Book Review: Soundrise
Soundrise. Lynn Voedisch. The Story Plant, October 27, 2020, Hardcover and E-book, 400 pages.
Reviewed by Stephanie Wilson Medlock.
Don’t be deterred by the first six or seven pages of this otherwise entertaining novel that blends computer technology with ancient Egyptian myths. Author Lynn Voedisch launches her book with a mind-numbing example of her geek protagonist’s fascination with code and obsession with a singular stream of information he wants to decipher.
Fortunately for those less interested in the fine points of computer analysis, the novel quickly develops several intertwining storylines. Can Derek Nilsson, a complete nerd who spends his every waking hour online, develop a successful romantic relationship? Can he and his partner, George, crack this latest mystery? Will Derek’s father, Charlie, who abandoned his family ten years ago, get control of his life and earn forgiveness? And, can the mystery of the construction of Egypt’s pyramids ever be explained, or even replicated, using the almost magical formulas uncovered by Derek and George?
Set in Chicago, the book displays the city well as the plot unfolds, taking the reader to familiar landmarks, from Streeterville to the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.
Soundrise soon abandons the city for a series of travel adventures. Derek, accompanied by his cousin, Boone, and his new girlfriend, Kyra, seek to uncover a long-lost technology which could have lucrative applications in the modern era. Of course, they are pursued by bad guys of various types, from an Egyptian goddess named Sekhmet to the FBI.
Ironically, these frantic journeys help break open Derek’s introverted personality as much as they may assist him in unlocking a secret code.
With finely researched information about both computer language and ancient Egypt, Voedisch weaves a surprisingly plausible tale of magical numbers, ancient gods at work in the present, and the fight between good and evil.
There are other delights. Voedisch is very good at character description. Derek and Boone, his huge and somewhat bombastic cousin, are of Swedish descent, and Swedish details abound in the novel. Even minor characters, such as Ravi, the owner of a small Indian storefront restaurant on Devon Avenue, add interesting cultural details.
The book felt a bit too long. I was sure I had reached the end after a particularly cataclysmic moment, but Voedisch took me on another multi-page ramble.
Soundrise is an original story with engaging characters that anyone with a taste for plausible fantasy will want to read.