ok, here's the thing... at first i didn't think i was going to like this book that much. it seems a bit pretentious, especially the opening few paragraphs. its obvious they were meant to grab you and throw you into a world. and it works, only maybe you're not so sure its a world you care to explore. but here's the thing: i just kept reading and reading. it was engaging enough to keep me up all night just to see where things were going to go. its a bit like an episode of 'er' with flashbacks to 'the sopranos.' maybe i've done a poor job expressing myself. maybe this is a guilty pleasure book. but i did learn things about the human body from this book. its like getting educated while you're mindlessly entertained. since i gave it 4 stars -- mainly for entertainment value -- i obviously liked it. my best advice is to pick it up and get through the first chapter or 2. if it doesn't grab you by then, it won't.