I read this 2006 book in 2022. It suffered in the intervening years. Crichton's predictions of genetic testing becoming commonplace with horrifying consequences for everyone have not come to pass, making the book sound even more hysterical than it did on release.
Our story includes several developed narratives: Rick Diehl trying to save his biotech company by controlling a patented gene line; Brad Gordon using a genetic defense against a rape accusation; Josh Winkler engaging a genetic treatment in unregulated human trials; Gerard the transgenic parrot with near-human communication; Dave the transgenic humanzee trying to pass as a child; and a literal talking orangutan.
These are punctuated with vignettes of bit players and sensational newspaper articles. The profusion of plot threads offer case studies so the author can make his arguments but the reader is throw wildly about this world with little reason to invest in the characters.
As for the characters, the majority are irredeemable jerkasses who are beset by problems of their own making. Brad wouldn't be fighting a (false) rape allegation if he hadn't made a practice of sleeping with married women and hadn't regularly creeped on teenage girls. Rick's business wouldn't be under threat if he hadn't overextended his resources in a legal gray area and then aggravated the people able to sue him. Henry wouldn't be in ethical jeopardy if he had properly documented his own work or even followed it up. Marty wouldn't be in trouble if he wasn't illegally selling tissues from cadavers.
All these people and more make greedy, dumb decisions and suffer the consequences. This undercuts the writer's point: if these characters weren't such absolute dunces on a page-to-page basis then there would be none of the hysterical dilemmas he depends on to make his case. The writer closes the book with his own opinions on how the technology should be regulated (twice - once in his own voice and again speaking through a judge's lengthy ruling) just in case the reader wants to avoid these nightmares. It's a moot point since the people making these unethical and/or criminal decisions would not be dissuaded by regulation anyway.
Adding a peripheral character who rapes babies with a micropenis would be in extremely poor taste regardless. Doing so solely to name that character after one of Crichton's critics is an outright trashy choice. Go read Jurassic Park again, it has the same themes and it's much better.
Literature Not Crichton's best work
CW: pedophilia
I read this 2006 book in 2022. It suffered in the intervening years. Crichton's predictions of genetic testing becoming commonplace with horrifying consequences for everyone have not come to pass, making the book sound even more hysterical than it did on release.
Our story includes several developed narratives: Rick Diehl trying to save his biotech company by controlling a patented gene line; Brad Gordon using a genetic defense against a rape accusation; Josh Winkler engaging a genetic treatment in unregulated human trials; Gerard the transgenic parrot with near-human communication; Dave the transgenic humanzee trying to pass as a child; and a literal talking orangutan. These are punctuated with vignettes of bit players and sensational newspaper articles. The profusion of plot threads offer case studies so the author can make his arguments but the reader is throw wildly about this world with little reason to invest in the characters.
As for the characters, the majority are irredeemable jerkasses who are beset by problems of their own making. Brad wouldn't be fighting a (false) rape allegation if he hadn't made a practice of sleeping with married women and hadn't regularly creeped on teenage girls. Rick's business wouldn't be under threat if he hadn't overextended his resources in a legal gray area and then aggravated the people able to sue him. Henry wouldn't be in ethical jeopardy if he had properly documented his own work or even followed it up. Marty wouldn't be in trouble if he wasn't illegally selling tissues from cadavers.
All these people and more make greedy, dumb decisions and suffer the consequences. This undercuts the writer's point: if these characters weren't such absolute dunces on a page-to-page basis then there would be none of the hysterical dilemmas he depends on to make his case. The writer closes the book with his own opinions on how the technology should be regulated (twice - once in his own voice and again speaking through a judge's lengthy ruling) just in case the reader wants to avoid these nightmares. It's a moot point since the people making these unethical and/or criminal decisions would not be dissuaded by regulation anyway.
Adding a peripheral character who rapes babies with a micropenis would be in extremely poor taste regardless. Doing so solely to name that character after one of Crichton's critics is an outright trashy choice. Go read Jurassic Park again, it has the same themes and it's much better.