Hendrix's latest overstuffed near-future thriller (after 2005's The Labyrinth Key
) tracks a multiparty global race to control various meteorites that may contain missing keys to human evolution, according to scientists Michael Miskulin, Darla Pittman and Susan Yamada. Hendrix wraps a high-stakes plot around this idea: a ruthless rogue army research group interested in using the power of the meteorites to develop super soldiers competes with religious zealots looking to spark world war three. But the author goes into detail about the scientific nuances of his concept at the expense of character development and pacing. Readers willing to wade through lists of government acronyms and thick scientific jargon explaining alternate-reality meteor science will find the action picks up a bit in the novel's last 50 pages. (Nov.)
