Dark Matters: A Novel - Gripping Science Fiction Thriller for Book Lovers | Perfect for Reading at Home, Book Clubs & Gifts

In the era of the probably unconstitutional, Orwellian-entitled "Patriot Act," Dark Matters examines class warfare and the suppression of civil liberties on several levels: social, political, and moral. Like most good novels, it explores the intersections of landed aristocrats with middle-class strivers, principally academics, as well as the exploitation of the working classes by management, and with compelling psychological insights and unexpected flashes of humor it presents an international cast of well differentiated characters espousing varying political beliefs. The principal constituencies of a public university are perceptively portrayed, from the toadying administration bending to the state legislature's will through academic politics among the faculty to the students coping with hypocritical parietal rules and issues such as abortion that remain timely and controversial. It candidly reveals the limited career possibilities for humanities graduates, such as working in a regional post office's dead letter department, and it captures the incipient sexual revolution of the mid-twentieth century. Structured as a universe of credible characters interacting in a realistic plot, Dark Matters is a serious, well crafted novel written by a full professor of English and writing, published by a neighboring state's university press. This work is highly suitable not only for all readers of substantive fiction but also for aspiring writers as a grounding in the traditions that must shape the flowering of their individual talents.For example, a character is described as having a "butterfly mind" because her conversation flits from topic to topic in an associative stream-of-thought pattern. As a gifted author should, Professor Levitt then illustrates this characteristic with a typical manifestation:"A guy and three gals sat down at the vacant table to my left. One of them, Brenda Oates, I knew from my Italian Renaissance history course. She always wore a butterfly pin on her right shoulder, and must have owned dozens of them because I never saw her wear the same one twice. The pin aptly corresponded to her butterfly mind. She flitted from one subject to another, talking in a stream of associations."The fellow said: 'You'll never guess what I heard today. Some Negroes are forming their own fraternity. Christ, what next: hog maws and chitterlings on the school menu?'"Brenda took her cue. 'We used to have a Negro cook, Jemima, I never liked that name, you know. My favorite is Darlene. A cousin of mine had that name: Darlene Densmor. She acted in a movie. But she retired, you know. My dad says that as soon as he retires he's going to take me canoeing in Acadia State Park. That's in Canada. Did you know that they speak two languages up there? English and French. God, I really hate my French class! The other day, the other kids in that class laughed at me when the professor said he knew children this high' - she held her hand about two feet above the floor - 'who could speak French fluently. "Well, of course, they can," I said, "they're probably French." I really thought I'd like to visit France, but not any more. They all speak French there.'"