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Rapture
In the year 2068, followers of The Pure are vanishing from Earth. It’s rapture, as predicted in their scriptures. At least that is what the religion's faithful believe. To conspiracy theorists, the disappearances are a nefarious government plot. To the government, they’re merely human foul-play. To Reiko Liebenstadt, a disgraced agent at the Federal Protectorate, the mystery is her obsession. On the case that sank her career, she alone witnessed a Purist vanish from a canoe in the middle of a lake. Reiko’s investigation of The Pure leads her to a world ravaged by disease and war. She uncovers the real reason she was chosen for the assignment, the hidden meanings in the prophecies of the scriptures, and the ultimate fate of those raptured.The truth is far from heavenly.
- GenresScience Fiction
318 pages, Paperback
Published January 12, 2018
457 people want to read
About the author
Alex P. Wu
2 books32 followersAlex Wu lives in the City of Angels with his partner. As a wee child he was bitten by an even weer baby monkey. While trekking in Nepal, he was chased by a ferocious baby elephant. Still, he has a soft spot for animals. The couple hopes to move to a nature-y place someday so they can adopt a dog, a donkey, a pig, a goat, four turtles, ducks, a few rats …
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 7, 2021
*3.5
The book was fast paced and I am all for that. It had lots of action and went in a direction I was not expecting when I started the book.
It also dealt a lot with morality and what it means for different species which I found very interesting.
The book was fast paced and I am all for that. It had lots of action and went in a direction I was not expecting when I started the book.
It also dealt a lot with morality and what it means for different species which I found very interesting.
March 4, 2018
Well, this story certainly takes us on a ride. It starts like a standard political action tale, but gets more and more science-fictiony as the plot progresses. It’s a novel-length rewrite of the old Damon Knight short story (and Twilight Zone episode) “To Serve Man,” the punch line of which, as everyone knows, is “It’s a cookbook.” This author deals with both the plotline and the thematic material at considerable length. Also in more gruesome detail, although with taste.
The plot revolves around a main character who is forced to make a series of difficult choices. At every turn, whatever she does, it seems she has to cause hurt to someone innocent, and as the complexity of the intrigue develops, the clear moral path becomes less and less clear.
The main strength of the writing is in the character development. Reiko is a likeable, sympathetic heroine, and there are many supporting characters that are sympathetic in their own right, even though some are on the opposite side in the conflict.
Adding to the interest is the thematic material. How far would you be willing to go to protect someone close to you, if it meant sacrificing others? How much collateral damage is too much? And, at the far end of the spectrum, is terrorism acceptable if its objectives are altruistic? Meanwhile, we see the flip side of the question. If everyone is torn by doubts, then which of them can you trust? As the story develops and the tension builds, it begins to look like the answer is “No one.” You’ll have to read the book to get any more than that.
The only thing that detracts from the power of this story is the author’s tendency to wander into discussion of this philosophy, which unfortunately increases as the story goes on. What we specifically do not want in an emotional and moving ending is a cutaway to the author’s analysis of every character, what each one’s life meant and how it relates to the theme. If we haven’t figured it out by that point, it’s too late to read us another lesson on the subject.
A thoroughly enjoyable Sci-Fi action story with a touch too much thematic discussion.
The plot revolves around a main character who is forced to make a series of difficult choices. At every turn, whatever she does, it seems she has to cause hurt to someone innocent, and as the complexity of the intrigue develops, the clear moral path becomes less and less clear.
The main strength of the writing is in the character development. Reiko is a likeable, sympathetic heroine, and there are many supporting characters that are sympathetic in their own right, even though some are on the opposite side in the conflict.
Adding to the interest is the thematic material. How far would you be willing to go to protect someone close to you, if it meant sacrificing others? How much collateral damage is too much? And, at the far end of the spectrum, is terrorism acceptable if its objectives are altruistic? Meanwhile, we see the flip side of the question. If everyone is torn by doubts, then which of them can you trust? As the story develops and the tension builds, it begins to look like the answer is “No one.” You’ll have to read the book to get any more than that.
The only thing that detracts from the power of this story is the author’s tendency to wander into discussion of this philosophy, which unfortunately increases as the story goes on. What we specifically do not want in an emotional and moving ending is a cutaway to the author’s analysis of every character, what each one’s life meant and how it relates to the theme. If we haven’t figured it out by that point, it’s too late to read us another lesson on the subject.
A thoroughly enjoyable Sci-Fi action story with a touch too much thematic discussion.
February 14, 2018
This story is more entertaining and polished than the majority of books on the shelves today. I wasn't expecting this.
Rapture is ambitious yet easy to follow, with elements of police procedural, suspense, action, and ethical dilemma. Reiko is a washed up officer investigating a mysterious disappearance that none of her colleagues will touch. She wants desperately to right her career so she goes all in on the case concerning the Pure. From there, it's a page turner, each scene giving clues to the next as Reiko peels away a layer at a time. A lot of books have fillers which I tend to skim over due to my impatience. Not Rapture, it moves briskly. When she gets to the core of her case, it's harshly rich with moral ambiguity. There are no perfect solutions, and I found myself asking what I would do if put into the same situations. The whole book would translate well into a movie.
The first and third sections were my favorite because both had big mysteries that kept me wondering. Even when it was late and I knew I had to get to sleep, I couldn't help but read just one more chapter. And then another and another until it was the wee hours. In addition to plot twists and turns, the author is also great at creating vivid action scenes which I relished despite not being a big action person. The only element I didn't care for was the slight brush with romance, not because I don't like romance, but because I was annoyed with that particular character and therefore found the relationship frustrating.
Rapture is both hugely fun and thought provoking, with short chapters, conflicted characters, and efficient prose that flows easily. I still find myself thinking about this story from time to time, wondering what's going on in this colorful, ambivalent world. I hope that the author writes more like it. Sequel please!
Rapture is ambitious yet easy to follow, with elements of police procedural, suspense, action, and ethical dilemma. Reiko is a washed up officer investigating a mysterious disappearance that none of her colleagues will touch. She wants desperately to right her career so she goes all in on the case concerning the Pure. From there, it's a page turner, each scene giving clues to the next as Reiko peels away a layer at a time. A lot of books have fillers which I tend to skim over due to my impatience. Not Rapture, it moves briskly. When she gets to the core of her case, it's harshly rich with moral ambiguity. There are no perfect solutions, and I found myself asking what I would do if put into the same situations. The whole book would translate well into a movie.
The first and third sections were my favorite because both had big mysteries that kept me wondering. Even when it was late and I knew I had to get to sleep, I couldn't help but read just one more chapter. And then another and another until it was the wee hours. In addition to plot twists and turns, the author is also great at creating vivid action scenes which I relished despite not being a big action person. The only element I didn't care for was the slight brush with romance, not because I don't like romance, but because I was annoyed with that particular character and therefore found the relationship frustrating.
Rapture is both hugely fun and thought provoking, with short chapters, conflicted characters, and efficient prose that flows easily. I still find myself thinking about this story from time to time, wondering what's going on in this colorful, ambivalent world. I hope that the author writes more like it. Sequel please!
September 26, 2018
The pacing was erratic — sometimes, it’s too fast; other times, dragging. In the first half, particularly, it felt like it was taking its time to catapult the story. The plot felt simple at first, since the premise seemed like a typical mystery sci-fi. But the gem of this story lies with its themes and how the author incorporated them into the story. RAPTURE is not just about religion and politics at a macro-scale. It also looks deep inside us. It talks about the morality and conscience of the human heart. For those looking for a thought-provoking read jam-packed with action scenes set in a futuristic world, give this book a try.
Read my full review on UndergroundBookReviews(dot)org!
Read my full review on UndergroundBookReviews(dot)org!
August 27, 2018
The story was so different and unique to what I have been reading so far, sci-fi wise. The story can come across as harsh in some places but that is just the reality they live in. Faced with what would happen if you were captured, death is an easy choice. I like how as well that the Author touched darker subjects, it added that extra weight to why they were fighting.
The main character has complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. Which means she is genetically male, but with external appearance of female. She refers to herself as female. It was great to see a main character who isn’t the ‘norm’.
(Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Author. Does not affect my review)
The main character has complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. Which means she is genetically male, but with external appearance of female. She refers to herself as female. It was great to see a main character who isn’t the ‘norm’.
(Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Author. Does not affect my review)
February 18, 2024
Awesome Read
While sci-fi isn’t my normal go-to genre, I picked this up because I read another book by this author in a different genre. All I can say is, wow! His world-building is incredible and I felt emotions for each of the characters. This is a well-written book and Alex made me a fan of science fiction. I think this author is very talented to be able to switch genres the way he did and create two very different and very good books.
While sci-fi isn’t my normal go-to genre, I picked this up because I read another book by this author in a different genre. All I can say is, wow! His world-building is incredible and I felt emotions for each of the characters. This is a well-written book and Alex made me a fan of science fiction. I think this author is very talented to be able to switch genres the way he did and create two very different and very good books.
August 22, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyable read with great twists and turns.
May 29, 2018
The Rapture is based on a fairly good premise. I know the subject of rapture has been covered lots of times before, from the biblical prophecy that the believers would float up in the sky on Judgement Day and be saved, versus the irreverent version where the orthodox religious zealots float high up in the sky and are then dropped, cleansing the world of their annoyance and presaging the golden age of peace for all, which can begin now the loonies are away (see also John Lennon’s Imagine). Okay, so what if rapture happens. What would you think? Would we accept that something magical was happening to a cult (or they were claiming it was happening), even though you can’t look into it because of some amendment or other protecting religious freedom? The novel has a mix of police procedural and political governance early on, then dips into cult mentalities and suddenly ducks into an off-world mystery-exploding adventure with another culture, radically unacceptable behaviour, the struggle for survival, uncertainty around people’s loyalties, confused identities/gender and, of course, answers the central question of where do all these raptured people go? The aliens are interesting, providing answers about whether alien visitors came to our planet long ago, to pass on their wisdom to ancient civilisations (see Erich von Daniken) but there’s also a hint of the old typo in the bumper book of alien hospitality: How to cook for humans / How to cook four humans.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews