Three starships in a triangular formation and passengers departing after landing on Planet Dinah.
“I couldn’t put the book down! Great story.
My brilliant friend and mentor, Joe Koncelik, has written a sci-fi book called The Twins of Demeter. It is a great story, an exciting read, and will give the reader a lot to think about as our world falls into decay. It has a Christian theme that adds to the thought-provoking questions that arise from this book in relation to science and spirituality and space travel. This is a sci-fi with a spiritual message. I liked how the spiritual theme is woven into the story with the character Mary speaking up for the spiritual side and referencing that it was a part of all the science, etc. I also like that it is not heavy handed preachy, either. Good sci-fi gives you something to ponder and this book does it.
You can read more about the book and order it at www.eden.co.uk/shop/twins-of-demeter-5075685 Contact Joe at his website: http://naleli2222.com.”
Dr. Lorraine Justice, Professor of Design, Rochester Institute of Technology, Author of: China’s Design Revolution and The Future of Design
Rochester, New York
It was an enjoyable read. You very quickly get connected to the characters, their journey and mission. Great imagination. Loved the cats…always knew they were very smart.
Annette Castle , Southern Pines, North Carolina
The Twins of Demeter grabbed my attention from the start. The characters are fully developed moving through a well-developed story. I found the book entrancing, full of twists that kept me guessing about what was to come next. Koncelik is an excellent storyteller blending imagination stretching and projecting known or anticipate technologies into a great story.
Alan Smith, Grandview, Ohio
The Twins of Demeter really got me hooked! First it was the relationship between Paul and Dharma – then Carrie and Cassie were introduced. I was taken by the statement that “their intelligence had independence but their knowledge was collective.” This added loads of possibilities when artificial intelligence is added to the mix. The book is written from the viewpoint of a lifetime educator who devoted his talents in design to teaching his students how to make the world a more hospitable place for all through more ergonomically useful products. Koncelik infused his writing with a lifetime interest in advancing technologies, investment in people and the study of human relations and interactions with technology.
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Soothing Si Fi Reading for troubled times
Author Joseph Koncelik subtitled his epic Si Fi adventure to save humanity from extinction, The Twins of Demeter, with the phrase “Science Fiction with a Faith Perspective ”. Though that may put some readers off it should also attract the non-Sci Fi enthusiast to a book that in Koncelik’s words “was written with the intention of creating a science fiction that emphasizes positive opportunities if the human species chooses to seek refuge somewhere else in God’s universe.” It does just that in a thought provoking and artful way that makes even those of who thought they knew him well wonder where all of this creativity comes from.
Coincidentally on the day I finished reading “The Twins” my morning newspaper carried Beth Berger’s review of the latest space Si Fi Movie Ad Astra quoting ex astronaut Douglas Wheelock’s exoneration of the movie’s technical inaccuracies by stating that “Even if space movies aren’t always technically accurate, if they make people think and look up at the sky, it’s a win. If it makes them think about their own condition, or maybe their own brokenness in their own life, or their family, or ways that they can turn back to the planet and think of better ways to solve issues here on the planet, I think it’s a good movie.” In that sense “The Twins of Demeter” is also a win.
In contrast to Koncelik’s own afterward critique of popular science fiction drama in print and on the screen, with notable exceptions and credit to the greats who have achieved this objective, he has achieved his goal of building “the premise that humankind is God’s ultimate creation who flourishes when faith is part of everyday life and community is the sustaining foundation of survival and progress as a species.”
It is this faith in everyday life, something that is admittedly difficult to hold on to amidst our era of environmental and political turmoil, that makes “The Twins” readable and worth reading. As Koncelik also notes in his afterward critique of mainstream Sci-Fi, “perhaps most bothersome is the generally oft-used story line of cowboys and Indians shoot-m-up transposed into outer space or visited upon us here on earth.” If that kind of science fiction is your preference you may not enjoy “The Twins”. On the other hand, if you are the more philosophical and introspective type of reader who thrives on having your own view of what it means to be human challenged, “The Twins” should appeal you, especially if mainstream cowboys and Indians Sci-Fi does not.
I have always contended that reading an absorbing novel is a meditative experience because, as in meditation, the reader clears the mind of all other extraneous thought thus providing restful meditation benefits through concentration on the text at hand. Reading “The Twins” is that kind of experience leading the reader through an absorbing and thought provoking tale that is more than just a tale because it indeed provokes one’s own philosophical introspective thinking on the subject at hand.
Len Zuga, Author of China’s Electronics Industry (with Michael Pecht) & China as the Hegemon of the Global Electronics Industry (with Michael Pecht)
Delaware, Ohio
An excellent book involving inter-planetary travel, made necessary if the human species is to survive the earth’s forthcoming demise. The story- line is well developed, the advanced technologies necessary for success of the three spacecraft missions are explained in laymen terms, including cold fusion, ion-propulsion, and advanced materials fabrication/replication. Choice, however, is an exciting and vivid play-by-play description of a “gravity repulsion” spaceship landing and the ensuing physical effects on the filled stadium of welcoming residents.
The story is underpinned with Christian principles, all carried through the several generations of the space traveler families and their ever-present pet cats (oversized and very intelligent) and their subsequent cast of egg-bearing chickens (read gourmet omelets).
PS: For those who are relatively new to Science Fiction and may wish to better understand where “The Twins of Demeter” fits into the genre, the “Afterword” section is a prize in and of itself.
Definitely worth a read!
Jack Conner
Columbus, Ohio
I read every page of the Twins and didn’t want it to end. Some of us who read a lot don’t care if the book is long or short — it’s the quality of the writing and the creativity and excitement of the plot.
Go ahead and write the 1000 page book!
Connie Zuga
Delaware, Ohio
This book has originality that is rare in SciFi 5 stars out of 5 as rated on Amazon
I am a huge Science Fiction fan. I like the concept of a thought experiment, putting us in unfamiliar environments, foreseeing future innovations, or dealing with fantastic situations, then postulating how humankind would respond to them. Most often this comes in the form of a warning, as in George Orwell’s 1984, or more rarely it comes in a more optimistic view of human nature and our relationship with the universe. The Twins of Demeter not only falls into that rare category, it is original in its melding of science and religion. While these two areas are normally in conflict, in Twins the author explains how both are necessary for humanity’s ultimate survival and creates a vision of a culture where each field fosters the development and exploration of the other. While this line of thought may be too far outside the box for some, avid sci fi readers like myself relish the opportunity to explore this kind of new perspective to its conceptual conclusion.
David Alban Koncelik (for whom the book was dedicated)
Haines City, Florida
The first half of Twins reminds me of Ray Bradbury’s work….
It does not imitate Bradbury, but it reads with authenticity and is a good story combining present-day science and political anti-science carried forward two hundred years by a storyteller with vision, in-depth knowledge of present-day technology, and informed imagination to project where the arc of scientific and socio-politico endeavors might take our Earth in two centuries. No Star Wars scenario, this story blends renaissance knowledge of art, science, human history, and human foibles that sounds real enough and possible enough to seem likely. Koncelik draws from his own spiritual and religious journey to foresee a democratic meritocracy imbued from birth with values of empathy, compassion, and sacrifice. Though the second half of the book deals with the concept that all life in the universe is essentially human without the ethnocentricity or territoriality that mars life on our Earth, it seems a stretch but Koncelik makes it believable and holds my attention through to the last page. Despite 3-D printers, the degree to which the story relies upon superefficient “replicators” challenges belief. but Asimov might have found them entirely believable. This book is a good read and promises several more from this prolific author, scientist, and artist.
William Wayson, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University
What can I say about Joseph Koncelik’s The Twins of Demeter?
Two words come to mind: long and imaginative. The planet we live on could become uninhabitable in 200 years. Then what would civilization do? The author gives us one interesting scenario. Would we go to another planet or just disappear? The author takes us to another planet. Who would go on this journey? Would we bring our animals as Noah did? How is it even possible? Well, it’s well described by the author in this book. We need more than physical things; we need to believe and we need faith in God. The author works through this dilemma as the story unfolds. It’s as thought provoking as it is interesting. The new colony has much to learn and they do as they mature. We travel through several generations and marvel at their resourcefulness. But in the end, it is faith that carries them through. A very interesting and thoughtful read.
Dick Shower
Delaware, Ohio
Red Moth Writings 