Solstice

Scientists battle eco-terrorists in a remarkably well-written thriller, a US first by British author Hewson, a journalist and computer-technology expert for The Times of London. To the scientific community, it was always clear that Charley Pascal was a genius, but it came to seem that she was also insane. A more nightmarish combination would be hard to conjure up, given that she's captured the giant space-based solar powerhouse - a devastating weapon in savvy hands - that in her salad days she helped design. In Charley's view, humankind has lost its way, is despoiling the planet, and is now "the enemy species" that has to be cleansed. Central to her vision is the idea of a return to a natural order of things, but the enabling force, she decides, must be chaos, which will deliver crashing blows to civilization in the hope that something better will rise up in the aftermath. For CIA science chief Helen Wagner, the battle begins when Air Force One, with the President aboard, is mysteriously downed. For maverick scientist Michael Lieberman, it begins when the sun develops huge and scary "freckles," precursors of violent solar behavior. What could the first possibly have to do with the second? Pretty soon, the evidence is incontrovertible that apocalyptic Charley forms the connecting link, along with the Children of Gaia, her small but devoted and highly skilled band of computer engineers. Crack-brained cultists they may be, but no one doubts their effectiveness as they generate catastrophe upon catastrophe around the globe. The beleaguered new President assembles his ad hoc team of counter-terrorist specialists, with Helen and Michael in charge. Their mission: to find Charley and the Children of Gala, then stop them before they try to save civilization by destroying it. Hewson's science is both complex and authentic. And - perhaps even more impressive for a technothriller - so are his characters. (Kirkus Reviews)