Baby X

by Rebecca Ann Smith

Alex Mansfield, the doctor leading a groundbreaking project to grow a human foetus in an artificial uterus, has gone on the run and taken the newborn baby with her. While the child's parents wait anxiously for news, and the world's media clamour for answers, Alex's colleagues question her recent behaviour and begin to take action.

Baby X weaves science and medical ethics into an intimate thriller; asking difficult questions without offering easy answers.

Genres: Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2016

Reviews

[Johanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting, totally gripped. The narrative raced along and I was almost unable to put the book down. The marriage of scientific and personal themes was interesting and well explained, even for a non scientist like me. I was left thinking deeply about what I think it means to be a mother, what role science could and should have in the 'production' of babies and how I would have felt had I been in the position of many of the characters in the novel. I found myself warming to Alex as the story unfolded; she moved from being cold and business like to being warm and relective. I shed a few tears at the end of the book when she described how Baby X had touched her in the short time they were together - it reminded me so much of my son when he was tiny and stirred some powerful memories.
I look forward to reading more from Becky and congratulate her on a stunning debut novel.

[Terry Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team

Baby X would come under the subsection of 'medical thriller', I presume. Human interest comes in the form of Karen and Robert Frey, a couple who have suffered miscarriages and try all sorts of methods to become pregnant, eventually agreeing to IVG, which is a process by which the egg is fertilised outside the body and the foetus gestates in an artificially prepared womb.

The thriller part comes in the form of doctor Alex Mansfield, who has a great deal to think about apart from Karen and Rob's plight and the growth of Baby X, not least of all the shady medical experiment company Verlaine, and their plans for the future of childbirth.

The book is very well written, nicely paced, not too long, and I enjoyed it. The mental deterioration of Alex and the dilemmas faced by Karen are convincing, and the author obviously knows her subject. The medical information is completely outside my sphere of knowledge, but it's not too difficult to understand, even for a childfree person like myself.

Who would enjoy it? Any women who have ever suffered any problems with fertility; I imagine they would find it fascinating. Any women who have had experienced pregnancy and childbirth, too, I should think, and are okay with reading something quite hard-hitting; this is a thriller, not a yummy mummy book! It's good. I haven't got anything negative to say about it.

[Paperback Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good pace

2.5 stars

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Baby X
Author: Rebecca Ann Smith
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 16 readers:
13 would read another book by this author.
9 thought the cover was good or excellent.
12 felt it was easy to follow.
13 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
13 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘Well-written with a powerful plot. I liked the medical angle to the story and, thankfully, the author did not overwhelm me with medical mumbo jumbo. I would happily read another of this author’s books.’ Male reader, aged 38
‘Stem cell research is a very controversial subject so I imagine this book would find a readership very easily. The plot skips about a bit and it can get confusing, but the author’s a competent writer and helps the reader to stay with the plot. Alex, the hero, is interesting and the pacing, apart from a few of the middle chapters, is good.’ Male reader, aged 67
‘The science seems spot on. I don’t know if it is but it shows the author’s strong writing ability that I don’t know what is real and what is not. Well done!’ Female reader, aged 31
‘I didn’t love the cover. It looks good but it just shouts ‘baby book’ and not ‘medical thriller’. But the story is fab!’ Female reader, aged 43

To Sum It Up:
‘A powerful, thought-provoking thriller. A Red Ribbon winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Rubery Book Award · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award for Fiction 2017

Dr Alex Mansfield is on the run with a newborn baby, with more sinister forces than the police and media on her trail. Alex is the doctor heading the controversial project to grow a human foetus in an artificial uterus; Baby X is the result of the first closely-scrutinised trial. But, after a promising start, something has gone wrong with the process and, as the narrative moves forwards and backwards in time, the reader wants to keep turning the pages to find out why.
A real page-turner of a medical thriller set in a fertility clinic and a scandal involving stem cell research. The novel is well structured and the characters are memorable. I had no idea that a foetus could develop in an artificial womb and found the whole subject matter fascinating. I like the way Rebecca Ann Smith focuses on the contrasts between hard, cold medical science and the emotions connected with maternal love. The medical information is completely outside my sphere of knowledge, but it's not too difficult to understand and the author doesn’t get bogged down in the detail.

ruberybookaward.com

[Kagan Goodliff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not actually the book I thought it was, there’s another book with the same title. I didn’t enjoy this one, it was told in past and present from three different perspectives. It was about a research project where a baby was grown in an artificial womb, the narrative was from the childless couple, the lead researcher and the assistant researcher. I didn’t really like the writing and none of the characters were likeable. I thought it would be exploring the idea of advancing fertility treatments after IVF and artificial insemination but was more about the characters. There was a brief bit about how this kind of medical treatment could be monetised and how it could be misused, like how rich people might choose to choose this as a way to have babies without having to take a career break or affect their figures. And how people might over donate eggs for money causing health problems. Also, this may have been because the guy was drugging her but I didn’t like that the childless woman of a certain age was a crazy baby thief.

[Meg Mulder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm trying to make more time for books that don't have the weight of a big publishing house behind them. Baby X was an enjoyable read and proves that small presses can deliver books that are far better written than many of those touted as "must reads". I'm excited to continue my exploration beyond the bestseller list - why confine yourself to a handful of books when there are so many other voices and stories waiting out there to resonate with you? Often the only difference is that they don't have the luxury of a massive marketing campaign necessary to reach more readers.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page-turner of a thriller set in a fertility clinic and a scandal involving stem cell research. The novel is well structured and the characters are memorable. I had no idea that a foetus could develop in an artificial womb and found the whole subject matter fascinating. I like the way Rebecca Ann Smith focuses on the contrasts between hard, cold medical science and the emotions connected with maternal love.

[Dawn Folley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting premise which explores complex issues. Fully confirming most peoples idea of big pharma. I suspect the writer has an intimate knowledge of the destructive power of miscarriage. I understand why, Alex's personal confusion had to be expressed but the change in narrator and time passage fragmented my interest and led to flicking forward. I think the story would have benefitted from longer sequences or one narrator.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good. A solid thriller (it's pacey!), the story theme based on the morality and ethics of an external pregnancy and childbirth - who's baby is it? And the minefield of corruption within the pharma industry. This story asks a lot of questions, and will really have you thinking about the issues raised.

[Laura-Jane Devanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise and raised some ethical dilemmas around ectogenesis. Found the plot twist and ending a bit predictable and the voices of the narrators didn't have much individuality.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, it is a story that keeps your interest and as the baby grows and develops in its artificial womb makes you want to read more. It also makes you think about where future medical advancement, science and ethics meet and how society needs to carefully understand its decisions. A thought provoking read.

[ufo28 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book,I couldn't put down-kept me guessing until the end.It was quite emotional read for me as a parent.Intelligent and fast paced thriller.I really enjoyed the science in this book as well as psychological elements.It was quite hard-hitting,but very interesting issues were touched in this novel.It was a stunning debut!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd heard of this because it was published by Mother's Milk Books — run by Dr. Teika Bellamy, one of the handful of people who really welcomed me into the micro press community. I'd been curious about this book for a while, but international shipping can be steep. One day Teika reached out to see if I would be interested in doing a swap, and I jumped at the chance to get a copy of this.

I read this during a readathon, so basically in one sitting, and this book was GREAT for that. A sci-fi thriller about near-future reproductive technology — this was EXACTLY the kind of thing I was yearning for when I attended to ConFusion panel on pregnancy in sci-fi and fantasy. The basic premise: the doctor spearheading a research project growing a human fetus in an artificial uterus has kidnapped the newborn baby and is on the run. Why, and what danger are she and the baby in? There are some standard tropes of the genre — the romantic entanglement that may or may not be who he appears, the ominous corporation, the self-serving news media, the flashbacks slowly revealing each character's motivations... but it was all well done and I loved every page of it. There are complicated explorations of the many types of motherhood that let women explore their feelings without reducing them to biological imperatives or evolutionary psychology bullshit.

Definitely a book I will be recommending to lots of folks.

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Mansfield is on the run with a newborn baby, with more sinister forces than the police and news media on her trail. Alex is the doctor heading the controversial project to grow a human foetus in an artificial uterus; Baby X the result of the first closely-scrutinised trial. But, after a promising start, something has gone wrong with the process and, as the narrative moves forwards and backwards in time, the reader wants to keep turning the pages to find out why.
Full review http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...

[Jane Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A skillful mix of science, sci-fi and the emotions involved in childbirth, becoming a mother, becoming a parent. A gripping story too, that unfolded gradually and kept me guessing until the end. And it's published by an indie publisher too! Great stuff :)

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, likeable characters. Introduced some interesting ethical dilemmas which could have been explored more deeply.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable. Finished in one sitting:)