Speed of Light by Lee Baker

Author: Lee Baker
Publisher: Paralight Films
Date of Publication: August 2011


Living the life of his dreams, and married to his longtime sweetheart, Pierce Black has been selected to be the first to pilot the Speed of Light plane. He is destined to make history like John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. Pierce’s idyllic world screeches to a halt when, three weeks before the historic flight, his wife is killed in a tragic car accident. Determined to carry on with the groundbreaking flight in spite of his grief, Pierce is changed forever when, during the flight, his body is transformed into light. The shock throws Pierce into a deep coma and when he wakes time is not relevant to his mind. 


Suddenly able to step into visions of the past, Pierce struggles to make sense of what he sees as he learns that his wife’s death was not an accident, but murder and the murderers are still after him. As Pierce and the beautiful attorney, Vanessa Trace, sort through the bizarre attacks on Pierce and his vivid visions of the past, they cannot substantiate any evidence to his claims. In a frantic race to stay alive, Pierce and Vanessa find themselves matching wits with a conspiracy with seemingly endless resources and a police department convinced Pierce is a murderer, while at the same time they question whether or not Pierce himself is crazy.


Speed of Light was an enjoyable read.  It was actually a pretty fresh idea for a book.  Also pretty different from what I have read lately.  While Speed of Light initially looks like a science fiction novel, it is so much more than that.  There is a mystery to be solved and Pierce is going to use his abilities to solve it.


After his wife is killed, Pierce becomes the first human being to travel at the speed of light.  He comes out of a coma 4 months later and discovers that he has come out of the experience whole, but different.  He figures out that he can come out of his body and move through time to see the past, present and future.  He also finds out that there is a conspiracy in the company he works for.  Risking his life and those he loves he sets out to find out the truth behind his wife's death and his brother-in-law's disappearance.  


As I was reading, I kept thinking this would be a good idea for a movie.  The special effects alone would be very cool.  If you are looking for something different to try out, give this one a shot.

About the Author:

Lee Baker is the president of Sandman Studios, a visual effects and animation company and has taught courses at UCLA Extension, Loyola Marymount University and the University of Utah. He is the author of the illustrated books “Humbug, A Christmas Carol” and “Beau and the Beanstalk,” and now his latest thriller “Speed of Light.” Lee lives in Utah with his wife and five children.