Review: PRIMORDIAL THREAT, by M.A. Rothman

A small black hole has been traveling through space since the dawn of time. It's only two miles across, but that's more than enough to destroy Earth--and it's headed right for us.

Now what ?

The story

Nearly five decades into the future, NASA spots a tiny black hole headed straight for our planet. Despite all of our advanced technology, there's nothing that can deflect it or destroy it. It may be small, but it's an absolute death sentence for the third rock from the sun.

Then again, there was a "crazy guy" a few years ago who said this would happen...an otherwise brilliant scientist...maybe we ought to see what his ideas were...what's that? He's gone? Well, find him! Ah crap...where did Dave Holmes go?!

When I first read THE MARTIAN in 2014, it blew my mind that hard-hard-hard-science could actually be that entertaining. I didn't exactly go out in search of similar books, but when I find them, it's always a joy. PRIMORDIAL THREAT is really similar because it melds a world-ending thriller with the gritty laboratory math that makes it seem dangerously real.

I also liked the balance between the headstrong protagonist who was determined to save the world no matter what, and the bloated administrative state antagonists who tried to thwart him because he threatened their power. I'm always cynical enough to appreciate books that cast government as a hindrance to the people.

The characters

The main character is Dave Holmes, a former NASA scientist who was originally tasked with running a program called DefenseNet, which would allow humans to use satellites to defend Earth from big scary space rocks and stuff. He was later replaced by Burt Radcliffe, who now runs DefenseNet, and soon learns that Dave was not crazy, and we've all got to do something or we'll die.

Dave's also got himself a lady, and her name is Bella, Communicating with her is a challenge at first, because she's got some mental and social barriers, but since he's smart--and motivated, because she's pretty dang cute--he figures out how to speak with her, and she goes on to play a key role in his journey.

There are other people on the cast to fill out the roster, sure. Politicians, scientists, military leaders, the whole nine. But it's Dave and Bella who carry the emotional weight of this thing, in between the scientific lectures.

The world

Ours, but fifty years down the road. There's some new tech, a few new international borders and whatnot. The real difference is a few key advancements in technology. It's hard to say more than that without giving away some of the payoffs of the hard science.

This book is more in the vein of THE MARTIAN or a Michael Crichton piece, in that Rothman put a lot of thought into the hard mechanics of it all. It helps that he's got a brain the size of Jupiter and he messes around with astrophysics in his spare time, so for a layman like me, this story reads as highly plausible.

Which is kind of scary as hell, at least until the third act.

The politics

Since I already invoked Crichton, I'll put it this way: JURASSIC PARK was a warning against the human tendency to use power before we truly understand it. We made huge leaps and bounds in genetic science, and some dude wanted to capitalize on that to make an amusement park. Chaos ensued.

Rothman's PRIMORDIAL THREAT can read the same way: a man makes leaps and bounds in energy science and space travel, but the Political Machines of the world want him to ask permission before he saves everyone. Dave Holmes has a little bit of John Galt in him, minus the fifty-page radio broadcast.

Content warning

There was some language in it, up to the F-dash-dash-dash word. Dave and Bella have relations, but we're not "in-scene" for it. Other than that it's a somewhat tame hard science thriller.

Who is it for?

Nobody's ever going to accuse me of holding a Bachelor's degree, and yet I found the hard science portions to be accessible enough. I assume that if you're into that field, you'll have a lot more to chew on and digest. Rothman has had a few comers on his social pages trying to challenge the plausibility of the "tiny black hole will destroy Earth" premise, and he's always got answers for them.

Why read it?

I'm one of the Upstream writers who beats the drum of "READ THIS IT IS FUN," and that's usually my answer here. Which isn't to say PRIMORDIAL THREAT is boring, however it doesn't exist to be a "fun book." It's a smart book, and a book that thinks hella big.

It's got characters you can root for, antagonists who deserve to be slowly shoved through a barbed-wire fence, and a mind-blowing conclusion that made me sit back in the truck as the audiobook finished, wondering about the cosmos overhead.

It's intelligent, it's cool, and it'll expand your mind. Grab a copy.