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The Johnson Project
In 2017 the Aqar virus has infected every female on the planet and left only one lasting Infertility. No more babies. The end of the human race is imminent until a renowned fertility specialist finds the cure but he’s not ready to let just anybody become a parent. Ted Johnson and his family have formed a team to decide which couples have earned the right to be called mommy and daddy. Their expectations are steep. Their motives are questioned. Their lives are threatened. The Johnsons never considered procreation a right, rather, a privilege. The world fights back.
422 pages, Paperback
Published April 9, 2016
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173 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 5, 2016
The Johnson Project would best be categorized as a medical-science fiction futuristic thriller, but somehow Amazon hasn't rated it as Scifi, when the book has what is an almost dystopian futuristic setting. In 2017, all women on the planet have become infertile. No one knows the cause.
Over a period of two years, the World Health Organization sets up an elite research council devoted to investigate. The ramifications on the future of the earth are dire. In the USA, a powerful think tank develops a new economic plan to protect and enrich the quality of the lives of all citizens, destabilizing corporations built on greed. But the vision of a dying human race fills everyone with dread...
Margaret Johnson is the powerful head of the philanthropic Johnson Foundation, and mother to Ted, Rafael and Nora. Each of them are advocates in their own ways: Ted is a fertility specialist; Rafael consults for school districts as its psychiatrist with pregnant teens; Nora is an attorney battling to save children from abusive homes, in court.
The "bones" of this futuristic tale are very good. Spurned by the egotistical head of the research group, Ted Johnson proceeds to his laboratory independently. Miraculously he discovers - not a cure- but a substance, of limited amounts, which could make it possible for some couples to have a child. It is named "The Johnson Project". There is uproar over who will be chosen. Subterfuge and medical espionage are feared, a newspaper man becomes an exceptional detective and outrageous secrets are eventually divulged.
Some competent early readers and a good editor could have turned this concept into a really outstanding story. The first half of the book needed more solid transitions between settings; chapters which opened with dialogue and ended the same really did disservice to such a great integral theme. Main characters had names and professions but no visual impression, to make them distinctive initially, though as tension built their parts in the drama became significant. There are some grammatical errors which were missed. Most importantly, a good editor would have seen that Spence's short, sweet and entirely appropriate ending needed to be two, one word paragraphs to give the reader the full impact.
I enjoyed the "what-if" idea of this novel, and underlying idealistic possibilities that somehow out of our messy world and its scary dystopian future, there was hope that the purest and best ideals could create a perfect world. I also thoroughly enjoyed, and DID NOT SEE COMING, the conundrums which a hidden criminal, so perfectly, could create.
3.4 stars - (Therefore 3 stars) I so wish that GOODREADS had that 3.5 rating.
*I found The Johnson Project when the author became a follower on Twitter, where my blog and GR reviews are tweeted. Maggie Spence was offering a book lottery chance, for which I didn't qualify because of my country of origin, so she personally sent me a copy. Thank you to Maggie Spence, author for the free copy of her e-book available on Amazon.com.
Over a period of two years, the World Health Organization sets up an elite research council devoted to investigate. The ramifications on the future of the earth are dire. In the USA, a powerful think tank develops a new economic plan to protect and enrich the quality of the lives of all citizens, destabilizing corporations built on greed. But the vision of a dying human race fills everyone with dread...
Margaret Johnson is the powerful head of the philanthropic Johnson Foundation, and mother to Ted, Rafael and Nora. Each of them are advocates in their own ways: Ted is a fertility specialist; Rafael consults for school districts as its psychiatrist with pregnant teens; Nora is an attorney battling to save children from abusive homes, in court.
The "bones" of this futuristic tale are very good. Spurned by the egotistical head of the research group, Ted Johnson proceeds to his laboratory independently. Miraculously he discovers - not a cure- but a substance, of limited amounts, which could make it possible for some couples to have a child. It is named "The Johnson Project". There is uproar over who will be chosen. Subterfuge and medical espionage are feared, a newspaper man becomes an exceptional detective and outrageous secrets are eventually divulged.
Some competent early readers and a good editor could have turned this concept into a really outstanding story. The first half of the book needed more solid transitions between settings; chapters which opened with dialogue and ended the same really did disservice to such a great integral theme. Main characters had names and professions but no visual impression, to make them distinctive initially, though as tension built their parts in the drama became significant. There are some grammatical errors which were missed. Most importantly, a good editor would have seen that Spence's short, sweet and entirely appropriate ending needed to be two, one word paragraphs to give the reader the full impact.
I enjoyed the "what-if" idea of this novel, and underlying idealistic possibilities that somehow out of our messy world and its scary dystopian future, there was hope that the purest and best ideals could create a perfect world. I also thoroughly enjoyed, and DID NOT SEE COMING, the conundrums which a hidden criminal, so perfectly, could create.
3.4 stars - (Therefore 3 stars) I so wish that GOODREADS had that 3.5 rating.
*I found The Johnson Project when the author became a follower on Twitter, where my blog and GR reviews are tweeted. Maggie Spence was offering a book lottery chance, for which I didn't qualify because of my country of origin, so she personally sent me a copy. Thank you to Maggie Spence, author for the free copy of her e-book available on Amazon.com.
November 9, 2016
I love "what if?" stories and this book has a great one - what if a virus made all women on the planet barren but then one group discovered the secret to making some women pregnant? How would they decide who gets to have children?
Unfortunately the author has neither the vision nor the talent to make the resulting tale worth reading. The writing alternates between adolescent political philosophy and inane dialogue. The characters are two-dimensional and the plot twists are so contrived as to be laughable. The ending was so unbelievably bad that I can only think that a ten year-old somehow broke into the editor's office and typed the final two sentences as an oddly elaborate prank.
Why oh why can't one give a minus-1 rating on Goodreads?
Unfortunately the author has neither the vision nor the talent to make the resulting tale worth reading. The writing alternates between adolescent political philosophy and inane dialogue. The characters are two-dimensional and the plot twists are so contrived as to be laughable. The ending was so unbelievably bad that I can only think that a ten year-old somehow broke into the editor's office and typed the final two sentences as an oddly elaborate prank.
Why oh why can't one give a minus-1 rating on Goodreads?
July 19, 2016
I was hoping
The story is well-written, if you don't mind being led politically by the nose. Her philosophy of how to cure the world's ills, shows a great deal of naivete. With the exception of a few late-comers, all her plans go swimmingly well. Ugh!
The story is well-written, if you don't mind being led politically by the nose. Her philosophy of how to cure the world's ills, shows a great deal of naivete. With the exception of a few late-comers, all her plans go swimmingly well. Ugh!
July 29, 2018
The Johnson Project had the potential of being great. Unfortunately, this story is flawed in many ways and that is a shame. The premise of human births abruptly ceasing was a good one and the plot moved well; however, writing is poorly delivered. Possibly the biggest flaw was “telling” instead of showing the story moving along. For example, in approximately 82 words, the author has the president impeached and sent to prison, with the addition of a moral judgment stating “though it was a stupid move on his part when he could have followed the law and done just fine.” Narratives like that summarized some of the plot points but could have been developed in a way to weave it into the story much better. None of the characters were well developed, just 2-dimensional clichés with names. There was a lot of stereotyping of the poor and people of color that I found offensive.
The book could have benefited from some scientific research to make the plot more plausible. The narrative was just a seamless flow prediction about what would happen if human births suddenly ended. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe in this story. It was such a straight line series of predictable actions; it needed to give the reader some believable plot twists.
The story read like the author wanted to create her own perfect world, based on her personal views of right and wrong, this is how things would work. “Every kid who is born will be born into privilege which means a full education and a decent high-paying job.” I wanted to scream, because no matter the education, somebody is still needed to pick up the garbage, and de-clog the sewers. It didn’t consider a society where human nature to be competitive, envious, etc. exists. Just a utopia where every child is wanted and loved. It didn’t even consider the existing societies that limit births and that favor one gender over the other, and how one gender outnumbers the other creating an imbalance for a generation to find mates.
The author clearly has an agenda against child-abuse. She goes on for a whole chapter, 14 (e-book) pages with headlines of child abuse stories; they appear to be taken from real-life stories because at least one of them is a duplicate, and I recognize some of the stories. (Note: if this bothers you as a reader, avoid chapter 55.) This book, could have been a great means for opening up a dialogue on the subject. Unfortunately, due to the poor writing and poorly developed characters it failed to achieve such thought provoking feelings that could make it the type of book to spark such a discussion.
I am left disappointed because it would have been great to open the discussion about how to make the world safer and healthier for the children of the world. This story could have been it; but, it isn’t.
The book could have benefited from some scientific research to make the plot more plausible. The narrative was just a seamless flow prediction about what would happen if human births suddenly ended. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe in this story. It was such a straight line series of predictable actions; it needed to give the reader some believable plot twists.
The story read like the author wanted to create her own perfect world, based on her personal views of right and wrong, this is how things would work. “Every kid who is born will be born into privilege which means a full education and a decent high-paying job.” I wanted to scream, because no matter the education, somebody is still needed to pick up the garbage, and de-clog the sewers. It didn’t consider a society where human nature to be competitive, envious, etc. exists. Just a utopia where every child is wanted and loved. It didn’t even consider the existing societies that limit births and that favor one gender over the other, and how one gender outnumbers the other creating an imbalance for a generation to find mates.
The author clearly has an agenda against child-abuse. She goes on for a whole chapter, 14 (e-book) pages with headlines of child abuse stories; they appear to be taken from real-life stories because at least one of them is a duplicate, and I recognize some of the stories. (Note: if this bothers you as a reader, avoid chapter 55.) This book, could have been a great means for opening up a dialogue on the subject. Unfortunately, due to the poor writing and poorly developed characters it failed to achieve such thought provoking feelings that could make it the type of book to spark such a discussion.
I am left disappointed because it would have been great to open the discussion about how to make the world safer and healthier for the children of the world. This story could have been it; but, it isn’t.
March 25, 2018
It starts off with cool dystopian type premise, but it sort of turns into a simplistic theory for world peace. Then abruptly completely changes tack, but is all neatly wrapped in a bow.
Kinda felt like a dystopian novel, political manifesto, and weird thriller spliced together.
It was readable though in spite of all that somehow!
Kinda felt like a dystopian novel, political manifesto, and weird thriller spliced together.
It was readable though in spite of all that somehow!
January 31, 2017
Why?
Interesting premise but lost it for me in chapter 10's political rant and the list of world wide child abuses in chapter 42. And I found the ending most unsatisfactory. Very glad I didn't pay for this book.
Interesting premise but lost it for me in chapter 10's political rant and the list of world wide child abuses in chapter 42. And I found the ending most unsatisfactory. Very glad I didn't pay for this book.
June 15, 2016
To say this is an easy read is an understatement. I couldn't put this book down once I started it and I must say, as difficult as it was to put down, it was also tough to continue reading. This book questioned my morality on a circumstance I never thought would be questioned.
Maggie Spence captured such a realistic picture of what could possibly happen within the world if there truly were a virus to cause infertility in women. Not only did she capture the reality of the world but she created such a emotionally captivating plot twist that involves the family associated with this virus and the cure that you can't help but wonder where you would stand within the story. Whose side you would be on.
I highly recommend reading this. I will warn anyone choose to read this that it is a heavy read. There are a few pages where Maggie Spence does list out in her story real life child abuse situations from 2015. I wasn't aware that they were there and had a difficult time reading through them myself, but she uses them in such a way that they help drive the point on a certain character's direction within the plot.
Maggie Spence captured such a realistic picture of what could possibly happen within the world if there truly were a virus to cause infertility in women. Not only did she capture the reality of the world but she created such a emotionally captivating plot twist that involves the family associated with this virus and the cure that you can't help but wonder where you would stand within the story. Whose side you would be on.
I highly recommend reading this. I will warn anyone choose to read this that it is a heavy read. There are a few pages where Maggie Spence does list out in her story real life child abuse situations from 2015. I wasn't aware that they were there and had a difficult time reading through them myself, but she uses them in such a way that they help drive the point on a certain character's direction within the plot.
May 19, 2016
A page-turning medical thriller about the potential consequences of mass infertility that will you have you up long past your bedtime.
In his role as a liaison psychiatrist to the Chicago Public School System, Dr. Rafael Johnson spends his time helping pregnant teens. But mostly, his attempts to help offer young girls alternatives to welfare – such as adoption – fall on unreceptive ears. But when the number of girls coming to him suddenly dwindles, he suspects something is wrong. Meanwhile, Rafael’s brother, Ted, runs a fertility clinic that hasn’t seen a successful IVF in weeks. As stories about dipping pregnancy rates begin showing up in the news, he begins calling researchers across the country to share information. Soon, the news is definitive: there hasn’t been a new pregnancy on the entire planet for at least six weeks.
Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com
In his role as a liaison psychiatrist to the Chicago Public School System, Dr. Rafael Johnson spends his time helping pregnant teens. But mostly, his attempts to help offer young girls alternatives to welfare – such as adoption – fall on unreceptive ears. But when the number of girls coming to him suddenly dwindles, he suspects something is wrong. Meanwhile, Rafael’s brother, Ted, runs a fertility clinic that hasn’t seen a successful IVF in weeks. As stories about dipping pregnancy rates begin showing up in the news, he begins calling researchers across the country to share information. Soon, the news is definitive: there hasn’t been a new pregnancy on the entire planet for at least six weeks.
Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com
August 9, 2016
Intriguing idea, execution of that idea not so great. Seemed like the author couldn't decide if the goal was to put forth ideas for global reform (economic, human rights, etc.) or to tell a story of a family dynasty. Economic reform suggested was very interesting - but the fact that we were expected to believe it happened within months was beyond unbelievable. By the time we begin to know/care about the characters we are thrown into some more far fetched plot twists that just are too unbelievable to take seriously. I did enjoy that it had a bit of a real time feel (mentions Clinton and Pope Francis at one point). It was a quick read so I don't feel like I invested too much time into this.
July 5, 2018
I got about a quarter of the way through the book and just couldn't read it anymore. The fact that they "solved" some of the immediate issues through laws to spread wealth by ensuring that there wasn't too big of a gap between the lowest paid employee and the highest paid employee was just too much for me. It's a book about a virus causing humans to be incapable of reproducing, and that wasn't even the most unbelievable part! It also felt like the author was constantly trying to shove morality and her solutions to humanity's problems down your throat.
June 29, 2016
Leftist Propaganda
Is it possible to give -5 stars? This could have been a very interesting story, but the author hid an intriguing concept behind pages and pages of anti-business, wealth distribution, welfare state leftist propaganda that storyline was masked by the relentless preaching.
Not worth the effort.
Is it possible to give -5 stars? This could have been a very interesting story, but the author hid an intriguing concept behind pages and pages of anti-business, wealth distribution, welfare state leftist propaganda that storyline was masked by the relentless preaching.
Not worth the effort.
October 21, 2016
Really disappointed with this book. The concept was great but the actual storytelling was awful. At times I felt like I was reading a teenager's ramblings. The ending felt rushed and ill-thought out and the events to bring the story to a close were unbelievable. I couldn't wait to finish it to move on!
September 24, 2016
Good idea, but...
I feel like this story could have been fleshed out more. It reads like a V.C. Andrews novel, everything over-simplified. Plus a literal Deus Ex Machina. It's ok.
I feel like this story could have been fleshed out more. It reads like a V.C. Andrews novel, everything over-simplified. Plus a literal Deus Ex Machina. It's ok.
September 29, 2016
Shallow characterisation, grating style, over-simplification - this just cuts too many corners
June 9, 2017
This book is a little too unbelievable. One billionaire family manages to solve all the world's problems, including immigration, the economy, human rights violations, etc. They also ensure that every child is born into a loving home that can afford to support them.
This, with very little chaos or backlash.
It's a nice thought. I feel it was more of a therapy novel for the author. It's definitely a platform for her political views. I skipped through whole passages where characters were sitting around basically lecturing each other on things they felt were right or congratulating each other on having thought of all this.
There is some really bad criminal behavior on the part of the "good guys" but nobody ever gets in trouble for anything. There is a literal Deus Ex Machina for the ending. That part's pretty absurd.
This, with very little chaos or backlash.
It's a nice thought. I feel it was more of a therapy novel for the author. It's definitely a platform for her political views. I skipped through whole passages where characters were sitting around basically lecturing each other on things they felt were right or congratulating each other on having thought of all this.
There is some really bad criminal behavior on the part of the "good guys" but nobody ever gets in trouble for anything. There is a literal Deus Ex Machina for the ending. That part's pretty absurd.
June 8, 2017
May contain spoilers!***
This book was amazing!
It was scary to find out of a virus that could do something so drastic and the twist in events and how it came about was something totally unexpected!
The ending nearly had me in tears but it all worked out and I just not sure of another book could compete with this one! Definitely makes you treasure your family and what were all lucky to have a bit more
This book was amazing!
It was scary to find out of a virus that could do something so drastic and the twist in events and how it came about was something totally unexpected!
The ending nearly had me in tears but it all worked out and I just not sure of another book could compete with this one! Definitely makes you treasure your family and what were all lucky to have a bit more
October 2, 2018
What a frustrating read
The book has such a good storyline, such premise and promise and it’s ruined entirely by a random writing style, often childish at times, a whole chunk which I skipped over of made up news reports which had little bearing to the storyline and an ending so blooming disappointing- like the author couldn’t be bothered to finish it! I’m so annoyed as the good parts and the twists were brilliant- this could have been a 5 star book for sure but just failed.
The book has such a good storyline, such premise and promise and it’s ruined entirely by a random writing style, often childish at times, a whole chunk which I skipped over of made up news reports which had little bearing to the storyline and an ending so blooming disappointing- like the author couldn’t be bothered to finish it! I’m so annoyed as the good parts and the twists were brilliant- this could have been a 5 star book for sure but just failed.
November 9, 2019
Babies
So sorry but I really didn’t like this book. I usually will finish a book once I started it’s a rule of mine but I couldn’t on this one ... plus I’m a republican and to diss President Trump I’d burn this book
So sorry but I really didn’t like this book. I usually will finish a book once I started it’s a rule of mine but I couldn’t on this one ... plus I’m a republican and to diss President Trump I’d burn this book
August 5, 2017
Interesting premise and fun enough to read, but had the most ridiculous plot ever, and the main characters were complete Mary Sues.
July 6, 2018
liked book
March 10, 2020
Interesting concept with much potential, poorly executed.
April 11, 2020
Very abrupt ending
OK read but nothing special. Ends very abruptly and has a lot of reliance on acts of god to explain inexplicable plot twists.
OK read but nothing special. Ends very abruptly and has a lot of reliance on acts of god to explain inexplicable plot twists.
February 21, 2021
Idea was great, execution not so much. Seemed very disjointed and rushed.
February 27, 2021
Couldnt really get into it
August 5, 2016
Could be good but too political
I would have rated the book higher if the entire book had been written like the last 50% was. This was the first book by Maggie Spence that I had read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The book had an interesting "what if" premise that makes you think about how different things could be in this dystopian version of the world.
Note: There are graphic descriptions of child abuse and domestic violence so it may not be for those more sensitive readers.
Unfortunately all of the political talk detracted from what could have been a much better book. While some of the politics (liberal extremely left-leaning) were needed to explain part of the story, the author took it too far. It doesn't matter what my personal political beliefs are, the storyline got lost in all of the political preaching.
I almost quit reading partway through the book because I thought I was going to be reading a dystopian medical thriller and not just politics. If I had wanted to read a book on politics, I would have chosen one and not this book. Thankfully, the last half of the book focused on the medical thriller aspects and not the political talk. So I am glad I kept reading.
When you could figure out the storyline, it did keep you guessing what twists and turns would be revealed. These surprises continued all the way to the end. As usual, nothing is quite as it seems on the surface.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I would have rated the book higher if the entire book had been written like the last 50% was. This was the first book by Maggie Spence that I had read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The book had an interesting "what if" premise that makes you think about how different things could be in this dystopian version of the world.
Note: There are graphic descriptions of child abuse and domestic violence so it may not be for those more sensitive readers.
Unfortunately all of the political talk detracted from what could have been a much better book. While some of the politics (liberal extremely left-leaning) were needed to explain part of the story, the author took it too far. It doesn't matter what my personal political beliefs are, the storyline got lost in all of the political preaching.
I almost quit reading partway through the book because I thought I was going to be reading a dystopian medical thriller and not just politics. If I had wanted to read a book on politics, I would have chosen one and not this book. Thankfully, the last half of the book focused on the medical thriller aspects and not the political talk. So I am glad I kept reading.
When you could figure out the storyline, it did keep you guessing what twists and turns would be revealed. These surprises continued all the way to the end. As usual, nothing is quite as it seems on the surface.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2023
I’m giving this a 4.5, but if it stays in my mind this coming week, I might bump it up to a 5. I’m on the fence. The start was slow- that’s the thing that’s stopping me giving it 5* and that might be pedantic. The story was interesting, there were moments of cleverness or irony seeing as the book was written in 2016 and talked about Trump’s impeachment and changes in public perception of him plus a global pandemic. A prophecy of sorts?? There were some serious themes- child abuse, human rights, freedom of choice, abortion, drugs, government. But it was written in a way that it didn’t become too heavy- the human element was there throughout. And that’s what’s making me want to give it 5*. I had moments where I teared up because of the brutality or the love or the global effect of the virus. The ending was perhaps too fast paced, but I shouldn’t have been surprised as the book was very direct and moved on quickly with no fuss from incident to incident. Highly recommended.
September 4, 2016
This is an interesting read. It is very much realistic fiction, touching on many of the problems that face our world today: overpopulation, child abuse, unemployment, to name three. The story starts with a "virus" changing the world because it caused all reproduction to cease. This caused problems beyond the basic idea that the human race was facing extinction. The Johnson family, with their resources and gifts, start to tackle this problem. The story grows from there with the complication of how to solve this problem. There are some bizarre twists at the end that I never would have predicted. Some parts of this book seem unrealistic and some are way too real. It made me think without getting too bogged down.
July 20, 2016
I've just finished this book and was about to write this review when I noticed all the negative reviews it's received. I'm slightly baffled. I thoroughly enjoyed this work of fiction. It reminded me slightly of Children of Men and would be a tv series I'd definitely watch. I did find myself skimming the part where Rafael emailed the others as there was too much of that content and I just wanted to get back to the story. And the ending. How could it just end like that? I wanted more, I enjoyed this a lot and I would read more from this author.
Interesting concept for a perfect world, filled with twists you don't see coming.
Interesting concept for a perfect world, filled with twists you don't see coming.
August 1, 2016
Imagine a world where a virus has been released which stops women becoming pregnant!! Imagine an antidote has been found! Now imagine to get this antidote you have to meet criteria that dictates if you are a good enough parent!
Now, pick up this book and read for the results.
A fantastic novel by Maggie Spencer that really makes you think about life and the way of this world.
Would it really be so bad?
A page turning medical thriller without the jargon that keeps you in suspense.
I picked this up and couldn't put it down so recommend you start reading in the morning or you will be a tired bunny like me.
Happy reading :) xx
Now, pick up this book and read for the results.
A fantastic novel by Maggie Spencer that really makes you think about life and the way of this world.
Would it really be so bad?
A page turning medical thriller without the jargon that keeps you in suspense.
I picked this up and couldn't put it down so recommend you start reading in the morning or you will be a tired bunny like me.
Happy reading :) xx
August 15, 2016
Incomparable
As a writer, I should hate this book. She broke SO many "rules!" But it worked!
I was entrapped by the premise, the characters, the plot. I stayed up all night reading because I couldn't imagine what would happen next.
We are presented with a world with no more human pregnancies, a world with no more babies, an expiration date for humanity.
I really can't say more without spoiling the story, but it was a captivating read. So why not five stars? I really hate a deus ex machina ending.
As a writer, I should hate this book. She broke SO many "rules!" But it worked!
I was entrapped by the premise, the characters, the plot. I stayed up all night reading because I couldn't imagine what would happen next.
We are presented with a world with no more human pregnancies, a world with no more babies, an expiration date for humanity.
I really can't say more without spoiling the story, but it was a captivating read. So why not five stars? I really hate a deus ex machina ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews