OUT ON THE FRINGE
A Review of Christa Faust's THE ZODIAC PARADOX
by
Andrew Salmon
If
you're a Fringe fan like me, you're probably feeling some withdrawal by now. So
having the chance to dive into THE
ZODIAC PARADOX by tie-in queen Christa Faust was welcome relief. But
does the novel deliver? Read on.
The
first thing readers should know is that the novel is a prequel with a capital
P. It begins in 1968 and moves ahead into the 1970s so if you're expecting
Olivia and Peter to appear, then you'll have to wait for the next two books in
the series. What you do get in the pages of THE ZODIAC PARADOX are healthy doses of Walter Bishop,
William Bell and a smattering of Nina Sharp for some seasoning.
The
novel kicks off with Walter and Bell performing their LSD experiments (which
will ultimately culminate with the invention of Cortexiphan in the TV show)
that result in their temporarily opening up a portal between universes. If you
don't know what any of the above means, then stop reading and get yourself some
Fringe boxsets as you've got a lot of catching up to do. Still with me? Okay. Now through this portal, a
serial killer flees the police in the alternate universe and enters ours and
immediately takes up here where he left off over there. This killer will come to
be known as the Zodiac Killer. When Zodiac killings begin to resemble Walter's
and Bell's remembered visions when the portal opened, they realize that they
are responsible for unleashing this monster and must do something about it.
What
follows is an engaging read that will satisfy Fringe fans and should please
newcomers to the Fringe world. Faust can write and, although her other work
tends to be gritty, intense and sexual, she knows how to rein that in for her
tie-in work. If you've read her award-winning version of Snakes on a Plane (the
best tie-in novel I've ever read), you know what I'm talking about.
Her
characterizations are accurate and you find yourself hearing the actors' voices
as you read the lines. Walter, especially, is well drawn. Given John Noble's
unforgettable performance in the series, this comes as welcome relief. Yes,
he's not the focused, unfeeling monster portrayed in flashbacks on the show,
but he has no reason to be. He's young, brilliant, untouched by tragedy and
yet, when the situation demands it, he will exhibit that iron will that will,
ultimately, lead to his downfall and eventual redemption. Bell, too, comes
across accurately. He's the rock star of the group and his megalomania is
hinted at here. Nina Sharp is a little farther along than the two leads. She's
focused, smart and her won't take crap from anyone is balanced with her genuine
empathy.
The
action of the book is the only weak link here. Although most of the sequences
are well thought out and exciting, these brilliant people often do stupid
things, which I suppose can be explained by their being out of their depth. Two
academically inclined youths, bookworms for lack of a better term, can't be
expected to act like Rambo and that's as it should be. They are, however, geniuses,
and their smarts occasionally go out the window. This is a minor nit-pick but
it did take away from the reading experience a time or two.
So,
should you read THE ZODIAC PARADOX?
If you're a fan of the show, definitely. There are insider nods throughout the
book that will go unnoticed by newbies. And what about you newbies? Can you get
anything out of the book? As a long-time fan of the show, it's all but
impossible for me to answer that question but I'll give it a try. The answer is
yes. The novel captures the genre smash-up that was the show. Using science and
dimensional portals against a radiation-spewing killer from an alternate
universe is what Fringe, the series, was all about and the novel should grab
you right out of the gate.
I
enjoyed THE ZODIAC PARADOX
and am looking forward to Book 2 with a Olivia front and center. Fringe fans
take note, the show lives on!
