The Wave

November 7, 2005
Bestseller Mosley's latest foray into allegorical SF is reminiscent of his 1998 novel, Blue Light
, but it isn't nearly as rich and captivating. How should the book's hero, Errol, react when his late, beloved father reappears as a younger, ecstatic, incomplete version of the father's former self? How should the government respond when nearly invincible reanimated bodies claiming to be portions of a primordial life-form appear in our midst, out of an immense wave? And how can that life-form, which strives only for harmony, connect with us if it can't make itself understood to the fanatical military doctor, who takes Errol and his father prisoner, and is developing a poison to exterminate the peaceful newly arisen dead lest they overwhelm the human population? Mosley fails to sustain the deep, meaningful tone that would have brought this pensive tale to life. Even various sexual encounters and communions with the vast universe lack passion. This wave is fast and small, but it leaves little behind in its wake.

November 1, 2005
Mosley made a big splash with his first sf endeavor, Blue Light; now he hopes to make an even bigger splash with The Wave. That's what Erroll encounters when he receives a call from his father, dead for years, and rushes to his grave to see what's happening.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2005
Mosley's wandered off turf again, writing imitation Dean Koontz and calling it science fiction. Out-of-work programmer Errol Porter lives in his former garage since his wife ditched him and the house was sold. For work he maintains a pottery shop, where he has struck up a relationship with artist Nella, which is good because it gives him someone to tell about the weird phone calls he's been getting from a guy who sounds like his nine-years-dead father. He discovers it is his dad, but he's only 20 and says that he really just embodies Errol's father's memories and is actually part of the "wave" that a meteor brought to earth one and a half billion years ago. "Goofy," Errol thinks, until he is hauled away by a secret army operation that already knows about the wave because of other reanimated dead people. The army's bent on destroying the revenants and every other manifestation of the wave, including Errol if they find he has been "infected." Errol escapes and joins the wave people in fleeing and trying to hide their life source. In the process, Errol boffs several other women, gets buff, and writes this first-person account. The (mercifully undetailed) sex seems gratuitous, the wave business feels mushy, Errol's captivity and escape are like scenes from a dull-witted fifties "sci-fi" flick, and the characters aren't even strong cardboard. For Mosley completists only.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

February 6, 2006
When Errol's long-dead father calls him in the middle of the night, Errol learns about "the Wave," a billion-year-old organism slowly creeping to Earth's surface and reanimating corpses into healthy vibrant replicas of their former selves with virtually intact memories. The more Errol learns, the more he comes to respect and identify with the living organism and seeks to protect it from the deadly machinations of the military. As the tale unravels through Errol's eyes, Tim Cain provides a steady and smooth tone for the narrative passages that corresponds well to Errol's speaking parts. Cain's use of emphasis for particular words and sentences jump out so that even the most inattentive listener picks up the important pieces. The soft and gentle style spoken by Errol's father, GT, generally corresponds to the nature of his character. GT's tone might also ignite the image of a hippie, which makes sense given the peace and love that his species promote. Cain's other vocal characterizations maintain a decent semblance to the people described within the text. His distinct, deep voice delivers emotion and intensity throughout the story, making it easy for any listener to enjoy. Simultaneous release with the Aspect hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 7).

January 15, 2006
Established writer Mosley's (after Futureland) new sf novel opens with programmer-turned-potter Errol -Airy - Porter receiving a strange phone call from the cemetery where his father is buried. When he visits the cemetery, he meets his reincarnated father -or someone very much like him. Set in the Los Angeles area and told from the black protagonist's point of view, this book evokes the Easy Rawlins mystery novels (e.g., Devil in a Blue Dress), though the era is the gritty present. The titular -wave - refers to a colony that formed millions of years ago, when simple cells were driven into the Earth's core by a comet. As Porter's -and the colony's -adventures unfold, Mosley explores some of the themes of human purpose and limitations that run through Blue Light, another one of his adult sf works. The sf aspect of this novel is less well developed than the contemporary setting and the frightening and illuminating situations into which Porter is thrown. However, the taut story will hold readers' interest and is recommended for public and academic libraries." -Sara Tompson, Univ. of Southern California Lib., Los Angeles"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.