false 84057 3 <I>Elixir</I> is a novel poised, sometimes awkwardly, between the demands of philosophical speculation and those of hang-on-to-your-hats suspense. Gary Braver's biotech thriller takes as its premise the existence of a fountain of youth: when Chris Bacon, a dedicated medicinal chemist for Darby Pharmaceuticals, journeys to Papua, New Guinea, in search of "miracle drugs that grow on trees," he finds much more than the contraceptive plant steroids he was looking for. He discovers <I>tabukari</I>, the "forbidden flower of the long day"--a blossom with the power to prolong life.<p> When his bosses, and other powerful and unsavory characters, discover that Chris has successfully synthesized a formula for immortality, the scientist and his family become the targets of a ruthless manhunt. What the bad guys don't know is that Chris didn't stop at injecting lab rats with his elixir; he is himself participating in a dangerous experiment. Braver effectively conveys both Chris's burning desire to test the fruits of his labor, and his wife's prophetic understanding that those fruits are far more lethal than anything Eve might have given Adam:<p> <blockquote>They were silent for a long spell, and Laura felt the old anger burn itself through the sadness. Chris had brought this upon them himself. In a monumentally stupid act he had injected the stuff into his veins thirteen years ago and forever infected the very fabric of their lives. While she understood all the forces that had driven him to that act, she could never forgive him. More than anyone else alive he was able to foresee the consequences but had chosen to disregard them instead. And while she felt pity and compassion for him, there were moments she hated him for what he had done.</blockquote><p> In addition to metaphysical speculations on the social consequences of living forever, biotech thrillers demand action, suspense, car chases, villains, breathless pursuits, guns, meaningful glances--you name it, Braver provides it, and it's an unholy mess at times. His sense of plot is shaky, and the novel falters whenever it moves away from Chris and his family (and even they can become a bit tedious). But <I>Elixir</I> is more successful than the sum of these parts would seem to allow; in taking on the power of research and genetic manipulation, Braver has plugged into a hot topic, and he largely does it justice. <I>--Kelly Flynn</I> 1326077 2000 Elixir total:36|5:7|4:11|3:9|2:7|1:2| 36 122 52 6 2 1 false false Wed Dec 03 17:32:02 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 03 17:33:28 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Jan 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 14:58:17 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 19:12:42 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Jun 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 09:35:40 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 09:37:31 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Mar 08 19:17:24 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 19:18:14 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jun 30 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Sat Apr 26 11:55:31 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 28 05:13:22 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Tue Aug 05 12:04:19 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 12:05:18 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Nov 07 12:27:17 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 12:27:17 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 23 12:09:08 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 12:09:08 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 09 11:24:36 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 11:24:42 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Sep 02 23:26:46 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 23:26:46 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Jan 20 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sat Aug 15 17:37:08 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 17:37:25 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Jul 12 21:14:58 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 12 21:14:58 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Mar 20 22:48:01 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 22:48:09 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Thu Feb 05 17:57:44 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 17:57:55 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jan 10 12:58:01 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 12:58:01 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2000 Sat Nov 29 13:22:50 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 13:22:50 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Sun Nov 02 21:42:55 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 02 21:42:55 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Fri Oct 24 08:29:46 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 08:29:46 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Oct 06 07:04:48 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 06 07:04:48 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Fri Sep 26 12:27:37 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 26 12:27:51 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=84057