In the tradition of Robin Cook and Richard Preston, Alan Nayes has written an absorbing, terrifying novel about what happens when human beings have the ability to save their own lives – but only by changing the face of humanity. Brilliant pre-med student Amoreena Daniels needs money. Desperately. Her mother is dying of cancer and her medical insurance has run out. When a seemingly perfect women's clinic offers Amoreena a generous payment for service as a surrogate mother, Amoreena thinks her prayers have been answered. But then -- much too early -- her baby begins to move. The strange dreams, another surrogate's mysterious death, and a drug-addicted former medical intern confirm Amoreena's worst there is something terribly wrong with her pregnancy. Amoreena embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth behind the endless battery of genetic tests, sonograms, and frightened patients, only to discover that she has unwittingly become a pawn in a high-stakes game of biomedical experimentation.
This isn't the genre I usually like but I decided to take a chance. I really enjoyed this book. The main character was faced with a lot of issues but you found yourself pulling for this strong woman. One of the things I really liked about this is that the whole book you knew something was amiss. You had your suspicions. You had your ideas. But the problem was never revealed until almost the end. I liked that it kept me guessing (maybe it's not that...maybe it's this, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right). I liked that suspense. I also liked that it gave me food for thought...could this be what medical technology is coming to? It could be a good thing. But it could be a nightmare. Also made me think what medical advancements are out there that we know nothing about. Hmmm......
Amoreena needs money fast to pay her mother's medical bills when suddenly she is offered an opportunity that seems too good to be true. A thriller that touches on the ethics of genetic modification.
Medical science gone wild! Amazing story, well written with adequate character development. There is a lot of action, many twists and turns with a fair number of them unexpected. The priniciple character is extremely likable and the primary focus of this story. The premes of the story is very believable. This is a medical thriller and I hope its only fiction! My primary criticism is the author over did the clinical/medical details which often were to detailed for the non-clinical reader. Although this is book 1 of a trilogy, it is a complete book and no cliff hanger ending which I really appreciated.
Worth the read, it will keep you sitting at the edge of your seat and I have to admit I am deep into book 2.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I got sucked in right away. Amoreena was a wonderful character smart, beautiful, caring and strong. I was surprised at the twist this story took. The author does an amazing job of making you care about the character and their outcomes. I look forward to reading the next in this series.
I've had this book cued up forever, and finally started reading it two nights ago. What a ride! Once it gets going (and it gets going pretty early) it doesn't slow down. I'll definitely be reading the sequel!
Decent medical thriller that is pretty darn belivable. Story has a good pace to it and decent characters and lots of action. If you enjoy Robin Cook, then this book is right up your alley. Pretty good way to spend an afternoon in the sun and can not wait for the next installment.
This was the first book I had read by this author and now I am hooked! If you like Robin Cook and Michael Palmer's medical mysteries then you would love this book. Looking forward to reading his other books.
I purchased the trilogy, I just finished Gargoyles. It was very exciting and a real interesting storyline. I am impressed with Alan Nayes style of writing. He never becomes redundant and carries through With many interesting characters. I am very excited that the trilogy was available so I do not have to wait to continue with what happens to the main character.
So far this is a good read. Very interesting. OMG this book was such a sci fi thriller.
Let me tell you I didn't want to put the book down.
Amoreena Daniels is a dedicated and smart pre-med student who has a 4.0 gpa in College and takes care of her mother Geneva who has Metastatic Cervical Cancer. Amoreena is an only child and her mother is a single parent. Geneva is so bad she can't work anymore and she has let her medical insurance lapse because the company she worked for went under or was bought out. So it was up to the insuree to keep it up than. Amoreena is in college on scholarships and her mom has some money in savings. But she wont use the money for the insurance premiumns because it's for Amoreena's college.
The story shows how much mother daughter love each other and what Amoreena will do to save her moms life with the treaments she needs for her cancer. Amoreena has a brilliant career ahead of her but she needs money to pay for her mothers treatments and hospital stays.
Amoreena is contacting by a lady who needs people to be surrogates for couples. Amoreena checks into this and finds out they will pay her $50,000.00 to carry a baby. She goes in and learns that this corporation is the ones who are paying her for they own the Womens Clinic that is handling the surrogate program.
Amoreena thinks her prayers have been answered to her mothers problem. She becomes a surragate and she notices early on in her pregnancy things are not adding up.
This is a great thriller that will have you on the edge wondering whats going to happen next. The only thing I was a little dissapointed in was, I wished her and Luis a doctor relationship would have budded into a relationship and I hope there will be another part to Amoreena's story. I just don't feel its the end of her and Luis. Theres still to much to the story that needs to be exposed.
All I can say is read it yourself and see what you think. It's a great read.
Life for Amoreena Daniels was looking good. She had just started medicl school and was considered to be in the top of her class. She might even have a chance to graduate in three years. Until all of the sudden she got the news that her mother's cancer had gotten worse and she was about to lose her health insurance due to non payment. The future seemed grim until one day out of the blue Amy got a call from the meechum's women clinic. It seems that they had been told that she might be in need of some money and they had a proposal for her. They would pay her 50,000 dollars if she would be a surrogate mother. Having no where else to turn and no other way to pay her mother's medical bills she agreed. Soon after she becomes pregant Amy begins to notice something odd about her pregancy. She seems to coming along faster than she should and the baby is moving way to much. As she begins to investigate she finds that the meechum corporation may be harboring a darker secret then she ever could have imagined.
======== This is defenitly a good book for any one who like's thrillers. It's not really a medical thriller, more like a thriller set in a medical background. It also kinda of reminded me of the book "Next" by Michael Crichton. It does have a fast pace and it kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next. My only issue with the story was with the background of the bad guys. The author really didn't go into the details of why the did what they did other than for money. There was just a few paragraphs toward the end explaining their past. Other than that it was a great read. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes thrillers, medical thrillers,suspence books or books that deal with medical ethics. m.a.c
Amoreena Daniels is a top-of-the-class pre-med student and she’s helping her mother fight a losing battle with cancer. On top of everything else her mother lets her health insurance lapse and now she’s not covered for any of the expensive treatment for her cancer. What is a daughter to do? Well, Amoreena finds out about a surrogacy program and, after much thinking, signs a contract. Then finds out things aren’t all what they seem to be.
This book was an easy read for me. It flowed smoothly, the characters were well-fleshed and the story progressed in a timely manner without excess description. I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what the heck was going on, so I was compelled to keep turning the pages. Alan Nayes dropped breadcrumbs to the mystery in well-timed proportions. In other words, before I got too frustrated in the unraveling and peeked ahead. A fine balancing act!
The only problem I had was that Amoreena was an excellent pre-med student and she kept ignoring not only factual information about pregnancy in general, but her own gut feelings as well. I kept wanting to smack her upside the head, but it was only an occasional urge, so I was able, for the most part, to ignore it.
All-in-all a most excellent read! I definitely look forward to reading more books by Alan Nayes.
*Many thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page on my blog.
This story houses every expectant mother’s nightmare: Is there something wrong with my baby? Amy starts out not expecting to be a mother—she has her ill parent and her career to worry about first—and her initial interest in the program is only for the money, but as she gets further involved with the Women’s Clinic, she begins to wonder and worry about the creature developing inside her. Every terror and fear a pregnant woman can have is played out in her mind as she watches the abnormal growth of her own body, things which should happen in months sudden encapsulated into weeks. Amy isn’t some weak flower to simply sit and wring her hands, however, and her reactions, first to Dr. Godinez’s story, then to the facts she herself discovers make for a thrilling, if somewhat terrifying tale, of people who use a miraculous medical procedure in the wrong way, though for the right reasons, giving the term “the ends justifies the means” a more than chilling interpretation.
Gargoyles is a tense medical thriller which will hold you until the last page...and beyond, since it’s the first book in a series.
There's something to be said for a book that begins with action and doesn't stop until the last page has been turned. The reader gets that--and more--with Gargoyles.
Nayes has woven a tale that can just as much make your heart race as it makes you angry with an unethical world. Amoreena Daniels has a mother dying of cancer and no way to pay for it. When she's offered a solution in the way of being a surrogate mother for a medical corporation, she snatches at the opportunity. Unfortunately, there's more than meets the eye at the Women's Clinic, and Amoreena has placed herself squarely in the midst of a terrible situation.
Gargoyles shows that there isn't a distinct line between good and evil. What lengths will a person go to save the life of a loved one? Of thousands? This book is action-packed, full of beautiful, descriptive writing, and an ending that leaves you wanting more. I highly recommend.
I liked this book for the most part. I actually got the e-book version and it was 849 pages. The beginning I liked, I was interested, intriqued and kept reading. There were parts that I thought the main chick was just being stupid, which she shouldn't have been since she was pre-med. but I guess desperate people take desperate measures so I didn't fault her or the author. Then we passed mid point of the book, still good... then the last 1/3 of the book - it felt like an entirely different book. It wasn't as facepaced as the beginning nor did it have a lot going on. There was a lot of description of the jungle and such, but not very attention grabbing. Then we end on a decent note, but I was so frustrated with the slow pace of the last third of the book, I could hardly finish. Anyway, I'm giving it three stars because I did enjoy it, but I thought it could be better.
"The infant exploded in a riotous flurry of flailing arms and legs. It squealed like a pig and attempted to roll over, but a thin strap bound its chest in a supine position."
This one will make the list for the most entertaining read of the year! The suspense leading up to the moment of "the babies" was amaze balls! I found the moment really comical! I'm sure its really inappropriate, but The Syfy Channel would have a real money maker with this one. Thankfully I purchased the box set for this series. I'll be reading number 2 real soon!
I lost a little too much sleep over the 5 days it took me to read this book - but I'd do it all over again. I embarked on a journey as never before, taking me through a series of emotions. From feeling joy and pride, to concern and sorrow and, ultimately, to fear, suspense and terror - then relief - Gargoyles encompassed me from beginning to end. I look forward to reading its sequel, Plague, when it is released. A definite must read, especially for people who like thrillers and story lines involving bio-medical experimentation.
This was an okay read, fast paced and exciting but some pretty unbelievable portions. Typical sci-fi adventure stuff, though. For instance, if you were kidnapped to a foreign country, drugged, half tortured and knew several people involved had died...and you had already decided you would die next...would you really go back voluntarily to the place you were held during your escape due to curiosity? Makes for exciting stuff but still.
The premise seemed interesting, so I picked it up at the library. A good start, then the book got into a somewhat boring routine. I enjoyed the chase scene near the end, but overall felt that I had just read an OK book that's better for the plane or for the beach than as an engrossing fiction experience.
Move Over Robin Cook. You have strong competition for writing a medical mystery with ethical questions brought into the mix. While Mr. Nayes wasn't quite as adept as Mr. Cook with the explanation of the science behind the 'drones', the novel was very exciting. There was much action and I couldn't put the book down. I am looking forward to many more novels from this author.
this was an exciting read, with a little science fiction sort of twist. The main character was sympathetic--having a mother dying of cancer, with her health benefits running out. What would a person do in order to pay for the treatment that might defeat the cancer?
This is a medical/mystery/thriller. It is just o.k., nothing special for me and not the best medical mystery. However, the author seems capable fo better books in the future.
J. Robert Ewbank, author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
I can't say that I didn't like the book, but it seemed a little too out there for me. It did keep me interested enough to finish it, so I guess three stars is fair.
This book sports an absurdly ridiculous storyline. I made it halfway through this almost nine hundred page book. The full story could have and should have been told in a lot fewer pages.
I would give this book a 3.5 in reality. I received this book randomly and didn't know what to expect. I got through it really quickly. It was easy to read. I am glad to find out that it is part of a trilogy and I felt it was wrapped up too quickly. I didn't LOVE it and wouldn't read it again but am interested in the next book in the series.