(Please note: I am aware that others have already reviewed this book. I read those reviews, but do not have a clear memory of how they evaluated the book. I've elected not to re-read the reviews, avoiding as much as possible an unconscious bias in the present review.)

"Prodigal Journey" is presented as a novel of "speculative fiction," placed some years into the future. As such, there are few rules an author must abide by. Inasmuch as the events have yet to happen, there are few historical markers that must be noted. And ideas, always fluid and flexible, may manifest in any way the author chooses. Science is always a tricky thing; there are inexorable laws of the universe that are challenged only with a wink and a nod. But it can be done.

But writing purely "speculative fiction," without either a sub-text or an over-text, is very difficult. It must sufficiently engage the reader and, at the least, present plausible possibilities and reconcilable eventualities. Consequently, authors will choose a parallel theme, or story, to help carry the speculation. In the case of the current work, the parallel story is a tale of love, faith acceptance, understanding and survival.

But, just as a cupcake consists of cake carrying the icing, such books end up with one story carrying the other. In the case of "Prodigal Journey," the love story is the cake; the speculative science is clearly the icing.

And after reading the book, this comes as no surprise. Adams has a sure hand when she's writing about the known. One story segment involves the heroine, Alyssa, being forced into living in a futuristic slum, a place of exile for society's rejects. Her narrative of life in the slum is absolutely riveting. I couldn't put it down. It was gritty, realistic, and completely believable. It contains, in my opinion, the most interesting cast of characters, nearly Dickensian in their eccentricity and outspokenness, and could easily have stood alone as a tale of the place of riches and the value of family and friendship.

But her footing is less certain when the author enters the world of apocalyptic horror. The continuing story line of bioterror mixed with clearly satanic references became less and less believable, and ultimately failed to intersect with the main story line. Although there are places where the stories cross, they tend more to run parallel, and affect the more powerful parts of the story in ways in which the science and speculation were not necessary.

If one were to segregate the "speculative" part of the book from the essential story, the former doesn't hold up well. But it's easy to understand what Adams is trying to do -- presenting manifestations of good (in the persons of Alyssa's several friends, and even an ultimately heroic representative of the evil "government") against evil entities, both human and superhuman. This is tricky stuff. You want to present the good as the better way, but you don't want to minimize the allure and power of evil. This is not an easy balance to achieve.

Ultimately, the bulk of the story is devoted to Alyssa's journey, from smug self-satisfaction and relative luxury, to a life of poverty and depression, and finally into a place of (albeit reluctance) acceptance and a sense of mission. This, in my mind, was the real story. The techno-stuff was, as I say, just icing.

But even the good parts of the book have problems. And I will confess that my overall enjoyment of the book caused me to cast a very critical eye on some of the details. None of the problems I will mention are fatal; none really detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

One of the problems I detected was a lack of continuity and closure. There were inexplicable absences of narrative, in a book large enough to have covered all the bases. A few examples:

Alyssa, while away at college, experiments with drugs which, according to her pharmacist/boyfriend, have lasting effects. (The drug turns out to be part of a governmental experiment of the effect of this drug on humans. Alyssa unknowingly becomes one of the test subjects.) Even after stopping the drug, she continues to have nightmarish visions of strange beings, even during broad daylight! (Adams does an exceptional job of depicting these daymares -- very frightening, very eerie.) Later in the book, she encounters Jesus on the road back to her home. She is basically irreligious, and can't quite explain the encounter, where she is healed of a bullet wound. But she never reflects that this might be another result of her drug use! I expected her to say this; it never comes. How is this possible?

Alyssa's mother, Joan, is presented as a violent, vindictive woman, prone to beating Alyssa while adoring her other daughter, Lauren. This is somewhat explained by the revelation that Joan never wanted Alyssa, the second child. But there's never any explanation for why she's so violent. It provides a rationale for Alyssa's finally breaking ties with her family, especially after the death of her father, but such extreme behavior on the part of her mother merits some further explanation. This may be resolved in future volumes.

The evil Victor Caldwell, an employee of the "government," one very high up in the pecking order -- is at the helm of the deconstruction of American society and his ultimate ascension to power. He is behind the drug experimentation that Alyssa gets caught up in. And he needs Alyssa to further evaluate the drug she'd been taking. But she wants no part of it. She knows who he is, she knows his name and what he's up to. Her flight from college, and eventually into the difficult slum life, is essentially an effort to get away from Caldwell. Later, toward the end of the book, as she recovers from her ordeal in the home of a childhood friend -- her main love interest -- she gets the news that a number of governmental people have died of a strange illness. Even the President has been stricken. But she never asks her hosts whether the name "Victor Caldwell" was among those reported stricken. Again, I waited for her to ask -- this is of paramount interest to her, wondering whether her pursuer were dead. But she never asks.

Now, why am I being so picky? Because, in the end, I really liked this book. I liked Alyssa and her friends, I hated her mother for her cruelty and her father for his weakness. The characters in the slum, as mentioned, were just riveting, the despair of their lives described in stark and believable terms.

One can argue that the book is a bit too long. Adams' narrative style indicates a fondness for "real time" discussions, where sometimes-tangential conversations span many pages. Recollections likewise are belabored, in my opinion unnecessarily. These, however, may be matters of taste.

Adams knows how to move a story along. There's a surprise around every corner. Her good characters are wonderfully multi-dimensional, and sometimes play against form, making for a textured presentation that is very pleasing to this reader. Her evil characters, however, like Victor Caldwell, are one-dimensional and totally predictable.

My main recommendations to Adams:

1. Future volumes, if they are to continue the theme of speculative science/love story, ought to be better integrated, with less attention to technical detail and more to the human dimension of the characters. I would have enjoyed learning more about Victor Caldwell. I would have liked to see him fleshed out a little more.

2. As illustrated above, certain parts of the story ought to be linked up a little better. The reflection on the drug experience, is an example. In other words, I would have liked Alyssa to ask the questions I would have asked, had I been in her situation. This kind of closure serves to link the reader with the characters, a very desirable effect.

3. Narratives really don't need to happen in real time. The essence of a conversation does not require the recitation of every word spoken and every impression thought. Most readers would appreciate less chit-chat and more character development.

I'm being fairly critical because this series has so much potential. It is a good start to what can be a fine series. There is much yet to learn about Alyssa and the people who surround her, so many unresolved story elements. This, of course, is expected in a series book. And Adams has set up a situation where the various characters in her book can ultimately come together and achieve great things. Each of the protagonists is a distinct character; most have little in common except their faith. And yet one can anticipate them joining their talents and strengths to provide a powerful response to an oppressive and murderous regime, the speculated American government of the future.

Again, overall, I really liked this book, and am very glad to have read it. I look forward to the next volume. Adams has given us a good start to what can be an exciting and satisfying series.

Jeff Needle
jeff.needle@general.com