to possess an awareness of how objects work at an atomic level, though I was never too clear about how he came by these powers. He also has the ability to use his powers for “good or evil” and much of the story is taken up with him expressing regret at bad things he did in the past. There is too much time wasted with explanations and discussions in restaurants etc, in a book that could have had a lot of incredible “science-action” in it.
As a retired Physics teacher I found a lot of the “basic physics” explanations tedious and a little patronising to the reader, but perhaps it is more gripping to a layperson? It did feel like a science textbook at times. Even so I consider that Jesse Pohlman has missed a trick in this book. It needs a lot more action and a lot less explanation. It is not until Chapter 10 that you really feel like you know what went wrong in Emmett’s past when he explains things to his girlfriend.
I could not relate to any of the characters and felt quite neutral about most of them, apart from Maria who has more depth in my opinion, but I rarely cared about what happened to most of them. I think the nub of the thing is that the book is like a collection of events rather than a story that develops and builds to an ending. Plus, if the characters have superpowers, the reader wants to see them in action and be on the edge of their seat when turning each page. One particular thing was sending a foe to orbit the sun! There was just not enough in the tale about that amazing idea. Too much time was spent in restaurants talking about superpowers rather than expanding on the incidents when they were being used. Far too much attention is paid to small details, like who has what drinks and in what order; and who shakes hands with whom and again in what order.
Finally, I found the telling of the story very jerky and clunky throughout. It did not flow at all and there were several strange expressions used that reflected a poor command of written English. The apostrophe was incorrectly used so many times that I found myself looking for the next error rather than following the plot. Overall this was a very good idea that was poorly expressed on the written page.
The title hints at a book that is action-packed with characters that have special powers but, unfortunately, those powers are only occasionally used throughout the book. This is disappointing and the unnecessary details that seem to be packed into a lot of the book’s narrative did not add to its appeal for this reader. The main character, Physicist Emmett Eisenberg is the “incarnate” figure of the title. Emmett seems to possess an awareness of how objects work at an atomic level, though I was never too clear about how he came by these powers. He also has the ability to use his powers for “good or evil” and much of the story is taken up with him expressing regret at bad things he did in the past. There is too much time wasted with explanations and discussions in restaurants etc, in a book that could have had a lot of incredible “science-action” in it.
As a retired Physics teacher I found a lot of the “basic physics” explanations tedious and a little patronising to the reader, but perhaps it is more gripping to a layperson? It did feel like a science textbook at times. Even so I consider that Jesse Pohlman has missed a trick in this book. It needs a lot more action and a lot less explanation. It is not until Chapter 10 that you really feel like you know what went wrong in Emmett’s past when he explains things to his girlfriend.
I could not relate to any of the characters and felt quite neutral about most of them, apart from Maria who has more depth in my opinion, but I rarely cared about what happened to most of them. I think the nub of the thing is that the book is like a collection of events rather than a story that develops and builds to an ending. Plus, if the characters have superpowers, the reader wants to see them in action and be on the edge of their seat when turning each page. One particular thing was sending a foe to orbit the sun! There was just not enough in the tale about that amazing idea. Too much time was spent in restaurants talking about superpowers rather than expanding on the incidents when they were being used. Far too much attention is paid to small details, like who has what drinks and in what order; and who shakes hands with whom and again in what order.
Finally, I found the telling of the story very jerky and clunky throughout. It did not flow at all and there were several strange expressions used that reflected a poor command of written English. The apostrophe was incorrectly used so many times that I found myself looking for the next error rather than following the plot. Overall this was a very good idea that was poorly expressed on the written page.
January 23, 2014
Physics Incarnate.
Sad to say, this book is written in the passive voice (passive). Sad to say, too many authors write in the passive voice (active). This book is almost entirely passive. Writers should be aware that the passive voice drags a story along on the ground, pulling the reader into a pit of inaction and reaction. The story must be driven, actively. For this reason, I would not normally continue past a few pages before giving up. I persevered for the group! It is as if the writer has no connection to the participants and hence, nor has the reader. A few examples; fingers ruffled her hair, footsteps carried him to his room, Emmet’s eyes were jerked up, the door was left open, a smile was on his lips, etc. The word ‘was’ is used 1146 times in a 70k novel of 157 pages, that’s 7.4 per page. Were appears 280 times and had only 355 times. Writers should avoid the passive voice like the plague! Once per chapter perhaps but not 7 per page!
We have several changes in POV in some paragraphs, which is very confusing. The explanation for the equation E=MC² is also in error. The C must be squared and then multiplied by the mass, rather than the mass multiplied by the speed of light and the result then squared; very different results! If you are writing about physics, you need to get the basics correct. We had a clock facing the room; would it ever face the wall? The computer was used by dragging it’s mouse. What does ‘that wise of a course’ mean?
The story left me baffled. The classroom stuff was too long and too detailed. The affair with the student felt contrived and unrealistic, heralding the outcome regarding his job from early on in the book. We have a group of super-powered scientists who screwed up ten years ago and have done nothing since. Really? Would they give up on their super-powers after just one setback? I did not believe the premise, I’m afraid. When they eventually do get back together, all they do is take a trip to Siberia where it is very cold and the story ends. They don’t save the world? Why not? I found the major players quite shallow with few redeeming features. The passivity of the story and the characters themselves mean that the story is lost in the dire need for action. For these reasons I rate this story just 2 stars.
Sad to say, this book is written in the passive voice (passive). Sad to say, too many authors write in the passive voice (active). This book is almost entirely passive. Writers should be aware that the passive voice drags a story along on the ground, pulling the reader into a pit of inaction and reaction. The story must be driven, actively. For this reason, I would not normally continue past a few pages before giving up. I persevered for the group! It is as if the writer has no connection to the participants and hence, nor has the reader. A few examples; fingers ruffled her hair, footsteps carried him to his room, Emmet’s eyes were jerked up, the door was left open, a smile was on his lips, etc. The word ‘was’ is used 1146 times in a 70k novel of 157 pages, that’s 7.4 per page. Were appears 280 times and had only 355 times. Writers should avoid the passive voice like the plague! Once per chapter perhaps but not 7 per page!
We have several changes in POV in some paragraphs, which is very confusing. The explanation for the equation E=MC² is also in error. The C must be squared and then multiplied by the mass, rather than the mass multiplied by the speed of light and the result then squared; very different results! If you are writing about physics, you need to get the basics correct. We had a clock facing the room; would it ever face the wall? The computer was used by dragging it’s mouse. What does ‘that wise of a course’ mean?
The story left me baffled. The classroom stuff was too long and too detailed. The affair with the student felt contrived and unrealistic, heralding the outcome regarding his job from early on in the book. We have a group of super-powered scientists who screwed up ten years ago and have done nothing since. Really? Would they give up on their super-powers after just one setback? I did not believe the premise, I’m afraid. When they eventually do get back together, all they do is take a trip to Siberia where it is very cold and the story ends. They don’t save the world? Why not? I found the major players quite shallow with few redeeming features. The passivity of the story and the characters themselves mean that the story is lost in the dire need for action. For these reasons I rate this story just 2 stars.
July 19, 2016
Emmett Eisenberg is a professor of physics at a small university in the Catskills. He’s got a good life – a fun job, a loving relationship, and a pleasant home. The nearest thing he has to a problem is an over-flirty Co-ed in one of his classes. If there’s anything out of the ordinary about him (apart from his IQ!), it’s his awareness of the components and forces that go into making up the details of everyday reality. The dangers of being a physics professor... Either way, Em is the kind of guy you’d be happy to go out for a beer with. So it’s a little surprising to learn that ten years earlier, he was involved in something very dangerous, very cruel, and very, very dark.
The trouble with history is that it has a nasty tendency to come back. So when Emmett meets up with his old pal Geddy for a drink, the tendrils of old events start to slither their way back into his life. As the shadows of Emmett’s past rise anew, they threaten to destroy his job, his love, his sanity, and even his very existence.
_Physics Incarnate_ was a fun read. I don’t want to spoil any of the story’s twists and turns, but there’s lots of fascinating scientific information in there alongside the story, and I found myself powering through it. It was a real page-turner. The characters stayed with me after I’d finished too, and I found myself thinking back to them, and wondering what they were going to get up to next. Geddy in particular struck me as an interesting, grounded person. His calm, pleasant demeanor made a strong contrast to his talents -- and his resolve. Fiery student Sonia was an effective presence as well.
A very entertaining read all round.
The trouble with history is that it has a nasty tendency to come back. So when Emmett meets up with his old pal Geddy for a drink, the tendrils of old events start to slither their way back into his life. As the shadows of Emmett’s past rise anew, they threaten to destroy his job, his love, his sanity, and even his very existence.
_Physics Incarnate_ was a fun read. I don’t want to spoil any of the story’s twists and turns, but there’s lots of fascinating scientific information in there alongside the story, and I found myself powering through it. It was a real page-turner. The characters stayed with me after I’d finished too, and I found myself thinking back to them, and wondering what they were going to get up to next. Geddy in particular struck me as an interesting, grounded person. His calm, pleasant demeanor made a strong contrast to his talents -- and his resolve. Fiery student Sonia was an effective presence as well.
A very entertaining read all round.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews