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The Han Agent
In the 1930s, Japanese scientists committed heinous crimes in their quest for the ultimate biological weapon.
The war ended. Their mission did not.
Eighty years later, Japanese-American scientist Amika Nakamura won’t let rules stand between her and scientific glory. When the ambitious young virologist defies a ban on the genetic manipulation of influenza, she’s expelled from the university. Desperate to save her career, she accepts a position with a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo. Soon after, a visit to a disputed island entangles her in a high-profile geopolitical struggle between Japan and China. Applying her singular expertise with bird flu in a risky experiment may be the only way out. Little does she know that Japanese ultranationalists and a legacy of unpunished war crimes lurk in the shadows, manipulating people, politics, and science.
But DNA doesn’t lie. Amika uncovers a shocking a deadly virus is about to put the “gene” in genocide.
PRAISE FOR THE HAN AGENT by AMY
“Amy Rogers’s latest medical thriller, The Han Agent , is as exciting as it is frighteningly realistic . It could be tomorrow’s headline. Here is a story fraught with tension, sudden explosive action, and threaded through with scientific accuracy and speculation that will leave you stunned. Read it…if only to prepare yourself for what might soon become true.”
—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seventh Plague
“In this gripping thriller, World War II-era history, ultranationalism, and biological genocide intertwine. The Han Agent is a surefire genre hit, fast-paced and full of elements of mystery and adventure . Science fiction hounds in particular will dig the information about DNA sequencing, virus detection, and how plagues can spread.”— Foreword Reviews magazine
“In a stunning ‘what-if’ author-scientist Amy Rogers resurrects the idea of Unit 731, Japan’s notorious wartime biological weapons division, weaving together a diabolical tale of science, genocide, and modern-day bio-terror. Sobering, suspenseful, and absolutely chilling .”
—Barry Lancet, award-winning author of The Spy Across the Tabl e and Tokyo Kill
“Putting huge swaths of humanity in its crosshairs, this pressure cooker of a thriller portrays with chilling realism how individuals can use specialized scientific knowledge for good or evil.”
—J.E. Fishman, bestselling author of Primacy and the Bomb Squad NYC series
The war ended. Their mission did not.
Eighty years later, Japanese-American scientist Amika Nakamura won’t let rules stand between her and scientific glory. When the ambitious young virologist defies a ban on the genetic manipulation of influenza, she’s expelled from the university. Desperate to save her career, she accepts a position with a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo. Soon after, a visit to a disputed island entangles her in a high-profile geopolitical struggle between Japan and China. Applying her singular expertise with bird flu in a risky experiment may be the only way out. Little does she know that Japanese ultranationalists and a legacy of unpunished war crimes lurk in the shadows, manipulating people, politics, and science.
But DNA doesn’t lie. Amika uncovers a shocking a deadly virus is about to put the “gene” in genocide.
PRAISE FOR THE HAN AGENT by AMY
“Amy Rogers’s latest medical thriller, The Han Agent , is as exciting as it is frighteningly realistic . It could be tomorrow’s headline. Here is a story fraught with tension, sudden explosive action, and threaded through with scientific accuracy and speculation that will leave you stunned. Read it…if only to prepare yourself for what might soon become true.”
—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seventh Plague
“In this gripping thriller, World War II-era history, ultranationalism, and biological genocide intertwine. The Han Agent is a surefire genre hit, fast-paced and full of elements of mystery and adventure . Science fiction hounds in particular will dig the information about DNA sequencing, virus detection, and how plagues can spread.”— Foreword Reviews magazine
“In a stunning ‘what-if’ author-scientist Amy Rogers resurrects the idea of Unit 731, Japan’s notorious wartime biological weapons division, weaving together a diabolical tale of science, genocide, and modern-day bio-terror. Sobering, suspenseful, and absolutely chilling .”
—Barry Lancet, award-winning author of The Spy Across the Tabl e and Tokyo Kill
“Putting huge swaths of humanity in its crosshairs, this pressure cooker of a thriller portrays with chilling realism how individuals can use specialized scientific knowledge for good or evil.”
—J.E. Fishman, bestselling author of Primacy and the Bomb Squad NYC series
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2017
About the author
Amy Rogers
4 books89 followersAmy Rogers, MD, PhD, is a Harvard-educated writer, scientist, educator, and critic. Through her book review website ScienceThrillers.com, her publishing company ScienceThrillers Media, and her own writing, Amy advocates for literate entertainment in the form of great stories with real science.
Amy writes thrilling science-themed novels in the style of Michael Crichton (PETROPLAGUE, REVERSION, THE HAN AGENT). She also creates a monthly column "Science in the Neighborhood" for Inside Publications of Sacramento. She is a member of International Thriller Writers. Learn more at AmyRogers.com
Amy loves dim sum, Ted Drewes, redwood forests, Minnesota lakes, Hawaiian beaches, and cats. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two exceptional children who believe she has an unreasonable tolerance for mysterious things growing in her refrigerator.
Amy writes thrilling science-themed novels in the style of Michael Crichton (PETROPLAGUE, REVERSION, THE HAN AGENT). She also creates a monthly column "Science in the Neighborhood" for Inside Publications of Sacramento. She is a member of International Thriller Writers. Learn more at AmyRogers.com
Amy loves dim sum, Ted Drewes, redwood forests, Minnesota lakes, Hawaiian beaches, and cats. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two exceptional children who believe she has an unreasonable tolerance for mysterious things growing in her refrigerator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 26, 2021
The Han Agent is such a compelling bio-thriller. It has the cutting-edge science, the twists, the turns and the bad guys we love to hate, bundled into one fast-paced adventure that is all too relevant to our time. I see some people tossed the book before finishing, not "getting" the main character and her motivations. I can't say I "got" her, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt, wondering if a cultural difference caused the break in my understanding.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would certainly pick up the next in the series, or anything else written by Amy Rogers. This is exactly the kind of stuff I love to geekread.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would certainly pick up the next in the series, or anything else written by Amy Rogers. This is exactly the kind of stuff I love to geekread.
July 24, 2017
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, they're definitely getting one.
While most of you who have followed my reviews for a while know I love sci-fi, fantasy, Jane Austen, history, and architecture, most of you probably don't know that I'm a card carrying scientist with a PhD. While my area of expertise is now chemistry, my undergraduate degree was in Microbiology and Immunology. My parents are physician researchers. I've been a National Science Foundation fellow. And thus, my problems with this book begin.
Amika Nakamura is a post-doctoral research fellow who mysteriously finds a way to acquire highly infectious viral culture specimens of the 1918 influenza that caused the global pandemic that wiped out millions. She is working with them in her humble Berkeley virology lab clean room, unbeknownst to her post-doctoral advisor, and the university, until with much hubris she submits a paper for a conference about her research. Because if you're doing something illicit, by all means try to tell the entire research community. Yeah, it's amazing that she could keep that whole thing going, especially since highly contagious influenza viruses require at a minimum Bio-Safety Level 2 facilities and in the case of particularly virulent forms, BSL-3 facilities. There are only a handful of BSL-3 rated facilities in the US and Berkeley isn't one of them. Okay, you say, suspend a little belief. This is fiction. Well...
Imagine a protagonist who is filled with hubris, who gets fired for blatantly unsafe research you have no idea how she was doing in the first place, who has to destroy all her specimens because they are so unsafe, and who takes a job with a big Japanese pharma firm and then spends her time ogling the big director thinking to herself that Hiroshi Naito is good-looking and so of course she should try to seduce him because "job security and a little fun." Hey great idea, said no female scientist wanting to be taken seriously EVER. This character and her various machinations are like a parody. From trying to help her brother by going along with a trumped up rape scenario she denies to a reporter and then later tacitly confirms in public, this character lacks all credibility and logic for a trained scientist. Amika-san has to be one of the least likable lead characters I've read in a long time. She has nothing going for her. She is shallow, calculating, and risk-taking in a field where risk can easily kill people. All the characters appear to be equally vacuous, and self-consumed, btw.
And then there is the backdrop of the research scenario and its lack of understanding of public health research. For instance, if you have an outbreak of avian flu, do you 1) do sample collection and analysis through your governmental public health branch to research and track the flu or 2) give all your bird specimens to a big pharma company and tell them to start gain-of-function research on a vaccine? (By which, in the latter case, we mean lump together a whole bunch of terminology and try to make a plausible story out of them.) Why, 2, of course! The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan wants no part of this scary bad research and is happy to have a post-doctoral fellow, who was FIRED from her previous gig for doing unsafe research, handling the research for a mega-corporation interested in helping viral genes GAIN function (by which we mean enhanced activation of various genes of interest). Of course they do.
Rogers has taken a bunch of facts about influenza and avian flu (including the very real fact that in Japan they have had a great interest in the risks of an influenza pandemic affecting a densely populated country, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9REA... for instance) and the dispute over the Shenkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands and, like a test to see if it's cooked spaghetti, she has thrown them together to make a story stick against a dryrase board.
On top of these overriding problems, I have the underlying issue of cultural appropriation, with which I can foresee others far more qualified than I am will have a boatload of fun. Yes, those clever revenge-seeking Japanese and those bad Chinese jackals! Add viruses! Shake, stir! Oh, such fun!
If you want to read a good fiction book about a pandemic, reread Richard Preston's The Cobra Event. If you want political intrigue added to a global viral mutation pandemic, read Mira Grant's Newsflesh series.
Special note added: Why do you have to heavily tranquilize a goat, when already you're "vaccinating" them with birth control in a dart? Hmmm. Search me.
While most of you who have followed my reviews for a while know I love sci-fi, fantasy, Jane Austen, history, and architecture, most of you probably don't know that I'm a card carrying scientist with a PhD. While my area of expertise is now chemistry, my undergraduate degree was in Microbiology and Immunology. My parents are physician researchers. I've been a National Science Foundation fellow. And thus, my problems with this book begin.
Amika Nakamura is a post-doctoral research fellow who mysteriously finds a way to acquire highly infectious viral culture specimens of the 1918 influenza that caused the global pandemic that wiped out millions. She is working with them in her humble Berkeley virology lab clean room, unbeknownst to her post-doctoral advisor, and the university, until with much hubris she submits a paper for a conference about her research. Because if you're doing something illicit, by all means try to tell the entire research community. Yeah, it's amazing that she could keep that whole thing going, especially since highly contagious influenza viruses require at a minimum Bio-Safety Level 2 facilities and in the case of particularly virulent forms, BSL-3 facilities. There are only a handful of BSL-3 rated facilities in the US and Berkeley isn't one of them. Okay, you say, suspend a little belief. This is fiction. Well...
Imagine a protagonist who is filled with hubris, who gets fired for blatantly unsafe research you have no idea how she was doing in the first place, who has to destroy all her specimens because they are so unsafe, and who takes a job with a big Japanese pharma firm and then spends her time ogling the big director thinking to herself that Hiroshi Naito is good-looking and so of course she should try to seduce him because "job security and a little fun." Hey great idea, said no female scientist wanting to be taken seriously EVER. This character and her various machinations are like a parody. From trying to help her brother by going along with a trumped up rape scenario she denies to a reporter and then later tacitly confirms in public, this character lacks all credibility and logic for a trained scientist. Amika-san has to be one of the least likable lead characters I've read in a long time. She has nothing going for her. She is shallow, calculating, and risk-taking in a field where risk can easily kill people. All the characters appear to be equally vacuous, and self-consumed, btw.
And then there is the backdrop of the research scenario and its lack of understanding of public health research. For instance, if you have an outbreak of avian flu, do you 1) do sample collection and analysis through your governmental public health branch to research and track the flu or 2) give all your bird specimens to a big pharma company and tell them to start gain-of-function research on a vaccine? (By which, in the latter case, we mean lump together a whole bunch of terminology and try to make a plausible story out of them.) Why, 2, of course! The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan wants no part of this scary bad research and is happy to have a post-doctoral fellow, who was FIRED from her previous gig for doing unsafe research, handling the research for a mega-corporation interested in helping viral genes GAIN function (by which we mean enhanced activation of various genes of interest). Of course they do.
Rogers has taken a bunch of facts about influenza and avian flu (including the very real fact that in Japan they have had a great interest in the risks of an influenza pandemic affecting a densely populated country, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9REA... for instance) and the dispute over the Shenkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands and, like a test to see if it's cooked spaghetti, she has thrown them together to make a story stick against a dryrase board.
On top of these overriding problems, I have the underlying issue of cultural appropriation, with which I can foresee others far more qualified than I am will have a boatload of fun. Yes, those clever revenge-seeking Japanese and those bad Chinese jackals! Add viruses! Shake, stir! Oh, such fun!
If you want to read a good fiction book about a pandemic, reread Richard Preston's The Cobra Event. If you want political intrigue added to a global viral mutation pandemic, read Mira Grant's Newsflesh series.
Special note added: Why do you have to heavily tranquilize a goat, when already you're "vaccinating" them with birth control in a dart? Hmmm. Search me.
July 26, 2017
Rogers delivers another great read. In "The Han Agent" she tackles influenza being used as a bioterrorism weapon for genocide. The prose is taut, the pacing brisk, and the author's background in science lends credibility to the story without weighing it down with technical jargon.
The concept of genetic manipulation of viruses for nefarious purposes makes for great fiction, but it also makes us appreciate why ethical standards and review boards are critical when it comes to research, no matter the restraints they might impose.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher and finished the majority of it in one sitting. I found it hard to put down. Fans of science thrillers will surely want to add "The Han Agent" to their reading list.
The concept of genetic manipulation of viruses for nefarious purposes makes for great fiction, but it also makes us appreciate why ethical standards and review boards are critical when it comes to research, no matter the restraints they might impose.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher and finished the majority of it in one sitting. I found it hard to put down. Fans of science thrillers will surely want to add "The Han Agent" to their reading list.
August 25, 2017
I’m so impressed! Amy Rogers keeps getting better. In the past I’ve likened her books to Michael Crichton’s. Now I compare THE HAN AGENT to Richard Preston’s fiction (THE COBRA EVENT), an even greater compliment .
First, the Han agent is not a person. Think chemistry.
An ambitious Japanese-American scientist, Amika, is hired by a pharmaceutical company in Japan. The members of the family who own the company descend from World War II war criminals who were in the process of devising a chemical agent to obliterate the Han Chinese when the war ended and they had to pack up and leave. But Amika is sure all that is in the past, that the family should not have to pay for “the sins of the father.” So she gets along with them, particularly her boss, even when things begin to look suspicious.
As in Rogers’ other books, the science here is real. But THE HAN AGENT is also, for the most part, historically correct. That’s what makes this book better than her previous books.
First, the Han agent is not a person. Think chemistry.
An ambitious Japanese-American scientist, Amika, is hired by a pharmaceutical company in Japan. The members of the family who own the company descend from World War II war criminals who were in the process of devising a chemical agent to obliterate the Han Chinese when the war ended and they had to pack up and leave. But Amika is sure all that is in the past, that the family should not have to pay for “the sins of the father.” So she gets along with them, particularly her boss, even when things begin to look suspicious.
As in Rogers’ other books, the science here is real. But THE HAN AGENT is also, for the most part, historically correct. That’s what makes this book better than her previous books.
September 6, 2017
This book starts so slow I wondered if I should continue reading. Fortunately I did, and was ably rewarded. This is a thriller that combines violence with biological warfare. It examines the bond between brother and sister as the events in their lives bring them to Japan after being born in America/ The characters are realistic, if a little stereotypical. The suspense grows through the story as new information is found along the way. The path to the end is tortuous and twisting, but the conclusion is satisfying. Once you start reading you will not be able to put this book down.
July 10, 2017
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2017/07/1...
Publisher: IBPA
Publishing Date: September 2017
ISBN: 9781940419152
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 1.4/5
Publishers Description: In the 1930s, Japanese scientists committed heinous crimes in their quest for the ultimate biological weapon. The war ended. Their mission did not. Eighty years later, Japanese-American scientist Amika Nakamura won’t let rules stand between her and scientific glory. When the ambitious young virologist defies a ban on the genetic manipulation of influenza, she’s expelled from the university. Desperate to save her career, she accepts a position with a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo. Soon after, a visit to a disputed island entangles her in a high-profile geopolitical struggle between Japan and China.
Review: "Nothing new under the Sun here. Move along, move along.” This story line is one of many that have been done over the years. Only this one was not very interesting due to the shallow characterization and weak plot.
Amika is extremely self-centered and narcissistic gurl yet is not so myopic that she fails to notice how hot her rich, handsome and hunky evil billionaire sponsor is. She wants to bang him if only to secure and further her career. Can you say writing for a movie deal?? Well I can, and as disappointed in Amika as I was, I was more disappointed in the stilted dialogue and not so surprising deus ex moments that littered the pages of this failure. I stopped and started this novel quite a few times but mushed on to the end in hopes of some characterization revival in the form of movement and depth. It just gets worse with evil guy becoming more evil-ish and the storyline more mundane.
I think Harvard is calling and wants their PhD back.
Publisher: IBPA
Publishing Date: September 2017
ISBN: 9781940419152
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 1.4/5
Publishers Description: In the 1930s, Japanese scientists committed heinous crimes in their quest for the ultimate biological weapon. The war ended. Their mission did not. Eighty years later, Japanese-American scientist Amika Nakamura won’t let rules stand between her and scientific glory. When the ambitious young virologist defies a ban on the genetic manipulation of influenza, she’s expelled from the university. Desperate to save her career, she accepts a position with a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo. Soon after, a visit to a disputed island entangles her in a high-profile geopolitical struggle between Japan and China.
Review: "Nothing new under the Sun here. Move along, move along.” This story line is one of many that have been done over the years. Only this one was not very interesting due to the shallow characterization and weak plot.
Amika is extremely self-centered and narcissistic gurl yet is not so myopic that she fails to notice how hot her rich, handsome and hunky evil billionaire sponsor is. She wants to bang him if only to secure and further her career. Can you say writing for a movie deal?? Well I can, and as disappointed in Amika as I was, I was more disappointed in the stilted dialogue and not so surprising deus ex moments that littered the pages of this failure. I stopped and started this novel quite a few times but mushed on to the end in hopes of some characterization revival in the form of movement and depth. It just gets worse with evil guy becoming more evil-ish and the storyline more mundane.
I think Harvard is calling and wants their PhD back.
June 26, 2017
Review: THE HAN AGENT
Science is one of my fascinations, and the science premise of THE HAN AGENT is not just fascinating, but highly topical and up-to-date. When a driven Japanese-American scientist with a genius at viral genetics is dismissed from UC-Berkeley for being a lone wolf and violating restrictions, she is snapped up by a Japanese pharmaceutical megaconglomerate. She thinks her value is her scientific knowledge, but she could not imagine what the family-owned corporation intends: to extend the medical depredations of Japan's infamous Unit 731, in the 1930's and 1940's, to eradicate the hated Chinese.
THE HAN AGENT is a thought-provoking, eye-opening, nonstop scientific thriller.
Science is one of my fascinations, and the science premise of THE HAN AGENT is not just fascinating, but highly topical and up-to-date. When a driven Japanese-American scientist with a genius at viral genetics is dismissed from UC-Berkeley for being a lone wolf and violating restrictions, she is snapped up by a Japanese pharmaceutical megaconglomerate. She thinks her value is her scientific knowledge, but she could not imagine what the family-owned corporation intends: to extend the medical depredations of Japan's infamous Unit 731, in the 1930's and 1940's, to eradicate the hated Chinese.
THE HAN AGENT is a thought-provoking, eye-opening, nonstop scientific thriller.
August 21, 2017
I really enjoyed this read. The book started off a bit slow but that was mostly to get things set up for the rest of the book, especially the science. After things are set up, it snowballs into a wild ride.
Amika (Dr. Nakamura) was kicked out of her last research facility and became a pariah in the United States medical community for her cutting edge research of the genome for influenza. When she is offered a job in Japan at the same company her brother works, she jumps at the chance. The transition is easy as she grew up a Japanese-American and knew there language. When things go horribly wrong on her very first research trip, she does everything she can to protect her family and her work. But is she just a puppet in the master's hands?
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Amika (Dr. Nakamura) was kicked out of her last research facility and became a pariah in the United States medical community for her cutting edge research of the genome for influenza. When she is offered a job in Japan at the same company her brother works, she jumps at the chance. The transition is easy as she grew up a Japanese-American and knew there language. When things go horribly wrong on her very first research trip, she does everything she can to protect her family and her work. But is she just a puppet in the master's hands?
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I was extremely impressed with the amount of actual science and fact throughout. It's always in the back of your mind that something like this could happen, but it's not until someone lays out the simple sliding door that separates us from disaster that you really start to THINK about it. This book was incredibly intelligent and suspenseful. I think it will do well once released!
August 15, 2017
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for a review.
Anika Nakamura, an ambitious virologist, loses her position at UC Berkeley after performing banned experiments in virus mutations. Hired by Koga Scientific as an advisor on vaccine development, she is drawn to Hiroshi, one of the executives. When a project on a contested island results in the death of three Chinese protesters, she finds herself thrown into the spotlight and manipulated by the press and Hiroshi.
Blinded by her own ambition and her belief in Hiroshi, Amika is unaware that she is being used to further a biological weapon that has its' roots in World War II at a secret army complex in Manchuria. The completion of these experiments could lead to genocide against the Han Chinese.
The use of biological weapons is not a new idea, but the scale presented by Amy Rogers' story is horrifying one and makes you wonder if this is what the future may hold.
Anika Nakamura, an ambitious virologist, loses her position at UC Berkeley after performing banned experiments in virus mutations. Hired by Koga Scientific as an advisor on vaccine development, she is drawn to Hiroshi, one of the executives. When a project on a contested island results in the death of three Chinese protesters, she finds herself thrown into the spotlight and manipulated by the press and Hiroshi.
Blinded by her own ambition and her belief in Hiroshi, Amika is unaware that she is being used to further a biological weapon that has its' roots in World War II at a secret army complex in Manchuria. The completion of these experiments could lead to genocide against the Han Chinese.
The use of biological weapons is not a new idea, but the scale presented by Amy Rogers' story is horrifying one and makes you wonder if this is what the future may hold.
July 15, 2017
The Han Agent captivates the reader from the first paragraph! If you enjoy reading medical thrillers.. then, this is a MUST read!! It combines the flu pandemic of 1918 and the Japanese Unit 731 in China during WWII. The pace is steady and convincingly real! Frightfully, the story is one fraught with twists and turns that the reader will not see coming! I love not being able to figure out mysteries. That alone lets the reader know that the story is rich in detail and a very satisfying read!
One cannot help rooting for the young female scientist, Amika Nakamura and her brother. Amika has lost her job in California.. and her career is saved by her brother. She suddenly finds herself in Japan, with full permission to explore the DNA (actually.. it's RNA) of the influenza virus. Amika has no plans to develop a biological weapon.. her goal is to save millions of lives.. every year with figuring out how the flu virus can be tamed. Not realizing.. that she has actually made the ultimate biological weapon that many governments around the world want to control. Genocide.
Extremely well written! One heck of a thriller! I totally enjoyed every word!
One cannot help rooting for the young female scientist, Amika Nakamura and her brother. Amika has lost her job in California.. and her career is saved by her brother. She suddenly finds herself in Japan, with full permission to explore the DNA (actually.. it's RNA) of the influenza virus. Amika has no plans to develop a biological weapon.. her goal is to save millions of lives.. every year with figuring out how the flu virus can be tamed. Not realizing.. that she has actually made the ultimate biological weapon that many governments around the world want to control. Genocide.
Extremely well written! One heck of a thriller! I totally enjoyed every word!
July 31, 2017
Awesome book!!!If you are looking for action and the unexpected this is your book.This book draws you in and just wont let go ,I could not put it down.I will look for more books by this author.I received this book free as part of goodreads giveaways.
December 7, 2017
SLOW! I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by Amy Rogers in 2017, and published by Science Thrillers Media, the book is about the Japanese and the Chinese in modern-day Asia. Han is the ethnic group that is native to more than 90% of China and Taiwan. The story begins with a fictionalized account of the WWII top secret project conducted by the Japanese military and government to develop a biological weapon in Manchuria. This project was successfully obliterated by the Japanese before the Soviets and Americans could detect any trace of it at the end of the war. All reference to it in Japanese history was vigorously suppressed. Eventually, the truth was revealed, but it wasn’t until many years later.
Dr. Amika Nakamura is a Japanese-American biological researcher at UC, Berkeley. She is conducting “Gain-of-Function” DNA experiments on the Bird Flu virus when details of her work are learned of by her superiors. She is promptly fired in disgrace and travels to Japan where she finds a job with the giant pharmaceutical conglomerate: Koga. Koga is in the business of manufacturing vaccines, including flu vaccines, so it is a good fit for Amika. Besides, her little brother Shuu also works for Koga, and Amika is very protective of him. He had received a Bad Conduct Discharge from the (US) army for an incident that took place in Korea, and he, too, had taken a position in Japan working for Koga. The story centers around the disputed Senkaku Islands, near the southern tip of the Japanese archipelago, near Taiwan. Both China and Japan lay claim to the islands, which did not seem particularly important to either nation until, according to Wikipedia: “the People's Republic of China (PRC) started taking up the question of sovereignty over the islands in the latter half of 1970 when evidence relating to the existence of oil reserves surfaced. Taiwan (Republic of China) also claims the islands. The territory is close to key shipping lanes and rich fishing grounds, and there may be oil reserves in the area.” The story, then, is well grounded in reality.
Even though this story is a work of fiction, the dispute over these islands is real — it is not fictional. When Japan purchased three of the islands from a so-called “private owner” in September of 2012, the result was wide-scale protests in China. Further complicating matters is a treaty between Japan and the United States that would require the US to come to the aid of Japan to defend the islands from attack in the event of an invasion by China. In 2013, China retaliated by setting up a military "East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone" that would require that all aircraft entering the area around the islands file a flight plan and radio or transponder frequencies with China. (Wikipedia)
The first half of the book drags as the overconfident-to-the-point-of-arrogance Amika convinces herself that she has everything under control. She doesn’t. Like so many Americans, she has, at best, a tenuous grasp of History, and powerful forces that she does not comprehend are at work all around her. This protagonist was not, to me, a very likable person. She is focused on her own self-interests, and these include a Nobel Prize in Biology.
I found a few minor inconsistencies in the book, one of which was Amika’s gown that she wore to the party with Hiroshi. Earlier, she had observed that, even though her gown flared at the bottom, she would have problems taking a long stride. Then, when she and Hiroshi decide to have sex, she is able to “. . . [coil] one leg around his back side, squeezing his pelvis tighter against hers.” How does she do that while wearing a gown about which she says “She could walk, but long strides would be impossible in this”?
All in all, the book seems to be a bit slow, and sometimes it’s predictable. Because of this, I was not as surprised at the ending as I thought I would be. The science is good, but the action is largely missing from a story that is supposed to be a thriller. I did not enjoy it all that much, but I award it three stars because I believe a lot of readers might. The author ties up loose ends at the conclusion of the story, but I found that ending to be a bit unsatisfying.
Dr. Amika Nakamura is a Japanese-American biological researcher at UC, Berkeley. She is conducting “Gain-of-Function” DNA experiments on the Bird Flu virus when details of her work are learned of by her superiors. She is promptly fired in disgrace and travels to Japan where she finds a job with the giant pharmaceutical conglomerate: Koga. Koga is in the business of manufacturing vaccines, including flu vaccines, so it is a good fit for Amika. Besides, her little brother Shuu also works for Koga, and Amika is very protective of him. He had received a Bad Conduct Discharge from the (US) army for an incident that took place in Korea, and he, too, had taken a position in Japan working for Koga. The story centers around the disputed Senkaku Islands, near the southern tip of the Japanese archipelago, near Taiwan. Both China and Japan lay claim to the islands, which did not seem particularly important to either nation until, according to Wikipedia: “the People's Republic of China (PRC) started taking up the question of sovereignty over the islands in the latter half of 1970 when evidence relating to the existence of oil reserves surfaced. Taiwan (Republic of China) also claims the islands. The territory is close to key shipping lanes and rich fishing grounds, and there may be oil reserves in the area.” The story, then, is well grounded in reality.
Even though this story is a work of fiction, the dispute over these islands is real — it is not fictional. When Japan purchased three of the islands from a so-called “private owner” in September of 2012, the result was wide-scale protests in China. Further complicating matters is a treaty between Japan and the United States that would require the US to come to the aid of Japan to defend the islands from attack in the event of an invasion by China. In 2013, China retaliated by setting up a military "East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone" that would require that all aircraft entering the area around the islands file a flight plan and radio or transponder frequencies with China. (Wikipedia)
The first half of the book drags as the overconfident-to-the-point-of-arrogance Amika convinces herself that she has everything under control. She doesn’t. Like so many Americans, she has, at best, a tenuous grasp of History, and powerful forces that she does not comprehend are at work all around her. This protagonist was not, to me, a very likable person. She is focused on her own self-interests, and these include a Nobel Prize in Biology.
I found a few minor inconsistencies in the book, one of which was Amika’s gown that she wore to the party with Hiroshi. Earlier, she had observed that, even though her gown flared at the bottom, she would have problems taking a long stride. Then, when she and Hiroshi decide to have sex, she is able to “. . . [coil] one leg around his back side, squeezing his pelvis tighter against hers.” How does she do that while wearing a gown about which she says “She could walk, but long strides would be impossible in this”?
All in all, the book seems to be a bit slow, and sometimes it’s predictable. Because of this, I was not as surprised at the ending as I thought I would be. The science is good, but the action is largely missing from a story that is supposed to be a thriller. I did not enjoy it all that much, but I award it three stars because I believe a lot of readers might. The author ties up loose ends at the conclusion of the story, but I found that ending to be a bit unsatisfying.
September 11, 2017
We have all heard of the human experimentation done in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, but many may not know that Japan had its own human experimental camp known as Unit 731 located in Pingfang, China during World War II. From 1937-1945, over 3000 Chinese men, women, and children were subjected to brutal experimentation that included vivisection on the victims and removal of organs while the subjects were still alive. Diseases such as syphilis, bubonic plague, cholera, and other diseases were tested on victims to design a potential biological weapon. Relations between Japan and China since World War II have been tense with both sides still feeling animosity towards the other. Japanese and Chinese hostilities and the history of Unit 731 are the backdrop of Amy Rogers’ newest thriller, The Han Agent.
The main character of The Han Agent is Amika Nakamura, a Japanese-American virologist, who happens to have a keen interest in the most deadly form of the influenza virus. Unfortunately, Nakamura is a flawed character in that she behaves more like an adolescent than a serious young researcher at a highly esteemed university. She feels that she is above any rules and behaves accordingly which eventually gets her kicked out of UC Berkley and banned from medical research in the US. Fortunately for her, with the help from her brother, she is hired by a company in Japan known as Koga Pharmaceuticals. It doesn’t take her too long before she makes her next foolish mistake by developing a physical relationship with the head honcho at Koga, Hiroshi Naito. Nakamura’s hubris turns out to be her downfall as a more sinister plot takes advantage of this flaw in her character to exploit her extraordinary abilities as a virologist. Eventually she sees the light but the damage has already been done, so it is up to her to make it right even if the final outcome is death. Since Nakamura is an anti-hero, it is difficult to warm up to this character, but she does show how a rogue state could take advantage of a scientist’s vulnerabilities and use their talents for their own means.
There are numerous thrillers that look at the possibility of using a deadly virus as a bioweapon, but most focus on radical groups such as ISIS or religiously zealot groups as being the harbingers of doom. Additionally, bioweapons are difficult to control and could infect anybody. The Han Agent has a different take, by focusing on what seems to be a normally rational group of people except for their long deep seated hate for their enemies and specifically targeting them with a bioweapon. The Japanese are normally a very peaceful culture except when it comes to their feelings for the Chinese. Though most Japanese citizens wouldn’t want to see all Chinese wiped off the face the Earth, unfortunately there are some that would. So why not create a designer virus that targets the Chinese? It is terrifying enough to know that a group of zealots could cause Armageddon with any bioweapon, but these fringe groups are rather obvious and methods can be used to monitor them and keep them in check. But when a group of individuals with influence and wealth decide to target a group of people that are to their disliking, they could find the means to obtain such technology. Jews could target Arabs or vice versa. White Supremacist could target blacks. Genocide would take on a whole new dimension.
With historical references and reflections on new technology, Amy Rogers’ The Han Agent is both an educational and exciting novel. Rogers is considering continuing this as a series with the next book in the series entitled The Han Vector that will primarily feature Captain Michael Lindstrom who makes a brief appearance in The Han Agent as a member of the global influenza team at the CDC.
I would like to thank Amy Rogers for my copy of The Han Agent in exchange for an honest review.
If you are interested in learning more about the Microes Series check it out on my blog A-Thrill-A-Week
The main character of The Han Agent is Amika Nakamura, a Japanese-American virologist, who happens to have a keen interest in the most deadly form of the influenza virus. Unfortunately, Nakamura is a flawed character in that she behaves more like an adolescent than a serious young researcher at a highly esteemed university. She feels that she is above any rules and behaves accordingly which eventually gets her kicked out of UC Berkley and banned from medical research in the US. Fortunately for her, with the help from her brother, she is hired by a company in Japan known as Koga Pharmaceuticals. It doesn’t take her too long before she makes her next foolish mistake by developing a physical relationship with the head honcho at Koga, Hiroshi Naito. Nakamura’s hubris turns out to be her downfall as a more sinister plot takes advantage of this flaw in her character to exploit her extraordinary abilities as a virologist. Eventually she sees the light but the damage has already been done, so it is up to her to make it right even if the final outcome is death. Since Nakamura is an anti-hero, it is difficult to warm up to this character, but she does show how a rogue state could take advantage of a scientist’s vulnerabilities and use their talents for their own means.
There are numerous thrillers that look at the possibility of using a deadly virus as a bioweapon, but most focus on radical groups such as ISIS or religiously zealot groups as being the harbingers of doom. Additionally, bioweapons are difficult to control and could infect anybody. The Han Agent has a different take, by focusing on what seems to be a normally rational group of people except for their long deep seated hate for their enemies and specifically targeting them with a bioweapon. The Japanese are normally a very peaceful culture except when it comes to their feelings for the Chinese. Though most Japanese citizens wouldn’t want to see all Chinese wiped off the face the Earth, unfortunately there are some that would. So why not create a designer virus that targets the Chinese? It is terrifying enough to know that a group of zealots could cause Armageddon with any bioweapon, but these fringe groups are rather obvious and methods can be used to monitor them and keep them in check. But when a group of individuals with influence and wealth decide to target a group of people that are to their disliking, they could find the means to obtain such technology. Jews could target Arabs or vice versa. White Supremacist could target blacks. Genocide would take on a whole new dimension.
With historical references and reflections on new technology, Amy Rogers’ The Han Agent is both an educational and exciting novel. Rogers is considering continuing this as a series with the next book in the series entitled The Han Vector that will primarily feature Captain Michael Lindstrom who makes a brief appearance in The Han Agent as a member of the global influenza team at the CDC.
I would like to thank Amy Rogers for my copy of The Han Agent in exchange for an honest review.
If you are interested in learning more about the Microes Series check it out on my blog A-Thrill-A-Week
September 3, 2017
The Han Agent by Amy Rogers is a so-so medical thriller.
In the 1930's Japanese scientists began experimenting with biological weapons, but the program was forced to end due to WWII and all notes and evidence of the experimentation was hidden away. Jumping to the present, Japanese-American scientist Amika Nakamura is an ambitious young virologist working at U.C., Berkeley who defies a ban on genetic manipulation of the 1918 influenza virus. She publishes a paper on her work and is subsequently expelled, fired, and banned from working at any U.C. school. She accepts a position with Koga, a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo. Her younger brother Shuu also works for Koga. She travels to the Senkaku Islands, near the southern tip of the Japanese archipelago and quickly Amika and Shuu are entangled in a high-profile geopolitical struggle between Japan and China.
Those of you who follow my reviews know I enjoy thrillers involving viruses, plagues, dystopian scenarios, etc. The Han Agent was seemingly a perfect fit for my preferred genres. What I never envisioned was being bored and having to force myself to finish a book featuring biological weapons. After an intriguing opening, the action in the first first half of the book slows down and the hook, the biological weaponization of a virus, is set aside for political posturing.
Now, I can suspend disbelief with the best of them and roll with the action, assuming there is some action, but it is difficult to overcome sheer disdain of the main character. Amika is arrogant, self-important, overly confident, and annoying as all heck. I rapidly grew tired of her and her whining. Add to this a predictable plot and the lack of true, thrilling action and suspense and it is hard to rally support and enthusiasm for a novel. The quality of the writing is good, however, and the narrative does reach a satisfying conclusion. I'm sure there are other readers who will enjoy this novel more than I did.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of ScienceThrillers.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/0...
In the 1930's Japanese scientists began experimenting with biological weapons, but the program was forced to end due to WWII and all notes and evidence of the experimentation was hidden away. Jumping to the present, Japanese-American scientist Amika Nakamura is an ambitious young virologist working at U.C., Berkeley who defies a ban on genetic manipulation of the 1918 influenza virus. She publishes a paper on her work and is subsequently expelled, fired, and banned from working at any U.C. school. She accepts a position with Koga, a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo. Her younger brother Shuu also works for Koga. She travels to the Senkaku Islands, near the southern tip of the Japanese archipelago and quickly Amika and Shuu are entangled in a high-profile geopolitical struggle between Japan and China.
Those of you who follow my reviews know I enjoy thrillers involving viruses, plagues, dystopian scenarios, etc. The Han Agent was seemingly a perfect fit for my preferred genres. What I never envisioned was being bored and having to force myself to finish a book featuring biological weapons. After an intriguing opening, the action in the first first half of the book slows down and the hook, the biological weaponization of a virus, is set aside for political posturing.
Now, I can suspend disbelief with the best of them and roll with the action, assuming there is some action, but it is difficult to overcome sheer disdain of the main character. Amika is arrogant, self-important, overly confident, and annoying as all heck. I rapidly grew tired of her and her whining. Add to this a predictable plot and the lack of true, thrilling action and suspense and it is hard to rally support and enthusiasm for a novel. The quality of the writing is good, however, and the narrative does reach a satisfying conclusion. I'm sure there are other readers who will enjoy this novel more than I did.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of ScienceThrillers.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/0...
September 22, 2017
Even a highly educated scientist can be self-centered and overconfident. Those are the traits that led to Japanese-American scientist Dr. Amika Nakamura’s downfall from grace and made her vulnerable to being manipulated by a group of Japanese right-wing nationalist. The Han Agent is a story about Amika Nakamura’s recognition of, and efforts to right the wrongs created by, her arrogance. It is a scientific thriller that incorporates scientific laboratory methods but is written in language that most of us can understand.
Taking place in an atmosphere of Japanese culture and tradition, the story begins with the sudden end of World War II following the use of atom bombs by the US. Prior to surrendering, the Japanese destroyed weaponized biological agents they had been working on but the lab records were preserved by an elite Japanese family. Despite what you initially assume, America was not the target of these biological agents. Japan’s primary interest in producing them was to wipe out China, their historical enemy. As the story evolves, we learn that the family is set on fulfilling their nation’s historical task in order to take the Manchurian region of China and thus regain greatness for Japan.
This book should be a hit with readers who have any type of scientific or medical training. Despite the fact that I have no such background, I totally enjoyed the book. The mystery and the thrilling events in the story appealed to me and will appeal to any reader who likes ‘on the edge of your seat’ action.
Nothing in the author’s biographical information suggests time spent in Japan. Fortunately, that doesn’t weaken the accuracy of her description of Tokyo’s nightlife and restaurants. But then again, good writers spend a great deal of time researching the background they intend to use for their books. Amy Rogers is a good writer; so much so that I have signed up to be a follower of hers on Amazon. I’m looking forward to reading other books by her.
Taking place in an atmosphere of Japanese culture and tradition, the story begins with the sudden end of World War II following the use of atom bombs by the US. Prior to surrendering, the Japanese destroyed weaponized biological agents they had been working on but the lab records were preserved by an elite Japanese family. Despite what you initially assume, America was not the target of these biological agents. Japan’s primary interest in producing them was to wipe out China, their historical enemy. As the story evolves, we learn that the family is set on fulfilling their nation’s historical task in order to take the Manchurian region of China and thus regain greatness for Japan.
This book should be a hit with readers who have any type of scientific or medical training. Despite the fact that I have no such background, I totally enjoyed the book. The mystery and the thrilling events in the story appealed to me and will appeal to any reader who likes ‘on the edge of your seat’ action.
Nothing in the author’s biographical information suggests time spent in Japan. Fortunately, that doesn’t weaken the accuracy of her description of Tokyo’s nightlife and restaurants. But then again, good writers spend a great deal of time researching the background they intend to use for their books. Amy Rogers is a good writer; so much so that I have signed up to be a follower of hers on Amazon. I’m looking forward to reading other books by her.
September 15, 2019
I conflicted about this book. Likability entirely depends upon what books you read before. Unfortunately I read better bio thrillers before this and this feels like something I would have liked when I didn't know better.
With that disclaimer, I don't think this is a bio thriller. Before I can explain, let me start with basic synopsis. A young virologist, passionate about her work, gets involved in something she isn't ready for. That's about as much I can say without spoiling. Now, one would think it sounds like a bio thriller. I read the sample on Amazon thinking exactly that. I liked the sample and bought it. As soon as non-sample of the book started, things started devolving. Now this is an decent thriller if you started getting into the genre, but it's not something fresh or anything.
Entire "bio" part of the book seems to be so generic plot device, you can replace that with any mcguffin and still achieve nthe same result. Replace the virus with a cyber threat for example, one can write this exact same book by replacing virologist with a hacker. Entire story is almost like a old Bond movie, i.e cliched romance, betrayal, double agent, expected twists. Book is somewhat predictable after half mark.
To me, "bio" part of any bio thriller should have it's own character so that it becomes part of the plot, but not a plot device.a nuclear bomb in a story is a ploy device. ASn AI operating the nuclear bomb is a character and part of the plot. In this book, bio factor is just a plot device and not much more than that. This is what out me off. It's a decent story though. Amika Nakamura and every other characters are believable.
There are some scenes written , clearly trying to feed the reader with "how bad the bad guy thinks" and to me, they felt too movietype and cliched.
Any case, I give 3 because it's a decent thriller and there is some bio in it.
With that disclaimer, I don't think this is a bio thriller. Before I can explain, let me start with basic synopsis. A young virologist, passionate about her work, gets involved in something she isn't ready for. That's about as much I can say without spoiling. Now, one would think it sounds like a bio thriller. I read the sample on Amazon thinking exactly that. I liked the sample and bought it. As soon as non-sample of the book started, things started devolving. Now this is an decent thriller if you started getting into the genre, but it's not something fresh or anything.
Entire "bio" part of the book seems to be so generic plot device, you can replace that with any mcguffin and still achieve nthe same result. Replace the virus with a cyber threat for example, one can write this exact same book by replacing virologist with a hacker. Entire story is almost like a old Bond movie, i.e cliched romance, betrayal, double agent, expected twists. Book is somewhat predictable after half mark.
To me, "bio" part of any bio thriller should have it's own character so that it becomes part of the plot, but not a plot device.a nuclear bomb in a story is a ploy device. ASn AI operating the nuclear bomb is a character and part of the plot. In this book, bio factor is just a plot device and not much more than that. This is what out me off. It's a decent story though. Amika Nakamura and every other characters are believable.
There are some scenes written , clearly trying to feed the reader with "how bad the bad guy thinks" and to me, they felt too movietype and cliched.
Any case, I give 3 because it's a decent thriller and there is some bio in it.
August 1, 2017
The Han Agent originally interested me because it was listed as science fiction with a background in the flu epidemics that have spanned time, but it is so much more then that. It reads to me like a thriller, I often could not put the book down and when I did put the book down my heart was pounding. The main character Amika is great, her voice throughout the book is not so scientifically driven that I couldn't understand the complex things she was going through, but at the same time I learned a lot about influenza from this book, which is exactly how I like my hard science fiction. What happens in the book could actually happen in our present day, which is both terrifying and puts a dose of reality in the book that is not found in others.
The book starts in the 1930s following the projects found from Japanese unit 731, which was a biological and chemical warfare group that did many crimes of humanity, but the quest for the perfect biological weapon did not end when WWII ended. Amika is thrown into a terrible situation and needs to find a way out of it alive, along with her younger brother Shuu. It took me a little bit to really love Amika, but once I did the book had me hooked 100%.
The book starts in the 1930s following the projects found from Japanese unit 731, which was a biological and chemical warfare group that did many crimes of humanity, but the quest for the perfect biological weapon did not end when WWII ended. Amika is thrown into a terrible situation and needs to find a way out of it alive, along with her younger brother Shuu. It took me a little bit to really love Amika, but once I did the book had me hooked 100%.
September 14, 2017
Amika Nakamura is a young researcher studying the influenza virus, an extremely mutable agent that causes wide epidemics and can pass from animals to man. When she is expelled from the University of California because of her work on banned genetic modifications, she accepts an employment by Koga, Japan, where she can continue her research.
But her very first field-mission goes terribly wrong: she barely escapes an ambush, and Shuu, her brother, is accused of murder. To save him, Amika comes down to compromises that trap her in a deadly game, a spiral of hate and thirst for vengeance rooted in World War II, coming now to threaten her own life...
"The Han Agent" is a thriller novel that, starting from current scientific knowledge, extrapolates a possible, terrifying future development.
Despite some not fully developed character, the story surely flows with successes, failures, intrigues and surprises. At the same time it touches sensitive issues, such as the possible limits to the research and the scientists moral responsibility. Luckily, the author, Amy Rogers - she herself a microbiologist - is good at keeping the telling fluid and the reader's interest high.
My thanks to ScienceThrillersMedia and to NetGalley for the book to review.
But her very first field-mission goes terribly wrong: she barely escapes an ambush, and Shuu, her brother, is accused of murder. To save him, Amika comes down to compromises that trap her in a deadly game, a spiral of hate and thirst for vengeance rooted in World War II, coming now to threaten her own life...
"The Han Agent" is a thriller novel that, starting from current scientific knowledge, extrapolates a possible, terrifying future development.
Despite some not fully developed character, the story surely flows with successes, failures, intrigues and surprises. At the same time it touches sensitive issues, such as the possible limits to the research and the scientists moral responsibility. Luckily, the author, Amy Rogers - she herself a microbiologist - is good at keeping the telling fluid and the reader's interest high.
My thanks to ScienceThrillersMedia and to NetGalley for the book to review.
September 28, 2017
The Han Agent by Amy Rogers is a science thriller. The whole synopsis sounds way better than the plot itself. The realistic situation of what the main protagonist does as a scientist is unbelievable. She does things halfway through instead of being thorough. A scientist always likes being thorough whether they're right or wrong. Another situation was how did Amika, the scientist, get to be the main character...it kept me wondering. It sounded like she was still in the process of learning her field. I didn't believe that she could somehow stumble against a virus that deadly. Plus, even if she did someone above her would have taken the claim for such a discovery. Last, there's her personality. Amika isn't likable to me. She comes across as manipulating and devious. It is only right that she does get entangled into a geopolitical situation. I have to say Amika deserves what she gets. If Amika was created innacting more like a real scientist would her title as a scientist would have been more believable. It was like someone tossed her the job and she just rolled with it. Overall, it sounded better than it actually was. Some changes need to be made, once made, I think this would indeed be a great thriller.
I received this copy from the publisher. This, is my voluntary review.
I received this copy from the publisher. This, is my voluntary review.
August 5, 2017
3.5 stars. This is the first book by Amy Rogers that I have read so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a well written medical thriller. This can be read as a standalone. There is violence.
The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all info here. The author did a good job of explaining what is going on and describing the history and settings of the story. The characters, even though I couldn't stand some of them, were well written and multidimensional. There are a lot of clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next. This storyline makes you wonder if this could be happening right now somewhere in the world.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to leave a review for other readers.
The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all info here. The author did a good job of explaining what is going on and describing the history and settings of the story. The characters, even though I couldn't stand some of them, were well written and multidimensional. There are a lot of clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next. This storyline makes you wonder if this could be happening right now somewhere in the world.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to leave a review for other readers.
October 7, 2017
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to preview a digital ARC of this book.
I enjoy medical fiction. I was looking forward to reading this book, but it disappointed a little bit. First of all, when I requested it, I don't think I realized that it was a series. I typically don't like reading series books, and I felt the same about this one.
The main character is a female scientist who is doing research on a type of flu. She is terminated from her position at a university and moves to Japan to work with her brother. While in Japan, she gets caught up with the conflict between China and Japan and territorial battles over some islands.
Honestly, I couldn't get past the first half of the book because it was moving too slow and had too many subplots. I was very interested to get into the actual conflict of the bio warfare, but it was moving too slow.
I enjoy medical fiction. I was looking forward to reading this book, but it disappointed a little bit. First of all, when I requested it, I don't think I realized that it was a series. I typically don't like reading series books, and I felt the same about this one.
The main character is a female scientist who is doing research on a type of flu. She is terminated from her position at a university and moves to Japan to work with her brother. While in Japan, she gets caught up with the conflict between China and Japan and territorial battles over some islands.
Honestly, I couldn't get past the first half of the book because it was moving too slow and had too many subplots. I was very interested to get into the actual conflict of the bio warfare, but it was moving too slow.
December 16, 2018
Riveting and well written. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book! Rogers writes in the same genre as Michael Crichton and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with best writers of this type of intelligent "what-if" thriller. Some other reviewers mentioned they didn't like the protagonist, but I thought this pig-headed, sometimes selfish, yet brilliant scientist stood out from from the almost too-perfect main characters of other thrillers, and made the story more interesting. You couldn't tell what she was going to do, which kept me on my toes! Yes, I wanted to knock her upside the head sometimes, but that made it all the more rewarding when she finally found a line she wouldn't cross. I've just added Amy Rogers to my list of favorite authors. Can't wait to read more.
July 10, 2018
This is a well written science thriller. While not my favorite genre, I enjoyed reading it. It is fast paced with a few twists. To be honest, I enjoyed the villain more than the main character. Amy Rogers does a good job informing about the science without it side tracking the story or being boring for non science people. I also learned about some history that I was unaware of but interested in. It was entertaining, give it a read. (I didn't give a synopses of the novel, you can read the book cover for that)
December 21, 2017
An engaging and fast-paced science thriller. Amika Nakamura is a brilliant scientist but complicated character. She starts out being fired from her University position for performing banned manipulations of flu virus and then forwards her next position in Japan by sleeping with the boss---a move that deepens her involvement in a terrifying but plausible bioterrorism scheme that keeps the reader turning the pages!
November 4, 2017
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I truly enjoyed this book, as, truth be told, this is not my preferred genre. Each page kept me reading the next -- always a good sign. Some surprising twists kept the story both engaging and suspenseful. So glad I read it ... you will be too.
November 7, 2018
The Han Agent works very well as a thriller, with nasty villains, scarier because they believe they are the good guys, and good twists. Even better, from my point of view, is that it works great as hard science fiction, presenting solid science without becoming pedantic or boring.
January 11, 2024
Wow! A virus intended to eradicate a species! In the tech notes included in the book, Amy Rodgers admits it is unlikely such a thing can be created. I read the notes first, but the book still had me convinced. A frightening white-knuckle adventure amongst the politics and science of microbes!
September 18, 2017
The knowledge that this could actually happen, that the science is real, is chilling.
September 24, 2017
New Ulm is proud of her.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews