Prodigy

by Michael Stewart

Greater love hath no man.. That, at least, was what genetic researcher Jake Chalmers told himself, and his wife Alex, when he did everything in his power to ensure their daughter Sophie would be exceptional in every way, a prodigy. Especially after what had gone wrong with their first child, Danny. Jake was determined that Sophie would prove to be the genius he had hoped for. But what happens when feelings seem to take second place to intellect in a child's life? What happens when that child's closest emotional bond is suddenly and finally ruptured? And what happens when the basis of the so-far-successful experiment begins to go tragically, frighteningly wrong? As Sophie grows to realise the full, sometimes unforeseen potential of her prodigious talent, Prodigy raises itself to levels of almost unbearable tension, in a story of a love that goes too far, then goes terribly wrong.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 1991

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Born in June, 1945.

Reviews

[Becky]

I read this book in a closet at a resort during spring break '93, when I was 10 years old. I was going through a mild (and secretive because I thought I had to hide it) John Grisham obsession, and I think my mom may have suggested this... or maybe I just took it from her after she read it. I ended up loving this book, and spent years afterwards looking for it again but never found it. Now, nearly 30 years later, I came across it and even though I'm fairly certain I'll never read this again because my reading tastes have changed over the years, but it's been driving me insane for so long trying to find it that I had to at least bookmark it here. I thought Sophie was so cool, and at times even now kind of wish I had developed her mental prowess.

This book probably wasn't "appropriate" for me at 10, in terms of adult content, but it had a fascinating premise ("designer DNA" babies), a cool kid with powers as one of the MC's, and because it was written "for adults" it didn't dumb things down to a level adults THINK speaks to kids. I'll say it a million times, I wish YA was an actual thing when I was a kid, and the people responsible today for getting those books out into the world are heroes.

[Marna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this at Sitka Fine Arts Camp

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

6 out of 10

Decently written and engaging. Some truly interesting concepts. But ultimately not that satisfying.

[Jackie Thurston]

A great read between science fiction and a thriller