The true father of radio, and the inventor of fluorescent lighting, remote control, and robotics, Nikola Tesla (1856-1942) opened the door to the modern world. Now, in the tradition of Ragtime, a vibrant and compelling historical novel about the bizarre and tragic life of one of the great scientific minds of all time. Nikola Tesla walked into Edison's laboratory in 1884 with the dream of changing the world from Edison's DC power to his own, yet-to-be-invented AC. The men hated each other, especially after Tesla's AC, with the help of George Westinghouse, won the Niagra Falls competition to generate hydroelectric power. Destined to succeed wildly and fail spectacularly throughout his life, Tesla nonetheless could rightly claim the title of "one of the world's greatest inventors." Radio, robotics, solar cells, X-ray generators, and sonar and fluorescent lighting all were products of his genius. Such genius, however, cannot explain his bizarre personal habits, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and harsh treatment of employees. This complex man receives fawning treatment and scant analysis in this first novel. More appropriate in tone and scope for a YA audience, it lacks the creativity and vitality of its subject and will disappoint readers of serious biography or historical fiction. Paul E. Hutchison, Bellefonte, Pa. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. An absorbing but ultimately unsatisfying fictionalized biography of the true father of radio and inventor of fluorescent lighting, remote control, and robotics. Nikola Tesla was the ideal American immigrant: energetic, determined, and brilliant. After working briefly for Edison, he became the resident genius at Westinghouse, churning out patent after patent, inventing neon, radar, and possibly a death ray that may have been the early forerunner of the Strategic Defense Initiative (aka Star Wars). Wise's first novel both obscures and clarifies its subject. The author acknowledges his debt to Tesla's five biographers, but he could profitably have taken a little more liberty with the known facts. Wise tantalizingly dangles ideas about certain aspects of the inventor's personality--hinting that Tesla's lifelong celibacy may have been due to underlying homosexuality, for example--but never even theorizes about such crucial matters as his belief in the merits of sleep deprivation, his psychic and hypnotic abilities, and his efforts to communicate with extraterrestrials. These exotic practices resulted in the once celebrated and wealthy Tesla spending his last days hounded by the FBI, roosting in a seedy hotel with hundreds of pigeons. Wise's gifts as a novelist are many. He brings to life an assortment of characters, from Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to Stanford White, J.P. Morgan, and Mark Twain. He captures Tesla's sharp hunger to succeed both as an artist of invention and as a member of New York City's social elite. What he doesn't capture are the psychological forces that drove this complex man. The perfect gift for a bright 12-year-old: a colorful, eventful life with most of the sex and all of the religious torment left out. Adults may want to look for a good biography instead. (First printing of 25,000) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Used Book in Good Condition