FLIT

by Ed Morawski

The Unbelievable True Story of Teleportation

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2018

About the author

My books do not always fit into established genres - most of them have elements of sci-fi, mystery, crime, action, and especially - romance. I will warn that my idea of 'romance' is not typical, but more along the lines of strong women and men making sacrifices for them.

While my books are not a series in any sense of the word, many are connected through characters and events. I will also say I strive for realism and logic. My books are never fantasy, but rooted in what is actually possible,

I invite you along for the ride and hope it will be memorable.

Reviews

[Phillip Murrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and original story on the "true" invention of the teleporter. What made the story so good was how authentic it was. The story moved between many people, each with his/her own contributions. Once their time in the spotlight was over, the camera moved on. I found this refreshing. I get so sick of the five-man band concept with the same handful of individuals responsible for every significant accomplishment in a tale. Ultimately, I would give this 4.5 stars, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.

The Good.
The economic implications of instantaneous teleportation received a deep dive of scrutiny. In fact, it led to the original defunding for the project.

We see the lives (briefly) of those who will ultimately lose their jobs after this new invention.

The debut in San Francisco was championed due to its green energy position.

Judge Fineman had a great dilemma but made the right decision.

Greed trumped safety and practicality. A building is missing? Pretend it wasn't and cover it up.

The Bad.
Sex wasn't needed in this story, but so many characters (specifically Edward and Pamela) kept getting discussed. It felt forced. It reminded me of a sixth grader whispering "sex" to his friends and they all giggle in the back of the classroom. Pamela has adult toys! Giggle, giggle, giggle. It felt beyond immature because it literally served no purpose to the story to talk about Irina's perfect breasts.

The impacted workers who lost their jobs were a string of cliches. Some were borderline offensive tropes.

Nearly every named character died in the end. The odds of this statistic (so many random murders) is scoff worthy of the highest order.

There were scenes of exposition story telling that grated. Specifically, I recall the entire history of Little Rock.

The Technical.
An omniscient narrator was used.

There is plenty of (unnecessary) sex talk.

Often a speaker will address a character without using a comma. E.g. "Hi Mark how are you?" or "Sir please sit down."

[Zamil Akhtar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's almost as if the author, Ed Morawski, is from an alternate dimension where teleportation was actually invented. Perhaps he "flitted" one day and came out in the wrong dimension, and now is stuck here and so wrote this novel to tell us how teleportation came to be in his home dimension.

This novel is filled with true-to-life details about the science, politics, and economics of teleportation. More specifically, it's about how teleportation could be devised, how its founders would struggle to fund and establish it -- especially in the face of government opposition -- and how it would change the world...for better and for worse.

I thoroughly enjoyed the science. I'm a sucker for anything related to quantum physics, alternate dimensions, and time travel. A perfect evening for me is sitting in front of the TV watching YouTube documentaries from PBS Space Time and other great physics channels. While the science in this novel is not 100% realistic, it successfully convinces you that it is, and that's a rather masterful achievement given that we are talking about something as crazy as teleportation.

I didn't love the political aspects as much, but perhaps that's because I find domestic US politics a bit dry, especially compared to astrophysics. I skipped over a lot of the detail about the various court cases as it was getting into the mire quite a bit, and I was here for the science fiction. Reading about the economic ramifications interested me more; it's a fascinating analogy to something going on right now, namely how AI and automation are making many jobs irrelevant. Introducing teleportation into the world would take that up to eleven, and this novel skillfully details what would happen as a result.

I do have one, large sticking point about this novel: there is a specific mystery set up in the beginning that is not satisfyingly expanded on nor concluded. I found this frustrating. I know it's not the focus of the story, but to me it's a flaw that detracted a bit from the satisfaction.

In conclusion, this novel captured and kept my interest, was packed with realistic detail, and convinced me that alternative universes are real and the author probably came from one. Overall, I rate Flit a 4.5/5, rounded up to 5.

[Eddie Pittman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flit Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

At a glance:

Flit is a story that blends several different formats and genres together to form a somewhat soft-medium science fiction that’s focus is on the invention and not so much on characters or their relationships. The book is told in a documentary fashion although it doesn’t usually feel like it is and covers a somewhat wide time period. Our main characters I would say are Joe, Ron, Irina, and Edward.

What I Liked:

I thought this was probably some of the most fascinating theory crafting I’ve read. How the world would react to a technology like FLIT was engrossing. I really enjoyed the slow burn we are given and the rules surrounding Flit. The four second snap back, the adaptations over the years, the cost and capitalistic side. It was really intriguing to see how it could potentially play out.

Similar to that, I thought the plot and the roadblocks faced were mostly good and was a good way to read through it. There isn’t really a center evil, the goal is just difficult to achieve because of bureaucracy but that means there is not an antagonist and that I enjoyed.

A lot of research also seems to have gone into this. The science seemed realistic to me, someone who knows next to nothing, and even some of the legal scenes (I am an attorney!) were well done even if far fetched.

What I Disliked

I have three major main issues with the novel. First, the stereotypes used for the non-white characters. It just so happens that a guy named Deandre also happens to be a thief, have a baby momma, and end up in a crack house. It just so happens that another guy of Mexican descent has seven children and is undocumented. I’m not the affected parties so I can’t speak to it other than it made me uncomfortable. I would have been far more open to it if these characters had depth, but their value to the story was to show how jobs were impacted. That didn’t need these characters. There were also some jokes and lines I didn’t personally get bothered by, but, again, are off putting to a good portion of people.

Second, there is a lot of formatting and grammar mishaps on the Kindle edition for the early-middle portion of this book. At 25% into the book, there was a random series of “+” symbols. At other points, names would be incorrectly capitalized and there were issues with the overall consistency of the grammar. For example, for most of the novel, introductory phrases are not set off by commas. Fair enough, the same goes for names in a sentence of dialogue. What do you think, Beach? , for example, would not use a comma so it would read as: What do you think Beach? It’s not wrong to have style but the problem was the lack of consistency. It wasn’t so frequent it ruined my reading, but it did feel notable, especially in the middle.

Third, the first quarter of the book had a lot of deeply unnecessary sexual references that didn’t serve any purpose at all. An entire character’s storyline was about wanting to have sex and finding his wife’s dildo. There was a person who was actually having sex and seemed to only be focused on that. They didn’t add to the story, and were the weakest parts of the novel. Often I found myself groaning when these moments came up because they hid what the story excels in.

Lastly, I hated that there were so many plot lines that seemed to be set up and then abandoned. (The creature being the big one and possible alternate universes and running into yourself from the past).

Concluding Thoughts:

Overall, I really enjoyed Flit, but there were lots of issues I had. However, because I think it’s a good story, I can forgive it for its shortcomings and give a 3.5 rating, rounded to a 4. I liked it for what it was and I enjoyed it on the whole.

Recommended to:
Someone looking for a grounded sci fi story that has no real focus on individual characters but rather the effects on society and how society will react. I know that sounds odd but it was refreshing to read a novel that focused on the world’s reaction.

[Zita Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read.

At first, I was expecting a novel with a beginning, conflict, ending, and well developed, engaging characters. Then I realized it was more of a fictional documentary of sorts. As such, even though the idea of an “Instantaneous Transport Portal” is not new, it was fascinating. The ITP, named FLIT is, in essence, the main character. We get to know it more than any human character.

In the beginning, we see FLIT repressed due to concerns about how such a production could devour all other forms of transportation, from trucks to cars, to planes. Then it is rediscovered by heartless capitalists whose drive to make billions rides roughshod over the masses who will face unemployment if FLIT is allowed to flourish.

And does FLIT ever flourish. From small distances to transatlantic destinations, it grows and travels through the world, devouring all other forms of transportation, and cleansing the atmosphere of years of built-up pollution. It is built in various sizes, ranging from large enough to transport massive freight trucks to smaller sizes for personal use by those who can afford it. What starts as “interesting” becomes mind-boggling and yes, frightening. Although I can appreciate the convenience – who wouldn’t want to “flit” to Paris or Rome in minutes instead of sitting on the plane for hours – the power of this thing was a little disturbing, like some monster taking over the world.

What was most interesting to me was the time factor. It seemed that time was being cheated, or sped up by using these things. But time reasserted itself in the form of jet lag, despite the four-minute journeys, and early aging – which makes sense, right? If you speed up time, you also speed up aging.

The novelty wears off by the last quarter of the book. The author goes on about FLIT’s conquests to the point where it starts to drag. The little excerpts on where the characters were at the end also did nothing for me. They were not developed enough to care about, and were eclipsed by the main character, the ITP.

Overall, though, a very interesting read that I think could have ended sooner.

[E.A. Wicklund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flit tells a believable story of how teleportation might really have happened. It begins in the Galileo Research Center in Galveston, Texas where "fringe" science is conducted. There, some of the finest scientists in the country are allowed to pursue their wildest dreams. Through a series of fitful starts and stops, they actually invent teleportation. It takes mere hours before government agents move in and shut the whole project down. That could have been the end of the story, but there's always a paper trail, and after many years, the plans get sold to an entrepreneur. And that's when things really get started.

It takes a while to build the Flit system again, and there's a good reason for that. Once it does work again and the entrepreneur makes his discoveries public, things really get interesting. The author demonstrates a terrific grasp of how scientific discoveries happen. It isn't always a linear process. Often, accidents and chance discoveries are what lead to significant breakthroughs. Another thing I like is Morawski's handling of the economic impact of such a significant accomplishment. The stock market crashes, government agents get involved. Titans of industry start throwing their weight around. Morawski's attention to detail made it feel to me like he had already been there and merely time-traveled back to tell the story.

At many times, the book reads more like a historical account rather than a story. There are long sections of narrative. This could be off-putting for some. For me, I love history and read a lot of it, so this book placed me in comfortable territory. This isn't a book for folks seeking car chases and explosions, but rather a pseudo-historical account presented in a way that someone might read in a future tell-all book. I for one, found this very enjoyable.

[Lynn Helton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing sci-fi story explores the "what-if" of teleportation being invented.

While the teleportation technology itself took center-stage, the story included many interesting characters, all unique and some a bit mysterious. It drew me right in and moved at a great pace, showing how all the various elements came together around the invention of teleportation. I really enjoyed the unique writing approach - a documentary style that worked magnificently for this tale. The story included a lot of great technical details and science, making it wonderfully believable. It excelled at showing subtle and hidden ramifications of teleportation and provided a lot of material for thought.

Overall, I found this an engrossing, eminently enjoyable sci-fi tale about possibilities. A superb read, with plenty of science to hold up the concept.

(I read this book through Kindle Unlimited.)

[Mark Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Morawski has explored a classic sci-fi problem in the modern age, in the shadow of such works as Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano and Karel Capek’s R.U.R. With the feel of a futuristic documentary enriched by actors playing people in our time, Flit is a look back at a strange look forward.

The extreme bird’s eye view of the narration allows for a story in which science and technology are the main characters. As in real life a story of invention is going to jump around in time and place, picking up and discarding characters that make their contributions – most of the time, there is no solitary Frankenstein or Doc Brown, or Tesla. Morawski has populated his story with a large number of very ordinary and relatable people to midwife the plot in an engaging way.

Most progress really is extremely gradual, creeping up after the hype and disillusionment to surprise. Being a researcher myself, I can tell you than 99 percent of the time would not belong in any story of interest to anyone – so a narrator who traverses days and weeks and even months on a single page is appropriate, cutting out the grind. Still, simplicity might have been overdone, though this largely is a matter of taste and I am naturally biased toward long-form fiction. Documentaries must be summary, after all. Flit flits, quite simply, getting to the point and not wasting time, but at a few moments to the extreme where it possibly interferes with visualizing a scene.

Of the main characters Irina Taras Petrov is very interesting, and perhaps more interesting than even the author originally intended given the current day-to-day suspicions about Russia’s worldwide influence in government and business. The ITP’s path from invention to proliferation is comparable to the atomic bomb’s, invented in America but quickly becoming of interest overseas, though the very essence of the ITP is to abolish borders. The old world resists, naturally. The notion of wondrous technology being suppressed for profit is a familiar conspiracy theory, and not without inspiration from the real world – though here there is a timeless debate to be had, which Flit maintains as a constant theme, about unintended consequences. The American government’s reaction is not quite taken to outlandishness – like suppressing the cure for cancer to keep ‘Big Pharma’ rich – and keeps a foot in reality. Importantly, Morawski has successfully shown how real politicians mask selfishness as concern, in this case for the economy that they want to take credit for.

Inventing fantastical contraptions only to have them go horribly wrong is a well-worn sci-fi path that was shunned in favor of something more inspirational and perhaps believable, with no fly-headed men. Morawski’s vision of the future is, after some shakiness, refreshingly optimistic in an age of prognosticators preaching AI and nanotech dooms with forced edginess, a return to sci-fi as a source of wonder rather than dread.

[Sotto Voce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I was a young adult, I have been dreaming about teleportation. Staying away from my loved ones, it's always a delicate balance to be with them, be in a place with the job, and be in places that are good for my mental well-being. I do not intend to be greedy outside of personal use and am very good at keeping secrets. Because of this wish, I think about this a lot, albeit always briefly, about how having this kind of device would impact my life and others if it's finally realized one day.
So, I am happy to read this book, especially when it explores the origin.

I was worried that the book would be a lump of narration and information in the beginning because we were barely introduced to any character. It has its purpose because it's just an introduction to the beginning. Twenty years later, there are multiple characters and storylines.

The premise.
I love the concept of this book; as told, I want to know what would happen if this thing became a reality. Every ordinary person thinks about all these scenarios daily, no? At least I have this book. Although I have nitpicks (more on that later), I admire the author's knowledge about a lot of things and read in amazement as he brings me through the science, jurisdiction system, business, banking, and the future.

The characters.
I love to root and feel for characters when I read books, and I root for none of the characters in this one. The primary and more prominent characters are decently created, but I can relate to none. The most down-to-earth, realistic, and ordinary characters are introduced in snippets just to put a name for how the device impacts them. However, it works for this book, and I think there is a decent balance between hard and soft science fiction. This would make a good movie with the montage of ordinary characters among the craziest things that ever happened to humanity. I wish Beach, Joe, and Irina would be less one-dimensional, but who cares? I have a four-second trip to make.

The pace.
The pace is great, although some timelines seem impossible for me, who worked in corporate deadlines many times before, especially in those sectors that rely on many things, including supplies and utility. But no part of the book is boring to me. It keeps me interested.

The style.
The book is a 'documentary.' I think it's creative and has many things that would make a great movie. But more on the nitpick.

Now, the nitpicks that sadly have knocked one star from me.
- I am a nerd. I like to read about theories, calculations, details, and analysis (whether I understand them or not is another matter), and this book has many of them. It's all great, but something very simple caught my eye. It's a nitpick, of course, for something that takes only half a page, but hear me out. Emily, one of the minor characters, owns a boutique, and for some reason, the author details how the business has been doing well by including some simple calculations. With a rent of $28,000 a month, the company would break even if it could rake $1,000 a day, which makes it $30,000 a month. It is simple, but in the previous scene, it was mentioned that it is located in a very prime area with three full-time salespeople, even though they also work on a commission basis. Based on my knowledge, there is no way $2,000 a month would cover other expenses. Salaries, utilities, business trips, expenses, taxes, interior, packaging, transport, marketing, and bonuses are the basics. There is just no way the number would work. If there is a higher number, or best, not to mention them at all outside the general idea. It's a tiny thing; however, it makes me wary a bit. What about all those impressive calculations and details that I don't have any knowledge about? Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't impact my reading enjoyment, but it would make me less confident.

- The aftermath
It's great that I get to read about the impact on the world. The author has a lot of insights into things that I have yet to consider, and it's really awesome to read them. While there are mentions of some negative impacts that spark a very tiny idea of reverting to the old transportation method, everything goes very smoothly regarding long-term technology impact, not social rejection (the riot).
It says a lot about the better environment, while in my head, it is the other way around. I was an avid traveler and sought remote areas: unpopular islands, underwater, and mountaintops. The best factors for all these are the destinations, the views, nature, and cultures. On the other hand the most disturbed factors by this device are the tranquility, exclusiveness, and the journey. All these would be gone (and that's why I decided unselfishly that this device is not ready to be introduced to the mass population ha). Every corner of my beloved destinations would be flocked with these annoying tourists and influencers. There would be no more peace. And who are the most disruptive and destructive visitors? Tourists and influencers. The beautiful marigold field would be flattened to the ground, and the unique mountaintop outcropping would collapse from the weight of people pretending to do yoga there. While we finally would be able to retrieve Green Boots from Everest, it would be a disaster up there with some wealthy housewife trying to do gender reveals. I feel stressed typing this.
Sadly, the journeys would no longer be possible without alternative methods. Part of the satisfaction of these destinations is the journeys.

The other most important factors are animals and plants. People want to see wildlife up close and bring souvenirs; the consequences would be unimaginable. Endemic animals and plants, with their natural reasons and causes, would no longer be protected. Wallace's line exists for a reason.
Of course, there could be solutions, but I am just a bit disappointed that these very glaring negative impacts (to me) are not mentioned, combined with the population rise. (I have read somewhere that the lack of need to do other things and the plentiful of time will result in the increase of baby-making activities)

- I am not sure why there is a need for a 'Post Release Update.' Imo, it totally throws everything else away. It doesn't go with the documentary style as this is supposed to be the private life of someone who is mentioned repeatedly as very reserved. The tone is also very different from the rest of the book, and it kind of ruins the consistency of the characters. I'm really not sure why this is included. Imho; it would make a much better book without.

- The missing importance. The disappearing, the original scientists, and the alternate universe need to be fleshed out more. Those should be very important and alarming, or it would be interesting to learn about more than a few sentences. What about blackouts in between travels? Not all countries in the world have the same stability or capacity; blackouts happen often in some. Most less developed areas don’t even have internet connections. It would also be interesting to think about how vulnerable the system is to cyber-attacks and unauthorized imitations. Everything can be imitated, especially when they have the prototype.

[Marc Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, Crichton-esque adventure

I had my eye on this book for a while, having been published in the same house as some of my own books. I have no affiliation with this work or author other than that.

Flit is a perfect piece of 'what if?' science fiction, with characters, situations, government involvement, and legal machinations that are very believable. No seems to make any baffling decisions or outlandish leaps of faith, and the story itself falls right in to my personal expectation of what would happen to the world if such an amazing technology came to pass.

I love this book. My only possible knock for some readers is that the characters ARE so believable. They make real choices and those choices have real consequences, and that's ok for me. None of them are gunslingers or hyper-brilliant or any of the other tropes out there in realistic science fiction. The result of that is they can be a bit forgettable and bland, but they should be! This is a realistic story, with realistic people. That fact alone made me appreciate this that much more. This world COULD happen, and that is amazing. Great job!

[Margret Treiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface FLIT is a new storytelling an old tale, the impact of new technology on society and the socio-political implications. It is also a human story, following the lives of the creators of this new technology and exploring each of their aspirations and motives. It explores the history of the burgeoning teleportation industry as if told by a scholar, with a touch of insight into the personal lives of the players involved.

Although it feels like a historical document, It reads more like a fictionalized history than a textbook, drawing you in, anticipating what each next step will be.

The science behind the technology is believable enough to make it passed my science BS filter. It was a pleasure to not have to forcibly suspend disbelief while reading this.

Overall, this was a refreshing read and well worth the time. I recommend it highly.
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[Marco Santucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about what really could be, while understanding what already is... This story will leave you with many things to consider. Many things happen unbeknownst to the public. Really...

Quote: "It made Joe remember the stories his father would tell about seeing a television for the first time." (Tuck that away in your mind)

[Peter Fratesi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Flit, author Ed Morawski artfully tells the fictional story of a truly transformative technological, scientific development: the Instantaneous Transport Protocol (ITP). Unlike the transporter of The Fly or Star Trek, the ITP does not frighteningly disassemble and reintegrate people and things. Rather, it transports humans and objects intact through a parallel universe from one place to another in our universe, theoretically at any distance- in four seconds flat.

After the US government attempts to cover up and destroy the initial NASA sponsored research, a small tech company clandestinely acquires the surviving ITP files. The company then develops and successfully publicly tests the ITP in San Francisco and elsewhere, causing a huge stir. The plot deepens as the federal government clashes with California and with the company and its powerful, seductive investor to gain control of the device.

Flit is a highly original, absorbing sci-fi work. The science and tech behind the ITP is so convincingly presented, the device almost appears feasible, as if it could be built in reality. Unlike some sci-fi stories, Flit does not pursue the dark and ominous forces that could be potentially unleashed by the ITP’s accessing unknown universes. Rather, the story explores the plausibly massive effects of such revolutionary technology on society. The effects of the ITP are not just dealt with abstractly but also in how the device changes the lives of individual people, including the many secondary characters of the story.

Overall, Flit is a worthy read, especially for more technologically oriented sci-fi fans.

Peter Fratesi

[Sean Benham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ed Morawski’s Flit is a fascinating read. Telling the story of the creation and development of near-instantaneous transportation technology and the impact on the people who use it, Flit is compelling, well-written and intricately thought through. Intriguing from start to finish, the novel moves quickly but manages to give a thorough examination of world-changing technology.

The transportation technology itself is almost treated as the novel’s main character, with the people involved with it treated as allies and foils. It’s an interesting approach, and one that pays off. Heavy on science, but in an approachable way, Flit offers a nice contrast between the public bureaucracies trying to regulate and the private business trying to reap their rewards.

Highly recommended for readers who appreciate the ‘science’ in their science fiction.

[Seth Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy this author's books, which range from crazy sci-fi adventures to tales of real life and foreign wars. In this tale, which comes across as a real-life documented account, we find out about teleportation devices. There is a little bit of everything for everybody in this story, though, which is why I enjoyed it. It covers several different areas of interest-- science, economics and finance, sexual lives of characters, witty and sometimes childish humor, conspiracy theories, govt workings, and social impacts of the technology at hand. If you are looking for a unique and thoughtful sci-fi story, and don't mind a documentary-style narrative(which actually works here), this story will grab your attention and probably make you chuckle as well. Recommended.

[James Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ed Morawski's, FLIT, was an enjoyably read. Mr. Morawski's novel dove into a fictitious world where a technology revolutionizes travel as we know it. This was a technical read more than a character driven novel. While there are many characters that make up the novel, and all are interesting, the focus of the novel is more about the new technology and how it affected the world. It was evident the author spent many hours researching technology and it's affects on society in order to write the book. I found the technology to be believable as something that could be created in our own future. I enjoyed reading FLIT, and anyone that has interest in technology will find it an interesting read.

[John Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fake documentary on a teleporter device.
An entire stage full of interesting characters who come and go while the books focuses on how the teleporter impacts their lives.

The ending leaves open a troubling side effect of the teleporter and I only wish the author would have fleshed this out and gave us some closure. Other than that - a great read.

[William N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, . . .

A good story, but could use a bit of editing for grammatical matters. Occasionally it was difficult to understand exactly who or what was the subject. Things like the ruin the flow of the tale.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and enjoyable speculative fiction about a new technology invention and its impact on the world. Well thought out and presented documentary style but still an exciting read.

[Scott Shjefte]

Morawski's 'FLIT' , from Amazon for free.