Bernie and the Putty by Steve LeBel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy, having signed up for the possibility based solely on the synopsis and cover art. I was immediately intrigued which says a lot about Mr. LeBel’s ability to hook a reader before they’ve even started reading the book itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bernie and the Putty. The writing is superb; so much so that I forgot that Mr. LeBel is not a teenager fresh out of school. Bernie and the cast of characters reach out and grab you from the get go, even if only to make you wonder who they are and why they’re even friends (or enemies) with Bernie.

In the reading it is obvious that Mr. LeBel is writing from a place of deep personal experience and a passionate interest and expertise in the sciences. I love a book that I can learn from and this book delivers a gamut of lessons ranging from weather systems to plate tectonics, right down to the fundamentals of what it would take to create not just life but a solar system to which that life will eventually belong. All of this wonderful sciencey-geeky-nerdy (I can reference this phrase because I’m one of those sciencey-geeky-nerdy people) information is delivered couched within the frustrating woes of a budding builder with pacifist tendencies that often proved to be his ruin in the past and still threaten his success. My brain is full of not only plot and characters but solid information and knowledge to support both. That scores highly in my appreciation factors.

Bernie and the Putty is an entirely unique book and well worth the read. This story delivers consistently, and often with surprising plot twists that serve to add layers of complexity and keen insight into what makes us all gods – our very humanity.

The true proof of enjoyment is my willingness to reread the book at some future point. This one is a keeper and I thank Mr. LeBel for sharing his talent.


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