Kirkus Review of Book #1

Paul25 practices his telekinetic abilities on Sophista

Kirkus Review of the Saeshell Book of Time: Part1: The Death of Innocents

A race of formless consciousnesses imprisoned in crystal intends to reform the universe in this first of a planned sci-fi series where past, present, and future occur simultaneously.

Biesele’s work explores the human psyche through an elevated species that claims to understand the internal workings of the universe. The book, a “living” character, challenges the “meat-based barbaric automatons” to see if they can understand hyperspace—a plane of tunnels intersecting in space. Ty and Tyco’s futures hang in the balance as they explore the history of their own painful evolution by linking with the Guardian, a highly evolved computer system. The two youngsters rely on their teacher, who guides them telekinetically through the history of Stefan and Tova2, the destined leaders of the new universe. The boys, like others before them, evolved from a mix of human genetics and other creatures, a mix that gives them powers to attract the attention of the Sophistans, a race of consciousnesses with no true physical form. The evolved youth had been raised by selfish sociopaths using their children for personal gain until the Sophistans rescue them from the savagery of a human fate. Ty and Tyco train to become Children of Sophista. Despite the promise of an enlightened existence, the “randomness” of human genetics is in direct conflict with the orderly, utopian ideals of the Sophistans, leading to the potential euthanasia of the two boys if they cannot adapt. The book primarily builds the foundation for what is to come in the series. The characters travel through familiar places like London and learn the value of exploring hyperspace despite the dangers of disintegration. The novel struggles under the weight of several heady concepts—an enlightened incorporeal intelligence; a blend of past, present and future; and various wormholes through space. The narrative seems to lose its momentum somewhere deep in the labyrinth of hyperspace.

A space journey sidelined by convoluted, high-concept subplots.

Guilty on all counts. Terribly sorry, but you will be required to think quite hard on this one. Characters do stop to think about the meaning of their lives. Things do get a bit convoluted. Immortal characters from a highly advanced planet watch a 15th century battle and actually feel bad about slaughtered peasants:

 And while I'm confessing, I can't seem to write anything linearly. Lots of things happen at the same time. I'm sure I have committed more transgressions, but I leave those as a surprise. 

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