Charisma [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Steven Barnes has been around a while, having penned some collaborations with Larry Niven in 1981 and 1982, with Stretlethal, his first solo out (at least according to his web site) being released in 1983. Other books of his I've read and enjoyed include Gorgon Child, FireDance, and Blood Brothers. Lately though, it seems he's been very busy, with numerous book being released over the last few years. You can find reviews on www.SFReader.com of his recent novels Lion's Blood and Zulu Heart.

Well versed in martial arts, Barnes characters are often unique and intense individuals caught up in violent struggles. He's one of the best action/fight writers out there, with a special ability to create characters that are at once strong and vulnerable. His books reflect the abundant energy that Barnes obviously possesses. He also seems fascinated with the concept of the Japanese term Bushido, or The Way of the Warrior; that undeniable Warrior Spirit that pushes some people to the peak of their potential, be it for good or evil. I've enjoyed everything of his I've read, and Charisma is no exception.

The magic of childhood, the gritty reality of growing up, love, honor, ambition, redemption.... You'll find all that and more here in a book you won't want to put down.

Lynn Nicole Louis
Read the full review at www.SFReader.com

His central premise of using the essential nature of a hyper sucessful person as a template to be transferred a group of young "at risk" children is described a bit vaguely. However as the cornerstone of the story it does have impact as he unfolds all the clever twists that expose the flaw in the template's character. As we follow several of the children through several harrowing experiences the dark truth unfolds in a fine example of the thriller mystery form.

His acute observations of character details and inner emotional dialog draw you inside each of the central characters very rapidly. Each character - particularly the children have story arcs that pull you relentlessly forward. This is a true page turner, very hard to put down!

Steve Barnes is quite an extraordinary writer having co-authored best-selling science fiction with top-seller Larry Niven, and having written episodes of Outer Limits, Star Trek and Baywatch. Baywatch? Yes, he's blended all these different genres together here, in this book to provide a superb read.

This is a very smart book that does a great job including touchstones from contemporary life-- little details that we all live, experience and touch. They make it more real, more immediate, so we connect better with the characters, the scenes where the action unfolds.

It's hard to define the genre, but I'd compare it to James Patterson's Where the Wind Blows, which also used a plot about an experiment to build better children, gone awry. Call it mainstream fantasy with a slightly science fictional touch.

There are five or six different interwoven story threads that Steve Barnes does a beautiful job tying up neatly by the books suspenseful end. Each one develops characters we get to know and love or hate.

I had a chance to meet Steve Barnes recently. He is an amazing bundle of positive energy. This shines through in the writing. He's a disciplined, passionate writer, martial arts black belt, loving father and principled good guy. Yes. He made a good impression on me. There's a lot of character and integrity that shines through in the book, plus just enough sexuality to make it an adult book.

What blows my mind is the premise for the scifi aspect of the story-- that you can record behavior patterns and train others to reproduce the patterns of special people-- fits very nicely with some research I presented in 1981, using ski biofeedback to train beginners to move like experts. My model back then theorized that "template athletic biofeedback" could be used to teach average people to perform like great experts. Steve Barnes has taken this idea (obviously something he independently came up with) and woven it into a great story.