LONG MOUNTAIN BOOKS
INTRODUCTION TO "THORASIC WAVE"
“Thorasic Wave” is a literary novel which starts from the question, “Is our conscious self nothing more than an illusion created by
the complex biological processes of the organ in our heads and not, as many believe, evidence of a being who can transcend and outlive
those biological processes?”
From this beginning other ideas, including dreams, music, colors, beauty, business, death, ghosts, religious
faith, the “soul”, the conflict between science and religion, abortion, and the deceptive power of life (presented in a poem entitled
“Roadkill Meditation”), emerge from the actions and interactions of the book’s characters as well as the turns of the narrative.
The
Story
Set in the latter part of the 20th Century before the collapse of the Soviet Union, “Thorasic Wave” revolves around a prototype
Experimental Transport Device, or XTD, that operates on an energy field called a Wave. It is a prototype developed by Dr. Ramos using
the airframe of a mothballed Sikorsky "Choctaw" helicopter obtained from the Royal Canadian Air Force.
{Copyright © 2011-2021 Peter Langenberg. All Rights Reserved}
Tom and Ray each pilot an XTD into the space above the Wave crest in search of a mysterious phenomenon called Uncle Papa. Ray loses control of his XTD and is killed. His devout sister, Reyna, believes that Uncle Papa is a manifestation of God and urges Tom to continue the search despite the risk. Attracted to Reyna, Tom agrees. But, that relationship stumbles over the religious divide between them and ultimately falls apart when Reyna turns against Tom on instructions from her church to stop the “Devil’s Device”, the church’s name for XTD. The interests of the church merge with those of a business called FlightTech and lead to a confrontation at a Roll-out Ceremony for a new model of the XTD. The result is disaster and cancellation of the XTD program.
The triumph of business and religion over science (in the form of the ruination of the career of the famous scientist) is almost complete, except for the subversive plan of Major Rene Laplace, the base logistics officer, and the determination of Tom to recreate the XTD using a simple glider and explore the reality of Uncle Papa on his own terms.
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