Review of MINDSET by Pat Whitaker

A Review of MINDSET, A Novel by Author Pat Whitaker

Review by Thomas C. Stone

It could be said that the novel MINDSET, by Pat Whitaker, is a story of survival, but the truth is, it is more than that. It is a story about the construction of a new society and the cooperation required between individuals first in order to survive, then to flourish. MINDSET begins in a future where Telepaths have risen to prominence and even dominant the population of Earth. The non-telepathic are an encumbrance to the new order and so are rounded up and sent to camps, isolating them from the rest of society. The final solution is to rid Earth of all non-telepaths and this is done by shipping them out to Mars. The story focuses on the last group to leave Earth.

Whitaker uses the premise to imagine how a cooperative group of people could form in the midst of dire circumstances. When the non-telepaths reach Mars, to their chagrin they discover the Mars settlement has collapsed and there is no way to reach the surface of the planet. Chaos reigns and only a handful of the previous settlers have survived. With only their own devices, a desperate new plan is hatched, one that will take them in an entirely new direction – farther into space to the resource-rich asteroid belt.

The group must endure seemingly insurmountable technical difficulties while adhering to a new set of social rules. Author Whitaker displays his passion for the sciences as he describes approach vectors and velocities, fuel consumption problems, and practical space navigation. There is plenty of science in MINDSET but not at the expense of character development. His characters struggle to exist in a closed environment with an uncertain future. They recognize that without a cooperative effort, they are doomed to failure. Problems and solutions are discussed and analyzed without the aegis of an elected leader and it may be that for some readers, this is the most interesting aspect of the book. Could such a cooperative society evolve out of need without the force of law and without a hierarchy of authority?

MINDSET is a good read for a rainy Sunday afternoon. It is a tale of the perseverance of the human spirit and the ultimate triumph of that spirit. Additionally, there are surprising twists to Whitaker’s story that will delight the most jaded reader. Whitaker combines imagination with rock-solid science in offering up MINDSET.

Thanks Pat, for another intriguing story.