CONVERGENCE - A Review by D. Labadie and S.E. Williams

Convergence by Thomas Settimi tells the story of a modern day hero who finds himself suddenly thrust into an historical context. The hero is a Viet Nam fighter pilot who in 1968, while returning from a bombing mission over Viet Nam, somehow flies through a time-warp (convergence) and is shot down by canon fire as he flew over the 1863 battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

From this point the story really takes off and guides the reader through an exciting series of historical experiences that include time in a civil war prisoner of war camp and marriage to a civil war era bride. The hero eventually re-converges with 2002 Viet Nam and along the way confronts a a new set of experiences as his 1860's bride confronts the strange realities of his contemporary world.

Although the story gets off to a relatively mundane beginning, the pace accelerates and the narrative remains completely engaging throughout. The story is told with marvelous historical accuracy. The characters are vibrant and the story is presented with a good measure of supernatural plausibility. It ends with a captivating surprise that will certainly leave readers contented.

Settimi grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, and graduated from the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He was employed for several years as an analyst for the Navy Department and along the way earned a Master's Degree in Physics from the University of California. He later owned and operated a retail photography and astronomy shop called "Sky Scientific" in Skyforest in what is now the Willow Woods Shopping Village, later moving the business to Agua Fria. He is currently Director of Operations for a manufacturing business in Orange County. Thomas and wife, Charlotte, have lived in Crest Park since 1979 and have three adult children, David, Anthony and Lisa. Convergence is his first novel.

Reprinted with permission from The Alpenhorn News, PO Box 4572, Crestline, CA  92325  (June 12, 2008)