There is something brilliant and enticing about a novel where one of the central conflicts is that you very much want for two mutually exclusive things to happen. Either the protagonist is wrong or someone is going to die.
Darren Sugrue’s The Prediction is based on the intriguing premise that a brilliant mathematician (the protagonist Daniel Giller) is able to predict the exact day of anyone’s death given certain data. Academia sneers at the idea (much as I as a reader thought – but that’s not possible) only to be forced to reconsider their claim in light of at least one apparent verification. This work reads like the very best sci-fi, as a psychological and even metaphysical study. Modern technology (mathematics and medical science) pushes the boundaries of the real – and the text reflects on what effect these developments will have on humankind.
There are some minor typographical errors and occasional awkward grammar, but these didn’t really detract from the text so I won’t mark down, but so readers are aware.
In general, I found myself highly invested in the outcome of all of the characters as well as in the metaphysical implications of the world system. The ending was highly satisfying, like emerging from a complex maze in a way that was at once surprising and made perfect sense. I would highly recommend this book to fans of mind-bending sci-fi thrillers.
Note: I was given a free copy of this book through Library Thing in exchange for an honest review. The ebook is available online in most outlets, including Amazon.
Reflections and Echoes 