β Scribed by Gary Braver
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
SUMMARY:
Elixir is a novel poised, sometimes awkwardly, between the demands of philosophical speculation and those of hang-on-to-your-hats suspense. Gary Braver's biotech thriller takes as its premise the existence of a fountain of youth: when Chris Bacon, a dedicated medicinal chemist for Darby Pharmaceuticals, journeys to Papua, New Guinea, in search of "miracle drugs that grow on trees," he finds much more than the contraceptive plant steroids he was looking for. He discovers tabukari, the "forbidden flower of the long day"--a blossom with the power to prolong life. When his bosses, and other powerful and unsavory characters, discover that Chris has successfully synthesized a formula for immortality, the scientist and his family become the targets of a ruthless manhunt. What the bad guys don't know is that Chris didn't stop at injecting lab rats with his elixir; he is himself participating in a dangerous experiment. Braver effectively conveys both Chris's burning desire to test the fruits of his labor, and his wife's prophetic understanding that those fruits are far more lethal than anything Eve might have given Adam: They were silent for a long spell, and Laura felt the old anger burn itself through the sadness. Chris had brought this upon them himself. In a monumentally stupid act he had injected the stuff into his veins thirteen years ago and forever infected the very fabric of their lives. While she understood all the forces that had driven him to that act, she could never forgive him. More than anyone else alive he was able to foresee the consequences but had chosen to disregard them instead. And while she felt pity and compassion for him, there were moments she hated him for what he had done. In addition to metaphysical speculations on the social consequences of living forever, biotech thrillers demand action, suspense, car chases, villains, breathless pursuits, guns, meaningful glances--you name it, Braver provides it, and it's an unholy mess at times. His sense of plot is shaky, and the novel falters whenever it moves away from Chris and his family (and even they can become a bit tedious). But Elixir is more successful than the sum of these parts would seem to allow; in taking on the power of research and genetic manipulation, Braver has plugged into a hot topic, and he largely does it justice. --Kelly Flynn
π SIMILAR VOLUMES
When biologist Chris Bacon headed for the unspoiled rainforests of Papua New Guinea in search of medicinal plants, he had no idea that he would bring home a rare flower rumored by a tribal shaman to prevent human aging. Driven by fountain-of-youth dreams, he plans to turn the flower into an elixir o
SUMMARY: Elixir is a novel poised, sometimes awkwardly, between the demands of philosophical speculation and those of hang-on-to-your-hats suspense. Gary Braver's biotech thriller takes as its premise the existence of a fountain of youth: when Chris Bacon, a dedicated medicinal chemist for Darby P
SUMMARY: Elixir is a novel poised, sometimes awkwardly, between the demands of philosophical speculation and those of hang-on-to-your-hats suspense. Gary Braver's biotech thriller takes as its premise the existence of a fountain of youth: when Chris Bacon, a dedicated medicinal chemist for Darby P
Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea's
Aiden St. Delphi harΓ‘ cualquier cosa por salvar a Γlex. Incluso si eso significa hacer la ΓΊnica cosa de la que nunca serΓ‘ capaz de perdonarse. Incluso si significa ir a la guerra contra los dioses.
Clea é uma jovem rica e, com apenas dezessete anos, jÑ é uma famosa fotojornalista. Quando o pai desaparece, ela começa a perceber em suas fotos imagens de um homem que nunca viu antes, pelo qual sente uma conexão forte e instantÒnea. Qual a verdade secular oculta por trÑs dessa intensa ligação?