Guest Post: Barbara Barnett unleashes The Apothecary’s Curse

Note: I admit being very surprised learning Barbara Barnett was publishing a sci fi novel, The Apothecary's Curse, coming Oct. 11. I knew her as one of the main motors who were at the helm of BlogCritics.org when I used to write for them. I not only reviewed her non-fiction history of TV’s House, M.D., I interviewed her about the book on online radio’s “Dave White Presents.”

While I haven’t read The Apothecary’s Curse yet myself, here’s what I’ve learned about it:

"Anne Rice meets Michael Crichton" in this genre-bending historical fantasy-thriller mixes alchemy and genetics as a doctor and an apothecary try to prevent a pharmaceutical company from exploiting the book that made them immortal centuries ago.

In Victorian London, the fates of physician Simon Bell and apothecary Gaelan Erceldoune entwine when Simon gives his wife an elixir created by Gaelan from an ancient manuscript. Meant to cure her cancer, it kills her. Suicidal, Simon swallows the remainder--only to find he cannot die.

Five years later, hearing rumors of a Bedlam inmate with regenerative powers like his own, Simon is shocked to discover it's Gaelan. The two men conceal their immortality, but the only hope of reversing their condition rests with Gaelan's missing manuscript.

When modern-day pharmaceutical company Transdiff Genomics unearths diaries describing the torture of Bedlam inmates, the company's scientists suspect a link between Gaelan and an unnamed inmate. Gaelan and Genomics geneticist Anne Shawe are powerfully drawn to each other, and her family connection to his manuscript leads to a stunning revelation. Will it bring ruin or redemption?

“Anne Rice meets Michael Crichton in this fever dream of a fantasy. . .will keep readers up well past their bedtime. Highly recommended!” —Jay Bonansinga, New York Times–bestselling author of The Walking Dead: Search and Destroy

“An irresistible blend of fairy folklore, science, and suspense that’s sure to keep you reading late into the night.” —Shanna Swendson, author of Enchanted, Inc.

“A new narrative world lovingly created with an Old World touch. . .” Jane Espenson, Writer/Producer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Once Upon a Time

“Myth, medicine, and immortality, braided together like the border of an illuminated manuscript.” —Doris Egan, screenwriter, novelist, and writer and co-executive producer of House

Pre-order from Amazon.com

Visit BarbaraBarnett.com