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Synergy
Miracle cure? Or deadly weapon? Cloning. Accelerated growth of replacement organs. DNA repair. In 2096, all are possible. And forbidden by law. Three people will defy these laws to save the life of eleven-year-old Zelimir, who will die a slow, painful death from a horrifying genetic disease. Zelimir’s father hires Torver Lockwood and Demetria Greyson to find a cure for his son. Both have a personal stake in this illegal research. A cure may help explain why Torver is able to see into people’s pasts and why Demetria has visions about a violent future. But, once developed, the solution could be used as a powerful weapon that can target specific genes. With the chance that the cure may fall into the wrong hands and start a new reign of terror, will Torver keep the secret to himself, at the cost of one small life?
314 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2007
5 people want to read
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October 23, 2014
An excellent SF thriller set in the not too distant future. It's a bleak world in many ways, well described in an economical fashion through the story rather than pages of description. There was just enough to let me draw my own pictures & conclusions. Perfect!
The realities of this future world are an interfering government, big business, & genetic moral issues. No one has a completely white hat, most wear shades of gray, but there are a few really well done bad guys. There is a para-psychological element that is interesting & plays a pivotal role, so it isn't just straight SF, but it is well done & seems quite possible.
The way the different characters are drawn together into the plot thread is really neat. Coincidence is used - or assumed - at first, but it becomes more than that, almost a destiny or fate. It's awesome to see how Benoit wove what is often a fantasy thread into the plot & she does it so well that it not only works, but just had to be - if that makes sense.
My biggest & only gripe with this tale was timing. Toward the end, there were genetic changes that went too fast. It was understandable, but still grated a bit.
I first read Benoit's Metered Space. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
& starts with A hard boiled PI meets the Twilight Zone, kind of. Our PI doesn't carry a gun, like Sam Spade, but when he falls for a dame, she's a tough cookie & he falls all the way, like Mike Hammer. Toss in dimensional space travel & a really smart, nasty villain & you have a fast paced, fun read...."
I mention this because this book was nothing like that. The difference in tones between the two books is very unusual in authors today & made me think of some of the great SF writers of the past - Harry Harrison, in this case. Not that Jack Meter of "Metered Space" bears a lot of resemblance to Harrison's Slippery Jim or Jason D'Anault(?), but this book does bear some resemblance to the world of Make Room! Make Room!. Anyway, I can't think of any higher praise for an author & am thrilled to see it today when the publishers seem determined to stick authors into pigeon holes.
The realities of this future world are an interfering government, big business, & genetic moral issues. No one has a completely white hat, most wear shades of gray, but there are a few really well done bad guys. There is a para-psychological element that is interesting & plays a pivotal role, so it isn't just straight SF, but it is well done & seems quite possible.
The way the different characters are drawn together into the plot thread is really neat. Coincidence is used - or assumed - at first, but it becomes more than that, almost a destiny or fate. It's awesome to see how Benoit wove what is often a fantasy thread into the plot & she does it so well that it not only works, but just had to be - if that makes sense.
My biggest & only gripe with this tale was timing. Toward the end, there were genetic changes that went too fast. It was understandable, but still grated a bit.
I first read Benoit's Metered Space. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
& starts with A hard boiled PI meets the Twilight Zone, kind of. Our PI doesn't carry a gun, like Sam Spade, but when he falls for a dame, she's a tough cookie & he falls all the way, like Mike Hammer. Toss in dimensional space travel & a really smart, nasty villain & you have a fast paced, fun read...."
I mention this because this book was nothing like that. The difference in tones between the two books is very unusual in authors today & made me think of some of the great SF writers of the past - Harry Harrison, in this case. Not that Jack Meter of "Metered Space" bears a lot of resemblance to Harrison's Slippery Jim or Jason D'Anault(?), but this book does bear some resemblance to the world of Make Room! Make Room!. Anyway, I can't think of any higher praise for an author & am thrilled to see it today when the publishers seem determined to stick authors into pigeon holes.
Displaying 1 of 1 review