Category Archives: Sci-Fi

Most people have never heard of “John Twelve Hawks” or his “Fourth Realm Trilogy” – a trio of spellbindingly written dystopian novels that probe the heart of modern civilization. While the first book, “The Traveler” was an International-Book-of-the-Month-Club selection, the author himself is famously reclusive. So what is it that really separates this series from the dozens of other science-fiction novels lining the shelves?

Quite simply, the fact that his vision of the future rings true.

The Fourth Realm trilogy is made up of three volumes: “The Traveler,” “The Dark River,” and “The Golden City.” Set in the not-very-distant future, the series is essentially a re-envisioning of George Orwell’s “1984” for the digital age. A mysterious organization of mercenaries known as the “Tabula” hopes to permanently prevent acts of terrorism by keeping citizens under constant surveillance – via an intricate network of microphones, cameras, and computer tracking chips. People will continue to go about their daily lives – without knowing they are being watched – so long as they do nothing to compromise the societal order. Dissidents simply disappear, with many turning up dead under suspicious circumstances.

Sounds familiar, right?

Enter the Travelers and the Harlequins. The Travelers, alone among human beings, can separate their “Light” (their soul) from their physical body, and use it to cross over into one of five additional parallel realms. Each of these five realms reflects Earth (the titular “Fourth Realm”) in some way. This supernatural ability allows Travelers to communicate with the inhabitants of the parallel realms…whose intentions for humanity are unknown. The Harlequins are an order of sword-toting warriors sworn to protect the Travelers. They thrive on randomness, even carrying random number generators around their necks which they use to make decisions (i.e. an odd number means “turn left,” an even number means “turn right”).

As “The Traveler” opens, Gabriel and Michael Corrigan are the only two known Travelers, although their gifts have remained latent. Maya, a bitter young Harlequin woman, is assigned to guard them…but the sinister Tabula mercenary network gets to Michael before she can. Gabriel and Maya, accompanied by an unlikely group of sympathizers, must thwart the Tabula’s plan for global control and try to save Michael.

As the story progresses, Gabriel and Maya draw closer together, which forces Maya to choose whether she will allow herself to feel emotion (the cardinal sin for a Harlequin). Gabriel discovers his Traveler talents, and crosses over into a series of disturbing parallel universes in search of his brother. And all the while, the Tabula is tightening its grip on the world…

From a literary standpoint, the saga is outstanding. The books read like a fusion of “1984,” “The Bourne Identity,” “Atlas Shrugged,” and “The Matrix” – a spellbinding combination that elevates them above the standard piece of dystopian fiction. The series is unpredictable and un-put-down-able. Even more compelling is the books’ undercurrent of truth. It’s a recognized fact that almost everything we do is monitored in some way, by someone. It would be only a short step for the government to collate all these efforts under one banner. This concern has gained new relevance in the era of the PATRIOT Act…is it justifiable for the government to monitor all its citizens, on the off chance that one might be a terrorist? Author Twelve Hawks obviously disagrees.

There are a lot of worldview implications as well. The mythology of the Travelers and the Harlequins is derived from Tibetan Buddhism – a much more mystical variant of Buddhism emphasizing the interaction of gods and demons in a succession of parallel worlds. The whole concept of a Traveler separating his soul from his body is clearly rooted in the New Age concept of astral projection.

While many characters profess to be Christians, their behavior reflects a much more syncretistic worldview. For Twelve Hawks, specific beliefs are not as important as a general support for individual dignity and free will. It really doesn’t matter whether his characters are evangelical, Buddhist, Catholic, Islamic, or atheistic…as long as they’re willing to stand against the Tabula, they’re the “good guys.”

Book 3, “The Golden City,” clears up some of these questions. Gabriel has a long conversation with the spirit of his father that reflects Twelve Hawks’ underlying worldview. According to Gabriel’s father, God created the world and then went silent, with no one hearing from him since. Thus, it is up to individual humans to create their own meaning. The behavior of the Harlequins and Travelers stems from this existentialist outlook. If meaning is found through the choices of the individual, randomness is the appropriate response to a world that seeks to promote homogeneity above all. Their defiance of the Tabula is not just rebellion against oppression – rather, it is the way that they find fulfillment in life.

There is some objectionable content – namely, stylized bloody violence (think: “The Matrix”) and language. There is one scene in Book 2, “The Dark River,” that recalls certain similar mature elements in “1984”…but it’s merely implicit, and is integral to the plot. If adapted into films, the books would probably get PG-13 ratings.

So should you read them?

This series is dark, and at times disquieting. But that’s because it’s very, very close to the world we live in. It’s thought-provoking in a way that few other modern sci-fi/suspense novels have managed to be. While I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to young or sensitive readers, the series is both exciting and eye-opening. It’s possible to value the social/political commentary of this series, while still recognizing the questionable worldview elements in light of God’s Word. Recommended for all readers who enjoy thinking about the balance of liberty and security in an increasingly unstable world.

VERDICT: 9/10
A brilliant work of science fiction blended with a realistic, provocative vision of the future.

H. G. Wells is perhaps best known as the author of the science-fiction classics “The War of the Worlds” and “The Time Machine.” Like his later counterpart Michael Crichton, Wells envisioned fantastical technology run amok, leading to widespread devastation and catastrophe. Up until this past week, my experience with Wells’ work was limited to his more popular titles – I’d never read his lesser-known work “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Surprisingly, this dark tale of scientific curiosity gone awry is one of the most compelling and thought-provoking novels I’ve read in quite some time.

(Note: In order to discuss this novel’s underlying themes, the following review contains spoilers.)

The narrator, Edward Prendick, is shipwrecked at sea and cast adrift. He is rescued by a mysterious ship carrying a cargo of exotic animals, and saved from illness by the enigmatic Dr. Montgomery. Montgomery proceeds to take him to a jungle island in the middle of the ocean, warning him not to leave the gated compound at the island’s center. Edward learns that the island is the home of the eccentric surgeon Dr. Moreau, who is conducting strange experiments in his locked laboratory.

Aroused by screaming in the middle of the night, Edward bursts into Moreau’s operating room. A misshapen humanoid creature is lying on the table, covered in blood. Horrified at what he believes he has witnessed – a living human being transformed into a beast-man – Edward flees into the jungle. He is almost immediately attacked by the monstrous creatures dwelling in the forest – grotesque hybrids of human and animal with an appetite for blood. A nightmarish chase ensues, and Edward is almost killed before he manages to reach a colony of “civilized” beast-men.

These beast-men hold to a single “Law” – a code of ethics that separates them from the inhuman creatures at their doorstep. This Law includes such injunctions as “thou shalt not travel on all fours” “thou shalt not eat meat” and “thou shall not drink water directly from the river.” While the beast-men still display animalian traits, they are obviously struggling to overcome then. Moreau eventually arrives and explains the situation to Edward. He has not been transforming humans into animals, but rather molding beasts into beast-men. He acknowledges the initial difficulty of this process – noting the difficulty of overcoming their animal instincts – but obviously takes pride in his accomplishment.

Unfortunately, all is not well in Eden. When one of Moreau’s human servants is killed in an attempt to subdue a renegade beast-man, Moreau and his followers lose their aura of “immortality.” The beast-men begin to rebel, and the island is plunged into bloody conflict. Edward manages to survive the carnage, eventually even taking up residence with the beast-men. Over time, as the shadow of Dr. Moreau becomes merely a distant memory, the beast-men begin to revert to their original forms…both mentally and physically.

Edward is eventually delivered from the island and returns to human civilization. But as he walks among his own kind once again…he cannot help wondering if he is looking into the eyes of rational men, or of savage beasts in human form. On that chilling note, the novel ends.

“The Island of Dr. Moreau” is both a gripping science-fiction story and a dark parable for modern times. Wells brilliantly depicts the conflict between our civilized impulses and our bestial tendencies, weaving spiritual complexity into an haunting novel of mystery and horror. Moreau is clearly the novel’s “God” figure – a brilliant creator with generally benevolent intentions, forced to watch his creations stray from the path of righteousness. When Moreau is killed, the fragile society of the beast-men starts to fragment – illustrating the inability of a civilization to function without the recognition of divine authority.

As the beast-men begin to reassume their animal forms, they are simultaneously losing that which made them “human” – namely, their rational minds and their adherence to an ethical code. Even Edward, the narrator, finds himself growing more and more “wild” as the story progresses…so that when he returns to the company of men, he can no longer tell the difference between man and beast-man. This illustrates a fundamental spiritual truth: humans are by nature corrupt, and apart from God, they will naturally begin to deteriorate. While Wells was a deist, and did not adhere to an established religion, he clearly recognized the importance of divine law in the makeup of a civilized society. The “Law” of the beast-men reflects this. Even though Dr. Moreau is not directly present among them, the beast-men recognize his rules and expectations as the only thing separating them from wildness. By the end of the book, Edward recognizes that the same “evil” lurking in the beast-men’s hearts also dwells within his own.

Objectionable content? The book does contain strong violence throughout, particularly during the beast-men’s revolt. It’s grim enough that I wouldn’t recommend it to sensitive readers, but it’s an unforgettable object lesson: we are by nature fallen, and capable of incredible evil. It’s a little reminiscent of “Lord of the Flies” although nowhere near as graphic.

“The Island of Dr. Moreau” is certainly worth your time. It’s creative, suspenseful, and thought-provoking – a must-read for fans of the science fiction genre. But on a deeper level, it’s an intriguing view of the nature of man and the foundations of social order. Highly recommended.

VERDICT: 8/10
A tense, brilliantly conceived blend of science fiction and incisive social commentary.