Professional Reviews
Blueink Reviews
What happens when a machine can provide you with everything you want: food, clothing, machinery, even living tissue for organ transplants? That’s the concept of Keith Vincent’s engaging science fiction novel The Miracle’s Curse.
The story introduces Boston College graduate student Peter Harris as he completes his prototype machine that rearranges the atomic structure of the air’s molecules to create new material. “Since he’d seen his first episode of Star Trek,” the author writes, “he was hooked on the concept of the replicator, where ordinary items could be produced seemingly out of thin air.” The device relies on carbon dioxide, so it even reduces greenhouse gasses. But the U.S. government wants it stopped for unstated reasons.
Much of the novel follows those efforts and Harris’s team’s attempts to thwart them. In the process, readers are taken to New York, Costa Rica and other locations as Harris’s new company, STreplicator, launches a product that will inevitably change the world.
The characters are well-written and three dimensional, each with understandable motivations and goals. There are no villains, per se. Although the U.S. government’s opposition to the new technology may seem petty at first, readers soon learn that a device that dispenses limitless material goods from thin air can produce some troubling unintended consequences.
The story offers solid pacing and dialogue, and the author skillfully maintains a sense of place. It also delivers tense scenes involving espionage, an assassination attempt, and the replication of a human heart for an emergency transplant in defiance of federal authorities.
Vincent spends copious time on governmental maneuverings and the process of securing venture capital for the business launch, with only the final few chapters covering the sweeping cultural and economic changes resulting from the new technology. This creates somewhat of an imbalance. Also, occasional political comments by various characters can seem like brief lectures.
Ultimately, though, those who appreciate stories employing speculation to explore social issues will enjoy The Miracle’s Curse.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
Kirkus Reviews
Inspired by an SF television series, a well-intentioned graduate student invents a wondrous device in this debut novel.
Peter Harris, Vincent’s protagonist, has dreamed of creating a replicator ever since he first saw the device on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The life of Peter, a science nerd, changes when he meets Tracy Simmonds, who needs a physics tutor. They fall in love, and she becomes his rock. A graduate student at Boston College, Peter has finally figured out how to create a replicator. His adviser, Dr. Paul Horton, is so impressed that he contacts old college friend and attorney Ira Zonmann. Ira in turn reaches out to venture capitalist Phil Martinson. After meeting with Peter, Ira and Phil propose setting up a company to manufacture replicators. They decide to build their factory in Costa Rica so they don’t have to deal with the United States government’s resistance. Leading that resistance is President Samuel J. Menéndez, an independent, who bans sales of replicators in the U.S. Peter eventually returns to America and uses a replicator to create a new heart for his father-in-law, Jim. That transplant breaks down the government’s opposition, paving the way for replicators to be sold in the U.S. But Peter’s device doesn’t end up being the societal boon that he envisioned. In his book, Vincent skillfully pokes a big, philosophical hole in one of SF’s most intriguing devices. This engaging volume doesn’t pit good guys against bad guys but instead ideas versus reality. Peter may have been a well-meaning genius, but, in the end, his invention isn’t the gift to society that he hoped it would be. Handing people everything they want removes any incentive for them to strive to improve their lives. This is ironic because Peter had been pushing all his young life to fulfill his dream of creating such a machine. Neither Peter and his collaborators nor naysayers like Menéndez are the villains of this story. They just have different viewpoints about humanity. The replicator isn’t inherently evil; it just gets misused. Vincent’s striking message for readers is to be careful what they wish for.
A chilling, thought-provoking fantasy that questions the value of a miracle machine.
Kirkus Reviews
Clarion Review
In the science fiction novel The Miracle’s Curse, political and philosophical issues arise around an advanced
technology and world economics.
In Keith Vincent’s political science fiction novel The Miracle’s Curse, a brilliant scientist invents a machine that he believes can solve the world’s problems, only to find that it may create a catastrophe instead.
As a smart, nerdy teenager, Peter was inspired by his favorite television show to get involved in the sciences. He grew into a handsome and gifted man and met Tracy, a bright young woman who encouraged his ideas and plans.
Then Peter has a breakthrough with a machine he’s designed—one that manufactures items by breaking down the subatomic particles of the air around it. The couple becomes friendly with Ira and Phil, who are experienced in law and venture capitalism; they help monetize Peter’s concept. A surprising enemy arises in the form of the United States government. Battles of law and ethics abound, even as the president knows something that Peter’s team does not: the machine could lead to the world’s destruction.
Peter is a dedicated researcher and creator with strong moral values; he believes his invention might benefit everyone by solving poverty and answering resource deficits. His conversations about the machine are rich in detail. They incorporate quantum physics concepts, lending plausibility to Peter’s scientific ideas. His relationship with Tracy is endearing, defined by mutual support and open communication.
Meanwhile, Ira and Phil introduce an entertaining interplay of law, politics, and technological advancements. Ira believes he is playing a grand game of chess on the world stage, but one wherein rules were made to be broken.
Their business ideas and legal loopholes are incorporated with knowledgeable playfulness. Because of them, the story takes on an antigovernment, antiunion, antiliberal tone. It comes to present capitalism as the solution to many problems—or as a possible solution, if legal restrictions are relaxed. From this perspective, even the president betrays his self-proclaimed allegiance to small governments when he stands against Peter’s machine, making it illegal in the US; his thoughts reinforce the novel’s conservative themes.
Peter’s advancements and Ira’s cleverness drive interest, though the story stalls before conflicts are introduced in its middle. Dramatic twists test the technology and morals around its use. Crises turn into chaos, and the story devolves near its end. Western culture and capitalism are championed more and more, with the book making uncomfortable assumptions about the work ethic and survivability of humanity. Ideology takes over, supplanting the characters. The novel’s ending is rushed and limited; many questions remain unanswered.
In the science fiction novel The Miracle’s Curse, political and philosophical issues arise around an advanced
technology and world economics.
DELIA STANLEY (October 20, 2020)