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The Eidolon
A contemporary SF thriller. The divide between science and the human spirit is the setting for a battle for the future.When physicist Robert Strong loses his job at the Dark Matter research lab and his relationship falls apart, he returns home to Scotland. Then the dead start appearing to him, and Robert begins to question his own sanity. Victor Amos, an enigmatic businessman, arrives and recruits Robert to sabotage CERN’S Large Hadron Collider, convincing him the next step in the collider’s research will bring about disaster. Everything Robert once understood about reality, and the boundaries between life and death, is about to change forever. And the biggest change will be to Robert himself... Mixing science, philosophy and espionage, Libby McGugan’s stunning debut is a thriller like no other.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 27, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 23, 2018
MIXING SCIENCE, MURDER AND ESPIONAGE, Libby McGugan's debut novel "The Eidolon" delivers two hooks I cannot resist: the atom smasher, and evidence of a human afterlife. Add strangelets, stigmery and WIMPS (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), let the characters marvel at swarm intelligence in bees, and I can emphatically state that this is no run-of-the-mill thriller.
Anyone who loves physics (and even those who don't) will find much to love in The Eidolon. The novel is well crafted, tautly constructed, strong, and intelligent. It's not easy to define, but the more I read books lacking in brain power, the more I love it when I find it: a sense that the author is alert, thoughtful, erudite, and engaged. I'm partial to stories packed full of science and history, imagination, and ideas. My favorite stories, more and more, are written by scientists and doctors, and they are blessed with storytelling skills as well as the high IQ to pass college-level physics and Organic Chemistry. E.E. Giorgi (Italian-born) and Guy T. Martland (UK) are two more of my favorite brilliant scientist-authors, and if you haven't heard of these fantastic speculative-fiction writers, you probably hadn't heard of me either until now.
The opening scene is exquisitely cold, stark and beautiful. Snow swirls around two men as they near the top of Mt. Everest. The prose is riveting:
"I peer up at the faceless ascent and it stares back at me, cold, unmerciful. The fear grips me for a moment. The kind of fear I've read about, when men who undertake this pilgrimage ... realize that they're nobody to the mountain; that it doesn't care if they live or die ... The wind is wailing like a tortured cat ... There's a point when pride needs to step aside for instinct, and it's right here."
Huddled in a hole in the snow, Robert takes the reader back in time. Through flashbacks we meet an earlier Robert on his way to work, where he's about to verify his earth-shaking discoveries at the Dark Matter research lab. Like the storm that would keep him from the top of Mt. Everest, a shocking, sudden closing of the lab halts his life's work. Dazed and demoralized, he comes home to find his live-in girlfriend talking to her sister's ghost. Cora always was a New Age mystic sort of gal, but this is more juju than a recently fired physicist can take. Then again, his skepticism is more than a positive thinker like Cora can take, so she leaves him.
Still shivering in the snow, Robert suddenly senses the presence of another sentient being on the mountain. The scene is eerie and suspenseful, and plot spoilers keep me from saying more, but when Robert is safely home from Everest, the ghost of Cora's sister starts appearing to him, too. He dismisses it as a stress-induced delusion and retreats to his childhood home in Scotland, but instead of shaking his gloom, he starts seeing more dead people.
Jobless and no longer sure of his sanity, Robert is ripe for the recruiting efforts of a scary-mysterious businessman who offers him one hundred thousand pounds for a week's work. The catch? Victor Amos wants Robert to sabotage the famous, fabulous, hugely expensive and important Large Hadron Collider. Amos and his super-secret global guardians are on a mission to protect humanity from its own curiosity. They have compelling "evidence" that CERN's next round of experiments could destroy the world, and only Robert can stop them. He remains skeptical until Amos pulls the last rabbit from his hat, a compelling surprise that induces Robert to accept the job.
The good guy is going to smash the atom smasher? It took 20 years and ten billion dollars to build, with 10,000 scientists from more than 100 countries working in collaboration at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). How could a physicist, however discouraged or depressed he may be, swallow the alarmist notion that the atom smasher might annihilate us?
I might have shut the book on Robert, but then we meet Casimir, the bee-keeping, star-gazing neighbor who has a vast amount of knowledge about the cosmos in spite of no money for a university education. "The idea of finding dark matter always intrigued him. A hunch, he said, that it would change everything." Every action and word from Casimir seems authentic. I want way more of him than the novel can give.
More intriguing than strangelets are the dead people Robert meets after infiltrates CERN. Yes, his social circle fills with dead people, or people who claim to be ghosts. They call themselves 'eidolon'-ancient Greek for apparition, a spirit-image of a living or dead person. Robert can shake hands with the eidolon and drink with them, while most people can't see them at all. One is angry and in denial about being recently murdered; another is completely unaware of being dead. It's the kind of New Age juju that divided Robert and Cora, but now our cynical physicist is joining the juju. I love the irony of that.
The most delightful irony is that Robert the skeptic, who scoffed at poor, bereft Cora and her sister's ghost, ends up seeing far more of that sort of "impossible" stuff. Robert the cool, objective scientist, is one of earth's most mystical of mystics, if he ever gets past his denial.
Every character is real and vivid. I love the hapless Danny, who plans the Everest trip, and Robert's mother, and their head-shaking comments about Danny.
"Death is just a state of mind. Everything that can possibly happen is occurring at some point across multiverses, and this somehow means death cannot exist in any real sense, either." Libby tells me that's what she's driving at with The Eidolon. Via email, Libby has corrected my misunderstanding that Robert gives credence to fears that the atom smasher may create black holes. His concern is the strangelets and the 'Ice nine'-like reaction, which to this day is a concern for some scientists.
I'm eager to see Robert doing battle in a dark Edinburgh alley with a Revenant. What's a Revenant? When Book Two comes out, you'll know more than you ever wanted to about these spectral horrors.
Anyone who loves physics (and even those who don't) will find much to love in The Eidolon. The novel is well crafted, tautly constructed, strong, and intelligent. It's not easy to define, but the more I read books lacking in brain power, the more I love it when I find it: a sense that the author is alert, thoughtful, erudite, and engaged. I'm partial to stories packed full of science and history, imagination, and ideas. My favorite stories, more and more, are written by scientists and doctors, and they are blessed with storytelling skills as well as the high IQ to pass college-level physics and Organic Chemistry. E.E. Giorgi (Italian-born) and Guy T. Martland (UK) are two more of my favorite brilliant scientist-authors, and if you haven't heard of these fantastic speculative-fiction writers, you probably hadn't heard of me either until now.
The opening scene is exquisitely cold, stark and beautiful. Snow swirls around two men as they near the top of Mt. Everest. The prose is riveting:
"I peer up at the faceless ascent and it stares back at me, cold, unmerciful. The fear grips me for a moment. The kind of fear I've read about, when men who undertake this pilgrimage ... realize that they're nobody to the mountain; that it doesn't care if they live or die ... The wind is wailing like a tortured cat ... There's a point when pride needs to step aside for instinct, and it's right here."
Huddled in a hole in the snow, Robert takes the reader back in time. Through flashbacks we meet an earlier Robert on his way to work, where he's about to verify his earth-shaking discoveries at the Dark Matter research lab. Like the storm that would keep him from the top of Mt. Everest, a shocking, sudden closing of the lab halts his life's work. Dazed and demoralized, he comes home to find his live-in girlfriend talking to her sister's ghost. Cora always was a New Age mystic sort of gal, but this is more juju than a recently fired physicist can take. Then again, his skepticism is more than a positive thinker like Cora can take, so she leaves him.
Still shivering in the snow, Robert suddenly senses the presence of another sentient being on the mountain. The scene is eerie and suspenseful, and plot spoilers keep me from saying more, but when Robert is safely home from Everest, the ghost of Cora's sister starts appearing to him, too. He dismisses it as a stress-induced delusion and retreats to his childhood home in Scotland, but instead of shaking his gloom, he starts seeing more dead people.
Jobless and no longer sure of his sanity, Robert is ripe for the recruiting efforts of a scary-mysterious businessman who offers him one hundred thousand pounds for a week's work. The catch? Victor Amos wants Robert to sabotage the famous, fabulous, hugely expensive and important Large Hadron Collider. Amos and his super-secret global guardians are on a mission to protect humanity from its own curiosity. They have compelling "evidence" that CERN's next round of experiments could destroy the world, and only Robert can stop them. He remains skeptical until Amos pulls the last rabbit from his hat, a compelling surprise that induces Robert to accept the job.
The good guy is going to smash the atom smasher? It took 20 years and ten billion dollars to build, with 10,000 scientists from more than 100 countries working in collaboration at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). How could a physicist, however discouraged or depressed he may be, swallow the alarmist notion that the atom smasher might annihilate us?
I might have shut the book on Robert, but then we meet Casimir, the bee-keeping, star-gazing neighbor who has a vast amount of knowledge about the cosmos in spite of no money for a university education. "The idea of finding dark matter always intrigued him. A hunch, he said, that it would change everything." Every action and word from Casimir seems authentic. I want way more of him than the novel can give.
More intriguing than strangelets are the dead people Robert meets after infiltrates CERN. Yes, his social circle fills with dead people, or people who claim to be ghosts. They call themselves 'eidolon'-ancient Greek for apparition, a spirit-image of a living or dead person. Robert can shake hands with the eidolon and drink with them, while most people can't see them at all. One is angry and in denial about being recently murdered; another is completely unaware of being dead. It's the kind of New Age juju that divided Robert and Cora, but now our cynical physicist is joining the juju. I love the irony of that.
The most delightful irony is that Robert the skeptic, who scoffed at poor, bereft Cora and her sister's ghost, ends up seeing far more of that sort of "impossible" stuff. Robert the cool, objective scientist, is one of earth's most mystical of mystics, if he ever gets past his denial.
Every character is real and vivid. I love the hapless Danny, who plans the Everest trip, and Robert's mother, and their head-shaking comments about Danny.
"Death is just a state of mind. Everything that can possibly happen is occurring at some point across multiverses, and this somehow means death cannot exist in any real sense, either." Libby tells me that's what she's driving at with The Eidolon. Via email, Libby has corrected my misunderstanding that Robert gives credence to fears that the atom smasher may create black holes. His concern is the strangelets and the 'Ice nine'-like reaction, which to this day is a concern for some scientists.
I'm eager to see Robert doing battle in a dark Edinburgh alley with a Revenant. What's a Revenant? When Book Two comes out, you'll know more than you ever wanted to about these spectral horrors.
May 19, 2018
Robert is a physicist who just lost his job and, for unrelated reasons, probably his relationship after expressing disbelief at his girlfriend's claim that she saw her dead sister. Now he's galavanting around the mountains of Tibet with a climbing buddy when they get trapped in a snowstorm and Robert ends up seeing some strange shit of his own.
Shortly after he arrives back Scotland, Robert gets recruited to infiltrate and sabotage a top-secret experiment. Bonus: one of the scientists is his long-believed-dead father!
I'll stop there to prevent too many spoilers, although it's as much out of necessity as it is out of propriety, as I understood very little of what happened after this point. But it was all very exciting and science-y and X-Files lite, making for entertaining tipsy late-night reading.
Shortly after he arrives back Scotland, Robert gets recruited to infiltrate and sabotage a top-secret experiment. Bonus: one of the scientists is his long-believed-dead father!
I'll stop there to prevent too many spoilers, although it's as much out of necessity as it is out of propriety, as I understood very little of what happened after this point. But it was all very exciting and science-y and X-Files lite, making for entertaining tipsy late-night reading.
September 12, 2018
Good scifi suspense about research scientist whose project is suddenly and inexplicably shut down, right before he's approached by a very mysterious figure with a job offer that seems too good to be true.
October 18, 2014
Seriously? Seeing dead people, kidnapped girlfriend, turning into a bird in order to fly, brush with death, father that died was never dead... So many clichés and twists that it all adds up to a big mess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2014
I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. I kept expecting it to pick up but I got as far as page 150 and it just wasn't grabbing me.
May 4, 2022
I tried to finish but this book just wasn't for me. I got to 88% and gave up. The premise was interesting, but the execution felt like it was a YA style in need of refinement: choppy writing, sudden jumps to conclusions, and cliche dialog. The digital version was also full of line edit mistakes. I wouldn't dismiss this author entirely, though, good potential in future work.
July 21, 2014
Ah man...how much I wanted to like this book.
I bought it on a whim, mostly because I saw many things on the summary that resonated with what I like, is to say mainly science and supernatural things mixed together.
The story resolves around Robert, who is bitter after losing his job. Years of research just gone, taken by the government without even leaving a shred for the scientists to work with. His girlfriend recently lost her sister, and with all that emotional baggage the relationship isn't doing well. He gets a job-offer he can't refuse which takes him to CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Weird things happen before he embarks to the new job, such as him seeing the dead, which he tries to explain away with a near death experience while climbing with a friend.
So...the premise was wonderful. A Scottish physicist, trying to balance the worlds of science and the supernatural on a trip to CERN. As I'm from Switzerland and had been to CERN once, too I couldn't quite resist buying the book. But...there are a lot of issues in McGugan's writing. First of all, it takes Robert half an eternity to get to CERN in the first place. Then suddenly everything just happens in a couple of pages. Some twists are good, but some are so bad that they just ruin the whole story. I don't get why she would take so long to explain things that could've been told in half the space she took but then rush through the end part, which makes it unbelievable at best (I know we're talking about science-fiction and the supernatural, but still. She doesn't even try to ease you into it. It's just BAM here have some freaky supernatural stuff!).
And then there is Robert's personality. First he's whining all the time and then he's thrown into all sorts of unbelievable situations and after initial disbelief just goes with it like it's normal. I just did not like how the last third or even fourth of the book rushed through all these magical things, more plot twists and convenient happenings. McGugan just mashes all these things together and even though a reader of sci-fi/fantasy might find a lot of things plausible or believable, this story is not one of them.
All in all, while I did like the idea of the story, I did not like the execution of it. Too long at the beginning, too short at the end. Robert is an emotional wreck of whining and things just happen haphazardly, no explanation that would make any sense comes with it. I like the boundaries of physics stretched, especially if you combine them with some supernatural elements here and there. But this is just so far gone that it makes it weird. I hope she learns from this though, the talent is there.
I bought it on a whim, mostly because I saw many things on the summary that resonated with what I like, is to say mainly science and supernatural things mixed together.
The story resolves around Robert, who is bitter after losing his job. Years of research just gone, taken by the government without even leaving a shred for the scientists to work with. His girlfriend recently lost her sister, and with all that emotional baggage the relationship isn't doing well. He gets a job-offer he can't refuse which takes him to CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Weird things happen before he embarks to the new job, such as him seeing the dead, which he tries to explain away with a near death experience while climbing with a friend.
So...the premise was wonderful. A Scottish physicist, trying to balance the worlds of science and the supernatural on a trip to CERN. As I'm from Switzerland and had been to CERN once, too I couldn't quite resist buying the book. But...there are a lot of issues in McGugan's writing. First of all, it takes Robert half an eternity to get to CERN in the first place. Then suddenly everything just happens in a couple of pages. Some twists are good, but some are so bad that they just ruin the whole story. I don't get why she would take so long to explain things that could've been told in half the space she took but then rush through the end part, which makes it unbelievable at best (I know we're talking about science-fiction and the supernatural, but still. She doesn't even try to ease you into it. It's just BAM here have some freaky supernatural stuff!).
And then there is Robert's personality. First he's whining all the time and then he's thrown into all sorts of unbelievable situations and after initial disbelief just goes with it like it's normal. I just did not like how the last third or even fourth of the book rushed through all these magical things, more plot twists and convenient happenings. McGugan just mashes all these things together and even though a reader of sci-fi/fantasy might find a lot of things plausible or believable, this story is not one of them.
All in all, while I did like the idea of the story, I did not like the execution of it. Too long at the beginning, too short at the end. Robert is an emotional wreck of whining and things just happen haphazardly, no explanation that would make any sense comes with it. I like the boundaries of physics stretched, especially if you combine them with some supernatural elements here and there. But this is just so far gone that it makes it weird. I hope she learns from this though, the talent is there.
January 20, 2014
‘The Eidolon’ is the debut novel by Libby McGugan. It starts out as a techno-thriller, main character physicist Robert Strong’s life is coming apart. After he loses his job in a research centre and his girlfriend leaves him he receives an approach from a mysterious and fabulously well-resourced organisation. Their leader Victor Amos wants Robert to sabotage the Large Hadron Collider and presents compelling proof to justify this. Robert agrees and the project moves forward. Then in Geneva, Robert encounters representatives of a second equally mysterious opposing organisation, who know a lot more about Victor Amos and it’s not good.
At this point we’ve left techno-thriller behind and moved into contemporary fantasy and that’s where we stay. That’s not a bad thing; the story is smoothly written and the central characters are well realised. What held this story back from getting 5 stars is that Robert makes very few choices that drive the plot. He mostly goes where circumstance and other people dictate and I like my main protagonists to do more than that. Still it is an enjoyable debut, and I look forward to seeing more of Libby McGugan’s work.
At this point we’ve left techno-thriller behind and moved into contemporary fantasy and that’s where we stay. That’s not a bad thing; the story is smoothly written and the central characters are well realised. What held this story back from getting 5 stars is that Robert makes very few choices that drive the plot. He mostly goes where circumstance and other people dictate and I like my main protagonists to do more than that. Still it is an enjoyable debut, and I look forward to seeing more of Libby McGugan’s work.
December 22, 2013
Nothing particularly new or overly exciting stands out about ‘The Eidolon’ if you just give the blurb a quick once over, and in all truth, it does come down to that, luckily, in her debut, McGugan has shown an ability to compete with the best that sci fi has to offer.
Leaning heavily on the leading man of the tale McGugan blends in a mix of tough guy and self depreciation very much like 007 at his heavy drinking best and managing to paint in a very clever background then putting it all to great use to make a very interesting take on the psychological depths has made for a real quality read.
As much a ghost story as sci fi or thriller, The Eidolon will in no way disappoint a fan of either genre.
Leaning heavily on the leading man of the tale McGugan blends in a mix of tough guy and self depreciation very much like 007 at his heavy drinking best and managing to paint in a very clever background then putting it all to great use to make a very interesting take on the psychological depths has made for a real quality read.
As much a ghost story as sci fi or thriller, The Eidolon will in no way disappoint a fan of either genre.
June 15, 2014
I was entranced throughout this book, getting through it in only two nights. It was extremely hard to put down. As it was bought for me as a birthday present by my father, I was pleased he had realised what sort of books I like to indulge in. I love the way it was written to include all the technical and scientific facts but did not leave me confused or frustrated for not knowing some of the information. I have to say it was the only book, and I have read a few, that has made me physically jump. Spooky and totally sci-fi but written in a way that had me believing the whole thing. It was only at the end that I was baffled, the ending was a clever twist but left me wanting more, perhaps a sequel will justify the suddenness. Here's hoping!
November 14, 2013
This is a well-crafted, fast-paced thriller. Debut author McGugan fully inhabits her strong male protagonist, giving him equal parts macho and self-deprecation. She’s done her homework on both physics and locations, and imbues this tense page-turner with great atmosphere. She is either playful with her ideas on death, bodily particles and spirit or she’s nudging the reader to expand their ideas on all of it. No matter, the reader can either cruise along, soaking up the suspense for pure enjoyment or gather some like-minded readers for a provocative group discussion. I’m looking forward to McGugan’s sophomore effort.
December 7, 2013
Excellent mix of sci fi, metaphysical concepts,locations,and suspense. I will be looking for more books by this author.
December 24, 2013
Fantastic read. Well written, intriguing. Love the conepts introduced throughout. Great stroy telling.
September 9, 2019
Nicely plotted science/spy thriller, though the protagonist being a dick in the name of science and materialism is annoying, especially given his weird experiences. Some suspension of disbelief required (you mean studies showing the LHC would 99.9% destroy the world were completely ignored by CERN??) though that plot twist at the end is quite the bombshell. Though it requires even more suspension of disbelief (i.e. how did Robert not know of his new state all that while?)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2018
The Eidolon is a sort of fusion fiction, a mix of science fiction, fantasy and spy novel. The science fiction is in the background, but is the reason behind then plot where as the other two are more part of the action.
The book wasn't really what I like, but for all that it was okay. I wouldn't look for more like it, but it wasn't unreadable.
The book wasn't really what I like, but for all that it was okay. I wouldn't look for more like it, but it wasn't unreadable.
April 2, 2025
I struggled to finish this. The author has some big ideas, but the execution is really poor. The plot is cliched and half baked, while the setting is interesting but it is not developed. the main character is just taken from one place to the other and lacks will and self-awareness, he is only a puppet of the plot.
May 7, 2017
A little gem
Really well written. Interesting idea of matching ancient Buddhist teachings with 21st century particle physics two of my favourite topics. Would like to read more by this author.
Really well written. Interesting idea of matching ancient Buddhist teachings with 21st century particle physics two of my favourite topics. Would like to read more by this author.
November 7, 2013
Originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013...
I have had my eye on this book for quite some time already, working in the science field myself the blurb really got me excited for The Eidolon, blending the science and human spirit. Well this can turn the story around in a lot of different directions. And with the mentioning of the Large Hadron Collider and a possible disaster, boundaries between life and death changing. This really sounded great. Libby McGugan lives up to these expectations on more than one occasion. The Eidolon is Libby McGugan debut and it feels like this isn't the last we have seen from her!
If I would have to compare the start and finish of The Eidolon, the first thing that you will note is that everything has changed, dramatically (in a good way of course!). The book starts of with how you normally would see the world. The focus here is on the main protagonist Robert Strong, who was working on a dark matter project, but soon finds out that his project has been cancelled but does not accept the reason without getting to the bottom of why and why!? But this is just the start of Robert's "problems". What Libby McGugan does in a great way is show just how average Robert's daily life was and how he was living it with his girlfriend Cora. Soon, as you can make up from the blurb, Cora and Robert part ways. This mainly because one of Robert's convictions, he is a scientist; he wants and lives by facts, Cora accepts more things that come "supernaturally" and one unavoidable clash causes them to part ways. In the start up a lot of things are explained not by facts but more by feelings of the characters themselves and how they interpret them, which actually gave a nice twist when you look further towards the ending of the book where you learn that there is much more behind everything you have read about. But let me get back to Robert. He is an interesting protagonist, like I said he is a scientist and he approaches the world in this perspective, trying to relate everything to facts and get to the bottom of it. What makes him interesting is that besides his interpretation, he is playing a much bigger part in the events surrounding the plotline of the book and the supernatural aspects that Libby McGugan introduces his scientific approach can help him get further. But also, and this is probably a much bigger change in his character is that he is starting to accept that there are events that are just unexplainable.
The story of The Eidolon was set up and executed in a perfect way with first letting you assume that everything is normal and than it starts to dawn on you that there is much, much more. In the beginning Robert is recruited by Victor Amos, when I first read about Victor Amons I thought he was ok, but still I got this shadiness reflected into his character, he is the head of an organization that tries to exert control on different labs, keep them in check. What he is proposing to Robert raised quite a few questions for me, it wasn't that is was totally extreme or anything, but sabotaging the CERN's Large Hadron Collider to protect human kind? That must raise a few questions! You can't blame Victor Amos, Libby McGugan managed to show him in a way that you will automatically believe what he says or he will be able to persuade you to his side. When you get to the later part of The Eidolon there is this reality check that will hit you, everything that you have assumed so far, things that could be related or couldn't be related to science are changed. And with the eidolons showing themselves (you know what an eidolon is? No? google it asap!) it's a pretty awesome concept and in the context that Libby McGugan uses it in her book makes it even more impressive. Taking these mythical things and turning them into downright hard wired science facts added a high cool factor to the whole story, and something that a lot of people will want to read about.
The Eidolon is a short story only 250 pages long, so I won't tell more about the storyline besides this last remark: you will be in for a surprise in the end and a lot of readers, and I at least, will be hoping that this first book will be the start of an exciting new and fresh science fiction series.
With her debut Libby McGugan neatly manages to create a fresh new introduction in the already established science fiction genre. Blending hard science, myths and espionage into one story makes up for a series that knows no stops and you will be wanting to finish this book as soon as possible. The promise of the abovementioned genres might sound a bit bold but Libby McGugan has a definite way of letting them working together and breaks down several of the unknown concepts down into things that we as a reader understand making the storyline that much more approachable. For such a short read there are plenty of twists and turns in the end that leave the book on an open ending, I am voting for more exploration into the word of the eidolons!
I have had my eye on this book for quite some time already, working in the science field myself the blurb really got me excited for The Eidolon, blending the science and human spirit. Well this can turn the story around in a lot of different directions. And with the mentioning of the Large Hadron Collider and a possible disaster, boundaries between life and death changing. This really sounded great. Libby McGugan lives up to these expectations on more than one occasion. The Eidolon is Libby McGugan debut and it feels like this isn't the last we have seen from her!
If I would have to compare the start and finish of The Eidolon, the first thing that you will note is that everything has changed, dramatically (in a good way of course!). The book starts of with how you normally would see the world. The focus here is on the main protagonist Robert Strong, who was working on a dark matter project, but soon finds out that his project has been cancelled but does not accept the reason without getting to the bottom of why and why!? But this is just the start of Robert's "problems". What Libby McGugan does in a great way is show just how average Robert's daily life was and how he was living it with his girlfriend Cora. Soon, as you can make up from the blurb, Cora and Robert part ways. This mainly because one of Robert's convictions, he is a scientist; he wants and lives by facts, Cora accepts more things that come "supernaturally" and one unavoidable clash causes them to part ways. In the start up a lot of things are explained not by facts but more by feelings of the characters themselves and how they interpret them, which actually gave a nice twist when you look further towards the ending of the book where you learn that there is much more behind everything you have read about. But let me get back to Robert. He is an interesting protagonist, like I said he is a scientist and he approaches the world in this perspective, trying to relate everything to facts and get to the bottom of it. What makes him interesting is that besides his interpretation, he is playing a much bigger part in the events surrounding the plotline of the book and the supernatural aspects that Libby McGugan introduces his scientific approach can help him get further. But also, and this is probably a much bigger change in his character is that he is starting to accept that there are events that are just unexplainable.
The story of The Eidolon was set up and executed in a perfect way with first letting you assume that everything is normal and than it starts to dawn on you that there is much, much more. In the beginning Robert is recruited by Victor Amos, when I first read about Victor Amons I thought he was ok, but still I got this shadiness reflected into his character, he is the head of an organization that tries to exert control on different labs, keep them in check. What he is proposing to Robert raised quite a few questions for me, it wasn't that is was totally extreme or anything, but sabotaging the CERN's Large Hadron Collider to protect human kind? That must raise a few questions! You can't blame Victor Amos, Libby McGugan managed to show him in a way that you will automatically believe what he says or he will be able to persuade you to his side. When you get to the later part of The Eidolon there is this reality check that will hit you, everything that you have assumed so far, things that could be related or couldn't be related to science are changed. And with the eidolons showing themselves (you know what an eidolon is? No? google it asap!) it's a pretty awesome concept and in the context that Libby McGugan uses it in her book makes it even more impressive. Taking these mythical things and turning them into downright hard wired science facts added a high cool factor to the whole story, and something that a lot of people will want to read about.
The Eidolon is a short story only 250 pages long, so I won't tell more about the storyline besides this last remark: you will be in for a surprise in the end and a lot of readers, and I at least, will be hoping that this first book will be the start of an exciting new and fresh science fiction series.
With her debut Libby McGugan neatly manages to create a fresh new introduction in the already established science fiction genre. Blending hard science, myths and espionage into one story makes up for a series that knows no stops and you will be wanting to finish this book as soon as possible. The promise of the abovementioned genres might sound a bit bold but Libby McGugan has a definite way of letting them working together and breaks down several of the unknown concepts down into things that we as a reader understand making the storyline that much more approachable. For such a short read there are plenty of twists and turns in the end that leave the book on an open ending, I am voting for more exploration into the word of the eidolons!
May 6, 2015
It's almost good enough to read, but the excruciatingly slow pacing, unexciting intro, incoherent main character, and multiple pallid scenes that serve no purpose but to reveal some minor detail made me put this book down at page 76 (out of 336). That's 22% into the book and still nothing exciting had happened.
The main character and his buddy are described as convinced atheists, yet the friend says nonsense like "if god willing," and the main character thanks "god" on every other page. He even splits up with his girlfriend because she has a few irrational beliefs, yet after he has an accident in the mountains and is unconscious for three days, he convinces himself the dead girl he keeps seeing when falling asleep must be real—and he wants to speak to his now-ex girlfriend, just because she would be the "only one who would understand." So an atheist dark matter scientist is convinced supernatural things are real based on an odd experience after he suffered an accident? That's just not believable! I wouldn't be surprised if his character arc concludes with him finding Jesus, or Buddha, or whatever else.
More to it, in his home town that he haven't been to "for years" he visits a business, yet the owner recognizes and listlessly greets him and the main hero then proceeds to enumerate all the people in the scene, whom he vividly remembers by name. Again, unrealistic, which throws you out of the story.
Speaking of scenes, they are often over-described, to the point where you start unconsciously skipping over words, just because there's little point in the description. Worst yet, most of the scenes are pointless. There's a whole scene of the hero getting to work. There's a whole scene of the hero getting home from work. There's a whole scene of the hero getting to the airport. There's a whole scene of him making ridiculous conclusions of the people he sees at the airport. Hell, there's a whole scene where he calls his mother just to tell her he's coming for a visit!
At 22% into the book, I gave up. I've seen worse writing, but story-wise, still nothing have happened by this point. Some guy with a confusing personality lost a job and went on a bad hiking trip. Big whoop! The rest is filler. A guy getting from one location to another. Not exciting. Not interesting. Not a story worth reading. It might get better further in, but I'll not gamble any more of my time with this book.
Would not recommend.
The main character and his buddy are described as convinced atheists, yet the friend says nonsense like "if god willing," and the main character thanks "god" on every other page. He even splits up with his girlfriend because she has a few irrational beliefs, yet after he has an accident in the mountains and is unconscious for three days, he convinces himself the dead girl he keeps seeing when falling asleep must be real—and he wants to speak to his now-ex girlfriend, just because she would be the "only one who would understand." So an atheist dark matter scientist is convinced supernatural things are real based on an odd experience after he suffered an accident? That's just not believable! I wouldn't be surprised if his character arc concludes with him finding Jesus, or Buddha, or whatever else.
More to it, in his home town that he haven't been to "for years" he visits a business, yet the owner recognizes and listlessly greets him and the main hero then proceeds to enumerate all the people in the scene, whom he vividly remembers by name. Again, unrealistic, which throws you out of the story.
Speaking of scenes, they are often over-described, to the point where you start unconsciously skipping over words, just because there's little point in the description. Worst yet, most of the scenes are pointless. There's a whole scene of the hero getting to work. There's a whole scene of the hero getting home from work. There's a whole scene of the hero getting to the airport. There's a whole scene of him making ridiculous conclusions of the people he sees at the airport. Hell, there's a whole scene where he calls his mother just to tell her he's coming for a visit!
At 22% into the book, I gave up. I've seen worse writing, but story-wise, still nothing have happened by this point. Some guy with a confusing personality lost a job and went on a bad hiking trip. Big whoop! The rest is filler. A guy getting from one location to another. Not exciting. Not interesting. Not a story worth reading. It might get better further in, but I'll not gamble any more of my time with this book.
Would not recommend.
September 10, 2016
This could have been a good book. I liked the idea. I wanted to enjoy it. I even did. But not very much.
I asked a question on goodreads about the age group it was intended for. If it was for say, 12 year old readers I could see the merit (pushing it even then, 12 year olds into scifi / fantasy can be very smart). For anyone older than that, doubtful.
The writing is fine if not amazing, the suspense is ok in a low tension kind of way (although for a younger audience it might seem like higher tension - like Star Trek voyager for example) and the plot is tight enough inasmuch as it's easy to follow with no surplus story. I felt for the protagonists even if in a very black and white, Danger mouse vs Baron Greenback kind of way. Cliche was a little over used though (bottle of whisky and up all night etc- that's not a spoiler).
For me the wheels came off in a somewhat apocalyptic car crash with the blending of scifi and fantasy. Not that it can't be done, it's been done well in other books. The inconsistencies were just too glaring and loosely explained though and it left me with too many criticisms to enjoy the story very much.
I asked a question on goodreads about the age group it was intended for. If it was for say, 12 year old readers I could see the merit (pushing it even then, 12 year olds into scifi / fantasy can be very smart). For anyone older than that, doubtful.
The writing is fine if not amazing, the suspense is ok in a low tension kind of way (although for a younger audience it might seem like higher tension - like Star Trek voyager for example) and the plot is tight enough inasmuch as it's easy to follow with no surplus story. I felt for the protagonists even if in a very black and white, Danger mouse vs Baron Greenback kind of way. Cliche was a little over used though (bottle of whisky and up all night etc- that's not a spoiler).
For me the wheels came off in a somewhat apocalyptic car crash with the blending of scifi and fantasy. Not that it can't be done, it's been done well in other books. The inconsistencies were just too glaring and loosely explained though and it left me with too many criticisms to enjoy the story very much.
February 10, 2014
An intriguingly different debut mixing Dark matter the CERN Large Hadron Collider project and a different view of the paranormal.
McGugan starts out slowly plotwise (intentionally) and builds the main character deliberately so that we believe his transformation from atheistic scientist to something other... She keeps the story grounded in character which allows her to move away from realism in small steps.
It is important to note that if you are looking for great scientific detail about the LHC or the CERN facilities- this is not the book for you. The science is here in small smatterings but is used simply as plot elements.
A good quick read with a fast pace (once it reaches crescendo) and mostly good characters. the ending is a tad forced but a still a good read.
McGugan starts out slowly plotwise (intentionally) and builds the main character deliberately so that we believe his transformation from atheistic scientist to something other... She keeps the story grounded in character which allows her to move away from realism in small steps.
It is important to note that if you are looking for great scientific detail about the LHC or the CERN facilities- this is not the book for you. The science is here in small smatterings but is used simply as plot elements.
A good quick read with a fast pace (once it reaches crescendo) and mostly good characters. the ending is a tad forced but a still a good read.
April 14, 2014
A couple of recent reviews suggest that the book needs further work and I have to agree. 250 pages was the wrong length for this. It took nearly 100 pages to get to a point where Robert was going to CERN, where the plot kicks in, and then the thing rushes to a finish 150 pages later. There is talent there but the editing seems to have let it down, McGugan needed a good 150 pages more to allow the storyline to breath. Disappointing.
February 14, 2014
A really interesting book, with some great ideas about science, life/death and the super fascinating CERN. I kind of had the sense that writing it might have been a bit rushed as I think it could have both been longer and explored some elements in greater depth, but also have been edited more tightly. Well worth a quick, exciting and thoughtful read, though.
January 3, 2018
The first half of this was unusual, detailed and compelling - really good indeed. The second half was preposterous. So 2.5 stars. What a shame. It could also have done with a closer, tighter edit.
January 31, 2014
Not very good. Had to write a review, as it was preachy, contrived, and needed a better ending.
Good for a debut, but needed more work before being released.
Good for a debut, but needed more work before being released.
March 4, 2014
Some good plot twists and some not so good plot twists.
March 30, 2014
Without giving anything away, this book was cracking! Libby definitely did her research for this and it was just brilliant and filled with twists and turns. Bangin'!
January 9, 2015
Acceptable- page turner not demanding of much thought.
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