Review: Now I understand...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 19, 2011
After reading Mr. Cawdron's work, I now understand the harsh criticism ladled out into his bowl.  The actual truth is not so stark.  The story is readable, but do not expect *The Final Encyclopedia* or *Anvil of Stars* to come rolling off the page.  This book, entertaining though it might be, is nowhere near that level of sophistication.The story starts on a hot New York summer day when in front of the United Nations, something freakish, or perhaps anomalous, happens.  A science team is quickly assembled to make some preliminary observations and then to draw some preliminary conclusions. A young female reporter named Cathy does her reporter thing and gets herself into a lot of trouble, but in the process she also involved a school teacher named Teller, a brilliant free thinker who consequently becomes the team idea man despite his lack of education (he holds only a baccalaureate, as far as I can tell).While the science team idyllically researches the Anomaly, however, the rest of the world goes to Hell in a hand basket.  One particularly obnoxious scene, at least for me, a practicing Christian who kinda enjoys thinking about science, is a confrontation between the religious leaders of a local group and Cathy and Teller.  Mr. Cawdron pulls out all the negative cliches he can find, all the stodgy and narrow-minded stereotypes that some will use to mark a man/woman of Faith, and plies them onto these spiritual leaders.  At least he is equal in his inclusiveness.  Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist characters are present as well as the reactionary Christians of both Protestant and Catholic fellowships.  It seems to him as far as I can tell by his writing that it is utterly impossible that Christian leaders might say, "Let's wait for more information," rather than jumping off the tower with the extremist banner that automatically condemns the Anomaly as anti-God.But then again, Mr. Cawdron is obviously an idealist, someone who thinks that all the world has to do to make things right is start thinking scientifically.  I fear he has never heard of some of the horrors perpetrated in the name of science by Nazi and Soviet regimes.Sigh.  Despite my curmudgeonly carping, this book is a decent attempt at telling a story.  It is not great, it is not bad, but it travels the middle of the road.  The reader will have to forgive Mr. Cawdron his wide-eyed idealism; it will make the final speech by Dr. Mason so much easier to swallow.As to whether I will ever read another book by Mr. Cawdron, well, if I ever do, it will certainly seem like an anomaly.