Summary
Simon Orwell is a brilliant student whose life has taken a series of wrong turns. At the point of giving up on his dreams, he gets a call from an old professor who has discovered a breakthrough in a device that would create unlimited energy, and he needs Simon's help.
But once he crosses the border, nothing goes as the young man planned. The professor has been killed and Simon is assaulted and nearly killed by members of a powerful drug cartel.
Now he must take refuge in the only place that will help him, a local orphanage. There, Simon meets Harold Finch, the orphanage proprietor who walked away from a lucrative career with NASA and consulting Fortune 500 companies to serve a higher cause.
With Harold's help, Simon sets out on a quest to uncover who killed the professor and why. In due time, he will discover secrets to both the world-changing device and his own unlimited potential.
My thoughts
Unlimited is a different type novel from what I usually read, and I found it very interesting. While it borders somewhat on science fiction, it's not all that far removed from the realm of possibility. The narrative focuses on two themes: 1) a device that would be able to harness wasted energy, turning it into cheap energy for the Mexican poor, and 2) the people who invest themselves in the children in the local orphanage, inspiring them to reach their God-given potential.
The novel is inspired by the life of Harold L. Finch, who walked away from his career as a NASA space scientist and dedicated himself to the children at the orphanage. I loved this character's wisdom, faith, courage, and love for the children. "The world sees these Mexican orphans as hopeless cases. Born into violence, left without family, lost. But God has planted hope in them. Hope and gifts and a boiling desire to grow beyond where they are. My aim is to help them achieve this." He was also accepting and forgiving of Simon, who initially seemed to be in it for the money and fame.
Davis Bunn did a good job conveying a feel for situations that we often hear about in the news: the US/Mexican border, poverty, drug cartels, and political corruption. They may have been slightly understated in this story, but the reality still came through.
Sometimes novelizations of movies don't work well as a novel, but the suspense, romance, and spiritual elements in Unlimited make for an entertaining read overall. I believe suspense fans will greatly enjoy this novel.
Davis Bunn
The movie version starring Fred Thompson releases October 11, 2013. Visit Davis Bunn's website here to learn more.
This book was provided by B&B Media and B&H Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.
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