INCI

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Pub Date 19 Aug 2015 | Archive Date 18 Sep 2015

Description

“Nobody spins a yarn better than Mike Resnick”—Orson Scott Card, New York Times bestselling author of Ender’s Game.

Four people uncover a secret that has the power to shake the foundation of faith as we know it.

Reverend Joshua Barker feels that it is his duty to bring the Word to the oppressed beings on alien worlds, to teach them to repent their sins and cherish the teachings of the Good Book. It’s a noble ambition… until he discovers something that challenges his understanding of everything he believes.

Barker’s heretical discovery is buried for centuries until Anita Inkle digs it up and rekindles her sense of hope. Thomas, her husband, will grasp at any straw if it will save his dying wife, even a straw that may have unseen consequences affecting not merely Anita, but every member of the race.

It remains for Gar Matthews, a professional iconoclast, a man with a mission to poke holes in every outrageous claim and story that comes his way, to uncover a truth that no one ever suspected, and to give a very special meaning to it.

Each of the four will be forever affected by the secret – as will every sentient being in the galaxy.

“Nobody spins a yarn better than Mike Resnick”—Orson Scott Card, New York Times bestselling author of Ender’s Game.

Four people uncover a secret that has the power to shake the foundation of faith as...


Available Editions

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ISBN 9781612422664
PRICE $14.99 (USD)

Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

Given the vastness of the universe, I have always thought that either humans were destined to expand to other planets, or there is life on other planets. And if there is life on other planets, I have wondered, as a Christian, if we are destined to take the gospel to other beings, or if God became flesh and lived among life forms on other planets. Mary Doria Russell explored the question of Christian missions to other planets the in The Sparrow.

In Mike Resnick and Tina Gower's novel INCI, they get into both questions. Rev. Joshua Barker joins a scientific mission to Kaus, a newly discovered world. He tells Bible stories to the natives, who have a rudimentary understanding of his language. Soon he befriends on he calls "Click" and begins to send more time among the Kausians. As he tells the story of Jesus, the Kausians respond with stories of "the steam." As Baker looks into the steam stories, he learns stories that strangely parallel Christ's crucifixion, not only on Kaus but on other planets as well.

INCI is a strange little book. I enjoyed the depiction of evangelization among the Kausians. But INCI didn't go deep enough to satisfy my theological interest, and the story wasn't compelling enough to satisfy my sci-fi interest. It was just OK on both counts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

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“INCI” eBook was published in 2015 and was written by Mike Resnick (http://mikeresnick.com) and Tina Gower (http://www.tinagower.com). Mr. Resnick is an experienced author with over 70 publications, while Ms. Gower is just beginning with just three.

I would categorize this novel as ‘PG’ as there are instances of Mature Language. This Science Fiction novel (really a collection of three novellas) is set in a far future where Earth is colonizing other worlds.

In the first novella by Gower, the Reverend Barker is sent along with scientists to the distant world of Kaus to bring Christianity to the local primitive inhabitants. He stumbles upon what he sees as a very distinct parallel to the story of Jesus being crucified in the native’s history and, as on Earth, it spawns a following.

Fast forward about 500 or so years to the second novella, also by Gower. A film editor, Thomas Inkle, and his sick and dying wife, Anita Inkle, stumble upon mention of the Barker Testament. They investigate further and discover that the Testament tells of a story similar to that of Jesus on Earth. Soon their world turns upside down as electronic systems at their home fail and data mysteriously disappears.

In the third novella by Resnick, Tom Inkle takes what he and Anita have learned to a noted investigative journalist, Gar Mathews. Mathews digs into the story, traveling to Kaus and other worlds following a trail of crucifixion stories. Whys has the Barker Testament been suppressed?

The three novella concept worked well with this story arc. This is a book coming out of the Stellar Guild (http://www.stellarguild.com) that teams up established authors with a protege. I am not a fan of short stories, but this combination turned out well. While I think that Resnick’s piece was the best, the three worked well together and I enjoyed the 3.5 hours I spent with the book. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

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This is actually three stories and Resnick’s is the last one. The two by Tina Gower set the background. Resnick’s starts as a search and ends on an unusual note. Don’t look for a happy ending. It just is not there. Interesting to read but not one of my favorites. However, all three are very well written. This is one I looked at when attending World Con but did not buy. I picked it up when it appeared on Netgalley.

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This novel (actually three interrelated, interdependent short stories) is one of the latest publications from the Stellar Guild, a division of Phoenix Pick. The mission behind Stellar Guild is to team a very famous and adept science fiction writer with a promising newcomer. Mike Resnick is the old hand, and Tina Gower is the newcomer. And they both write in such a seamless fashion that the three stories work as one. Excellent collaborative writing.

On to why I enjoyed reading "INCI" so much. "INCI" deals with profound issues that have puzzled humanity for thousands of years. This novel explores those topics in the context of humanity and alien cultures in the far future, when we have achieved almost instantaneous interstellar travel.

This is a future with people similar to us, with similar problems, lives and needs. The setting is of a Star Trek type future and not a dystopia. A big plus for me! The plot, dialogue and characters were very good, and the novel had a feel of classic space/future science fiction. And very well written.

If you like thought provoking, classic science fiction this is an excellent novel. I enjoyed it, and look forward to reading more from the Stellar Guild.

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