Resonance

by A.J. Scudiere

The shift is coming. Soon. Dr. David Carter knows this. However, he?s a geologist, so `soon? means anywhere from tomorrow to a thousand years from now. People are dying. Now. Drs. Jordan Abellard and Jillian Brookwood are standing at the edge of SuperAIDS. Or are they? They won?t be able to figure it out if they can?t get some authorization signed - and soon. But they?re peons and no one is paying attention. Whole species died at the last polar shift - 65 million years ago. Right now Dr. Becky Sorenson has some seriously mutated frogs in her lab. In L.A. Bees are making abnormal columns on the side of the freeways. In Georgia, birds are migrating out of season. It all makes a sick kind of sense when the doctors consider that the last magnetic shift is strangely coincidental to the dinosaur die-out. And the only similarity in the problems today is that each is occurring in a `hotspot? - a pocket of reverse polarity tells them all the shift is already here.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Post Apocalyptic, Audiobook, Apocalyptic, Amazon

508 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2008

About the author

📖𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘆, 𝘂𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲
♟️stories you can't outguess! 𝘎𝘰 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘳𝘺!
🏆USA TODAY bestselling author
🎁grab a FREE BOOK at my website ReadAJS.com

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝟥𝟢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳!

GET YOUR FREE BOOK FROM ME HERE
https://www.readajs.com/book-series/n...

"Install a seatbelt in your favorite reading chair!" - ★★★★★

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please note: I read this book in August 2011 after winning a copy via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I'm just adding some formatting.

Truth Behind the Tale: According to geological records, the Earth’s magnetic pole switches about every 60 million years. The last such swap was about 65 million years ago – about the same time as the last massive dinosaur die-out. The Earth is 5 million years overdue …

My Synopsis: The story revolves around a group of scientists and doctors – Jordan and Jillian are physicians with the CDCP who work under Dr. Landerly; David is a geologist; and Becky is a biologist. Each of them start noticing things around the same time – Jordan and Jillian notice that people are slipping into comas after being hit by what appears to be some sort of stomach flu and not waking up; David finds evidence of a magnetic reversal being responsible for the die-out of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and further evidence hinting that the same thing has happened about every 60 million years; and Becky finds a small area in the Tennessee backwoods with a large number of mutated frogs. There doesn’t seem to be any connection, until the four coincidentally meet up and pool their resources – what they discover is terrifying. The world is due for another magnetic reversal, and it appears to be starting.

My Thoughts: Some reviewers have mentioned that they found the beginning slow and the ending abrupt. I found the beginning to be fascinating as each group makes their discoveries and tries to figure out what is happening. The middle I found incredibly confusing – there is some really weird stuff going on and nobody seems to understand what is happening. But it is all explained, so don’t let the weirdness scare you off – the idea Scudiere comes up with is both fascinating and really scary, but at the same time incredibly nifty! The ending was a bit abrupt – there is no real discussion about the overall effects of the magnetic reversal upon technology, for instance. It seems to me that the magnetic upheaval would have wreaked havoc upon computer systems and networks, as well as the guidance systems and so forth, but this isn’t mentioned and once the actual snap occurs, everything is business as usual. Nonetheless, I found it a very enjoyable read and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good bio-medical sci-fi thriller. Check it out!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resonance by A.J. Scudiere is a disaster novel wrapped up in some speculative science fiction. As with any disaster book, the novel has an ensemble cast: Drs. Jordan Abellard and Jillian Brookwood of the CDC who are seeing people with weakened immune systems dying at unexpectedly high rates; Dr. Becky Sorenson is following strange biological phenomena like mutated frogs, confused birds and bees making hikes in unusual formations and Dr. David Carter who can see changes in the geology of the rocks he studying. All of these things end up pointing to the magnetic drift of the Earth's magnetic field.

These books typically have three acts: the portents of the disaster, the disaster itself and the aftermath. For Resonance the best part comes in the portents. When the focus is on the strange biological phenomena the book is a fascinating page turner.

Unfortunately during the disaster when the hotspots start getting big and dangerous the science behind them falls apart. Sometimes less is more. I would been willing to give the book more latitude if the focus had been on the creepy side affects and the danger getting larger instead of on the "hard" but wrong science.

If your suspension of disbelief is more flexible than mine, you'll find it a fun and sometimes creepy disaster novel.

Other books and stories you might enjoy:

* Condominium by John D. MacDonald
* Tsunami by Gordon Gumpertz
* The short story: Adaptogenia by Wayne Wightman

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you thought you've read every possible global disaster scenario... Move aside global warming, volcanos, earthquakes and asteroids. Magnetic pole reversal is here, and it's scary. This book will have you carrying a compass, watching for strange animal behaviour and questioning every stomachache.

I loved this book. It's no secret that I'm a fan of world-threatening catastrophes. This book highlighted one possibility that I haven't really seen featured very often. It did so in a dramatic yet scientific way that made it seem scarily plausible.

There was a romance angle to the book that I found surprising and unique. It featured a love triangle, but with an odd twist. Both of the guys' perspective and feelings were revealed, but the girl was a mystery. Yes, the story was told from her viewpoint at times, but her feelings about the guys was not revealed. I found this very unique, and really let me feel for myself which guy I wanted to root for. That was not a hard choice.

I am a Jordan fan all the way. He was so sweet. Almost the stereotypical good guy, but was stubborn and intelligent enough to come to life. He is an easy character to root for. I wanted him to survive and get the girl. But I won't tell you if he did. The story is set up in a way that it may or may not happen, and you don't really know until the very end.

For that reason, I won't even tell you how I felt about the end, because that would give a lot away. All I will tell you is that I loved the book overall, and obviously think you should read it.

[Glenda Christianson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received 3 books form this author. As a self professed "book cover snob", I set the books aside. The cover just didn't grab me. After reviewing several books that I didn't care for, I was looking for a change of pace and picked up Resonance.

This book certainly delivered the change of pace I was looking for! It starts out with several seemingly unrelated characters and their strange medical and scientific discoveries. The story switches abruptly from one group of characters to the next, making the reader a bit confused, but keeping your interest as the plot eventually converges, the characters meet and share their mysterious discoveries.

About three quarters through the book, I was sure the mystery had been solved and the strange phenomenon that was predicted to be effecting the characters would occur and that would be the end of the story. (Trying not to spoil the plot here!) It took me by complete surprise that it was not the end! This book has a wonderful twist and it results in a whole new set of problems for the characters!

This is a fast and easy book to read. It kept my attention and I read it in a few days. I liked the characters and while the book is based on a scientific theory it wasn't so involved or technical that I didn't understand it.

[Amy Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

You turned my world upside down. It's a phrase that is thrown around quite often, without a second thought about what it could imply. What if one day the world really did start turning upside down? You can't escape it, the world isn't waiting for you to adjust. It's going to follow it's course, and give itself the biggest face life its had since T-Rex ruled the world.

Jillian, Jordan, David, and Becky all come from radically different backgrounds, all with PhDs in their own fields. All four of them come to the realization something is definitely wrong in the world today. Jillian and Jordan, both working with the CDC, learn about a new disease that is killing people by the droves with no rhyme or reason. David learns the rocks he loves are not quite making sense. The way the geologists are labeling them is completely messed up. Becky is finding six legged frogs in her backyard and birds that are flying to the wrong places at the wrong times.

None of these phenomenon seem to relate to each other at all, until the four meet up unexpectedly in a small town where people dying and the world seems to have changed its mind about a few laws it once had. They learn the polarities of the earth are changing. North is now south; south is now north, but this only seems to be happening in bubbles, and the bubbles are growing larger. Someone send St. Nick a change of address card and pray he survives.

It took me a little while to get into this book. The storyline seemed to crawl at the beginning. The set up may have taken a little longer than necessary, but the middle and ending of the book were worth trudging through the beginning for. The plot was incredibly creepy. The end of the world has been in the forefront of many people's minds lately. This is a new twist on one scenario of the demise of the world. This book takes you for a fool a couple of times, just when you think things are finished, another curve ball has been pitched your way, and you may need to step back in order from being hit by the ball. Once you hit the midway point, do not let your guard down, or you may miss something important.

The characters in the book are a bit on the "unreal" side at times, but that could be because I don't usually find myself surrounded by geniuses on a regular basis and therefore have no basis on how they would behave. I guess someone truly brilliant would be able to think things through and come up with the brilliance that occurs. The characters are lovable though. There was a character that only lasted a chapter or two that I found myself mourning when he passed. There are meaningful layers to each of these characters that make you want to slap them or hug them, depending on the situation.

If you can handle the creepiness of the possible end of the world, pick this book up and give it a good chance. The story may start off slow, but you will be tightening your seat belt before it is all said and done.

[Terryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The earth's magnetic field is reversing. In little pockets of geography, north is south and south is north. Unfortunately, this is affecting the animals and people in a very bad way. Frogs are mutating, people are dying. I loved the characters in this book, Scudiere is very good at making you like people in the story. A good medical/end of days thriller. While it went a little sci-fi at the end, which didn't really match the rest of the story, it was very action packed and a bit romantic.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really disappointing book. Starts off great, the characters are great. The science is intelligently used and presented. And then it goes belly up. Religion shows up. Idiotic reasoning show up. The book drags and then just as you think “finally we will know” You don’t.
The book could have been 1/2 then length although it probably would have still been pretty crappy.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Resonance is a standalone book that has a very different take on polar shifts. I was not expecting it to be as involved as it was. Definitely worth reading. There are enough twists and turns in this book that you aren't really sure what is going on until the end.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot just kept getting stupider as I "skimmed" on. LOTS of skimming, as this book could have lost 200 pages and still gotten the message across. And there was never an explanation as to why a magnetic shift in Earth's poles would make people sick and die. Or was this even related to all the deaths? Waste of time reading this.

[Paganalexandria]

08/06/20 currently free in Fractured boxset
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089X3QXW1

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book based on the cover preview, but it didn't completely live up to my hope. I love the premise: the pole are shifting and people are getting sick. It seemed very realistic, but then something happened it became a bit too hokey for me to swallow. What became the most difficult for me to appreciate was when characters started to die, but then were talking and interacting in the next chapter. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be realistic or not.

The book is about different groups of scientists and doctors who are trying to figure out when animals are behaving in unusual ways and why people who seem healthy are dying in surprising ways. The scientists and doctors come together in their search for the answer and they discover that there are magnetic hotspots where the strange events are occuring. They call these "shifts" and they all try to figure out why people are affected differently during the shifts.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Jordan and Jillian unfold. I think the relationship with David and Jillian was more forced and that Scudiere really told about this relationship rather than showing the development of the relationship between Jordan and Jillian.

[Cdavitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scudiere wrote this book in a very interesting fashion. You end up reading from multiple different character perspectives. It should be noted that at times this method of writing can be confusing. Not only are you jumping from perspective to perspective but also from environment to environment, which is fine if done well. However, there are a few points in the plot where these jumps really lost me. At a particular point I found myself coming up with my own plot lines because the book's had completely lost me.

However, I still think that this is one of the better books I have read. This book takes you on a wild ride, covering life as a CDC field expert to contemplating euthanasia. The book covers an awful lot for just 480 pages and I think that is why it can loose you at some points. Scudiere seems to want to jump to so many ideas that some of the connections seem to get lost. But you can very easily connect the dots by contemplating what she is trying to get across or by simply rereading the paragraph with a slower more deliberate eye. In the end I truly enjoyed this book and found myself unable to put it down.

[Tracy M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to do this, because I used to work with the author. It feels a little bit disloyal to say that I was disappointed with this book. It started out very well, grabbing me within the first ten pages and keeping me riveted for about three-quarters of the book. And then it just ended. There was little exploration of what caused the magnetic shift or why it happened, and little discussion of what happened after it. Yet it was built up to be this gigantically important thing, and after it happened the characters seemed to be just like "oh. Well, okay then." The ending made the whole book mediocre.

[Aleisha Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just imagine waking up and the world is coming to an end. Nothing is how it should be and your friends and family are dying all around you. A polar shift causes all this death and distraction. I could really see something like this to happen in my lifetime. Since scientists are always saying the world could come to an end. But hopefully not!

This book is a science-fiction novel that follows two scientists that work at the Center of Disease control. The two scientists are a geologist and a biologist and they hope to save what’s left of humanity. You will finish this book really quick because there is never a dull moment.

[Jenniferr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

I liked this book mostly. It did not adequately explain what happened. I also didn’t get the resolution I wanted with the main two characters. But I enjoyed it

[Janina s. Asselin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

Sorry, just a little good with the heading☺. I really enjoyed this book. Some very interesting and different ideas. I would have given the book a 4 star rating except for the lack of character development and meandering parts of the story. I found I didn't care about the main characters and in fact, they weren't very likeable. Cared more about secondary characters like Betsy and her family. Would recommend.

[Vanessa Del valle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! The concept is great! It really makes you wonder if we'll see something like this in our lifetime. The way the author writes is so natural and easy to read... the characters speak the way you think, so it doesn't seem fake or artificial. You will finish this book really quick because there is never a dull moment.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the novel "Resonance" consistently held my interest, I had several qualms with it. First, it barely touched on all the problems that would occur if there were a sudden magnetic pole reversal. Second, the timeline of such a change was way out of wack. And finally, its two Earths theory was very hard to buy.

The novel mainly focused on some sudden and bizarre changes in animal bodies and behavior and a deadly flu that would quickly take out most of humanity. I'm sure there would be a period of disorientation among migratory animals, but there is no reason to believe they would start growing extra body parts and become blind. If that were true, wouldn’t those mutations also happen to humans? The novel doesn't consider this possibility, nor the massive disruptions a polarity switch would cause to any device with magnetic parts, our communications systems, and our power grids. There would also be radiation problems since the Earth's magnetic fields help shield us from outer space radiation and debris. None of these problems are addressed; and instead, it included some weird, voracious flu pandemic. But flus are caused by viruses, not magnetism. We might have more flooding, earthquakes, and climate change events, but a new, extremely deadly flu. . . . c'mon.

It should also be noted that polarity reversals don't happen quickly. They happen maybe once every 600,000 years and take about 7,000 years to complete.

I could have granted the author some artistic license with the above facts, but then she introduced her two Earths theory. Supposedly, when the magnetic change occurre, survivors ended up on one of two Earths depending on their occupations and religious beliefs. For example, scientists and atheists ended up on one of the Earths, while lawyers and religious fanatics found themselves on the other Earth. A few people could experience both Earths temporarily if one of their selves was in a coma on one of the Earths. Most of humanity could not see or visit the Earth they weren’t assigned to, but a lucky few experienced massive, heartbreaking confusion as who they thought was alive or dead changed depending on the non-coma Earth they woke up on that day. This theory required a suspension of disbelief that was too big a stretch for me to make.

In summary, "Resonance" included both too little and too much. It tempted me to continue reading it at the same time I was tempted to slam its covers shut.

[Valerie Mikles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the start, but was supremely disappointed by the mid-point. The science died half-way through.

(Spoilers ahead) This had an okay beginning, as it introduced a super-cool premise. As an academic, I liked that the principle characters were also academics, and fairly well-portrayed as academics. I liked that the author treated the reader as intelligent. I got super-annoyed at the attempt at a love-triangle, especially since it was just the two men whose inner dialog ever leaned any conscious thought toward it, while the woman in the middle showed no interest in either of them (at least as far as I could read into her POV scenes). It made the sex scene feel very rape-y.

The story got really pedantic really fast. I almost didn't make it past the middle. Seriously, the whole book could have been 20% shorter with nothing lost. Once I figured out how little was going on in each scene, I wound up skimming a lot.

Then great turning point - the worlds split. I felt like this the same way I felt about the third season of Farscape. I wanted to find spoilers so that I'd know if the story was worth finishing. (It was not, but I did.) While the concept was interesting, this is where the author seemed to give up on science or having things even try to make sense. Somehow, religion and social choices got folded in on the human side as a reason for how people split, but this was not fully developed, nor was it reflected in what was going on in the animal kingdom. (Were some animals holier than others? Only the Christian side was truly explored; what about other religions?)

While the search for a scientific explanation and solution motivated the front half of the novel, in the back half, that avenue was completely abandoned, and nothing rose to take its place (except a suicide pact that took far too long to execute). I thought maybe they'd use the knowledge of the shifted light to merge the worlds back together and have to work together between the two worlds to do so, but no. It just devolved, and rather than save the world, or even save their families, the scope became smaller and smaller, until two love birds laughed their way into the sunset of a post-apocalyptic world that didn't seem to be experiencing any sort of apocalypse at all.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I enjoy books that have an element of syfy in them...this one is a typical one in the genre as the primary characters are scientists and they are trying to understanding a new situation they have never faced before. I like that.

However, this book was difficult to embrace in its earliest chapters. It starts out introducing multiple characters and many different settings, as well as a plot that was not clear in the beginning. However, about halfway through the book it settled into a clear plot direction and more importantly, the book begins to revolve around primary characters and they are very likable and the story gets a rhythm and a direction. The primary characters are strong and likable and the tension in the relationships and the risks they are trying to understand and manage become clear.

So, after a bumpy beginning I decided I ended up enjoying it and will give it 4 stars even though the beginning is probably 2-3 stars.

[Elaine Bougie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have liked the book more if its focus had remained with the main scientific subject of magnetic pole reversal. A fictional consequence of the switch which verges on the paranormal overtook the story and made it pretty confusing, with many switches in viewpoint/place with action that became hard to keep straight.

Still, the writing was so good I suffered with that change in focus and the confusion it caused for me, driven to follow the story to the end. The immediacy of the writing quells disbelief while reading and now that I'm finished I wish I could read a speculative fiction focussed on changes in the magnetic poles which stays with that phenomenon and not an imagined side effect.

[Matt Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A total head trip!

Resonance is a stellar sci-fi thriller about the poles of the earth shifting and the effects of it on living things. Starting with very different scientific disciplines with excellent characters in each, their paths begin to cross and become entirely intertwined. I am not going to give away ANYTHING in this review; there are so many twists and turns that you'll be left thinking back on it for a very long time, the highest possible praise for science fiction. Deserves 6/5 stars, but since the scale is 1-5, it gets a 5/5 with the highest possible recommendation! Everyone should read this book, it is a joy to read and cements Scudiere as a top talent in the genre!

[Robert H. Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science Fiction or Science Fact?

One of the best science fiction books I've read in many years. Resonance is right up there with the best of Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asmov. AJ Scudiere creates a plot of alternate universes and a reversal of the earth's polarity in which nothing is quite as it seems and yet it is all so much more than it should be. You won't be able to put this book down once you start it. It moves like lightning and you will be confused at times but you'll be compelled to keep reading. Now that I've finished it, my first task is to find other titles by AJ and lose myself once again.

[Carol Langley Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the strangest book I have ever read

I enjoyed Resonance. However, when things started to get unusual around two-thirds of the way through the book, things got a bit freaky, and I got very irritated. I even explained to my husband why I was so irked. After finishing the book, it all comes together and now makes sense (or, as much sense as it can make with that highly unusual ending). I don't believe I could ever even thought up that kind of a twist, but it worked! Kudos to Mr. Scudiere! I will be reading the rest of his work now!

[Jennifer K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading his book it was interesting on several levels the characters were great and though the story was a little confusing with the sides going back and forth it was a great concept. I also enjoy the fact that even though it seemed like a apocalyptic sort of story in the end you find that it was nature no man who brought this on. Right now several of the other stories I’ve read in this book it’s always man man versus society so it’s nice to have something lately different. Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!

[Monica Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author so when I had the chance to read this book, I jumped at it.

Jenna and Jordan are doctors who work at the CDC. There is an anomaly when it comes to the poles and they are sent to investigate what happens to the people nearby when they fall into a coma.

Obviously, this is science fiction, laced with just enough fact that you might just believe that something like this could happen. You DO have to suspend belief, but it is still a good book and I am glad I got to read it.

4.5 stars from me.

[Valerie Fidder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page-turner

One of the things I like about King's writing is he can make the reader believe that the macabre is possible. Scudiere goes one step further, using science to predict a plausible apocalyptic event. I don't want to go into the details and make my review a spoiler, but I'm definitely reading his other books in this "series" (quotations because each book is truly a stand-alone novel with connections, and not a true series).

[Marie Valenzuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with the 2 questions teachers never really answered in Science class (When will polarity change the next time? What will happen to people when it happens?) and takes off from there.

It was hard science-based (mostly), and moved the story along with interesting, well-developed characters. Unfortunately, the story fell apart a bit towards the end, although this leaves the door for a sequel.

[alan paryzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good story indeed if you stopped three quarters of the way through it. Characters were interesting and well developed and the concept of shifting of the magnetic poles very compelling. It felt to me as though the author didn’t have a clear ideas of an ending and put together elements of world cataclysm with just another ordinary day let’s get some fast food. Sorry but didn’t make sense to me. Could easily be improved with a rewrite of last third of the book

[Lugene VerPloeg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resonance

Interesting. I would have liked it better without the part of the earth becoming two different places. That was just a little too weird for me. There are a lot of dropped words, grammatical & punctuation errors. Doesn't anyone get their work proofread before it's published, anymore?