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The Darwin Variant
“Johnson channels Stephen King with this summer thriller…The Darwin Variant divides families, lovers, and colleagues working toward the same goals in a nerve-wracking race to an unexpected conclusion.” —Booklist
When the icy shards of a rogue comet fall to Earth, they bring an unknown virus that accelerates evolution to extremes. Suddenly, infected plants grow stronger, choking out those uninfected. Animals turn aggressive and deadly. The eyes of loved ones go cold, and infected neighbors begin exhibiting signs of brutal domination.
In a small Georgia town, fourteen-year-old Katie McLane sees her neighbors changing, one by one.
Dr. Susan Perry, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, uncovers the frightening scope of the menace. The infected aren’t just evolving. They’re conspiring to alter the very nature of what it means to be human.
Katie and Susan become fugitives because of what they know, encountering bitter betrayals and lethal dangers, but also loves ignited and inspiring camaraderie, as they fight to prevent a viral conspiracy from creating a terrifying brave new world.
When the icy shards of a rogue comet fall to Earth, they bring an unknown virus that accelerates evolution to extremes. Suddenly, infected plants grow stronger, choking out those uninfected. Animals turn aggressive and deadly. The eyes of loved ones go cold, and infected neighbors begin exhibiting signs of brutal domination.
In a small Georgia town, fourteen-year-old Katie McLane sees her neighbors changing, one by one.
Dr. Susan Perry, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, uncovers the frightening scope of the menace. The infected aren’t just evolving. They’re conspiring to alter the very nature of what it means to be human.
Katie and Susan become fugitives because of what they know, encountering bitter betrayals and lethal dangers, but also loves ignited and inspiring camaraderie, as they fight to prevent a viral conspiracy from creating a terrifying brave new world.
458 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2018
585 people are currently reading
1212 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth C. Johnson
10 books137 followersCreator of V, The Incredible Hulk, Alien Nation, The Bionic Woman and other
Emmy Award Winning shows.
Director of numerous TV movies and the feature films Short Circuit 2, and Steel.
Winner of the prestigious Viewers for Quality Television Award, multiple Saturn
Awards, The Sci-Fi Universe Life Achievement Award, plus nominations for
Writers Guild and Mystery Writers of America Awards, among others.
Emmy Award Winning shows.
Director of numerous TV movies and the feature films Short Circuit 2, and Steel.
Winner of the prestigious Viewers for Quality Television Award, multiple Saturn
Awards, The Sci-Fi Universe Life Achievement Award, plus nominations for
Writers Guild and Mystery Writers of America Awards, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
March 25, 2018
Author Kenneth Johnson’s book begins as an apocalyptic sci-fi story which quickly morphs into a horror novel before concluding with a sci-fi thriller ending. This book is a fast and entertaining ride, though not without a few speed bumps.
Mr. Johnson has chosen to tell his tale in a documentary form, with the characters relating the story after the fact. Additional details are filled in with security cameras, voice and flight data recorders, television footage, and unclassified communications within government agencies. The power of this technique works well, as the characters all tell their stories in first person, giving the reader the feeling of being there as the action takes place. This increases the horror factor, ratcheting up the tension as the virus begins to change the way people think and act.
Characters are fleshed out, and we are privy to many of their inner thoughts and motivations. The author did a fine job of allowing some of these characterizations to be perceived through their individual sections. This helped to breathe additional life into the book and allow me to feel an interaction with the people involved.
Before the story begins, the “Mission Statement” describes how the book has been assembled from diaries, depositions, court documents, transcriptions, etc. Each time a character takes over the storyline, his or her name is inserted. Unfortunately, there is no explanation of where the information came from (diary, transcription, etc.), and sometimes the descriptions do not sound like a person talking. For instance, Shelly Navarro concludes one section with: “I looked at him with an arched eyebrow and my expression of oh puh-leeze. Then I took another unfulfilling hit on my e-cigarette.” Passages like this one could have been easily explained with more informative section introductions, such as “From the diary of Shelly Navarro.” While these instances were not overly excessive, they intruded on the story and the author’s intentions.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. There are few slow spots, but the path the book takes leads people through different types of dangers. These various scenarios kept me engaged all through the story until the very end. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and 47North for an advance copy of this book.
Mr. Johnson has chosen to tell his tale in a documentary form, with the characters relating the story after the fact. Additional details are filled in with security cameras, voice and flight data recorders, television footage, and unclassified communications within government agencies. The power of this technique works well, as the characters all tell their stories in first person, giving the reader the feeling of being there as the action takes place. This increases the horror factor, ratcheting up the tension as the virus begins to change the way people think and act.
Characters are fleshed out, and we are privy to many of their inner thoughts and motivations. The author did a fine job of allowing some of these characterizations to be perceived through their individual sections. This helped to breathe additional life into the book and allow me to feel an interaction with the people involved.
Before the story begins, the “Mission Statement” describes how the book has been assembled from diaries, depositions, court documents, transcriptions, etc. Each time a character takes over the storyline, his or her name is inserted. Unfortunately, there is no explanation of where the information came from (diary, transcription, etc.), and sometimes the descriptions do not sound like a person talking. For instance, Shelly Navarro concludes one section with: “I looked at him with an arched eyebrow and my expression of oh puh-leeze. Then I took another unfulfilling hit on my e-cigarette.” Passages like this one could have been easily explained with more informative section introductions, such as “From the diary of Shelly Navarro.” While these instances were not overly excessive, they intruded on the story and the author’s intentions.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. There are few slow spots, but the path the book takes leads people through different types of dangers. These various scenarios kept me engaged all through the story until the very end. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and 47North for an advance copy of this book.
July 13, 2018
The first 90% of this book is a page turner. Light, good entertainment. The documentary style of telling the story – through multiple characters and reports – works well.
I have only one big and one smaller issue with this part. The big one is a clichéd, unrealistic description of the main protagonist's autistic sister. She is more "Rain Man" than real life autist. The small one is that the reports being used to tell parts of the story, did not survive very well the move to Kindle format: The design makes some of them confusing and hard to read.
What makes me give this book an average rating, is the Goody Two-Shoes approach to the last 10%. Lazy, idealistic solutions to everything. I still would recommend the book, but be warned and do not get too annoyed towards the end.
I seem to be the one reviewer who did not get this book for free from anybody. Just mentioning 😃
I have only one big and one smaller issue with this part. The big one is a clichéd, unrealistic description of the main protagonist's autistic sister. She is more "Rain Man" than real life autist. The small one is that the reports being used to tell parts of the story, did not survive very well the move to Kindle format: The design makes some of them confusing and hard to read.
What makes me give this book an average rating, is the Goody Two-Shoes approach to the last 10%. Lazy, idealistic solutions to everything. I still would recommend the book, but be warned and do not get too annoyed towards the end.
I seem to be the one reviewer who did not get this book for free from anybody. Just mentioning 😃
June 15, 2018
Amazing story. Could easily explain the current political/societal stupidity, minus the novel's happy ending. So compelling, I might have finished it in a day but for the kindle's need to recharge.
February 26, 2018
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2018/02/2...
Publishing Date: June 2018
ISBN:9781503954113
Genre: SciFi
Rating: DNF
Publisher’s Description: When the icy shards of a rogue comet fall to Earth, they bring an unknown virus that accelerates evolution to extremes. Suddenly, infected plants grow stronger, choking out those uninfected. Animals turn aggressive and deadly. The eyes of loved ones go cold, and infected neighbors begin exhibiting signs of brutal domination.
Review: Honestly I did not give this novel a chance because it didn’t give me a chance to like it. It opens with this jumbled narrative of interviews and perceptions of various people as they live through the outbreak. Not my cup of tea. Additionally the whole “alien virus from space” shtick has been over done. Perhaps I will complete it at a later date should reviews pan out.
Publishing Date: June 2018
ISBN:9781503954113
Genre: SciFi
Rating: DNF
Publisher’s Description: When the icy shards of a rogue comet fall to Earth, they bring an unknown virus that accelerates evolution to extremes. Suddenly, infected plants grow stronger, choking out those uninfected. Animals turn aggressive and deadly. The eyes of loved ones go cold, and infected neighbors begin exhibiting signs of brutal domination.
Review: Honestly I did not give this novel a chance because it didn’t give me a chance to like it. It opens with this jumbled narrative of interviews and perceptions of various people as they live through the outbreak. Not my cup of tea. Additionally the whole “alien virus from space” shtick has been over done. Perhaps I will complete it at a later date should reviews pan out.
August 15, 2018
Made my teeth hurt in the end
Hated when he tried to write Jimmy-Joe's accent - it was badly done. A long slog of a book that could have been 25% shorter. Ending, besides being treacle, was unbelievable. But, I did finish it, even though I really did know who the real hero would be from the very start.
The oral history style was a failure -- the "official recordings" stuff added nothing and seemed to be filler. Seemed like a lazy way to string together enough stuff to make a lot of pages.
Hated when he tried to write Jimmy-Joe's accent - it was badly done. A long slog of a book that could have been 25% shorter. Ending, besides being treacle, was unbelievable. But, I did finish it, even though I really did know who the real hero would be from the very start.
The oral history style was a failure -- the "official recordings" stuff added nothing and seemed to be filler. Seemed like a lazy way to string together enough stuff to make a lot of pages.
July 8, 2018
I really loved this book. The story kept me on the edge of my seat and I can really see this being turned into a series on tv. I would definitely be watching.
June 19, 2018
I received a copy of The Darwin Variant through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The Darwin Variant is described as a ‘day-after-tomorrow thriller’ full of catastrophe and danger. I found it to be reminiscent of a lot of science fiction already out there, which can be considered good or bad depending on your opinion on the matter. The earlier parts reminded me of half a dozen space collision stories out there, while the latter half reminded me very much of Annihilation.
The other thing worth mentioned before we begin is the storytelling style Kenneth Johnson opted to go with. It’s written as sort of an oral story being told after the fact. So it’s more a collection of stories from a half dozen people that lived through the events. I don’t mind this style of storytelling, as long as it’s done right, but I know it grates on some people’s nerves.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
The Darwin Variant is described as a ‘day-after-tomorrow thriller’ full of catastrophe and danger. I found it to be reminiscent of a lot of science fiction already out there, which can be considered good or bad depending on your opinion on the matter. The earlier parts reminded me of half a dozen space collision stories out there, while the latter half reminded me very much of Annihilation.
The other thing worth mentioned before we begin is the storytelling style Kenneth Johnson opted to go with. It’s written as sort of an oral story being told after the fact. So it’s more a collection of stories from a half dozen people that lived through the events. I don’t mind this style of storytelling, as long as it’s done right, but I know it grates on some people’s nerves.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
October 5, 2018
I made it about halfway and decided to give it up. I'd been pushing myself to keep reading for awhile. The concept is great. Huge comet that nearly hits the earth intact only to be blown to bits. The pieces of the comet hit earth instead and unleash something that makes people and animals extraordinarily smart, and really vindictive, cruel and even homicidal.
The big problem with the book was the way the narrative jumps from person to person. It's a jumble of names. I read the first 25 pages then didn't read again for a few days and forgot who everyone was. I didn't bother to look back and figure it out just kept reading. I probably should have refreshed my memory, but even halfway through I couldn't remember who was there and why. This jumping around kept me from attaching/connecting to the story, the characters. I never really got involved in the story because I never connected to the characters. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I think the villains, the evolved/changed animals and people were two dimensional up to the point I read and that made things a little dull. Maybe that changes if I just read a little more. I would hope so.
I'm also wondering if the book was a bit too long at over 400 pages, stretching thing out a bit much.
I would suggest you read this on the concept alone. There's a chance you'll like it enough to at least finish the book. This is one I wouldn't buy, but I might try and read again one day, maybe I'll give it another chance. But not now, I'm already moving on to my next book.
The big problem with the book was the way the narrative jumps from person to person. It's a jumble of names. I read the first 25 pages then didn't read again for a few days and forgot who everyone was. I didn't bother to look back and figure it out just kept reading. I probably should have refreshed my memory, but even halfway through I couldn't remember who was there and why. This jumping around kept me from attaching/connecting to the story, the characters. I never really got involved in the story because I never connected to the characters. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I think the villains, the evolved/changed animals and people were two dimensional up to the point I read and that made things a little dull. Maybe that changes if I just read a little more. I would hope so.
I'm also wondering if the book was a bit too long at over 400 pages, stretching thing out a bit much.
I would suggest you read this on the concept alone. There's a chance you'll like it enough to at least finish the book. This is one I wouldn't buy, but I might try and read again one day, maybe I'll give it another chance. But not now, I'm already moving on to my next book.
January 5, 2020
Erk. There's a lot to unpack here. The general premise is that an alien virus causes people to become smarter and less moral. Already it feels like we're going off on a tangent as that isn't how evolution works (the reference to Darwin in the title and book, though admittedly it does acknowledge this in the book... somewhat) and the weird choices the approach to virology don't help. So the virus is transmitted orally, but not sexually or through blood (despite a plot that would work if it did)? Took me a long time to get over that, particularly when some other hefty biological concepts were being thrown around.
Oh yeah, and rape is a bit of a major plot point, though it's usually implied and does not seem to be glorified. So trigger warning for that.
The book also feels very split up, the first and last 10% feel very different to most of the middle. This is clearly by design, but that last 10% is strange and confronting. There are some weird tonal inconsistencies, and only the obvious skill of the writer saves it from going completely backwards.
Look, it works, mostly, but there are a lot of small niggles that are worsened if you vaguely know about the subject. Even the core premise is off, combining intelligence and fascism flies in the face of what we know about what usually happens when intelligence rises, as much as it can be hand waved by it being a virulent cause.
Oh yeah, and rape is a bit of a major plot point, though it's usually implied and does not seem to be glorified. So trigger warning for that.
The book also feels very split up, the first and last 10% feel very different to most of the middle. This is clearly by design, but that last 10% is strange and confronting. There are some weird tonal inconsistencies, and only the obvious skill of the writer saves it from going completely backwards.
Look, it works, mostly, but there are a lot of small niggles that are worsened if you vaguely know about the subject. Even the core premise is off, combining intelligence and fascism flies in the face of what we know about what usually happens when intelligence rises, as much as it can be hand waved by it being a virulent cause.
August 22, 2018
I kind of got an Armageddon vibe going during the first around 100 pages. It was pretty good. I really liked some points when parts of the story were told by things like security cameras and body cams. The only reason why I gave it 4 stars was because it wasn't really what I was expecting when I bought it. Although, the ending was phenomenal.
January 3, 2019
The interesting thing about this book is that the majority of it actually earned a 5/5. The reason, however, that I rated it a 3/5 is for a few very specific reasons that I will try my best to describe without spoiling the plot.
1. The book is an example of science fiction that strives for realism so hard it actually ends up missing it entirely. There are complex viruses, chemical agents, and concepts that are explained half heartedly - or unconvincingly - in order to make the fantastic nature of the plot seem plausible. Unfortunately the scientific jargon actually ends up confounding the reader and ruining the illusion that something like this could happen to society at any moment.
2. The ending is Deus Ex Machina. I won't spoil you! But the issue I take with the ending is that it comes about off screen. The action amps up, and then BAM! It's solved! Then the book wraps up a huge conflict within 30 pages by essentially saying everything just worked out in the end. The build up is so good! But then it feels like the author made the plot too complicated to finish it with the same level of energy, so they just tapped out at the end. Most unsatisfactory ending I've ever read.
3. Some chapters are written with the accent of the character clear in how the words are spelled. I usually don't like that in a novel, so it was points off for me. But if you don't mind the unusual spellings that seem like a heavy handed attempt to approximate an accent (I do!), then this wouldn't negatively affect your reading experience.
Overall, this book is just the biggest case of literary blue balls. The build up, characterization (for the most part) and the interesting plot line drives the reader through the pages, eating up the words until they're left hanging by the unsatisfactory ending.
In my opinion? It's not worth your time.
1. The book is an example of science fiction that strives for realism so hard it actually ends up missing it entirely. There are complex viruses, chemical agents, and concepts that are explained half heartedly - or unconvincingly - in order to make the fantastic nature of the plot seem plausible. Unfortunately the scientific jargon actually ends up confounding the reader and ruining the illusion that something like this could happen to society at any moment.
2. The ending is Deus Ex Machina. I won't spoil you! But the issue I take with the ending is that it comes about off screen. The action amps up, and then BAM! It's solved! Then the book wraps up a huge conflict within 30 pages by essentially saying everything just worked out in the end. The build up is so good! But then it feels like the author made the plot too complicated to finish it with the same level of energy, so they just tapped out at the end. Most unsatisfactory ending I've ever read.
3. Some chapters are written with the accent of the character clear in how the words are spelled. I usually don't like that in a novel, so it was points off for me. But if you don't mind the unusual spellings that seem like a heavy handed attempt to approximate an accent (I do!), then this wouldn't negatively affect your reading experience.
Overall, this book is just the biggest case of literary blue balls. The build up, characterization (for the most part) and the interesting plot line drives the reader through the pages, eating up the words until they're left hanging by the unsatisfactory ending.
In my opinion? It's not worth your time.
June 28, 2018
There’s an old Cherokee parable that says we all have two wolves inside us: one is evil (anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, ego) and the other is good (joy, love, hope, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion). Which wolf wins? The one we feed. Johnson has crafted a story that shows how science is neither good nor evil; it’s all in how people apply that science, or which wolf we choose to feed. It’s an interesting scenario.
I was iffy on the structure of the story; though I think it was necessary to have multiple narrators, some of them were too omniscient and spoke in a way that didn’t really ring true with their characters (Katie) or who were tasked with waaaaay too much exposition to advance the plot (Susan, Hutch). And I had a hard time keeping track of who everyone was! I also felt there were some characters and plot points introduced early on (aggressive animals, Lisa and the other high school students) who vanished without much of a trace.
As a former biochemist, the science gave me a bit of a headache... for example, “an enzyme inside the amino chains of our DNA molecules” (Kindle edition page 404) - I’m really scratching my head on this one. And the ending isn’t really sitting well with me - admittedly, it’s only been 15 minutes since I finished the book, but my initial reaction is that the ending is a bit of “painted into a corner.”
Overall, I guess it was a good story, but a bit lengthy and in need of editing/better science.
I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Opinions are mine alone. I am neither a Friend nor a member of the Resistance.
I was iffy on the structure of the story; though I think it was necessary to have multiple narrators, some of them were too omniscient and spoke in a way that didn’t really ring true with their characters (Katie) or who were tasked with waaaaay too much exposition to advance the plot (Susan, Hutch). And I had a hard time keeping track of who everyone was! I also felt there were some characters and plot points introduced early on (aggressive animals, Lisa and the other high school students) who vanished without much of a trace.
As a former biochemist, the science gave me a bit of a headache... for example, “an enzyme inside the amino chains of our DNA molecules” (Kindle edition page 404) - I’m really scratching my head on this one. And the ending isn’t really sitting well with me - admittedly, it’s only been 15 minutes since I finished the book, but my initial reaction is that the ending is a bit of “painted into a corner.”
Overall, I guess it was a good story, but a bit lengthy and in need of editing/better science.
I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Opinions are mine alone. I am neither a Friend nor a member of the Resistance.
April 26, 2018
I was given this book for free with Netgalley for a fair and honest review.
This was the first "oral history" style book that I've read, so I should preface the review with the fact that I didn't really enjoy that perspective. The story was a little bit "Armageddon" coupled with a helping of "The Andromeda Strain". The constant shifting of accounts, without any real character depth, made it hard for me to really care about the story. I didn't really feel committed to the plot. Without compelling characters to pull me in, the story needed to be exceptional to balance it out, and I didn't find anything unique or original enough in there to get me there.
The story was well written, with topical references and a fair amount of science detail in there, so if you like the docu-drama style and different perspectives telling the narrative, then you may like this book.
This was the first "oral history" style book that I've read, so I should preface the review with the fact that I didn't really enjoy that perspective. The story was a little bit "Armageddon" coupled with a helping of "The Andromeda Strain". The constant shifting of accounts, without any real character depth, made it hard for me to really care about the story. I didn't really feel committed to the plot. Without compelling characters to pull me in, the story needed to be exceptional to balance it out, and I didn't find anything unique or original enough in there to get me there.
The story was well written, with topical references and a fair amount of science detail in there, so if you like the docu-drama style and different perspectives telling the narrative, then you may like this book.
October 11, 2019
**FULL DISCLOSURE**
I was a beta reader for, and received an ARC of, this story for review purposes. The author requested a review, but made no conditions for it. I am writing this review based solely on my enjoyment of this story in particular, and the author's writing overall.
I am not sure why I gave up on the book, whether it was the oral story being told by various people, the two dimensional characters, or just getting bored with it. It got to the point that every time I put it down when I picked it back up again I could not remember where I had left off. The concept is over used a huge comet that shatters in the atmosphere and unleash something that makes people and animals extraordinarily smart, really vindictive, and cruel. The science is off, to the point that there needs to be a total suspension of belief whether it is how molecules behave, or exploring unknown swamp in the dark. The ending chopped to close out the book so even though you have digested 400 pages you don't leave satisfied. Because of these things I can not recommend you buy a copy of this book.
I was a beta reader for, and received an ARC of, this story for review purposes. The author requested a review, but made no conditions for it. I am writing this review based solely on my enjoyment of this story in particular, and the author's writing overall.
I am not sure why I gave up on the book, whether it was the oral story being told by various people, the two dimensional characters, or just getting bored with it. It got to the point that every time I put it down when I picked it back up again I could not remember where I had left off. The concept is over used a huge comet that shatters in the atmosphere and unleash something that makes people and animals extraordinarily smart, really vindictive, and cruel. The science is off, to the point that there needs to be a total suspension of belief whether it is how molecules behave, or exploring unknown swamp in the dark. The ending chopped to close out the book so even though you have digested 400 pages you don't leave satisfied. Because of these things I can not recommend you buy a copy of this book.
August 22, 2020
Disappointing
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while and when I started reading it I was very excited to finally get to it but found myself constantly disappointed. First of all, the plot concept and idea was really good and I enjoyed the characters for the most part, I feel the biggest issues came from the structuring/layout and the writing style.
I'm a Zoologist not an physicist or an astronomer, but from what I could tell this has some of the hardest science of any book I have ever read. That is a compliment but feel like it also comes very much as a detriment. There are areas of this book where it explains things in such a telly way. For example at the very beginning of the book it examples about the party's rotation, and I get that can be interesting for someone who doesn't know much about it but when you continue to read through and there are multiple instances of real-life science just getting explained to you it gets really boring and annoying. I applaud the commitment to such hard science but the problem is because the focus is so science heavy, Johnson took the direction of explaining everything to the audience so they understand rather than letting the story explain things in a more natural way. It is like reading the pages of info dumping you get for world building in fantasy books.
Secondly, this book has images. This is a style choice and personally I hated it. There were few instances where it worked and I felt like they weren't needed. At times it felt like they were added as an excuse not to actually describe things... There's not a lot of description in the book, it just a lot of telling not showing. I learnt doing my degree that you only add images when it adds to what you're saying, and while illustrations can be cute in books... This book read more like a manual or textbook than it did a novel. Most of the pictures weren't necessary and took me out of the reading experience.
Finally, the scenes... Whilst reading this book there are more head swapping scenes than I care to you to count. In one chapter it jumped multiple t knew on the same page, there were scenes in a characters POV that was a paragraph long and a lot of the time I didn't see the need for its inclusion. Some of the scenes didn't have any purpose and the scenes were so short that it was difficult to truly settle in with a character and relax a bit before getting thrown into the mind of someone else.
On top of that there are documentation and scenes which purely provide telling information... Later in the book there is documentation of two pilot's having a conversation... I would have loved to have had a scene where we see that happen rather than a paragraph long scene in the perspective of a 7-year-old which doesn't bring anything to the story.
This is a rant and I'm sorry, but overall it was very hard-science and to make it understandable there is a lot of explainy info dumping, a nd the book is just very telling with a direct style lacking any sort of strong description. I don't remember how any of the characters were really described and it made it hard to stay in the story
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while and when I started reading it I was very excited to finally get to it but found myself constantly disappointed. First of all, the plot concept and idea was really good and I enjoyed the characters for the most part, I feel the biggest issues came from the structuring/layout and the writing style.
I'm a Zoologist not an physicist or an astronomer, but from what I could tell this has some of the hardest science of any book I have ever read. That is a compliment but feel like it also comes very much as a detriment. There are areas of this book where it explains things in such a telly way. For example at the very beginning of the book it examples about the party's rotation, and I get that can be interesting for someone who doesn't know much about it but when you continue to read through and there are multiple instances of real-life science just getting explained to you it gets really boring and annoying. I applaud the commitment to such hard science but the problem is because the focus is so science heavy, Johnson took the direction of explaining everything to the audience so they understand rather than letting the story explain things in a more natural way. It is like reading the pages of info dumping you get for world building in fantasy books.
Secondly, this book has images. This is a style choice and personally I hated it. There were few instances where it worked and I felt like they weren't needed. At times it felt like they were added as an excuse not to actually describe things... There's not a lot of description in the book, it just a lot of telling not showing. I learnt doing my degree that you only add images when it adds to what you're saying, and while illustrations can be cute in books... This book read more like a manual or textbook than it did a novel. Most of the pictures weren't necessary and took me out of the reading experience.
Finally, the scenes... Whilst reading this book there are more head swapping scenes than I care to you to count. In one chapter it jumped multiple t knew on the same page, there were scenes in a characters POV that was a paragraph long and a lot of the time I didn't see the need for its inclusion. Some of the scenes didn't have any purpose and the scenes were so short that it was difficult to truly settle in with a character and relax a bit before getting thrown into the mind of someone else.
On top of that there are documentation and scenes which purely provide telling information... Later in the book there is documentation of two pilot's having a conversation... I would have loved to have had a scene where we see that happen rather than a paragraph long scene in the perspective of a 7-year-old which doesn't bring anything to the story.
This is a rant and I'm sorry, but overall it was very hard-science and to make it understandable there is a lot of explainy info dumping, a nd the book is just very telling with a direct style lacking any sort of strong description. I don't remember how any of the characters were really described and it made it hard to stay in the story
September 13, 2018
"The Darwin Variant" starts with an end-of-the-world event, a comet on a crash course toward the earth. What transpires afterward is part science fiction, part thriller, and part horror. Kenneth C. Johnson knows how to write a sweeping narrative, considering he is responsible for V, one of the most beloved miniseries of the eighties, and one of my favorites, he takes his time moving us through an America that is rapidly changing. He uses a narrative structure that many people have been using lately, one of those documentary style breakdowns with each character having a chance to narrative in first person, some unclassified documents, and a few points where "The Documentarian", Johnson himself, summarizes some action. People are hot or cold about this type of structure, but it does not bother me as much as it bothers others. I liked the first person through everyone's lens because this also gives him the ability to develop the characters more efficiently, since we are able to look into their feelings with a sharper focus. Many of the characters, even though he does not use much time to make them remarkably unique, are well fleshed out and well presented. This is most likely due to years and years of being able to develop ideas.
I like "The Darwin Variant" more than some other books of this nature, and I think it is because of the way Johnson writes and presents the material. He knows how to write for an audience, and the final product is a novel that moves well. From the moment of finding the comet to the very end, it does not seem as if there are many wasted pages. Usually in a novel this size, you get that midway slump, the lull toward the middle where the author is trying to set up the third act. Johnson has written this in a way where the tension starting from the beginning continues to climb until the end. The action continued to move and I did not feel like there was any sort of time when I just wanted to skip ahead. It was engaging throughout.
Johnson also does something else well. He takes something that is a huge crisis, pieces of a blown apart comet are changing the way the earth is functioning, and localizes it to Georgia, Atlanta, and the CDC in that area. There would have been the temptation by a less experienced author to try to incorporate the way the entire world changed after this comet instead of a small area, but I do not think that if Johnson did this, the novel would have worked at all. The way that this stayed engaging is by making it about a smaller group of characters dealing with the crisis in the immediate surrounding and not the way that the whole world was dealing with the same problems. There are other novels that could have been written about the same fictional event, from a different city and region, where the outcomes were much much different, but "The Darwin Variant" is the one us readers received, and we are better for it.
I received this ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
I like "The Darwin Variant" more than some other books of this nature, and I think it is because of the way Johnson writes and presents the material. He knows how to write for an audience, and the final product is a novel that moves well. From the moment of finding the comet to the very end, it does not seem as if there are many wasted pages. Usually in a novel this size, you get that midway slump, the lull toward the middle where the author is trying to set up the third act. Johnson has written this in a way where the tension starting from the beginning continues to climb until the end. The action continued to move and I did not feel like there was any sort of time when I just wanted to skip ahead. It was engaging throughout.
Johnson also does something else well. He takes something that is a huge crisis, pieces of a blown apart comet are changing the way the earth is functioning, and localizes it to Georgia, Atlanta, and the CDC in that area. There would have been the temptation by a less experienced author to try to incorporate the way the entire world changed after this comet instead of a small area, but I do not think that if Johnson did this, the novel would have worked at all. The way that this stayed engaging is by making it about a smaller group of characters dealing with the crisis in the immediate surrounding and not the way that the whole world was dealing with the same problems. There are other novels that could have been written about the same fictional event, from a different city and region, where the outcomes were much much different, but "The Darwin Variant" is the one us readers received, and we are better for it.
I received this ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
November 29, 2022
I stopped reading this book around the halfway point. Johnson is a former TV writer, and that is obvious. The book reads like a failed TV script, with thin characterizations, sloppy writing, and dumb plot holes. The plot itself is like a Twilight Zone episode, or maybe Village Of The Damned. Stuff from a comet changes people into horny superintelligent predators, and a lot of people like that version of themselves and try to take over the world. A resistance is formed of scientists and others working to stop the virus. Sound familiar? It is. Johnson doesn't help himself by jerking the point of view around between a LOT of characters, sometimes within a single scene and with single sentences. His attempts to write internal monologues for some of the characters sometimes is unintentionally, or maybe intentionally, hilarious. The white wannabe gangsta kid is particularly annoying, as is the Montana cowpoke/bioscientist (!) who seems to want to talk cowboy talk to himself a lot. Johnson spends a lot of words and effort trying to get the reader to care about the characters, but it's really hard when the descriptions are so shallow. He spends a lot of time telling us how the characters are feeling, without actually SHOWING us what they are feeling, or more importantly, why. There's not enough depth to the characterizations to get us to share their feelings. So the whole thing reads like a glorified YA paranoid post apocalyptic thriller, with added sex and rape. Whee.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2018
I'm new to Kenneth C. Johnson - never read anything else he has created and didn't watch V. (I confess that I'm old enough to have watched the Six Million Dollar Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Bionic Woman that he produced.)
This was an engaging and exciting book to read. There were great characters, a lot of suspense and mystery, and a very interesting "story telling" writing style. This book is told via journal entries from the various participants which can make it a little hard to follow but empathizes the personalities and lives of the heroes and villains. The writing and story style seems more like a movie or play than a Science Fiction Novel but that is one of the things that makes it so interesting.
My complaint with this book is the science. Johnson lists some serious scientific personal in the credits. Still, I found the "science" of quick changes, genetics, human compatibility with alien life, etc. more like a 1950's Sci Fi book - good on ideas, character interaction, and imagination but short on believability. For that reason, I give this book a four, rather than a five star rating.
If you can overlook what I will call the "scientific stretching", you will really enjoy this book. I also want to mention that the author is donating some of the book's proceeds to three excellent charities. Good job Kenneth Johnson!
This was an engaging and exciting book to read. There were great characters, a lot of suspense and mystery, and a very interesting "story telling" writing style. This book is told via journal entries from the various participants which can make it a little hard to follow but empathizes the personalities and lives of the heroes and villains. The writing and story style seems more like a movie or play than a Science Fiction Novel but that is one of the things that makes it so interesting.
My complaint with this book is the science. Johnson lists some serious scientific personal in the credits. Still, I found the "science" of quick changes, genetics, human compatibility with alien life, etc. more like a 1950's Sci Fi book - good on ideas, character interaction, and imagination but short on believability. For that reason, I give this book a four, rather than a five star rating.
If you can overlook what I will call the "scientific stretching", you will really enjoy this book. I also want to mention that the author is donating some of the book's proceeds to three excellent charities. Good job Kenneth Johnson!
June 1, 2018
Thank you to 47North and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is written as a documentary of a past event.
We begin this book with the discovery of a meteor in a direct collision course with Earth. Global cooperation is needed to find a solution to stop the meteor from destroying Earth and all of humanity. Working together the nations of the world succeed in saving Earth with only a few fragments of the meteor crashing to the surface. This is where things get interesting because something from the fragments is altering the environment surrounding the crash sites. Human's and animal's personalities are changing and not necessarily for the good. In fact humanity is still in danger when the contamination from the meteor causes humans to be more aggressive and seek to rule the world through intimidation. Those not affected race to find a cure that will stop the infected from destroying humanity all together.
This book reminded me of The Genius Plague by David Walton where a fungi was responsible for altering personalities.
If you like Sci-fi this one is probably right up your alley and worth giving a try.
This book is written as a documentary of a past event.
We begin this book with the discovery of a meteor in a direct collision course with Earth. Global cooperation is needed to find a solution to stop the meteor from destroying Earth and all of humanity. Working together the nations of the world succeed in saving Earth with only a few fragments of the meteor crashing to the surface. This is where things get interesting because something from the fragments is altering the environment surrounding the crash sites. Human's and animal's personalities are changing and not necessarily for the good. In fact humanity is still in danger when the contamination from the meteor causes humans to be more aggressive and seek to rule the world through intimidation. Those not affected race to find a cure that will stop the infected from destroying humanity all together.
This book reminded me of The Genius Plague by David Walton where a fungi was responsible for altering personalities.
If you like Sci-fi this one is probably right up your alley and worth giving a try.
June 11, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
The Darwin Variant is a blend of sci fi, horror, and thriller that re imagines a world where the Earth has a close call with a comet and believes themselves to be in the clear only to be found that it is infected with some kind of alien virus that turns the population encountering it into what amounts to a bunch of doped up, super intelligent, horny, power hungry humans. Disclaimer up front for anyone interested in this book - it contains elements of violence and rape, one aspect of which includes rape of a young girl with a mental disorder. It's very disturbing. The book is written similarly to World War Z. Multiple points of view are provided in a variety of different writing media. Once the virus is uncovered, I found that the story got very repetitive and therefore moved too slowly for me. I felt this concept might have been better executed as a movie or television series rather than a book.
The Darwin Variant is a blend of sci fi, horror, and thriller that re imagines a world where the Earth has a close call with a comet and believes themselves to be in the clear only to be found that it is infected with some kind of alien virus that turns the population encountering it into what amounts to a bunch of doped up, super intelligent, horny, power hungry humans. Disclaimer up front for anyone interested in this book - it contains elements of violence and rape, one aspect of which includes rape of a young girl with a mental disorder. It's very disturbing. The book is written similarly to World War Z. Multiple points of view are provided in a variety of different writing media. Once the virus is uncovered, I found that the story got very repetitive and therefore moved too slowly for me. I felt this concept might have been better executed as a movie or television series rather than a book.
October 21, 2022
The style: everything is in first person, with anything from a couple sentences to a couple pages being from one character, then it switches. Sometimes it works, sometimes is doesn't. Here, it doesn't. Its really annoying.
The plot: there are two, and they are completely unrelated. The first 3 chapters are about a comet, the rest of the book about a disease. It seems like the author had ideas for two stories, and tried to put them together. The first 3 chapters are terrible (I almost quit). Written as science fiction, it gets most of the science wrong, and isn't really that interesting. Don't bother, start at p.80/chapter 4. You won't miss anything; the first 3 chapters don't contribute to the rest of the story in any way that a scentences saying "A comet hit Alabama" wouldn't cover. The rest is somewhat interesting, if you can survive the writing style.
3 stars are for the second part of the story, the first 3 chapters get 1 star.
The plot: there are two, and they are completely unrelated. The first 3 chapters are about a comet, the rest of the book about a disease. It seems like the author had ideas for two stories, and tried to put them together. The first 3 chapters are terrible (I almost quit). Written as science fiction, it gets most of the science wrong, and isn't really that interesting. Don't bother, start at p.80/chapter 4. You won't miss anything; the first 3 chapters don't contribute to the rest of the story in any way that a scentences saying "A comet hit Alabama" wouldn't cover. The rest is somewhat interesting, if you can survive the writing style.
3 stars are for the second part of the story, the first 3 chapters get 1 star.
August 7, 2018
Overall not a bad book- I very much enjoyed the first portion, and was okay with the third. The second part-
Having autistic kids myself I'm kind of on the fence about Lily- I thought that she was well-portrayed and fairly true, except that I wish we could get past the "autistics are savants" mode of thinking. It worked with the story though, and after having read many more problematic portrayals of autism I was pretty happy with her character.
Having autistic kids myself I'm kind of on the fence about Lily- I thought that she was well-portrayed and fairly true, except that I wish we could get past the "autistics are savants" mode of thinking. It worked with the story though, and after having read many more problematic portrayals of autism I was pretty happy with her character.
August 23, 2021
The Darwin Variant is more like two stories. The first story contains events up to the comet’s impact. It is very good and gains suspense and tension steadily. The telecommunications from various authoritarian sources in bold type, cutoff wording and abbreviations is distracting but eventually fits into the storyline. This section of the book is easily four-star. Second is the part of the book after the comet. It slowly sinks into a gimmicky, predictable storyline of political pot holes that culminates with more unsurprisingly shallow characters doing stupid things. If you read this you must suspend all believability. This, the larger part of the book, is totally two-star content, maybe less. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. It is rife with contradictions. Sappy. Contrived. The ending is pure Hollywood.
March 6, 2024
Written well before the covid-19 pandemic and the January 6th insurrection, this story is prescient -- about many things. And the action takes place in Georgia! Even though we haven't been hit by an asteroid, we're dealing with similar issues. This is an exciting read by the creator/director of the seminal TV miniseries "V," and other iconic TV series such as "The Incredible Hulk" (my fave, with Bill Bixby), "The Six Million Dollar Man," "The Bionic Woman," and "Alien Nation." Full disclosure: The author is my father-in-law. I give it 3 stars only because I thought it should've been at least 50 pages shorter. I think the ending is satisfying, but not everyone agrees. I won't provide any spoilers. Just read and enjoy!
June 9, 2018
There were times when I wondered where this was going. What starts out as a comet heading to Earth turns into a race to find a cure for a infection brought by the comet. The story line is very complex. The list of characters is very diverse and the story often changes points of view using all in the plot line. The world building and backstory are very well done. This is a tension filled story with danger at every corner. The solution and the person who finds it are both a surprise. More a thriller than just science fiction.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
September 11, 2018
This book reminded me of so many things... It started out similar to the movie Deep Impact or the show Salvation, then changed into something reminiscent of Animorphs (in the sense of the aliens taking over).
I liked this story. The beginning was super fast-paced and filled with action, honestly it was like the climax of a story about an earth impact event. Then it really slowed down when the story started to follow the progression of the virus. By the end, things had picked back up in the spy-like capers the protagonists where on. I like the twist at the end, it was something I didn't really see coming.
Overall, a good story.
I liked this story. The beginning was super fast-paced and filled with action, honestly it was like the climax of a story about an earth impact event. Then it really slowed down when the story started to follow the progression of the virus. By the end, things had picked back up in the spy-like capers the protagonists where on. I like the twist at the end, it was something I didn't really see coming.
Overall, a good story.
March 27, 2025
I am a fan of the author, he is a legendary producer of classics the Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, V and V the Final Battle to name a few. I loved his prior book the Man of Legends and it is a shame the V books aren't on digital. This book covers an asteroid on course to hit Earth. It is broken up, but parts still fall in the US in Georgia and affect plants, animals and humans. This portion of the book is great and chilling. It lags towards the middle and slows down for a while before picking up at the end. Parts are pure wishful thinking and the ending is definitely Hollywood. The audiobooks was great, voiced by a talented cast. It took me a while to get through this.
May 10, 2018
Earth-destroying meteor headed to earth. Earth tries to destroy meteor but succeeds only into blowing it into fragments. These fragments each contain the 'Darwin Variant'. Areas where each land find plants suddenly growing fruit and vegetables 10 times normal size. Each person partaking of these new items is changed in a major way - not necessarily for the better.
This has to be one of the best books I've read in years! The characters are well developed - you feel like this could be people you know. The plot keeps you going (and guessing) until the end!
This has to be one of the best books I've read in years! The characters are well developed - you feel like this could be people you know. The plot keeps you going (and guessing) until the end!
August 4, 2018
A page turning roller coaster of emotiokns and plot twists
It took me a little while to warm up to this book, but once I did I couldn't put it down. The story drew me in and I made an emotional connection to the story and characters. I was upset and worried when things seemed to be going wrong, elated when things quickly started going right, and even found myself shedding a tear on the last page. I enjoyed the various narrators and the inclusion of other devices such as police reports, illustrations, and notes.
It took me a little while to warm up to this book, but once I did I couldn't put it down. The story drew me in and I made an emotional connection to the story and characters. I was upset and worried when things seemed to be going wrong, elated when things quickly started going right, and even found myself shedding a tear on the last page. I enjoyed the various narrators and the inclusion of other devices such as police reports, illustrations, and notes.
September 19, 2019
Took a while to get through this book. For no good reason.
The pace of it was brisk and engaging enough. Small thing irked me was like most Hollywood films the action focused solely on America and how it affected Americans. There is a big world out there!!
Interesting how the dialogue and focus was changed almost on every page. Which resulted in a little confusion about who was actually speaking.
Started as a disaster story that morphed into a kind of zombie story.
What I'm saying is the book was alright. No more, no less
The pace of it was brisk and engaging enough. Small thing irked me was like most Hollywood films the action focused solely on America and how it affected Americans. There is a big world out there!!
Interesting how the dialogue and focus was changed almost on every page. Which resulted in a little confusion about who was actually speaking.
Started as a disaster story that morphed into a kind of zombie story.
What I'm saying is the book was alright. No more, no less
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