Final Theory

by Mark Alpert

Book Overview

A Spellbinding Thriller about a Science History Professor on the Run for his Life and an Unpublished Einstein Theory that Could Change the WorldDebut novelist Mark Alpert brings one of the most explosive books of 2008, seamlessly weaving current issues of science, history, and politics with white-knuckle chases.David Swift, a professor at Columbia University, is called to the hospital to comfort his mentor, a physicist who's been brutally tortured...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416572872
• ISBN13: 9781416572879
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 359 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Has scientific research gone too far?

If you like the science fiction / thriller genre, you should like Mark Alpert, Michael Creighton's heir apparent. This is his first published novel (2008) which has been translated into 24 languages and has also been optioned for films. Alpert has also written a sequel, Omega Theory, so read them in order. David Swift is a professor who has been called to the hospital bed of his mentor who has been brutally beaten by a mercenary / terrorist. Before he died, he gave to Professor Swift a sequence of numbers he must not forget and must not let fall into the wrong hands. It may well be the key to the most amazing discovery called the Unified Field Theory that Albert Einstein had worked so long to discover and never did. Or did he? The Unified Field Theory would be a single set of equations that would explain all the forces of nature. If such a set of equations existed, they could be used for incredible scientific advances the mind could only fantasize about, or used to develop weapons that would make nuclear weapons look like pop guns. That is why the good guys want to get a hold of it before the bad guys do, and also why the bad guys want to get a hold of it as well. And Professor Swift and his group of friends are caught in the middle. He knows the significance of the theory - both the potential benefits and dangers - and doesn't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. This book is very well written, as all of Mark Alpert's book that I have read have been. The author is degreed in physics and edited for Scientific American magazine so his background in physics and journalism combines for very convincing story telling. The technology described is believable and based on actual, or near actual mechanics. And when all is said and done and the book concludes and you feel the world is safe, it ends with a bit of a bewildering cliff-hanger. After all, scientific research continues, for good or for bad. (less)

One of the Best Books I`ve Read in a Long While

Final Theory by Mark Alpert is a great and fast read. It moves along at breakneck speed and I couldn`t put it down. Mr. Alpert writes intelligently and convincingly and sweeps you right along. I love science and adventure stories and this combines both. I certainly will be looking for this author`s work in the future.

Jaw-Dropping Twists & Turns That Keep You Racing Through!

Final Theory hooks you from the opening paragraph as Professor Hans Kleinman fights for his life and the secret that Albert Einstein tried to keep. There are plot twists and turns that keep you breathless, and importantly, always believing! No "I could see it coming from a mile away". No "Baloney, that could never happen." Every cliffhanger and reveal is totally out of the blue and backed by details that you never paid attention to the first time but now make you say "Of Course!" I highly recommend this "science for the masses" to anyone who likes to bite into a meaty book but doesn't want to struggle to understand it. Fun, accessible, and a real thrill ride!

action-packed thriller

Rumors fly that Albert Einstein formulated the unified field theory, but feared its release would lead to even more lethal weapons than the atom bomb; if true he took it to his grave. However some people think otherwise and he did discover the unified field theory and that a few still living know it. Thus diverse players from the Feds to other countries to unscrupulous scientists and even a ruthless Russian mercenary seek the remaining direct link survivor. An intruder batters elderly theoretical physicist Hans Kleinman trying to make Einstein's assistant talk. Instead the torture sends Hans to the hospital near death. When Columbia University Professor David Swift visits his mentor, Hans babbles some enigmatic commentary in his native tongue about "Einheitliche Feldtheorie" with a numerical sequencing of equations that seem to combine the vastness of space with the nano of atoms just before he dies. However David becomes the new target fleeing for his life as he trusts no one not even the FBI except his former girlfriend Princeton physicist Monique Reynolds. This is an action-packed thriller that takes off from the opening sequence and never slows down as David becomes the target of nasty folks who want to control the next weapon of pandemic destruction. The story line is fast-paced yet provides enough scientific theory to support Einstein's efforts to develop the Unified Field Theory equations. Fans will relish FINAL THEORY as this one never takes a breather while using as the plot's prime concept the reversal of the universally accepted belief Einstein never achieved the equations to prove his theory. Harriet Klausner

Exceptional!

The author combines a background in astrophysics and a career in journalism to lend remarkable realism and phenomenal narrative to this unique thriller. A rich menu of interesting and plausible characters traverse many intriguing locations, described with superb clarity, and all interwoven in a plot as clever, surprising and entertaining as any you will experience in this genre. The science backdrop is presented in a manner as satisfying to the layman as the PhD. For the reader less enamored with the thriller genre, the book is a beautiful work of prose, packed with literary gems. For the thriller buff, you might as well succumb to Mr. Alpert now rather than later. Any first novel this extraordinary is going to be followed by dozens more--and a mass readership. Absolutely five stars.

I read it in three sittings. (Fast for me!) And now I'm even a little bit smarter . . .

I pre-ordered this book because I read about it somewhere (?) and it sounded like my kind of book. Fast read. Good thriller. And pretty well-written too. Which was a nice plus, because a lot of thrillers have dialogue that sounds ridiculous. I really like the father/son relationship in the book. David (the main character) is smart, but not perfect. Really rang true. And I even learned something about the "Unified Theory" (aka "Final Theory") that Einstein was trying to discover. (BTW, if you've ever watched one of those shows on PBS about string theory - that's what Brian Greene and those other scientists are looking for too.) I think I heard someone say this book is like a Da Vinci Code for science and it really is. When's the movie coming out?