Forging a Eureka Moment

FORBIDDEN LIGHT: A Novel of Discovery, by Tom Rybolt, AuthorHouse, 2004, 255 pages, $14.50 paperback (ISBN 1-4184-1297-X), $4.95 electronic book (ISBN 1-4184-0403-9)

When a science-in-fiction novel comes along, especially one that is all about chemistry and written by a chemist, chemists should get excited. It's a chance for us to tell the public about what we do, to let nonscientists see that science is done by real people and that it isn't a subject shrouded in mystery. Unfortunately for the still-nascent science-in-fiction genre, there is a long way to go to accomplish this goal.

"Forbidden Light: A Novel of Discovery," by physical chemist Tom Rybolt of the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, is a good example of what I mean. "Forbidden Light" is Rybolt's first novel, although he has coauthored Sherlock Holmes chemistry-based mystery stories published in the Journal of Chemical Education.

Rybolt has the makings of a great book in "Forbidden Light." It has a good story line about a graduate student named Ben Barnes who serendipitously discovers a catalytic process that uses sunlight to efficiently split water to produce hydrogen as an endless energy source. But the novel falls short on character development, and the writing is just average.

The story begins at the fictitious Atlanta Institute of Technology as Barnes gets set to start graduate school. He manages to tick off the department chair from day one, discovers how stimulating teaching can be, learns about the intricacies of doing research, falls in love, helps solve a murder mystery, uncovers a clandestine drug lab run by fellow graduate students, and makes his great discovery.

Meanwhile, the university stands to gain significant research funding from a petrochemical company, which would be jeopardized if Barnes's discovery turns out to be true. Through the twists and turns of the story, it becomes clear that several people stand in Barnes's way as he altruistically wants to share his discovery with the world. He predictably loses his youthful innocence in the process.

If that description sounds frantic, it's because the whole novel takes place over the course of about 10 weeks. If the time frame had been spread across a couple of years, it would seem more realistic. As is, the book might give nonscientist readers the idea that scientific discovery is a random process and is easy.

Despite the shortcomings, I encourage chemists to read the book and to share it with nonchemist friends and family. It may help open a small avenue to make the public further aware of the role chemistry has to play in society. More important, the book hopefully will inspire other chemists to try their hand at writing fiction, to put down on paper what they fantasize about doing in the lab but haven't yet been able to accomplish. Who knows? A stream of imagination could become the foundation for an important new discovery, such as a practical solution to meet the world's future energy needs.