2023 Book Review: Einstein in the Attic

Tabatha

3 years ago

Einstein in the Attic by Dana Dargos

A Science Fiction, Independently Published in 2022, 357 Pages

This won’t affect my rating but it’s something that may help you decide between ebook and paperback. The print on the ebook is tiny and cannot be resized. Go for the paperback.
The dialogue is awkward and unnatural. This causes a problem because sometimes it’s difficult to tell who is talking. The conversation also often feels forced.
There are time jumps that make it tricky to keep track of what’s happening or what we’re talking about. Sometimes you jump days or events without warning, leaving you a bit confused. I felt like I was missing sections.
It feels silly in its handling of bringing famous people to modern times. Almost like a Bill and Ted approach to time travel. Not sure that’s what I wanted from this book and topic.
It feels like a plot hole to not address the language barrier later in the story. It’s mentioned once or twice early on and a solution is presented that involves technology to translate. But this solution couldn’t have been used later as there’s no further mention of it and no conversational lags. I wanted this to be addressed as it would be a major issue later when new people are introduced.

The big overarching science vs religion theme is relatable. Who hasn’t at least thought about this? The idea of bringing science into a discussion about the existence of a religious figure is something I was excited to see.
Love the consideration of vaccinations and things of that nature for time travel. That was brilliant! I would’ve liked it to be mentioned again, but I did like that it was considered.
I do love science fiction that keeps science at its core. The conversations these characters have with experts don’t dumb down or shy away from true scientific explanations. That’s nice to see!

In its present state, that’s tricky. I feel like this is a book that has a lot of potential but I would be hesitant to recommend it to anyone until the dialogue has been edited further and some of those plot holes have been filled. Of course, reviews are subjective and I’m only one person! If the concept of using time travel to bring major names in science to the present day to discuss the possible existence of God appeals to you … give it a read!