On a Beam of Light

Rating:
Summary: S/F, religious parable, psychological tale - who is prot?
Review: I've seen the movie "K-PAX" and read the book the film was based on, and now I've read the sequel, "On a Beam of Light". And with all that, I'm still not sure who or what prot actually is. That question only gets more confusing with this sequel about one of the most fascinating literary characters I've ever come across.

My review of "K-PAX" basically described it as a sort of 21st-century religious parable. But having read "Beam" I'm not so sure anymore. Prot's character still shows some religious undertones, but there are some definite science fiction-related mysteries that Brewer poses about him - and you can tell that he's having a lot of fun posing them.

For example, there are at least two instances I can recall in "Beam" where prot somehow crosses from one side of a room to the other in the space of less than a second. To quote him, it's done with mirrors. An old magician's saying, to be sure - but in prot's case I have to wonder. Then there is the comparison of prot's blood workup with that of his "host" (?), Robert Porter. That, plus some other incidents and statements throughout this book, will leave you shaking your head in amazement, wonder, and curiosity. Just who or what is prot?

As in "K-PAX", Brewer portrays himself as the psychiatrist who "treats" prot, and also as in "K-PAX" he maintains that prot is merely an alternate personality of Robert Porter. But he's hard-pressed to retain that belief considering some of the things prot does, or causes to happen.

Brewer's descriptions of the other patients are fascinating on their own, as are most of the other characters in "Beam" - but prot is the main character here, as well as the catalyst for changes in most of the other people he encounters, both inside and outside the hospital.

There's supposed to be a third book about prot, and I look forward to reading it. Perhaps Brewer will answer some of the mysteries he's posed about prot - but I seriously doubt it.

Rating:
Summary: S/F, religious parable, psychological tale - who is prot?
Review: I've seen the movie "K-PAX" and read the book the film was based on, and now I've read the sequel, "On a Beam of Light". And with all that, I'm still not sure who or what prot actually is. That question only gets more confusing with this sequel about one of the most fascinating literary characters I've ever come across.

My review of "K-PAX" basically described it as a sort of 21st-century religious parable. But having read "Beam" I'm not so sure anymore. Prot's character still shows some religious undertones, but there are some definite science fiction-related mysteries that Brewer poses about him - and you can tell that he's having a lot of fun posing them.

For example, there are at least two instances I can recall in "Beam" where prot somehow crosses from one side of a room to the other in the space of less than a second. To quote him, it's done with mirrors. An old magician's saying, to be sure - but in prot's case I have to wonder. Then there is the comparison of prot's blood workup with that of his "host" (?), Robert Porter. That, plus some other incidents and statements throughout this book, will leave you shaking your head in amazement, wonder, and curiosity. Just who or what is prot?

As in "K-PAX", Brewer portrays himself as the psychiatrist who "treats" prot, and also as in "K-PAX" he maintains that prot is merely an alternate personality of Robert Porter. But he's hard-pressed to retain that belief considering some of the things prot does, or causes to happen.

Brewer's descriptions of the other patients are fascinating on their own, as are most of the other characters in "Beam" - but prot is the main character here, as well as the catalyst for changes in most of the other people he encounters, both inside and outside the hospital.

There's supposed to be a third book about prot, and I look forward to reading it. Perhaps Brewer will answer some of the mysteries he's posed about prot - but I seriously doubt it.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, escapist and a little bit of wisdom
Review: In the same vein as K-PAX, On a Beam of Light picks up (literally) where the first book left off. The story is of prot--a man who claims to be an extraterrestrial "traveler" from the planet K-PAX--and his sessions with skeptical Dr. Gene Brewer. Brewer's first novel had no chapters; the book merely recounted his sixteen sessions with prot. Session 17 begins this book and until it ends at 32, the reader gets much more of the same. More prot assertions about Earth, more of prot helping psychiatric patients, demonstrating his special abilties, etc.

There is some genuine wisdom within these books. Brewer uses prot, the consumate outsider, to rail against accepted conventions of humankind. For example, prot believes in the sanctity of all life. 'Everyone weeps for the dolphins caught in tuna nets, but no one weeps for the tuna' he asserts. The only worry is that some of these observations get lost in the cloying, holier-than-thou way they're related. The reader learns from prot that every patient just needs to "be listened to" in order to be heard and cured. A fine theory but clearly not that simple. Whether you find prot's attitude tolerable or annoying (many reviewers of the film K-PAX found the latter) will determine your enjoyment of this book. It didn't trouble me.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, escapist and a little bit of wisdom
Review: In the same vein as K-PAX, On a Beam of Light picks up (literally) where the first book left off. The story is of prot--a man who claims to be an extraterrestrial "traveler" from the planet K-PAX--and his sessions with skeptical Dr. Gene Brewer. Brewer's first novel had no chapters; the book merely recounted his sixteen sessions with prot. Session 17 begins this book and until it ends at 32, the reader gets much more of the same. More prot assertions about Earth, more of prot helping psychiatric patients, demonstrating his special abilties, etc.

There is some genuine wisdom within these books. Brewer uses prot, the consumate outsider, to rail against accepted conventions of humankind. For example, prot believes in the sanctity of all life. 'Everyone weeps for the dolphins caught in tuna nets, but no one weeps for the tuna' he asserts. The only worry is that some of these observations get lost in the cloying, holier-than-thou way they're related. The reader learns from prot that every patient just needs to "be listened to" in order to be heard and cured. A fine theory but clearly not that simple. Whether you find prot's attitude tolerable or annoying (many reviewers of the film K-PAX found the latter) will determine your enjoyment of this book. It didn't trouble me.

Rating:
Summary: Second Part of the Trilogy
Review: Maybe I was drawn by the movie tie-in when the motion picture came out, this second part of the trilogy doesn't seeem as thrilling as its predecessor. K-PAX 2-On a Beam of Light picks up from where the starter left off. It is the continued narrative of how psychiatrist Gene Brewer worked with Prot, who claimed to travel from the planet K-Pax and denied any affiliation with humans. The book is more or less, a detailed account of Prot's treatment which included hypnosis sessions aimed to recover his past and more importantly the tragic events that led to his mental disorder. I was immediately drawn into the book simply because I want to know the end outcome of the story. The concluding part of the trilogy is expected to come out in 2002.

Rating:
Summary: Second Part of the Trilogy
Review: Maybe I was drawn by the movie tie-in when the motion picture came out, this second part of the trilogy doesn't seeem as thrilling as its predecessor. K-PAX 2-On a Beam of Light picks up from where the starter left off. It is the continued narrative of how psychiatrist Gene Brewer worked with Prot, who claimed to travel from the planet K-Pax and denied any affiliation with humans. The book is more or less, a detailed account of Prot's treatment which included hypnosis sessions aimed to recover his past and more importantly the tragic events that led to his mental disorder. I was immediately drawn into the book simply because I want to know the end outcome of the story. The concluding part of the trilogy is expected to come out in 2002.

Rating:
Summary: prot Returns!
Review: On a Beam of Light is the great follow-up to that GGGGGGRRRREEAAT debut novel by Gene Brewer. I'll try not to spoil this too much for everyone, but it is a real thrill and very much worth the five years the readers have been waiting for a sequel. Personally, I don't think you'll have to read K-PAX, the original novel, again before reading On a Beam of Light. The first couple chapters basically rehashes everything that went on the first book (as a concession to first-time readers, I suppose). The characters that so endeared themselves to us the first time around make their short appearances throughout the book, including Howie, Russell, Giselle, and even Chuck and Mrs. A. But it's the return of prot that we've been highly anticipating. And he does not disappoint.

I think I can say that where K-PAX once took us up to the stars, On a Beam of Light takes us back down to earth.

Rating:
Summary: On a Beam of Light
Review: Picked it up at 3pm. 7pm and I just put it down. Everything but time & tide waited while I read - On A Beam Of Light. K-Pax and Prot once again had me measuring my world with the one Prot calls home. I saw mankind through a porthole with a different view. The story took such unexpected turns- like the characters in the book I await a few more words from prot. I have neighbours waiting for a call that I've finished reading my copy. When is the next one coming out?

Rating:
Summary: Beam me to K-PAX
Review: The original novel, K_PAX, by Gene Brewer in this trilogy (one can hope) was so good that I broke my rule and bought the hard cover of its sequel "On a Beam of Light". The reader is encouraged to read K-PAX first. Either book tops the authentic subgenre within science fiction treating unusual individuals who are known to be aliens by a few but almost universally believed to be human by most of us. The catch here is that those in the know are psychotics and animals. Brewer maintains a seamless ambiguity between prot the alien with mysterious powers and deep insights and Robert Porter, a submerged deeply troubled personality. "Gene Brewer" is both the nom de plume of the author, a reference to his former career, and also the psychiatrist who tapes many session with prot. At some interesting moment this reader began to wonder whether it matters if prot is what he claims or not. It's the literary equivalent of the uncertainty principle. Brewer is asking what is human and what is reality without being the slightest bit stagy.

Rating:
Summary: Beam me to K-PAX
Review: The original novel, K_PAX, by Gene Brewer in this trilogy (one can hope) was so good that I broke my rule and bought the hard cover of its sequel "On a Beam of Light". The reader is encouraged to read K-PAX first. Either book tops the authentic subgenre within science fiction treating unusual individuals who are known to be aliens by a few but almost universally believed to be human by most of us. The catch here is that those in the know are psychotics and animals. Brewer maintains a seamless ambiguity between prot the alien with mysterious powers and deep insights and Robert Porter, a submerged deeply troubled personality. "Gene Brewer" is both the nom de plume of the author, a reference to his former career, and also the psychiatrist who tapes many session with prot. At some interesting moment this reader began to wonder whether it matters if prot is what he claims or not. It's the literary equivalent of the uncertainty principle. Brewer is asking what is human and what is reality without being the slightest bit stagy.