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The Karma Booth
They say that executing a murderer won't bring your loved one back. But now it can.
Scientists have developed a new technology that has terrifying repercussions. The Karma Booth can execute a murderer and return their victims to life. But at what cost?
Ethics consultant Timothy Cale is hired by the US government to investigate this earth-shattering breakthrough and makes a startling discovery. The returned victims possess disturbing abilities.
When notorious war criminal Viktor Limonov escapes from a Karma Booth execution unharmed, it’s up to Cale to stop him before he murders every returned victim across the globe.
Scientists have developed a new technology that has terrifying repercussions. The Karma Booth can execute a murderer and return their victims to life. But at what cost?
Ethics consultant Timothy Cale is hired by the US government to investigate this earth-shattering breakthrough and makes a startling discovery. The returned victims possess disturbing abilities.
When notorious war criminal Viktor Limonov escapes from a Karma Booth execution unharmed, it’s up to Cale to stop him before he murders every returned victim across the globe.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
392 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2011
28 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 5, 2011
I first read about this book here on Goodreads, and got the impression of a Michael Crichton-like thriller, with additional benefits. This expectation was fully justified, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
As in the best Michael Crichton tradition this is an exciting action-packed thriller around a tantilizing basic idea. In this case the Karma booth, a technological invention that executes a murderer in the first room, and lets his victim rise from the dead in the second. Not only America has one, but every country has to decide how they want to use this incredible device, that seems to promise an karmic sort of justice: the death of a killer will bring back a loved one.
Besides plenty of action there is ample room for many philosophic discussions and asides about the nature of reality, science and the possibility of life after death. Fast-paced, interesting and very original, I found this blend between thriller, speculative fiction, sci-fi and horror hard to put down.
Too bad this book can't be found on the shelves of Dutch bookshops in my area. I had to order my copy, as it was printed-on-demand, and this book deserves a wider audience and be easier to find.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars because in the last 100 pages, I felt the way a number of twists and turns were brought together was a bit bumpy. That could have been done more crafty. Also, it seemed at times as if this book could have used a better editor. At various pages I found sentences that seemed to have been two sentences pulled together, without tying up the loose ends afterward. Very sloppy. Still, this book is definitely recommended.
As in the best Michael Crichton tradition this is an exciting action-packed thriller around a tantilizing basic idea. In this case the Karma booth, a technological invention that executes a murderer in the first room, and lets his victim rise from the dead in the second. Not only America has one, but every country has to decide how they want to use this incredible device, that seems to promise an karmic sort of justice: the death of a killer will bring back a loved one.
Besides plenty of action there is ample room for many philosophic discussions and asides about the nature of reality, science and the possibility of life after death. Fast-paced, interesting and very original, I found this blend between thriller, speculative fiction, sci-fi and horror hard to put down.
Too bad this book can't be found on the shelves of Dutch bookshops in my area. I had to order my copy, as it was printed-on-demand, and this book deserves a wider audience and be easier to find.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars because in the last 100 pages, I felt the way a number of twists and turns were brought together was a bit bumpy. That could have been done more crafty. Also, it seemed at times as if this book could have used a better editor. At various pages I found sentences that seemed to have been two sentences pulled together, without tying up the loose ends afterward. Very sloppy. Still, this book is definitely recommended.
May 17, 2011
Can you imagine a method of corporal punishment where the dead rise as a result of their murderer's execution? What happens when they return with "gifts?" When the natural order of life is flipped upside-down, protagonist Timothy Cale takes readers on a fast paced, action-packed page turning mission. He's hired to discover how the Karma Booth works, while trying prevent its technology from falling into the wrong hands. And he's on a deadline. With memorable characters, unique concepts and a just enough spirituality to challenge beliefs this is a story that demands to be read.
May 12, 2019
More like 3.5 stars
February 25, 2019
I was excited to read this novel because the idea is original and promising. I did like it for those reasons, but there are problems. Much of the writing, especially the second half, is spoiled by preachy and overly-long sections that purport to describe quasi-religious and complicated alternate reality reincarnation theories. That's fine, but there's far too much of it, in my humble opinion. I'm not sorry that I read the book - but it could have been so much better!!
May 12, 2018
Amazing. Not horror, more an insight human sentience and morality. Definitely creepy, but just the right amount for me. From the perspective of an ethics professor, this book is challenging in more than one way.
March 3, 2022
This sci-fi started off as an interesting moral debate about the right to kill murderers to revive their victims, but it soon took an interesting turn into the mind of a twisted individual by the name of Limonov who manages to escape the so-called Karma Booth and decides to take it out on the newly resurrected.
I was enjoying this idea of an enemy that could not be killed but it then took another turn and started discussing people having a higher purpose and was giving only half of an explanation where Tom somehow knew what was being said and so left various parts unexplained and the reader confused. Also, I was never exactly sure why Tim was chosen to be involved in any of it in the first place. He wasn’t a scientist and it just felt like they plucked this guy out of nowhere and just went with it.
Started out ok, I guess I just need things to be spelt out for me.
I was enjoying this idea of an enemy that could not be killed but it then took another turn and started discussing people having a higher purpose and was giving only half of an explanation where Tom somehow knew what was being said and so left various parts unexplained and the reader confused. Also, I was never exactly sure why Tim was chosen to be involved in any of it in the first place. He wasn’t a scientist and it just felt like they plucked this guy out of nowhere and just went with it.
Started out ok, I guess I just need things to be spelt out for me.
February 28, 2019
So original in thought and action. I've never thought of a karma booth for evil people of this world or about where all of us go to after we die. My imagination was blown by the authors concept of life after death, how bad people pay for their crimes against humanity and who is the judge of us all. Tim was a great character but at first I didn't like him lol. He was an ass that thought he knew it all. I enjoyed how he softened to the miracle\curse of the booth and to Crystal. she was a great strong female lead, as were many of the women in this book, not just victims. Great story, some scientific terms but still so understandable for the common Joe. Highly recommend it and a movie too.
March 23, 2019
Interesting premise...when murderers are executed, a victim is brought back to life. Nobody knows how this happens or from where the technology comes. I thought the story would lead us to the moral and ethical chaos that results from such a device, but it focused more on the supernatural, reincarnation, and levels of reality. Not what I expected at all and kind of hard to follow in places.
February 24, 2019
Quite Imaginative
The premise of this book is unique, the characters are interesting and the book makes for a great read. I recommend this book highly, might be the best 99 cents I ever spent.
The premise of this book is unique, the characters are interesting and the book makes for a great read. I recommend this book highly, might be the best 99 cents I ever spent.
December 27, 2020
One of the better of this type of thing, I was quite engaged and enjoyed the globetrotting, art appreciation and historical accuracy. Not so keen on the otherworldliness, but it worked and the whole story was engaging.
February 27, 2019
Very different story than I’ve ever read. It had adventure, a little romance, and a lot of science fiction. Definitely something to read as it’s unique
March 25, 2019
A strange and fascinating premise but the author didn’t handle or resolve it all that well.
April 10, 2019
This is one of the best Sci-Fi books I have every read.
It was a great plot, with humor and good character development.
The ending was a surprise that I wasn't expecting.
It was a great plot, with humor and good character development.
The ending was a surprise that I wasn't expecting.
March 10, 2021
a hidden gem for such low price. It will take your mid off of the craziness around you.
May 9, 2011
The Karma Booth: execute the murderer in one booth, bring their victim back to life in the other. Seems like the perfect miracle machine, right?
Only the victims don't return exactly the same, the Booth isn't as predictable as expected, and Iran's got one. On top of the ethical dilemmas, of course.
The Karma Booth is a Michael Crichton style techno-thriller with a healthy dose of body horror. It's set in the near future with the focus on the new resurrection technology, as the globe-trotting protagonists try to stop different factions from using the Booth for their own ends.
While there's a lot of SF with themes about reincarnation and planes of existence (Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld comes to mind), this work provides a twist as it's placed in the context of 21st century world events and demographic trends. There's a lot of ideas to chew on and it never runs out of surprises. I also appreciate how the body horror is introduced subtly in the scenes, which made it effective and even more disturbing.
The the "international" part of international intrigue is well done. I haven't read as much military and spy thrillers because sometimes the neocolonialism of many American and British characters rub me the wrong way, but The Karma Booth isn't hampered by this at all. The narration moves smoothly on an international scale between Cale and the various victims and criminals, with enough detail to make each setting and point of view character feel authentic.
I like how the realistic the protagonists are, which is a refreshing change in this genre. Cale as a US (ex)diplomat has sensible skill set, as he is always at the disadvantage during physical altercations and often screws up. He is also worldly not just the elitist sense, but also in the balanced upgraded common sense sort of way, which I appreciate in any person-fictional or not.
The Karma Booth could be stronger in its pacing and characters. It doesn't become a serious page-turner until at the halfway point. Pearce takes an exposition-heavy approach to world-building; it's vivid and done well for each scene, but somewhat holds back the overall momentum. I also find the protagonists distant and uninteresting-they sometimes seem to exist just to put the puzzle pieces together for the reader's convenience. But none of that kept me from turning the page anyway. The world going to crap, the body horror, and the metaphysical dread were more than enough to keep me reading the book through the night.
I recommend this book. If the premise sounds interesting to you, read the sample and don't hesitate to buy if it pulls you in. Any drawbacks it has are minor to the overall package of a stimulating Science Fiction/Horror thriller read. I know that I'll be re-reading a number of my favourite scenes, simply because they are awesome and creepy as hell.
Note: a free review copy was provided by the author.
Only the victims don't return exactly the same, the Booth isn't as predictable as expected, and Iran's got one. On top of the ethical dilemmas, of course.
The Karma Booth is a Michael Crichton style techno-thriller with a healthy dose of body horror. It's set in the near future with the focus on the new resurrection technology, as the globe-trotting protagonists try to stop different factions from using the Booth for their own ends.
While there's a lot of SF with themes about reincarnation and planes of existence (Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld comes to mind), this work provides a twist as it's placed in the context of 21st century world events and demographic trends. There's a lot of ideas to chew on and it never runs out of surprises. I also appreciate how the body horror is introduced subtly in the scenes, which made it effective and even more disturbing.
The the "international" part of international intrigue is well done. I haven't read as much military and spy thrillers because sometimes the neocolonialism of many American and British characters rub me the wrong way, but The Karma Booth isn't hampered by this at all. The narration moves smoothly on an international scale between Cale and the various victims and criminals, with enough detail to make each setting and point of view character feel authentic.
I like how the realistic the protagonists are, which is a refreshing change in this genre. Cale as a US (ex)diplomat has sensible skill set, as he is always at the disadvantage during physical altercations and often screws up. He is also worldly not just the elitist sense, but also in the balanced upgraded common sense sort of way, which I appreciate in any person-fictional or not.
The Karma Booth could be stronger in its pacing and characters. It doesn't become a serious page-turner until at the halfway point. Pearce takes an exposition-heavy approach to world-building; it's vivid and done well for each scene, but somewhat holds back the overall momentum. I also find the protagonists distant and uninteresting-they sometimes seem to exist just to put the puzzle pieces together for the reader's convenience. But none of that kept me from turning the page anyway. The world going to crap, the body horror, and the metaphysical dread were more than enough to keep me reading the book through the night.
I recommend this book. If the premise sounds interesting to you, read the sample and don't hesitate to buy if it pulls you in. Any drawbacks it has are minor to the overall package of a stimulating Science Fiction/Horror thriller read. I know that I'll be re-reading a number of my favourite scenes, simply because they are awesome and creepy as hell.
Note: a free review copy was provided by the author.
December 6, 2015
This book was recommened to me but at first I was not sure about even reading it. The genre was something completely different to what im uses too but I decides to give it a try and it was well worth it.
The plot is about a machine called a karma booth which can bring back victims to life by killing the murder, and the protagonist Timothy cale is asked to investigate.
I will not mention anything more about the plot but this book has the ability to look at world in a different way and keep you clueless in the direction of the story, something that I have a hard time finding.
I recommend anyone to give it a try its worth it
The plot is about a machine called a karma booth which can bring back victims to life by killing the murder, and the protagonist Timothy cale is asked to investigate.
I will not mention anything more about the plot but this book has the ability to look at world in a different way and keep you clueless in the direction of the story, something that I have a hard time finding.
I recommend anyone to give it a try its worth it
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May 7, 2011I edited this, so I'm not objective. As a rule, I don't read horror, so I honestly don't have much basis for comparison. The author said he was aiming for skin-crawling horror, and it certainly produced that effect for me. It worked very well on that level. The book also struck me as having very intelligent writing.
May 30, 2011
I'm conflicted about this book. I read with interest even though the horror genre is not to my taste. I want to forget this one.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews