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In 2085, 9-year-old Aly was summoned to the bedside of her namesake, Alyson, her grandmother. The 105-year-old Alyson is dying and had been living on a Rejuvenator the last 15 years of her life. Four generations of women sit in the room, all scientists. Aly knew that her granny wanted something from her but didn't know what; she knew she'd been preparing for a quest all her short life. Granny had written a book, "Turn of the Century." Aly had read it over and over. Her mission would have something to do with that book and with two letters that her grandmother showed her. She was told that she could not read the letters yet, the time wasn't right. Years previously, when Alyson was in the prime of her life, she was part of a particle physicist team. A photon probe was sent from the year 2108. The probe offered warnings if messing with the time space continuum a paradox could take place. Events could be altered. Five Oracles were included in the probes. The oracles were suggestions to be presented to the UN. The oracles concerned human rights, environment, multi-culturalism, international medical and organic health and militarism. At age 29 Alyson is allowed to read her grandmother's letters. Her quest is clear. She is to find Jacque. In less than four hours after meeting him, they are in love. What if we were offered a chance to redo the past? Would we heed the warnings? Would we make changes? What would we be willing to sacrifice? "Turn of the Century," by Charlie Pedersen, is a "timely" (pun intended) novel. Mr. Pedersen is an extremely talented author. The characters are well developed. Aly is a multi-dimensional character. She is brilliant and yet has a soft side. The plot is filled with intrigue, twists, suspense and romance. While there is definitely a serious statement in this plot, I also felt the author strived to lighten it with humor. A case in point is the relationship between Aly, Alyson and Jacque. I was a little intimidated when I first began reading this book. I am definitely not a "science person." But Mr. Pedersen has included Appendices that assist in defining terms and statistics to help even science challenged persons like myself to understand the theory behind the plot. To sum it up this was a fascinating book. Well done Mr. Pedersen. I highly recommend "Turn of the Century" to fans of science fiction.
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