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Soft Inheritance
Dr. Chamberlain Shay inherited his ancestors' memories. Two thousand years of shipwrecks, brothels, Irish slavery, romance, and gore are crammed into the spirals of his DNA. The memories bring Chamberlain notoriety as a historian and fame as an author, but they are destroying his mind. Chamberlain's ability to distinguish his own life from the tangle of his relatives' is growing weak.
Embarking on a synapses-bending ride through the harrowing history of his family, Chamberlain searches desperately for the cause of his mother's death and struggles with the tug of a love he desperately needs but must deny.
Soft Inheritance, C.E. O'Grady's debut novel, is a taut tale of compelling twists, deftly blending enlightening historical backdrops piqued with unforgettable characters. She landmarks her place in the literary world, presenting a touching, funny, and surprising thrill ride into the history and heart of a doomed man.
Embarking on a synapses-bending ride through the harrowing history of his family, Chamberlain searches desperately for the cause of his mother's death and struggles with the tug of a love he desperately needs but must deny.
Soft Inheritance, C.E. O'Grady's debut novel, is a taut tale of compelling twists, deftly blending enlightening historical backdrops piqued with unforgettable characters. She landmarks her place in the literary world, presenting a touching, funny, and surprising thrill ride into the history and heart of a doomed man.
218 pages, Paperback
Published June 14, 2016
2 people are currently reading
435 people want to read
About the author
C.E. O'Grady
3 books34 followers At nine years old C.E. O’Grady created her first comic, Baby Buckie, which followed the many adventures of a quick talking ladies man who sported a diaper and a black bow tie – the ideal attire for a 6 month old secrete agent. Her readership of two (Mom and Dad) gave it rave reviews, and they encouraged her to continue bringing her daydreams to life.
The years of Baby Buckie faded, but C.E.'s love for stories burned on. Her preteen years were spent immersed in words. Gulliver's Travels to The Genuine Works of Hippocrates, she read every book within in her reach. C.E. found her passion in words and soon began writing short stories.
Holding a deep interest in science, particularly in aquatic sciences, C.E. O'Grady completed her Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Biology and Chemistry. She also began a career as a fly fishing guide and freelance writer, but never lost her obsession for fiction. While many took notes in class, C.E. found her mind twisting the facts of science into stories. Thus, birthed her fascination with discredited science and her novel, Soft Inheritance.
The years of Baby Buckie faded, but C.E.'s love for stories burned on. Her preteen years were spent immersed in words. Gulliver's Travels to The Genuine Works of Hippocrates, she read every book within in her reach. C.E. found her passion in words and soon began writing short stories.
Holding a deep interest in science, particularly in aquatic sciences, C.E. O'Grady completed her Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Biology and Chemistry. She also began a career as a fly fishing guide and freelance writer, but never lost her obsession for fiction. While many took notes in class, C.E. found her mind twisting the facts of science into stories. Thus, birthed her fascination with discredited science and her novel, Soft Inheritance.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 19, 2017
I was really excited to read this book when I first heard about it. The idea behind soft inheritance has always intrigued me. It ended up being very original, and very thrilling to read. The book is about this Professor,(Chamberland Shay) and his families acquiring Jean-Baptiste Lamarck theory of soft inheritance, which is acquired characteristics inherited, in this case, each generation could relive the memories of the ancestors before them eventually causing them to lose track of all reality.
One problem that I had with it, was that it started off very slow. As the book went on, the better it became, and the harder it was to put down. The ending to Soft Inheritance was kind of abrupt, but that is one of the things that I love in my books! I really liked the details and personalities that C.E. O'Grady gave her characters. She made it very easy to connect to them and love them. There were a few parts of the book that made that made me cry. Overall I loved this book, and thought is was a fantastic read. I would have to give it a 5/5 star rating for how good it was. I would definitely go back and reread it.
One problem that I had with it, was that it started off very slow. As the book went on, the better it became, and the harder it was to put down. The ending to Soft Inheritance was kind of abrupt, but that is one of the things that I love in my books! I really liked the details and personalities that C.E. O'Grady gave her characters. She made it very easy to connect to them and love them. There were a few parts of the book that made that made me cry. Overall I loved this book, and thought is was a fantastic read. I would have to give it a 5/5 star rating for how good it was. I would definitely go back and reread it.
March 1, 2018
My original Soft Inheritance audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Author C. E. O'Grady and narrator Scott Allen bring to life a compelling and contemporary science fiction story of love, loss, and memories of past lives in “Soft Inheritance”. The book appears to be the first released by this author in audiobook format on Audible, and I will say it was quite enjoyable without overly complicating or weighing the story down in heavy biology or chemistry. I do not intend for this next portion to sound like a negative, but the book is more a romance story wrapped up in bits and pieces of pseudoscience. Although romance is not one of my preferred genres and science fiction is one of my favorites, I found the book captivating enough to listen to the end, and I’m glad I did. If you are one who enjoys science with some elements of history, flashbacks, and romance, I recommend you give this audiobook a listen.
For the most part, I found the writing style to be easy to comprehend and at times more young adult (YA) than I prefer. Some of this may have been due to a few of the more unique and quirky characters who seemed over-the-top at times. More often than not, this language style surfaced during the dialogue between specific characters. However, the author was able to quickly grab my attention and keep me engaged the whole way. I very much enjoyed the flashbacks and the secondary storyline they often brought to the book. Just from this, I could see a series of book written filling in all the details that were only skimmed over in the book. Here is one of the places the book’s narrator shined as he was able to not only voice the main characters but also maintain a decent Scottish accent reflecting the periods of flashbacks. I think what kept me coming back was that the author put a fair amount of rather emotional tragic events along the way making you wonder what will happen. Will there be romance? Will the main character live a life of solitude?
What would I have liked to have seen more or less of? Firstly, the movement from one scene to the next often seemed very abrupt. I did not get a good feeling of a transition when moving from one scene to the other. Secondly, I felt that at times the descriptions or details of a scene appeared a bit forced. I would have liked the imagery of the scene to be more smoothly and lightly painted allowing me to feel a part of the world the characters were involved in. I would have liked to have had more detail around the science and genetic aspects of the character and its debilitating effects. At times, I really felt the characters struggled with this fascinating but debilitating condition, and there are so many unknowns. It was like having to deal with an Alzheimer patient or other mental disorder. The author really did a good job of expressing both the positives and negatives of this genetic condition; it really is a curse and blessing wrapped into one. I would have enjoyed the book even more if the author had incorporated a bit more science into the story.
Scott Allen, who also narrated another book I reviewed, did an exceptional job with this book. As stated earlier, I felt he did an outstanding job with the many accents and characters portrayed in this book. There were a few slight blemishes in narrating the main female voice, however, this is a difficult task for a male having a deeper sound when narrating female voices. This does not impact the story in any way as long as you can put it behind you. I also did not notice any audio artifacts with volume, page turns or swallows while listening. I really enjoyed his rich voice of the main male character in this book. I look forward to future narrations by him.
For parents or younger readers. Note, this book contains a light amount of vulgar language and often used by the characters only during times of expression. However, there is some subject matter involving sex along with rather graphic episodes which may not be appropriate for younger readers. If you are troubled by any of the above, I would recommend you find a different book to listen too.
In summary, I enjoyed the book and its overarching premise. Even though I would have preferred to have more science than romance, the author makes it work in this book. I also enjoyed that the book was self-contained as it is getting more and more difficult to not get sucked into a series. I really feel there is more the author could expand upon and I would hope a second book based on the same path is in the works. If you pick it up and give it a listen, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author.
Author C. E. O'Grady and narrator Scott Allen bring to life a compelling and contemporary science fiction story of love, loss, and memories of past lives in “Soft Inheritance”. The book appears to be the first released by this author in audiobook format on Audible, and I will say it was quite enjoyable without overly complicating or weighing the story down in heavy biology or chemistry. I do not intend for this next portion to sound like a negative, but the book is more a romance story wrapped up in bits and pieces of pseudoscience. Although romance is not one of my preferred genres and science fiction is one of my favorites, I found the book captivating enough to listen to the end, and I’m glad I did. If you are one who enjoys science with some elements of history, flashbacks, and romance, I recommend you give this audiobook a listen.
For the most part, I found the writing style to be easy to comprehend and at times more young adult (YA) than I prefer. Some of this may have been due to a few of the more unique and quirky characters who seemed over-the-top at times. More often than not, this language style surfaced during the dialogue between specific characters. However, the author was able to quickly grab my attention and keep me engaged the whole way. I very much enjoyed the flashbacks and the secondary storyline they often brought to the book. Just from this, I could see a series of book written filling in all the details that were only skimmed over in the book. Here is one of the places the book’s narrator shined as he was able to not only voice the main characters but also maintain a decent Scottish accent reflecting the periods of flashbacks. I think what kept me coming back was that the author put a fair amount of rather emotional tragic events along the way making you wonder what will happen. Will there be romance? Will the main character live a life of solitude?
What would I have liked to have seen more or less of? Firstly, the movement from one scene to the next often seemed very abrupt. I did not get a good feeling of a transition when moving from one scene to the other. Secondly, I felt that at times the descriptions or details of a scene appeared a bit forced. I would have liked the imagery of the scene to be more smoothly and lightly painted allowing me to feel a part of the world the characters were involved in. I would have liked to have had more detail around the science and genetic aspects of the character and its debilitating effects. At times, I really felt the characters struggled with this fascinating but debilitating condition, and there are so many unknowns. It was like having to deal with an Alzheimer patient or other mental disorder. The author really did a good job of expressing both the positives and negatives of this genetic condition; it really is a curse and blessing wrapped into one. I would have enjoyed the book even more if the author had incorporated a bit more science into the story.
Scott Allen, who also narrated another book I reviewed, did an exceptional job with this book. As stated earlier, I felt he did an outstanding job with the many accents and characters portrayed in this book. There were a few slight blemishes in narrating the main female voice, however, this is a difficult task for a male having a deeper sound when narrating female voices. This does not impact the story in any way as long as you can put it behind you. I also did not notice any audio artifacts with volume, page turns or swallows while listening. I really enjoyed his rich voice of the main male character in this book. I look forward to future narrations by him.
For parents or younger readers. Note, this book contains a light amount of vulgar language and often used by the characters only during times of expression. However, there is some subject matter involving sex along with rather graphic episodes which may not be appropriate for younger readers. If you are troubled by any of the above, I would recommend you find a different book to listen too.
In summary, I enjoyed the book and its overarching premise. Even though I would have preferred to have more science than romance, the author makes it work in this book. I also enjoyed that the book was self-contained as it is getting more and more difficult to not get sucked into a series. I really feel there is more the author could expand upon and I would hope a second book based on the same path is in the works. If you pick it up and give it a listen, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author.
September 15, 2019
Fascinating premise and engaging story. I enjoyed it!
March 20, 2023
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I am actually really appreciative because the book got lost in the mail and the author was so nice and quick about sending me a new copy. I entered for the book because the premise sounded really interesting and different. The beginning of the book was a little slow but started to pick up as things went on. Towards the end of the book, things really started to come together quickly. There was more romance in this book than I was expecting but it ended up being incorporated tastefully into the story. I think my favorite character ended up being Briggy. He was not a main character but he was very amusing and the ending and what he did was unexpected. I did feel the book ended a little abruptly but I am ok with how things ended. The plot of this book was very original and I really enjoyed the elements of the story where Chamberlain lapses just because I liked seeing the events of the past. Upon finishing the book, I decided to give it 3.5 stars. It was pretty good and I enjoyed the story.
January 13, 2018
Oh wow, I absolutely loved this book. I found it so amazing, the idea of soft inheritance, that a family with a genetic mutation passes along this gene (father to son) that allows the son to experience all his ancestor's memories. The only thing I would say I was a bit iffy about was the dialogue. I thought some parts were a little strange and exaggerated how people would casually speak to one another. With that being said, there were many parts that I found hilarious and adorable and romantic.
I love history, and in the beginning when I was first introduced to this concept, I thought about how cool this would be, to experience countless time periods and observe how humans have developed in society over thousands of years. But this book showed the dark side to having all those memories, how a person could lose his own identity and confuse his own memories because he has been overwhelmed with his ancestors'. O'Grady has an incredible talent that really came through in the narrative of her writing. I found myself flipping page after page furiously, reading in the minutes before classes and during lunch, disappointed when I had to put it away for the time being, and whipping it out again in my spare time.
I love history, and in the beginning when I was first introduced to this concept, I thought about how cool this would be, to experience countless time periods and observe how humans have developed in society over thousands of years. But this book showed the dark side to having all those memories, how a person could lose his own identity and confuse his own memories because he has been overwhelmed with his ancestors'. O'Grady has an incredible talent that really came through in the narrative of her writing. I found myself flipping page after page furiously, reading in the minutes before classes and during lunch, disappointed when I had to put it away for the time being, and whipping it out again in my spare time.
February 9, 2023
Oh wow, I absolutely loved this book. I found it so amazing, the idea of soft inheritance, that a family with a genetic mutation passes along this gene (father to son) that allows the son to experience all his ancestor's memories. The only thing I would say I was a bit iffy about was the dialogue. I thought some parts were a little strange and exaggerated how people would casually speak to one another. With that being said, there were many parts that I found hilarious and adorable and romantic.
I love history, and in the beginning when I was first introduced to this concept, I thought about how cool this would be, to experience countless time periods and observe how humans have developed in society over thousands of years. But this book showed the dark side to having all those memories, how a person could lose his own identity and confuse his own memories because he has been overwhelmed with his ancestors'. O'Grady has an incredible talent that really came through in the narrative of her writing. I found myself flipping page after page furiously, reading in the minutes before classes and during lunch, disappointed when I had to put it away for the time being, and whipping it out again in my spare time.
I love history, and in the beginning when I was first introduced to this concept, I thought about how cool this would be, to experience countless time periods and observe how humans have developed in society over thousands of years. But this book showed the dark side to having all those memories, how a person could lose his own identity and confuse his own memories because he has been overwhelmed with his ancestors'. O'Grady has an incredible talent that really came through in the narrative of her writing. I found myself flipping page after page furiously, reading in the minutes before classes and during lunch, disappointed when I had to put it away for the time being, and whipping it out again in my spare time.
July 21, 2018
Great book!!
Loved every thing about this book! I know the author personally and she did not disappoint me! I read a lot of books and this a unique and great story.
Loved every thing about this book! I know the author personally and she did not disappoint me! I read a lot of books and this a unique and great story.
April 7, 2019
I love this book. It's very well written and has a lot of plot twists. The characters are easy to relate to and it's just an all-around fun and enjoyable read. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews