Perturbations of the Reality Field

Cluster #1

by A.R. Davis

Thou shalt not go supraluminal. When the spiritual and the physical universes collide, a cosmic mystery places humanity into a stellar prison where the inmates are dangerously nearby. Will mankind succumb to the same distractions as their alien predecessors; the struggle for survival, the quest for power, the fanaticism of faith, the random ravages of nature? A telepathic border collie gathers a young cab driver, a teenage physics prodigy, and a washed up diplomat into a cell in the Resistance. Why were they chosen? What can they do? Will humanity be destroyed by barbarians or absorbed by an alien Empire?

Before you dismiss the possibility of a few individuals changing the cosmos, recall the Butterfly Effect. Beware. Metaphysical science fiction may be an anti-scientific sin. You might be punished for exploring. The mathematical formula for your soul might be corrupted so you can no longer compute the ordinary. Certainly, we are the observers, God’s eyes, perturbing the reality field by our very existence.

432 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2017

About the author

Dr. A. R. Davis has taught students from junior high through graduate school, worked in the real world briefly as an engineer, and published papers in computational geometry. He retired as a professor of computer science and mathematics when he decided to step beyond algorithms and logical proofs and into metaphysical science fiction. He has been unable to return and is now wandering somewhere beyond Thoughtland. His footsteps through the Borderland are perturbing reality with every reader who explores his words. He is hoping for a Butterfly Effect to generate the storm of recognition. Visit him online at www.thefifthprophet.com.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an intriguing read! A dog (or so we think) who can read minds. Two young people traveling between worlds. An Uber pickup and a storm… and suddenly the night sky is filled with twice as many stars. Two words: Not. Good. And then our characters Katie, a teen science prodigy, and Joe, a driver and tech whiz, are caught in the midst of interstellar war, fighting to save mankind. Cassidy (the border collie/alien) was adorable. I’m always a sucker for a great dog scene, and combine that with super-smart alien mind and she stole the show.

Author A.R. Davis has some simply lovely prose. The world-building is unique and takes you for one heck of a ride. The text is complex and the story richly woven, at times a little tricky to unravel. There were quite a few characters in this one… and one heck of an intense story. It will definitely appeal to sci-fi fans who love a complex mystery.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

[Khira · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting intergalactic adventure with a philosophical bend. The Solar system is suddenly transported to a new cluster of stars and humans find themselves in the middle of alien politics and conquests.

There are a couple of things that really stand out for me:

The philosophical layer of the book delves into the nature of reality, spiritualism, souls, thoughts, and the interaction between them, yet attempting to formulate these from the perspective of quantum physics. It is very beautifully accentuated by the poems by a strange character named Mad Erik, which appear at the beginning of every chapter (quite possibly my favourite character in the book).

The medley of alien races are wonderfully whimsical: invented and described with an almost child-like delight that reminded me at times of Douglas Adams's writings and at time felt like Alice in Wonderland stepping into an alien candy store.

There is also a more serious story line that deals with the attempts to bring the human race onto the same page in order to counter the looming threat. Diplomacy, negotiation, technological development all play a part, as they would in real life.

One thing that I would have liked would be a little bit more scene-setting at the start. For example, it took me a while to work out that the appearance of the star Cluster was an unexpected event and not part of normal existence within the novel's world. Transitions to storylines of different alien species were at times confusing. Exposition is a tricky one to balance and authors are often told to avoid it, but a bit more explanation as part of the world-building would have made the story lines clearer, I think. (In my case, it might have also been a bit confusing because I was reading the novel on my phone, in small bursts over a couple of months.)

I loved the characters and the philosophical discourses.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two super smart teens and a telepathic dog are the shining stars in this story. Besides them you’ll meet a plethora of alien species within the author’s complex (and sometimes downright complicated) world building. It may have been too much story packed into one novel as I could easily see it being a trilogy instead. Great imagination and descriptions. I’d recommend it for lovers of hard/metaphysical science fiction. 3.5 stars

[Starr Davies · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a feeble attempt at writing a book. The author has a premise in there somewhere, but it's buried under theory and teenage emotions. There is no clear resolution to the plot and no answer to any of the questions posed in the book. IHMO, this author would have benefitted from having a good editor or writing coach to coax a good book out of this. But as it is, I call it as unreadable.

[Devin E Ochs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sci-fi for teens, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. We all started somewhere. If you've never read sci-fi before then this book will probably expand your horizons, but it exists alongside books that are so much better.

The characters are bland. The worlds are bland. The "aliens" are given zero effort and are simply Apeman, Lizardman, Birdman, etc. The plot is bizarrely paced. The core idea of the story is nonsensical to the point that even the author can't explain it during the entire book.

This isn't worth the time or money you'll spend on it.

[Ray Pete]

This book made my brain spin in the best way possible. The fusion of spirituality and theoretical physics is wild, but it works. A telepathic border collie leading a group of unlikely heroes? That’s the kind of creative madness I live for. It’s thought-provoking, funny in spots, and deeply unsettling at times

[A.R. Davis]

Yes, it's my book. I'm rereading it in preparation to adding a new book to the series.