Brother Nature

by robert-llewellyn

Nina Nash is thirty-three when she decides the time has finally come to sort out her annoying little brother. Little brother Jason is thirty now and a failed dot.commer; Nina, who works for a high tech research company, is going to work out at last what makes Jason tick. She's going to stick a microchip under his skin and, literally, read his emotions on her computer screen. The experiment is more successful than Nina ever could have hoped. And the results of the experiment more astonishing...

Genres: Fiction, Novels

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2001

Reviews

[Dane Cobain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third of the Robert Llewellyn books that I’ve read after winning a job lot of them in eBay, and I’d have to say that it’s my least favourite of the three. It’s also interesting because his writing style seems to change from one book to another, and this is the one that I’d say feels the most like something by Michael Crichton.

That’s because it has a particular focus on technology and the way it impacts our society, and it actually does a pretty good job of things. I’ve noticed that in his other books, Llewellyn’s writing on tech hasn’t aged particularly well, but it has done here and I think that’s because he was looking so far into the future with it all.

The main concept is that a biotech company has developed a computer chip that can be implanted into people to both record their emotions and to play them back. There are obviously a lot of ethical issues around this which Llewellyn does a good job of capturing in the novel without it feeling too preachy.

He also does a lot of good stuff to think through the implications of this kind of technology. In particular, there are the military applications, because what military in the world wouldn’t want to get its hands on a computer chip that could make its soldiers almost superhuman?

Still, it’s only a so-so book. I think part of that is because the characters aren’t particularly likeable, and while I can sometimes get past that, it didn’t work for me here. Sure, all of the stuff around the ethics was fascinating, but it was hard to get too absorbed in the plot when I didn’t care about any of the people that the story was about.

And so all in all, unless you’re a big Robert Llewellyn fan (specifically because of his books and not because of his acting), you’re probably not going to want to pick this up. It’s okay at best, and all of those ethical dilemmas and the technological goodness aren’t enough to save it from itself. And that’s all I’ve got.

[Scott Gardner · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok quick read , Main character a total prat , but ok to keep reading

[Vanish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book 3 of 2026… struggled with this - plot thin and implausible, characters one-dimensional, not silly enough for suspension of disbelief but too silly to be engaged by

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Although I disliked the brother at first I had some sympathy with him towards the end. The parents were dreadful especially the blinkered mother. Very well written. I saw Robert Llewellyn (Red Dwarf) at Collectormania in London on 28th November & he's writing another book.

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/4...

I didn't think I was going to be able to read this at first because I couldn't stand Jason. I persevered, however, & it did end up being quite amusing in parts. A sort of slapstick satire, if that is even possible.