Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review.

After accusing a superior of sexual misconduct, Dr. Caro Soames-Watkins finds herself on the receiving end of a barrage of online abuse that ultimately ruins her career. But when it seems like there is nowhere to turn, her great-uncle, Sam Watkins, reaches out with a golden opportunity: come to his medical facility in the Caribbean and perform a series of mysterious surgeries that could prove the existence of the multiverse. Although dubious about the experiment, Caro agree to take the position, under the condition that Watkins will help her financially support her sister and two nieces.

What initially drew me to Observer was that the book was a collaboration between an established science fiction author and an actually scientist. Nancy Kress has written 35 books and won at least six Nebula and two Hugo Awards, while Robert Lanza, MD is an accomplished doctor and adjunct professor at Wake Forest University. You would think that these two minds working together would produce a phenomenal piece of science fiction, one that changes the reader's whole worldview after reading. Unfortunately, I found myself quite disappointed with what they turned out.

My first indication that Observer would fail to impress me was the blurb on the back of the book: what took me three sentences to summarize takes Lanza and Kress almost three paragraphs. And I couldn't help worrying this meant that the entire novel was going to be overwritten. Having now read through the entire book, I would say the real issue is that the writing is uneven. When discussing the science behind the experiments, the text is clear and detailed. Everything else, however, reads like an early draft. Many sentences are phrased awkwardly, such as a Tweet from one of Caro's online harassers that says she should be boiled in oil for speaking out against her abuser (who would say that?) or when Caro tells a new friend she makes at the facility the following:

There are also several punctuation errors throughout the novel, as well as sentences with missing words, such as when another surgeon tries to destress Caro after misinformation about the project is leaked to the press, stating that "the truth will out."

Granted, I did receive an advance reading copy of the book, so it's possible that some of these issues were fixed before the official release date; however, that doesn't fix the other major issues with this novel.

Read the full review at My Cluttered Bookshelf.