The Cusanus Game

From the so-called “grand master of German science fiction” comes The Cusanus Game, a work of hard science fiction and philosophy that forces the reader to think far beyond the story.

It is the year 2052 and the world is in a sorry state, especially Northern Europe after an atomic disaster along the French-German border, contaminating the continent with radioactivity. As the threat and fear begins to spread, paranoia and terror break out, affecting the entire planet. The radiation is also messing with human DNA causing mutations and creating monstrosities that shouldn’t be.

A secret research facility located within the Vatican is searching for and employing covert scientists with a plan to reintroduce fresh, healthy fauna to the ravaged world. Biologist Domenica Ligrina may be their saving grace, as she dedicates her studies to the mysteries and puzzles of the Middle Ages and learns of a possible solution that may change the world back to the resplendent place it once was.

While an interesting work of science fiction, the writing is clunky and overly complex and labyrinthine; that may be due to the translation, or the style of writing, causing the reader to lose his or her way at times.