Book Offers Sci-Fi Intrigue Without The Techno Garble

E.M. Goldman weaves an interesting story of mystery and science fiction in “The Night Room.”

This book is quick-paced and well written. The author kept my attention throughout the whole book, and I could not put it down until I was finished. There were parts that I had to read again in order to figure out what was going on, but overall the book flowed well.

Eleventh-grader Ira Martinic is one of seven students chosen to participate in the Argus project. Argus is a computer program that will simulate the 10th high school reunion of these seven students. Argus is considered the grandparent of the Holodeck from Star Trek.

Not everyone thinks seeing their possible future is a great idea. Some believe there may be dangers involved. As the students enter the Night Room containing Argus one by one, they see some surprising things about themselves. They see nightmares and dreams come true.

One student is not present at the party. According to Argus, she will be dead long before her 10th reunion.

Each of the characters has his or her own personality, and the author has shown these differences well. I thought that one of the best portrayed characters was Tess Norville. She is a reporter for the school newspaper and is also in the Argus group. She is portrayed as a very smart, sensible, down-to-earth person. Her personality fits her role in the story very well.

I was surprised by the end of the book; I didn’t expect it to end the way it did. Still, the book concludes well (though with a few unanswered questions).

Unlike many science fiction books, this book is not filled with a lot of technical talk. If you like science fiction, this book is well worth your time.