Prodigy

by Dave Kalstein

Book Overview

"""If the characters from "Less Than Zero" and "The""Secret History" woke up in a novel by Philip K. Dick, they'd get along famously with the precocious students of Stansbury."-Dustin Thomason, bestselling author of "The Rule of Four" A thriller set in the future at an ultra-elite prep school that asks: what is the price of perfection? In the year 2036, the world's best boarding school is the Stansbury School. The students, better known as specimens,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312340966
• ISBN13: 9780312340964
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 322 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Instant Classic?

Ok... so I know my title to this review is a bold one, but I don't think that it is too far-fetched. Kalstein, in his debut novel, sets his story 30 years in the future and pulls it off beautifully. He must have done quite a bit of research in order to create that world as well as the Orwellian Stansbury School, an academy that combines isolation from the real world and designer drugs (called the "med cycle") to mold its students (called "specimens") into leaders that will use their skills to make the world a better place to live. Kalstein's characters are all very interesting, from the rebellious Cooley to the "by the book" valedictorian Goldsmith, coming together in a top notch thriller that has all the twists and turns that make for a great read. Other reviews claimed that this book was a "slow starter", but I disagree. Kalstein initially develops the futuristic setting and really lets the reader get to know the characters in detail before plunging into the "excitement". This is a wonderful novel that you will find hard to put down once you start reading. I can't wait for Kalstein's next one.

Brlliantly written--give us more

Far more than an entertainment with its elements of mystery,sci-fi, suspense, and action, this is a novel about real people and their feelings. Kalstein has constructed an artificial reality, highly convincing in detail, peopled just like the people you and I remember. I eagerly await his next effort. "Somehow, watching her go, he already knew that it would be a long time before he and Camelia ever got back to this place they discovered in the atrium, just a guy and a girl talking, getting to know each other like they were regular kids. His conditioned, Harvard-bound brain told him to act like it was no big thing. His orphan's heart told him it was the only thing."

Much better than "The Rule of Four"

The description of this book in the liner gave me the impression that this book was intended to be a science-fiction retread of "The Rule of Four": part thriller, part touching coming-of-age drama. "Prodigy" succeeds at both halves better than did "The Rule of Four." The best thing this book has going for it is Stansbury Academy itself. While a few plot details go over the top, it is easy to see how Stansbury could have developed in exactly the way Kalstein suggests. But perhaps more importantly, this book also takes a somewhat satiric view--primarily in the side-plots and backstories--at the pressures society puts on its children to become prodigies, and the price those children pay as a result. In this regard, the scenes regarding Stansbury's valedictorian are particularly brutal. On the other hand, Kalstein also knows that there *are* some real-life prodigies to celebrate; the scene about a star athlete at Stansbury stands out in that regard. This is a book I would recommend to just about anyone.

PRODIGY is amazing

Dave Kalstein's PRODIGY was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads that I've had in the past 10 years. It's a real page turner of a thrill ride and I literally couldn't put it down once I began. The writer certainly has a way with words and puts you right into the character's mindsets and you almost feel as if you are right among them as the events start to unfold. A very very impressive debut and PRODIGY gets my highest recommendation ! And there is plenty of social commentary that is quite incisive throughout the novel...where did this 29 year old writer come up with all this great material ?

Wow!

This is LESS THAN ZERO for the new millenium. I couldn't put it down. Fantastic young writer. I was blown away.