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The Immortalists
What would you do to save the life of your child?
It’s a question microbiologist Richard Draman thought he’d answered when he walked away from his career to focus on curing a genetic defect that is causing his daughter to age at a wildly accelerated rate. But now he and his wife Carly are being forced to come to terms with the fact that eight-year-old Susie’s time is running out. Then they receive an unexpected gift: startling new research into the fundamental secrets of life that could be the miracle they’ve been looking for.
When Richard is arrested on a trumped-up charge of having stolen the data, he takes his family and runs, seeking out a retired special-forces operative and old friend to help dig up the truth behind the controversial experiments. Determined to either save Susie’s life or die trying, the Dramans plunge into a bloody conflict between two powerful factions vying for control of a discovery that could change the face of humanity.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2011
594 people are currently reading
1519 people want to read
About the author
Kyle Mills
33 books2,518 followersI grew up in Oregon but have lived all over—D.C., Virginia, Maryland, London,
Wyoming. My father was an FBI agent and I was a bureau kid, which is similar to being an army brat. You tend to spend your time with other bureau kids and get transferred around a lot, though, I fared better on that front than many others.
One positive aspect of this lifestyle is that you can’t help but absorb an enormous amount about the FBI, CIA, Special Forces, etc. Like most young boys, I was endlessly fascinated with talk of chasing criminals and, of course, pictured it in the most romantic terms possible. Who would have thought that all this esoteric knowledge would end up being so useful?
I came into writing from kind of a strange angle. When I graduated from college in the late eighties, I had the same dream as everyone else at the time—a corporate job, a nice car, and a house with lots of square footage.
It turns out that none of that really suited me. While I did go for the corporate job, I
drove a beat-up Jeep and lived in a tiny house in a so-so Baltimore neighborhood. Most of the money I made just kind of accumulated in my checking account and I found myself increasingly drawn to the unconventional, artistic people who lived around me. I was completely enamored with anyone who could create something from nothing because I felt like it was beyond me.
Enter rock climbing. I’d read an article on climbing when I was in college and thought it looked like an incredible thing to do. Someday, I told myself, I would give it a try. So one weekend in the early ’90s, I packed up my car, drove to West Virginia, and spent a
weekend taking lessons. Unknown to me at the time, this would be the start of an
obsession that still hangs with me today. I began dating a girl who liked to climb and we decided we wanted to live somewhere with taller rocks and more open space.
Moving to Wyoming was the best decision we ever made. The place is full of the most amazing people. You might meet someone on a bike ride and find out they were in the Olympics, or climbed Everest, or just got back from two months trekking in Nepal. In a roundabout way, it was these people who made it possible for me to write a novel. They seemed to have no limitations. Everything was possible for them and I wanted to be that type of person, too.
I was working for a little bank in Jackson Hole, spending my days making business loans and my afternoons and weekends climbing. For some reason, it finally occurred to me that I’d never actually tried to be creative. Maybe I could make something from nothing. Why not give it a shot?
My first bright idea was to learn to build furniture. That plan had some drawbacks, the most obvious of which being that I’m not very handy. It was my wife who suggested I write a novel. It seemed like a dumb idea, though, since I majored in finance and had spent my entire college career avoiding English courses like the plague. Having said that, I couldn’t completely shake the idea. Eventually, it nagged at me long enough that I felt compelled to put pen to paper. Eight months later, I finished Rising Phoenix and about a year after that I managed to get it published.
The success of Rising Phoenix and my subsequent books has allowed me to make my living as a writer, which isn’t bad work if you can get it. Other than that, my life hasn’t changed all that much. Aging elbows have forced me to replace climbing with backcountry skiing and mountain bike racing. I got the not-so-smart idea of restoring an old pickup to replace the dying Jeep. And, I still live in Wyoming...
Wyoming. My father was an FBI agent and I was a bureau kid, which is similar to being an army brat. You tend to spend your time with other bureau kids and get transferred around a lot, though, I fared better on that front than many others.
One positive aspect of this lifestyle is that you can’t help but absorb an enormous amount about the FBI, CIA, Special Forces, etc. Like most young boys, I was endlessly fascinated with talk of chasing criminals and, of course, pictured it in the most romantic terms possible. Who would have thought that all this esoteric knowledge would end up being so useful?
I came into writing from kind of a strange angle. When I graduated from college in the late eighties, I had the same dream as everyone else at the time—a corporate job, a nice car, and a house with lots of square footage.
It turns out that none of that really suited me. While I did go for the corporate job, I
drove a beat-up Jeep and lived in a tiny house in a so-so Baltimore neighborhood. Most of the money I made just kind of accumulated in my checking account and I found myself increasingly drawn to the unconventional, artistic people who lived around me. I was completely enamored with anyone who could create something from nothing because I felt like it was beyond me.
Enter rock climbing. I’d read an article on climbing when I was in college and thought it looked like an incredible thing to do. Someday, I told myself, I would give it a try. So one weekend in the early ’90s, I packed up my car, drove to West Virginia, and spent a
weekend taking lessons. Unknown to me at the time, this would be the start of an
obsession that still hangs with me today. I began dating a girl who liked to climb and we decided we wanted to live somewhere with taller rocks and more open space.
Moving to Wyoming was the best decision we ever made. The place is full of the most amazing people. You might meet someone on a bike ride and find out they were in the Olympics, or climbed Everest, or just got back from two months trekking in Nepal. In a roundabout way, it was these people who made it possible for me to write a novel. They seemed to have no limitations. Everything was possible for them and I wanted to be that type of person, too.
I was working for a little bank in Jackson Hole, spending my days making business loans and my afternoons and weekends climbing. For some reason, it finally occurred to me that I’d never actually tried to be creative. Maybe I could make something from nothing. Why not give it a shot?
My first bright idea was to learn to build furniture. That plan had some drawbacks, the most obvious of which being that I’m not very handy. It was my wife who suggested I write a novel. It seemed like a dumb idea, though, since I majored in finance and had spent my entire college career avoiding English courses like the plague. Having said that, I couldn’t completely shake the idea. Eventually, it nagged at me long enough that I felt compelled to put pen to paper. Eight months later, I finished Rising Phoenix and about a year after that I managed to get it published.
The success of Rising Phoenix and my subsequent books has allowed me to make my living as a writer, which isn’t bad work if you can get it. Other than that, my life hasn’t changed all that much. Aging elbows have forced me to replace climbing with backcountry skiing and mountain bike racing. I got the not-so-smart idea of restoring an old pickup to replace the dying Jeep. And, I still live in Wyoming...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
December 18, 2011
Rating: 2.375* of five
The Book Report: Progeria is a rare genetic disorder that causes the very young to age at a rate unimaginable to us normal folk. It is always fatal, and it can't even be ameliorated. It's a cruel, cruel disease, and since it's so extremely rare, no one in the drug industry cares enough to work on it, since there's not a profit to be made. (Typing that sentence made me nauseated.)
Researcher Richard Draman isn't one of those profit-driven asshats, because his daughter is a progeria sufferer. His old acquaintance Annette Chevalier, star geneticist and research superstar, kills herself suddlenly, and then her husband shows up on Richard's doorstep to give him a copy of all Annette's research. Which he takes, apparently without a qualm, and without thinking through what will inevitably occur since he's in possession of research conducted FOR someone BY someone neither of whom are him.
He then goes and shows the research to a shadowy figure from Annette's and his past, a man who was absolutely the top of the field, who **MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED** FOR TWENTY YEARS! I mean, this is as stupid as all those horror movie screamers who wear high heels for a walk in the forest. The dude DISAPPEARED and now reappears for no special reason? That should be a huge blinking red sign saying "stay away!" to a person who is in illegal possession of someone else's intellectual property.
Oh well, anyway, there's some other stuff that happens, and then the author got bored and slapped on an ending. It involves an idiotic reversal of fortune, and is more annoying to me than I can adequately express in words.
My Review: Great idea! Mediocre execution! HORRIBLE ending! Avoid like it has cooties!
The Book Report: Progeria is a rare genetic disorder that causes the very young to age at a rate unimaginable to us normal folk. It is always fatal, and it can't even be ameliorated. It's a cruel, cruel disease, and since it's so extremely rare, no one in the drug industry cares enough to work on it, since there's not a profit to be made. (Typing that sentence made me nauseated.)
Researcher Richard Draman isn't one of those profit-driven asshats, because his daughter is a progeria sufferer. His old acquaintance Annette Chevalier, star geneticist and research superstar, kills herself suddlenly, and then her husband shows up on Richard's doorstep to give him a copy of all Annette's research. Which he takes, apparently without a qualm, and without thinking through what will inevitably occur since he's in possession of research conducted FOR someone BY someone neither of whom are him.
He then goes and shows the research to a shadowy figure from Annette's and his past, a man who was absolutely the top of the field, who **MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED** FOR TWENTY YEARS! I mean, this is as stupid as all those horror movie screamers who wear high heels for a walk in the forest. The dude DISAPPEARED and now reappears for no special reason? That should be a huge blinking red sign saying "stay away!" to a person who is in illegal possession of someone else's intellectual property.
Oh well, anyway, there's some other stuff that happens, and then the author got bored and slapped on an ending. It involves an idiotic reversal of fortune, and is more annoying to me than I can adequately express in words.
My Review: Great idea! Mediocre execution! HORRIBLE ending! Avoid like it has cooties!
November 14, 2011
What would you give for the secret of immortality? What would anyone give? Microbiologist Richard Draman's aim wasn't that high. His daughter suffers from a rare genetic defect, commonly known as progeria, that causes rapid aging in children. They rarely live past twelve and his daughter was already eight. Things weren't going well when research lands in his hands, courtesy of a grieving husband, that shows promise. His scientist wife had committed suicide, only he didn't believe it. He wanted Richard to look at the research and see if it worth committing murder. He agreed even though he believed the man was just grasping at straws.
He was astounded at what he read. This was something that might work to help victims of progeria. He takes it to a fellow scientist and shortly after his home is invaded by police, he's accused of industrial espionage. Suddenly the idea that the woman had been murdered seemed a bit more possible.
Then all doubt was removed when Richard was coming back from a late night run and prevents a man from murdering his daughter. The fellow has a gun and a syringe and by luck more than anything he injects the man with the syringe contents. The fellow escapes, Richard sees the syringe fall from the man's thigh as he calls the police. The police claim to find no syringe and seem more interested in proving Richard guilty of the attempt for the life insurance.
That's when he packs up the family and the three of them go on the run. They don't know who to trust, who to go to for help, so Richard reaches into his past for a man he hasn't sen in a dozen years, a man he barely knows, a man who professes to owe him a favor for his efforts to save the man's cancer-ridden wife.
A powerful cabal is after them and their only help is a retired government agent, hell on wheels in his day, but long past his prime.
How can he avoid these people? How can he learn what they so desperately want to keep secret? How can he help his daughter whose has only a few more years to live at best?
A fast moving thriller whose on sale date is December 6th.
Recommended.
He was astounded at what he read. This was something that might work to help victims of progeria. He takes it to a fellow scientist and shortly after his home is invaded by police, he's accused of industrial espionage. Suddenly the idea that the woman had been murdered seemed a bit more possible.
Then all doubt was removed when Richard was coming back from a late night run and prevents a man from murdering his daughter. The fellow has a gun and a syringe and by luck more than anything he injects the man with the syringe contents. The fellow escapes, Richard sees the syringe fall from the man's thigh as he calls the police. The police claim to find no syringe and seem more interested in proving Richard guilty of the attempt for the life insurance.
That's when he packs up the family and the three of them go on the run. They don't know who to trust, who to go to for help, so Richard reaches into his past for a man he hasn't sen in a dozen years, a man he barely knows, a man who professes to owe him a favor for his efforts to save the man's cancer-ridden wife.
A powerful cabal is after them and their only help is a retired government agent, hell on wheels in his day, but long past his prime.
How can he avoid these people? How can he learn what they so desperately want to keep secret? How can he help his daughter whose has only a few more years to live at best?
A fast moving thriller whose on sale date is December 6th.
Recommended.
January 12, 2012
I would give this 5 stars for the originality of the concept and 3 stars for the execution. The thriller genre seems to cause authors to flesh out their story with improbable daring do. In this case, he has avoided the worst examples of the genre but does so by often just leaving gaps in the story. The "how did they get from there to here" is often not answered. But, the story moves along and it is an easy book to read.
Here we follow the story of Richard Draman who is working to cure his daughter's progeria - a genetic disease causing the early onset of aging. When some research is shared with him that could reveal clues to a cure, he is confronted with a group that wants to suppress the research by eliminating anyone aware of the details.
As with all good fiction, the author shares some insights on the disease, on the implications of immortality, and on those who consider themselves somehow separate from the rest of us.
Another low cost offering from Amazon that is worth the price.
Here we follow the story of Richard Draman who is working to cure his daughter's progeria - a genetic disease causing the early onset of aging. When some research is shared with him that could reveal clues to a cure, he is confronted with a group that wants to suppress the research by eliminating anyone aware of the details.
As with all good fiction, the author shares some insights on the disease, on the implications of immortality, and on those who consider themselves somehow separate from the rest of us.
Another low cost offering from Amazon that is worth the price.
December 27, 2011
A preposterous plot from beginning to end with virtually no twists (beyond one utterly predictable one about one-third of the way through). Unfortunately, the first few scenes were quite good--beginning with the killing of a biologist, the shift in scene to another biologist and his 8 year-old daughter with progenia (which manifests itself as rapid, premature aging), and the handover of the first biologists thumb drive. But then a massive almost parody of a Dr. Evil global conspiracy starts chasing him--complete with a hidden Pacific island lair of the evil mastermind, an eccentric billionaire who also has his own private army, and people who dispatch armies to kill people left and right if they have the slightest connection to the fleeing biologist. All centering around a drug that is meant to reverse the aging process, making someone young and immortal. The chapters are rapid fire, short and action-filled, so in a sense it is a page turner, just a deeply dissatisfying one.
April 21, 2018
I read the wrong The Immortalists 😂😭
March 6, 2012
The plot and characters were okay, the writing competent, but nothing inspired or particularly thoughtful. I'm certain I'll forget everything about it tomorrow.
June 1, 2016
Nothing interesting, nor redeeming in this story. 1 of 10 stars
October 14, 2014
This is a "light" read. Good guys, bad guys, innocents caught in the middle, good plot, a little far fetched in spots, but entertaining.
November 20, 2011
Internationally-respected microbiologist Dr. Richard Draman is working on a cure for an extremely rare disease: progeria, a genetic disorder that causes premature aging and early death. Despite facing a lack of funding and general public interest, Draman strives to eradicate this hideous disease. The reason: his daughter, Susie, has the disorder.
After a brilliant female colleague dies of an apparent suicide, Draman is handed the details of her work-in-progress by her widower, who is convinced his wife did not commit suicide; but rather she was killed off for delving into areas of work that somebody wanted kept quiet. Shortly after viewing his colleague's fascinating research, Draman reasonably suspects he and his family are no longer safe, and is also convinced someone, or some group, is working to shutdown Draman's operation. And thus begins a cat-and-mouse chase, and race against time to save his daughter.
The Immortalists is a cut and dry medical thriller, with stock characters (including rival billionaires with unlimited power and resources) and a familiar story arc. The novel is well-paced, the dialogue natural and the action just intriguing enough to keep one turning the pages, but ultimately there is nothing new here. The Immortalists is slightly better than the medical thrillers of Robin Cook, though far shy of the works of Michael Crichton.
If you're looking for a quick read that will keep your attention long enough to pass a few hours, The Immortalists will certainly fill that need. Otherwise, you're better off passing on this one and seeking a thrill elsewhere.
After a brilliant female colleague dies of an apparent suicide, Draman is handed the details of her work-in-progress by her widower, who is convinced his wife did not commit suicide; but rather she was killed off for delving into areas of work that somebody wanted kept quiet. Shortly after viewing his colleague's fascinating research, Draman reasonably suspects he and his family are no longer safe, and is also convinced someone, or some group, is working to shutdown Draman's operation. And thus begins a cat-and-mouse chase, and race against time to save his daughter.
The Immortalists is a cut and dry medical thriller, with stock characters (including rival billionaires with unlimited power and resources) and a familiar story arc. The novel is well-paced, the dialogue natural and the action just intriguing enough to keep one turning the pages, but ultimately there is nothing new here. The Immortalists is slightly better than the medical thrillers of Robin Cook, though far shy of the works of Michael Crichton.
If you're looking for a quick read that will keep your attention long enough to pass a few hours, The Immortalists will certainly fill that need. Otherwise, you're better off passing on this one and seeking a thrill elsewhere.
February 25, 2012
The Immortalists is my first book by Kyle Mills. I chose this one first (even though he's better known for his "pure" spy-thrillers) because I was curious about the medical aspect of this novel. In it, the protagonist is a "genius" scientist whose daughter has a very rare genetic disease that he sets out to cure, while also trying to figure out why other scientists studying similar diseases are being killed off. Because I'm not comparing The Immortalists to Mills' other works, I can say that I found it very engrossing—quite the page-turner; some reviewers feel it's less so than his other works. Mills' writing is high-level and pure; it never gets in the way of the story. He is a very good writer with superior story-telling abilities.
This book is definitely plot-driven, which comes as no surprise. The flip side of that is that the storyline gives way to the plot. Meaning, I felt a few of the elements of the story were far-fetched (e.g., the parents leave their sick daughter in the hands of a man they barely know). That being said, the parents' decisions were based on brilliant reasoning—well thought out ideas by the author. They also escape billionaire bad guys one too many times for credibilities' sake... but, they had to, right?
I really liked the ending of the book. It was logical, believable, and satisfying.
Four Stars.
This book is definitely plot-driven, which comes as no surprise. The flip side of that is that the storyline gives way to the plot. Meaning, I felt a few of the elements of the story were far-fetched (e.g., the parents leave their sick daughter in the hands of a man they barely know). That being said, the parents' decisions were based on brilliant reasoning—well thought out ideas by the author. They also escape billionaire bad guys one too many times for credibilities' sake... but, they had to, right?
I really liked the ending of the book. It was logical, believable, and satisfying.
Four Stars.
April 30, 2016
If you leave your incredulity at the door, this far-fetched biomedical thriller is a fine, quick read. Evil, greedy billionaires who want to live forever pitted against a humble scientist who just wants to save his fatally ill daughter.
March 10, 2022
Meant to check out the *other* Immortalists, but this book wasn’t too bad to read while on a plane
August 20, 2024
Read halfway before I realized I was reading the wrong book. It was not great.
December 20, 2011
I bought this book for 99p to read on my computer as I don't yet have a Kindle. I figured at that low price even if it was hopeless at least I hadn't wasted too much money. But my goodness what a rip roaring read. I finished the book in little over a day and a half - which is pretty extraordinary for me as I am quite a slow reader. I didn't want to go to bed last night even though it was getting late, just because I was enjoying it so much, (and if I had a Kindle or something else to read it on, I doubt I would have stopped reading at that point, but at least would have been in the comfort of my bed). There was one tiny moment or irritation near the beginning of the book where Richard was putting together all the nasty little events that had happened, but Carly was trying to explain them away, but thank goodness the author did not pursue that line for any longer than that moment. I really hate when central characters can't make the leap that the readers can. I found myself reading leisurely until the action heated up and then I couldn't read the words fast enough. It has been a really long time since I got a book that I simply couldn't put down and I can't recommend it highly enough. As another reviewer has already said, it would be marvellous if the rest of Kyle Mills' books could be transferred into Kindle editions. Well done Mr Mills - a fabulous read.
March 23, 2012
Here is a book that is a medical thriller that will have you asking questions of yourself.
I was to of won this and did so want to read, but had not received this. Saw it at the library and picked it up to read. Glad I did.
We find Richard Drama who is a brilliant microbiologist who has a personal reason for finding a cure. He is desperate to find a cure for a rare disease that his young daughter has. She has the aging disease that is making her age faster then her years.
Most children with this rare disease don't make it to twelve and she is already eight. He is fighting time, money and the lack of equipment to do the research that he wants. Suddenly he is given the chance to find a cure. The husband of a researcher who has committed suicide has come to him with her and givens it him, but he wants to know was this worth committing suicide over.
Richard finds suddenly his life and his daughters are at risk as he works on this research and is getting closer to a break through. People are after him and his daughter and will not stop till they are dead, but why.
The question to this is how much would you risk to find the cure. Also why would someone risk everything to stop you from finding the cure
and want it kept a secret.
The book was ok but I did find at times it was slow reading but stuck it out. Wanted to find out what happened.
I was to of won this and did so want to read, but had not received this. Saw it at the library and picked it up to read. Glad I did.
We find Richard Drama who is a brilliant microbiologist who has a personal reason for finding a cure. He is desperate to find a cure for a rare disease that his young daughter has. She has the aging disease that is making her age faster then her years.
Most children with this rare disease don't make it to twelve and she is already eight. He is fighting time, money and the lack of equipment to do the research that he wants. Suddenly he is given the chance to find a cure. The husband of a researcher who has committed suicide has come to him with her and givens it him, but he wants to know was this worth committing suicide over.
Richard finds suddenly his life and his daughters are at risk as he works on this research and is getting closer to a break through. People are after him and his daughter and will not stop till they are dead, but why.
The question to this is how much would you risk to find the cure. Also why would someone risk everything to stop you from finding the cure
and want it kept a secret.
The book was ok but I did find at times it was slow reading but stuck it out. Wanted to find out what happened.
November 20, 2011
A story about people trying to live forever. It starts slow, I almost didn't really get how the author could derive a thriller from the story, but then it built up to the point that I had to stay up late to finish it. It's good for what it is, like a summer read, a thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat. It didn't seem too realistic at first, but that passes. The good guys are good and the bad are very bad and they have a lot of money. The good guys were very lucky that they had an old soldier to help them, but his character wasn't developed much. Actually none of the characters were developed much, which will keep this book as fun, and I could read it again, but it's not a classic. A great airplane or beach read.
January 17, 2012
Wow, this book was great!! It was filled with twists, turns, and the adventure kept on coming. I admit both Susie and Carly got on my nerves at times, but they were great characters. I loved Richard's dogged determination, even in the face of impossible odds. Seeger, the old soldier, was another great character with both smarts and determination, who found a new lease on life with the vague friends who invaded his life. Xander, Karl and Oleg all were decidely dark and evil villains who played their roles perfectly. (lol)
In the end, everyone learned that you ultimately can't cheat your future. It gets you one way or the other. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others!!
In the end, everyone learned that you ultimately can't cheat your future. It gets you one way or the other. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others!!
February 27, 2012
I was disappointed in this book; Kyle Mills is one of the best contemporary thriller writers in the business and this one just wasn't all that great. The theme was typical for him - out of the box and thought-provoking - but the adventure was more Hollywood than a good tale. I can actually see this book being made into a decent summer blockbuster, but that doesn't necessarily make it a great read.
All that being said, this wasn't a bad book by any stretch; it is that I have come to expect a lot from this exceptionally talented author. I haven't had the opportunity to review Mills since I joined goodreads and I do highly recommend his previous books; especially his first two novels.
All that being said, this wasn't a bad book by any stretch; it is that I have come to expect a lot from this exceptionally talented author. I haven't had the opportunity to review Mills since I joined goodreads and I do highly recommend his previous books; especially his first two novels.
February 12, 2012
I loved this book. It's a thriller in all aspects. It kept me reading into the night.
A Microbiologist and his wife, have a very ill daughter. She is aging at an alarming rate
due to her rare disease. When someone turns over research to them that is cutting age, and
may either help or cure their daughter they are elated. But, then they learn that people
are hunting them, and all who were connected with the research and being murdered. Thus
they enlist the help of an old friend, a retired Special Forces individual who will stop
at nothing while protecting their daughter from those that want her dead.
VERY good!!!!
A Microbiologist and his wife, have a very ill daughter. She is aging at an alarming rate
due to her rare disease. When someone turns over research to them that is cutting age, and
may either help or cure their daughter they are elated. But, then they learn that people
are hunting them, and all who were connected with the research and being murdered. Thus
they enlist the help of an old friend, a retired Special Forces individual who will stop
at nothing while protecting their daughter from those that want her dead.
VERY good!!!!
December 28, 2013
I quite enjoyed the first half of this thriller - a scientist (Richard Draman - better remember the lead character's name! Oh, don't worry, most chapters start with a recap of his name in case you've forgotten from the previous paragraph) working on a cure for progeria being drawn into a web of industrial espionage, genetic craziness and shady groups with power over seemingly everything. But about halfway through it just got a bit silly which I suppose was inevitable but I found myself wondering whether "Kyle Mills" was a pseudonym for Dan Brown. Quite a romp but not strong enough for me to bother with anything else from this author.
July 14, 2013
This book was the first Kyle Mills I have read. I liked this easy to read thriller. It was the perfect summertime read - fast paced, small chapters with interesting characters. I liked the central idea of creating a serum that would reverse the affects of aging. It did lead to some interesting moral questions that added to the interest of the book. I did like the way the story ended as well. I would not hesitate to pick up another Kyle Mills book.
May 28, 2014
I'd had my eye on this book for awhile. The premise sounded interesting, but I found the book as an average suspense-thriller. Perhaps I've read two too many conspiracy/genetic/power-corrupt books before I found this one - but I found it lacking. Yes, there is action and it wraps up nice enough. I'd give this much higher marks if I was a young adult or new to the overall story/feel.
December 20, 2011
A random recommendation from Amazon that turned out to be a good read.
November 15, 2015
A fast-paced action thriller with as many cliffhangers as a U.S. TV drama and as many twists as Tales of the Unexpected. An addictive read.
Want to read
July 11, 2018In NY's Lower East side in 1969, the 4 Gold children seek the date of their death from a fortune-teller they have heard about. Somehow, that fortune shapes the rest of each of their lives.
The book is basically told in the 4 voices--from the perspective of each of the children: Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon--with a bit about the parents, particularly the mother Gertie (Saul dies early) over five decades. (BTW, I find Gertie to be an annoying character!)
How would you live your life if you knew when you would die? Would knowing your date of demise change how you lived?
Rife with SPOILERS. Do not read beyond:
The numbers indicate the order of the story parts (the reverse of their positions in the family)...
4. Varya, the eldest, set to die at 88, becomes a scientist. She has OCD. She is reclusive and attached particularly to a monkey in her study to the point of rescuing Frieda from dying due to the restrictive diet imposed on the monkey group of which the monkey is part. Varya later meets briefly with the son she had and gave up for adoption. The father was a visiting prof from the UK, who wasn't interested in the boy at all. This part about Luke may have added to Varya's story and helped to explain part of her cutting out personal relationships, but I thought it was unnecessary. Varya had named him Solomon, but his adoptive family called him Luke.
3. Daniel, second eldest set to die at 48, becomes a military doctor and marries Mira. He becomes obsessed with confronting the gypsy who seems to have controlled all their lives. He feels guilty because he is the one who pressed the others to save their allowances and go to the fortune-teller. He dies at the hands of FBI seeking her on fraud charges.
2. Klara, the third child with 32 as her death age, has always sought to know magic. She and her husband Raj (daughter Ruby) develop a Las Vegas magic acrobatic act in the 1990's. Klara commits suicide on the date given her. After Klara's death, Raj and Ruby carry on the act, although Ruby also goes to UCLA, her dream.
1. Simon, the youngest, the golden son, has the age of 20 as his death. He goes with Klara to San Francisco's the Castro, where he becomes part of the gay scene as a dancer at a night club. His boyfriend is Robert. Who sees him through AIDS in the late 1970's and 1980's unto Simon's death, just before the drug cocktail becomes widely available. Simon dies on the date his death was predicted. This part was perhaps more graphic than it needed to be about male gay sex.
The book is basically told in the 4 voices--from the perspective of each of the children: Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon--with a bit about the parents, particularly the mother Gertie (Saul dies early) over five decades. (BTW, I find Gertie to be an annoying character!)
How would you live your life if you knew when you would die? Would knowing your date of demise change how you lived?
Rife with SPOILERS. Do not read beyond:
The numbers indicate the order of the story parts (the reverse of their positions in the family)...
4. Varya, the eldest, set to die at 88, becomes a scientist. She has OCD. She is reclusive and attached particularly to a monkey in her study to the point of rescuing Frieda from dying due to the restrictive diet imposed on the monkey group of which the monkey is part. Varya later meets briefly with the son she had and gave up for adoption. The father was a visiting prof from the UK, who wasn't interested in the boy at all. This part about Luke may have added to Varya's story and helped to explain part of her cutting out personal relationships, but I thought it was unnecessary. Varya had named him Solomon, but his adoptive family called him Luke.
3. Daniel, second eldest set to die at 48, becomes a military doctor and marries Mira. He becomes obsessed with confronting the gypsy who seems to have controlled all their lives. He feels guilty because he is the one who pressed the others to save their allowances and go to the fortune-teller. He dies at the hands of FBI seeking her on fraud charges.
2. Klara, the third child with 32 as her death age, has always sought to know magic. She and her husband Raj (daughter Ruby) develop a Las Vegas magic acrobatic act in the 1990's. Klara commits suicide on the date given her. After Klara's death, Raj and Ruby carry on the act, although Ruby also goes to UCLA, her dream.
1. Simon, the youngest, the golden son, has the age of 20 as his death. He goes with Klara to San Francisco's the Castro, where he becomes part of the gay scene as a dancer at a night club. His boyfriend is Robert. Who sees him through AIDS in the late 1970's and 1980's unto Simon's death, just before the drug cocktail becomes widely available. Simon dies on the date his death was predicted. This part was perhaps more graphic than it needed to be about male gay sex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2019
It’s a question microbiologist Richard Draman thought he’d answered when he walked away from his career to focus on curing a genetic defect that is causing his daughter to age at a wildly accelerated rate. But now he and his wife Carly are being forced to come to terms with the fact that eight-year-old Susie’s time is running out. Then they receive an unexpected gift: startling new research into the fundamental secrets of life that could be the miracle they’ve been looking for.
When Richard is arrested on a trumped-up charge of having stolen the data, he takes his family and runs, seeking out a retired special-forces operative and old friend to help dig up the truth behind the controversial experiments. Determined to either save Susie’s life or die trying, the Dramans plunge into a bloody conflict between two powerful factions vying for control of a discovery that could change the face of humanity.
When Richard is arrested on a trumped-up charge of having stolen the data, he takes his family and runs, seeking out a retired special-forces operative and old friend to help dig up the truth behind the controversial experiments. Determined to either save Susie’s life or die trying, the Dramans plunge into a bloody conflict between two powerful factions vying for control of a discovery that could change the face of humanity.
November 24, 2019
This is a book I judged by its cover‐-and title. I don't like to read synopses or reviews before reading a book as I feel they inform my impressions a little to much. This book looked a little spooky and otherworldly, so I thought why not give it a shot?
It is neither spooky or otherworldly. This is a straightforward medical thriller focusing on a researcher and the bioethics of anti-aging drugs. I wasn't thrilled with the discovery that it was so far from what I assumed, but, after a while, I got into it. There's lots of explosions, gunplay, and hand-to-hand fighting, with some fairly predictable plot twists.
If you enjoy spy novels, or even just an occasional drift into pure escapist fiction, this book might be for you.
It is neither spooky or otherworldly. This is a straightforward medical thriller focusing on a researcher and the bioethics of anti-aging drugs. I wasn't thrilled with the discovery that it was so far from what I assumed, but, after a while, I got into it. There's lots of explosions, gunplay, and hand-to-hand fighting, with some fairly predictable plot twists.
If you enjoy spy novels, or even just an occasional drift into pure escapist fiction, this book might be for you.
February 27, 2025
A research scientist with a daughter who is terminally ill, comes across some new research that could change the industry. This research could quell all terminal disease diseases and possibly lead to human immortality. Unfortunately, a few rich and powerful people want to keep this research to themselves. They will stop at nothing including taking care of anyone in their way to keep this research from coming the light.
Solid plot line, even if a number of the main points were predictable. This was a fun lesson that kept moving and kept you engaged. While the characters were not overly complex, they fit the storyline well
Not my favorite Kyle Mills novel, but well worth a listen to read. May be a little dated, but I am still enjoyed it thoroughly.
Solid plot line, even if a number of the main points were predictable. This was a fun lesson that kept moving and kept you engaged. While the characters were not overly complex, they fit the storyline well
Not my favorite Kyle Mills novel, but well worth a listen to read. May be a little dated, but I am still enjoyed it thoroughly.
June 18, 2017
This was a surprise book, bestowed upon me by (who else?) my dad. I was not excited about this book until I had read about half of it. I didn't really like the protagonist, but he sorta redeemed himself by actually being a sort of badass. I didn't really like the way it ended, a little too perfect.... But, on the whole, a good read, an enjoyable enough story. If you're interested in science, aging, anti-aging measures,and what big business/pharmacies would do with that info - then this book is for you! If that sounds terrible, avoid this book!!
September 6, 2019
The Immortalists kyle Mills
Immorality. Not really what it's cracked up to be. A brilliant scientist, a renowned researcher and his wife a chef, have a seriously ill daughter. The cure for her is hopelessly caught up in the evil hands of men who want it for themselves and a few others. Not to ever be available to the rest of humanity. This is an incredible and a believable scenario. Sometimes though, the least likely of people will come to realize that humanity can be better served them his own selfish motives. I highly recommend this book! Enjoyed immensely!
Immorality. Not really what it's cracked up to be. A brilliant scientist, a renowned researcher and his wife a chef, have a seriously ill daughter. The cure for her is hopelessly caught up in the evil hands of men who want it for themselves and a few others. Not to ever be available to the rest of humanity. This is an incredible and a believable scenario. Sometimes though, the least likely of people will come to realize that humanity can be better served them his own selfish motives. I highly recommend this book! Enjoyed immensely!
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