Fragments

by James F. David

When a group of five idiot savants, each mentally and emotionally challenged but capable of one amazing talent, are brought together to create a sixth composite personality, the results are both chilling and dangerous.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller

381 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

James F. David has a Ph.D. from Ohio State University and is currently a professor of Psychology as George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. He is the author of the thrillers Footprints of Thunder, Ship of the Damned and Before the Cradle Falls. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Tigard, Oregon.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early novel by David, Fragments reads as a science fiction thriller with some supernatural aspects. Overall, a fun read, but the ham handed prose and dialogue definitely needs some polish. Hard to identify the main protagonist here, but Wes leads a small research team involving several idiot savants. Wes and his crew built a high-tech computer that can map brain functions. The goal of the research involves linking all the savants to capture their abilities and then merge them into the machine mind of their computer.

In the brief prologue, a man in 1953 bricks up his daughter in a basement. Why? Apparently she got gang raped by some Frat boys and is taking them out one by one. Why the prologue? Well, the house Dr. Wes rented in Eugene, Oregon to conduct the experiments just happens to be the house with the bricked up dead daughter in the basement.

David takes his time introducing all the characters, especially the savants, and then the experiments start. One thing we know as a reader is one of the crew, added most recently, is a sociopath with some abilities to 'push' people to get them to do what he wills; something like the Dad's ability in King's Firestarter. He 'pushed' the former assistant in the project to walk out in front of a bus or something and then managed to get on the team. Apparently, he wants to hone his talents.

Once the experiments start, things quickly start getting weird. This is mildly spoilery, but dead woman the basement somehow inserts her soul into the experiment. Basically, the computer did merge and create an intelligence, but the dead gal provided the soul. Worse, she is still pissed at the Frat boys, and slowly starts taking over...

If you can get by the prose and science handwaves, this reads fine. I can say both the prose and science improve in his later works, but this still feels pretty raw. Nonetheless, not a bad read at all. 3 fragmented stars!

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I both liked and disliked this book. The subject was certainly interesting, almost science-fiction like. What if scientists could take several people and somehow cybernetically combine them to create a new entity with the best of each of the subjects? Quite an idea! The book however at times became quite scary as the experiment inadvertently encompassed an unknown source that lashed out in vengeance for past wrongs. I had trouble reading some of the very graphic details of the acts of revenge that this scientific experiment put in motion.

[Drake Tungsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Fragments" offers an interesting concept, the fusing of the minds of several savants in a collective intelligence. However, a concept is not enough to sustain a book.

In my opinion, the problem with "Fragments" is a basic one. The reader never really gets to know, or care about, the characters in the story. Part of the problem may be that there are too many characters to keep track of. In any case, the people we meet in this book are never really fleshed out.

[Chris Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two questions:



Why isn't a great writer like James F. David not more well-known?



Why is a great novel like Fragments out of print a mere 12 years after it was originally published?

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on my shelves for a while now, and decided to finally pick it up to read. I was thoroughly engaged in the story and thought the concept compelling. I also felt that the author created the savant characters, and the other impaired characters, with dignity and respect. They were shown as people, not things. James F David did a remarkable job in bringing each character to life.

This novel is much more than an X-Files episode - it's a fantastic sci-fi thriller and deserves a bigger audience.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a pretty average 90s thriller, very locked into its time with aspects like ESP that would seem quite dated now. But the author feels like a bit of a creep and the focus on savants, autism, and mental disabilities dates the book beyond saving, and feels behind the times even for when it was written. You get the impression the writer was a semi-retired psychology professor writing as a hobby.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb on the back of the book states "The X-Files meets Rain Man." A good concept here, but not worked out very well...***

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I read by this author, and I happened to pick it up in a used book store. The description caught me, and I was happily surprised when I started reading it. Great characters, good descriptive writing and a truly intriguing and creepy plot. Awesome read.

[Jodeen · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had a decent premise but steadily declined until I found myself so disinterested I could not bring myself to finish it. Disappointing.

[Matthew Avila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. Enjoyed it a lot. I love how the author includes his home state Oregon in most of his books.

[Akeju Emmanuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fragments is an amazing book that's definitely worth the read.