The Silk Code

Rating:
Summary: intellectually intriguing mixed-genre story
Review: Judging from the previous reviews, this is a book you either love or hate. I happened to like it very much, although I can understand why others might not. The book has its flaws (what do you expect from a first novel?), but its intellectual strength carries the narrative.

The Silk Code" is a novel of ideas masquerading as a cross between science fiction and police procedural. Levinson takes current thinking on genetics, speculation on the relationship between homo sapiens and Neanderthals, and archaeologic discoveries on the Tarim Basin in China and then mixes them with a little bit of Amish culture, virology, and Basque history. At times the mix gets a bit out of control, but overall it coheres fairly well, certainly better than some conspiracy theory novels I've read. The idea of moth genes in the human genome is not as far-fetched as some readers have suggested--it's already known that viral and bacterial sequences make up part of our genome and that we share some genes with other animals.

The weaknesses in "The Silk Code" are a direct result of the book's focus on ideas and its origin as a short story. The characters are wooden, especially in the modern sections of the book. They have a tendency to make brief appearances and then vanish. There were times when the narrative was too sketchy, and I wished that Levinson had gone into more detail. Who, for example, was Amanda really? How did the Amish get involved in an ancient conspiracy? There are enough loose ends and unexplored backstory here for a sequel, although I don't know if Levinson intends to write one.

At any rate, if you're looking for a novel heavy on character development and world building, this probably isn't the book for you. However, if you care more about the speculative elements of the plot, it might be more to your liking.

Rating:
Summary: intellectually intriguing mixed-genre story
Review: Judging from the previous reviews, this is a book you either love or hate. I happened to like it very much, although I can understand why others might not. The book has its flaws (what do you expect from a first novel?), but its intellectual strength carries the narrative.

The Silk Code" is a novel of ideas masquerading as a cross between science fiction and police procedural. Levinson takes current thinking on genetics, speculation on the relationship between homo sapiens and Neanderthals, and archaeologic discoveries on the Tarim Basin in China and then mixes them with a little bit of Amish culture, virology, and Basque history. At times the mix gets a bit out of control, but overall it coheres fairly well, certainly better than some conspiracy theory novels I've read. The idea of moth genes in the human genome is not as far-fetched as some readers have suggested--it's already known that viral and bacterial sequences make up part of our genome and that we share some genes with other animals.

The weaknesses in "The Silk Code" are a direct result of the book's focus on ideas and its origin as a short story. The characters are wooden, especially in the modern sections of the book. They have a tendency to make brief appearances and then vanish. There were times when the narrative was too sketchy, and I wished that Levinson had gone into more detail. Who, for example, was Amanda really? How did the Amish get involved in an ancient conspiracy? There are enough loose ends and unexplored backstory here for a sequel, although I don't know if Levinson intends to write one.

At any rate, if you're looking for a novel heavy on character development and world building, this probably isn't the book for you. However, if you care more about the speculative elements of the plot, it might be more to your liking.

Rating:
Summary: Sorry I wasted my money
Review: Juvinile writing style. Cardboard characterizations. Like eating styrofoam. If you wnat to read Science Fiction first novels try Iain M. Banks' "Consider Phlebas" or anything he's written. William Gibson, Neal Stephenson or Iain Banks will reward your attentions and time. I put the Silk Code down.

Rating:
Summary: So bad I couldn't finish it.
Review: Life is too short to waste it on a book this poorly written. You'd have thoght it was written by a 13 year old boy trying to write an X-Files episode. (Maybe it will appeal to 13 year old boys. Who knows?) I was only willing to tolerate reading half of it. Then I threw it away.

Rating:
Summary: Silly detective story
Review: My wife got me this book because it is by a local author. This is the second of his books I've read and I guess I just don't like his episodic, very bland style of writing. It took me several weeks to read this book because I just couldn't get involved.

As a detective story Silk Code doesn't play fair with the reader -- the author not only hides stuff (which is OK) but also --changes it! The back-and-forth-in-time stuff isn't effective to me -- his "olden folks" speak far too much like a kid from the Bronx for my taste.

Silk Code might have made a couple of OK short stories, but as a novel it falls flat, in part because it raises expectations it never fills about the protagonist. If that means there's another in the series it'll have to go on without me. RH,NY

Rating:
Summary: I just know there's a story in here somewhere!
Review: Paul Levinson is clearly a man of ideas, and in The Silk Code, he spits them out rapid-fire - so rapid-fire, in fact, that he skips right over the essential crafts of writing, plotting, and character building. The Silk Code is a loosely-connected assortment of 'wouldn't it be cool if...?' fantasies bound together by a few weak threads.

In The Silk Code, the author displays a real lack of writing skill - not precisely what I expected from an author who, according to the book's jacket, is the President of the Science Fiction Writers of America, but true nonetheless. Levinson simply doesn't seem to know the first thing about telling a story. He never reveals something when he can baldly state it instead. He runs through long sequences of expository dialog - you know, the kind of thing where two characters stand around telling each other things they both must already know, simply because the author can't think of any other way of letting the reader know, too. He also has no real grasp of pacing - Silk Code's narrative races at hyperspeed through major events, never slowing even enough for a scene to start or finish; also, Levinson includes no internal indications of timing. At one point, the narrative jumps forward by a year and the reader doesn't know it for about 25 pages. These irritating flaws all come from sheer weak writing - something, incidentally, a good writers' group could have fixed.

The plot of the book is also weak. Levinson needs to realize that a random string of events just cannot substitute for a well-constructed plot. The major characters in The Silk Code dash all over the planet, using almost every form of locomotion available to man, often for no reason whatsoever. The minor characters don't travel because they die too fast. The book adheres to a rigid pattern: a minor character is introduced, imparts a small fragment of knowledge, and then, within a page or two, is killed. The Silk Code has a higher body count than most detective *series*. The gaps between murders and journeys - what few there are - are filled by betrayals and suspicions. But all this hyperkinetic action is just random noise, because it follows no logical progression and often contributes nothing to the story at all.

As for character development, there's simply none of it, possibly because the few surviving characters are far too busy running in circles to have time to develop. Whatever the reason, though, Levinson has produced some of the most hastily rendered stick figures in SF history - which fans of the genre will know is a real, albeit undesireable, accomplishment.

In short, The Silk Code is painful to read and does not reward the stoically determined or masochistic reader. So why didn't I give the book a single star? Well, despite all its flaws, I still firmly believe that there's the basis for a decent novel buried somewhere in The Silk Code. This faith gives me hope - not for this book, which would defeat the most confirmed optimist, but for the future output of the author. Perhaps in a few years he'll have learned how to turn his good ideas into good books. So give The Silk Code a miss - and maybe the next Levinson, too. Give him some time to mature as an author, and then - but only then - give him a try.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Debut Novel
Review: Paul Levinson's first book pieces together threads of his brilliant short stories and in the end, is a cohesive intriguing read.

Levinson used one of his short stories as the basis for this novel, and the reader can tell. The first 'section' is brilliant. It captured my interest. I was hungering for more. Then he switched gears. Unlike a previous reviewer, I wasn't enamored with the 750 A.D. portion of the book. I found it tedious. It wasn't overtly significant to the plot.

Overall the book is an enjoyable experience. Forensic detective Phil D'Amato is a great character. I hope to see more books featuring him.

Rating:
Summary: What a great character!
Review: Phil D'Amato is a great character - that you don't often see in science fiction. He's funny, he's human, he's real -- and he solves the cases too! The author did a great job with this character and the whole book.

Rating:
Summary: Farfetched ideas and immature writing style
Review: Prehistoric man has been an interest of mine for many years. I look for articles about Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals in the New York Times, and I try to watch shows about them on the Discovery Channel. I also love science fiction about them -- I read "The Ugly Little Boy" and "Gnarly Man" years ago, and still love them. "The Silk Code" was a very satisfying Neanderthal story. The novel has more than that, but the Neanderthal part definitely came alive to me. I read "Darwin's Radio" last year, but enjoyed "The Silk Code" more.

Rating:
Summary: very enjoyable Neanderthal story
Review: Prehistoric man has been an interest of mine for many years. I look for articles about Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals in the New York Times, and I try to watch shows about them on the Discovery Channel. I also love science fiction about them -- I read "The Ugly Little Boy" and "Gnarly Man" years ago, and still love them. "The Silk Code" was a very satisfying Neanderthal story. The novel has more than that, but the Neanderthal part definitely came alive to me. I read "Darwin's Radio" last year, but enjoyed "The Silk Code" more.