I received The Little Universe, by Jason Matthews, as a Review Copy submitted to “Red Adept Reviews” by the
author.
Description (from Amazon.com): Rose Adams, a scientist, bets her atheist husband Webster that she will convince him that God must exist. The only problem: now she’s dead. Webster carries out Rose’s final project: the Universe Generator. If it works, it will house a self-contained miniature universe, a simulation of the Big Bang on a much smaller scale. With powerful cameras and the ability to accelerate the time flow within it, the project scientists search for planets and for life.
The underlying theme of The Little Universe is the connection of all life with something beyond, something indefinable, and something miraculous. Join Webster Adams and the crew to find out if Rose was able to win her bet, if she was able to convince her husband that God must exist.
Overall: 4 1/2 Stars
Plot/Storyline: 4 1/2 Stars
This was quite an inventive story. I don’t know how realistic the science was (don’t worry, the author kept it very simple), but it made for a marvelous story. As the little universe (it fit in a large room) expanded, the scientists found a number of planets with intelligent life. Most of these planets advanced their technology over time, but on one planet, the people and the technology never changed. When the secret of the planet was discovered, it challenged the scientists’ beliefs and changed their lives forever.
The author described some fascinating planets in the micro-universe that Webster Adams created. It was interesting to observe how the planets’ peoples and technologies changed every time the scientists “fast forwarded” time.
In the end, the author dealt with some weighty philosophical and spiritual issues. The New Age concepts that came into play may or may not be your cup of tea, but it was thought-provoking, to say the least.
Characters: 4 1/2 Stars
The characters were well defined and were likable. Webster Adams befriended Jon Gruber, a local carpenter, and they completed the construction of the Universe Generator. Adams’s daughter Whitney joined the team, and she and Jon developed a close relationship. Frank Maxwell, a financier, and two of his staff members, Jessica Baxter and Ian Nessen, completed the human team. The characters’ relationships with each other provided much of the drama and the tension. There was also an artificial intelligence (AI) computer, nicknamed “Jim.” Initially, I though Jim was a little cheesy (think of the robot in Lost in Space), but ultimately Jim did have an important role to play.
Writing style: 4 1/2 Stars
The author’s style was polished and professional. The story could have been filled with heavy duty science, but to the author’s credit, he kept it simple and focused on the story and the characters.
Editing: 4 1/2 stars
I found only a handful of typos and grammatical errors. Formatting for the Kindle was very good.
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From the author, Jason Matthews:
How did you come up with the title?
The Little Universe is what it is, a miniature self-contained universe that these people created and study. I wanted a title that explained some while also intriguing the reader to want to know more.
How long have you been writing? Mom tells me I rattled off story ideas at age three or four and she would take dictation. We’d probably have to dig through boxes under the house to find them though. I started writing Little Universe initially as a screenplay in 1991. Then I got too invloved with the need to earn a living and became a house painting contractor. The writing took second stage for years, but I wrote some skiing articles and eventually managed to write two novels and another screenplay from 2001 to 2009.
What authors have inspired you? I love mixes of spirituality and science, so authors like Richard Bach, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, John Fowles, Stephen Jay Gould, Michael Creighton and others probably had the biggest impact.
Where did you get the idea for the novel? I think about the universe a lot, too much probably! The sheer number of planets, stars, even galaxies are so mind boggling, I doubt anyone can truly grasp it. Nor can we get our heads around the actual size of the universe. Millions of light years is easy to say but another thing entirely to understand. Then there’s also the prospect of advanced alien civilizations, people that are eons ahead of us. Over time I began to think of how to get my head around all of this, and one day it just clicked; with a miniature yet observable universe at our fingertips. That’s how we could do it!
Who is your favorite character?
All the characters are representations of different aspects of me (took awhile to realize that), so I like them all. Probably my favorite is Whitney, because she is the ultimate, the best that we can be in any given situation. She operates purely out of experiencing life and doesn’t get caught up in ego or expectations or societal pressure. I wish I was more like Whitney. I also like The Grandmother since she’s the source of infinite wisdom, which is pretty cool too.
Biographical Information: I was born in North Carolina in 1967 and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a television and film degree. I moved to Los Angeles in ’91 but soon felt a calling to the mountains of Lake Tahoe. I became a ski bum and house painter and have lived in Truckee-Tahoe since ’92. My wife, Jana, teaches meditation and manifesting, so she gives me ideas with these stories. We have two beautiful daughters, Shelby and Devan, who are young teens and the focus of much of our attention.
The Little Universe, by Jason Matthews
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Sounds like a good book. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Thanks very much for posting this review!
[...] some searching. A member of Red Adept’s staff at http://redadeptreviews.com/ did a review of The Little Universe, but I had to apply for it and the posting came out 6 months later. 5. Make a mention to readers at [...]
[...] “This was quite an inventive story. I don’t know how realistic the science was (don’t worry, the author kept it very simple), but it made for a marvelous story.” – Jim Chambers, Red Adept Reviews. [...]
“ Portal from ct over zero at parsec y!”
what is the meaning?