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Chimera
The novel that inspired the headline-grabbing ITV series starring John Lynch, Kenneth Cranham, and Christine Kavanagh. A terrifyingly plausible journey into the disturbing nerve-centers of medical science where our secret future is formed today.
When Peter Carson is invited to the pioneering Jenner Clinic by one of the lab assistants, he's naturally intrigued. But when he arrives at the remote site in the Cumbrian fells to find police roadblocks and official silence, he realises that he's stumbled onto a story that will do him no good at all.
Dr Jenner's work matters to the government. Enough to warrant unlimited funding, high security, and the best technicians in the country. But something has gone badly wrong. The project that has no room for mistakes has produced a result so terrible that it must never see the light of day. And now the evidence must be destroyed, whatever the cost.
When Peter Carson is invited to the pioneering Jenner Clinic by one of the lab assistants, he's naturally intrigued. But when he arrives at the remote site in the Cumbrian fells to find police roadblocks and official silence, he realises that he's stumbled onto a story that will do him no good at all.
Dr Jenner's work matters to the government. Enough to warrant unlimited funding, high security, and the best technicians in the country. But something has gone badly wrong. The project that has no room for mistakes has produced a result so terrible that it must never see the light of day. And now the evidence must be destroyed, whatever the cost.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
3 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Gallagher
153 books135 followersStoker and World Fantasy Award nominee, winner of British Fantasy and International Horror Guild Awards for his short fiction, Stephen Gallagher has a career both as a novelist and as a creator of primetime miniseries and episodic television. His fifteen novels include Chimera, Oktober, Valley of Lights and Nightmare, with Angel. He's the creator of Sebastian Becker, Special Investigator to the Lord Chancellor's Visitor in Lunacy, in a series of novels that includes The Kingdom of Bones, The Bedlam Detective, and The Authentic William James. In his native England he's adapted and created hour-long and feature-length thrillers and crime dramas. In the US he was lead writer on NBC's Crusoe, creator of CBS Television's Eleventh Hour, and Co-Executive Producer on ABC's The Forgotten. Recent screen credits include an award-winning Silent Witness and Stan Lee's Lucky Man.
He began his TV career as a writer on two seasons of Doctor Who, and wrote two novelizations of his stories under the pseudonym John Lydecker.
** Photo by Lisa Bowerman **
He began his TV career as a writer on two seasons of Doctor Who, and wrote two novelizations of his stories under the pseudonym John Lydecker.
** Photo by Lisa Bowerman **
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 12, 2017
This is my second Gallagher book after reading the 5 star Valley of Lights and it is a book I have been wanting to read for a long time. This is because in 1991 I watched a TV series based on the book.
I was 17 years old and loved watching horror. This was before satellite/cable TV became the norm with hundreds of channels and lots of series. There was only a few terrestrial TV stations (4 or 5) and "Chimera" was a standout series to watch. Well produced and acted with a great story to tell.
26 years after the TV series I finally got around to reading the book! 35 years after the book was published in 1982.
So a big read for me. A lot of history and memories surround this book.
I love the early 80's English setting. The story is about a Doctor Jenner and the fertility clinic in the English countryside that he owns. This is no ordinary fertility clinic and slowly it's secrets are revealed when horror and violence strike. What was Dr Jenner doing at the clinic? Why are the government silent on what happened?
The book builds and explains the mystery as the characters find out the truth. The book can be considered a sci-fi horror and I have put it on my horror shelf. However, at times it is more of a mystery thriller and I would have liked more horror. It does raise the issue of scientists playing at being God and the consequences of this but I would have liked the consequences to have been more horrific. The book hinted at this but could have been more explicit.
After all these years I am glad I finally read Chimera. It is an enjoyable 1980's English horror tale. I have enjoyed 2 of Gallagher's books and look forward to reading his next 2 on my shelf, Down River and Rain.
I was 17 years old and loved watching horror. This was before satellite/cable TV became the norm with hundreds of channels and lots of series. There was only a few terrestrial TV stations (4 or 5) and "Chimera" was a standout series to watch. Well produced and acted with a great story to tell.
26 years after the TV series I finally got around to reading the book! 35 years after the book was published in 1982.
So a big read for me. A lot of history and memories surround this book.
I love the early 80's English setting. The story is about a Doctor Jenner and the fertility clinic in the English countryside that he owns. This is no ordinary fertility clinic and slowly it's secrets are revealed when horror and violence strike. What was Dr Jenner doing at the clinic? Why are the government silent on what happened?
The book builds and explains the mystery as the characters find out the truth. The book can be considered a sci-fi horror and I have put it on my horror shelf. However, at times it is more of a mystery thriller and I would have liked more horror. It does raise the issue of scientists playing at being God and the consequences of this but I would have liked the consequences to have been more horrific. The book hinted at this but could have been more explicit.
After all these years I am glad I finally read Chimera. It is an enjoyable 1980's English horror tale. I have enjoyed 2 of Gallagher's books and look forward to reading his next 2 on my shelf, Down River and Rain.
June 7, 2008
Stephen Gallagher, once a scriptwriter for Doctor Who, put his knowledge of science fiction, suspense, and pacing into this odd story. A nurse, Tracy Pickford, moves to what she thinks is going to be better employment in the country from her fast-paced job in the city. In the process, she breaks off relations with her then-boyfriend, journalist Peter Carson.
When Tracy arrives at the clinic, she is pleased with her job, working on the human reproductive process, helping women become mothers through in vitro fertilization. Over the course of time, she discovers that there are locked laboratories behind the main building that no one will discuss. When she gets wind of what it going on back there, she contacts her ex-beau, and Peter Carson comes running to her assistance,
The story descends into an action thriller when one of the secret lab's subjects escapes. One unusual aspect of the story is that big government is working hand in hand with big business and they both go to extreme measures to repress information about what they are doing. With all of the genetic manipulation and experimentation going on presently, this remains a readable, hopefully not prophetic tale.
When Tracy arrives at the clinic, she is pleased with her job, working on the human reproductive process, helping women become mothers through in vitro fertilization. Over the course of time, she discovers that there are locked laboratories behind the main building that no one will discuss. When she gets wind of what it going on back there, she contacts her ex-beau, and Peter Carson comes running to her assistance,
The story descends into an action thriller when one of the secret lab's subjects escapes. One unusual aspect of the story is that big government is working hand in hand with big business and they both go to extreme measures to repress information about what they are doing. With all of the genetic manipulation and experimentation going on presently, this remains a readable, hopefully not prophetic tale.
September 6, 2011
Brutal killings in a mysterious laboratory spark a government hush-up. Dramatised by the author. Stars Sarah Badel.
August 13, 2016
**edited 12/12/13
This book should really have been titled, Chimera: When Curious George Attacks.
Yeah, that basically characterizes both the basic plot and my general issues with its execution.
I read this a while ago; I remember it only as one of those unfortunate novels in which a nonscientist writer tries to create a scientific horror/scifi story. It is full of naive stereotypes of scientists and portrays them as uncaring, selfish tinkerers who wish to open Pandora's box for personal gain. Also has that practically superstitious phobia of science and technology. It manages to create the most ludicrously inane monster imaginable: apparently (honest, kids!) we've never been able to create viable hybrids. (Tell that to mules.) And somehow, the Evil Scientists (TM) want to breed half-monkey hybrids because they can be used as slave labor and organ banks and whatnot because somehow no sense of decency or compassion will apply to them. (Tell that to PETA). And then somehow THE MONSTER GETS LOOSE AND ATTACKS. That's right. A 5-foot half-monkey takes down about 20 people. I didn't know being half-monkey half-human gave you superpowers. Wow will this monster haunt my nightmares. I'm just shivering in fear of the prospect of a curious little monkey on a rampage. It just goes to show how evil Science is.
So why 3 stars? Well, first, this was written in the 80s, before I was born. Wikipedia for fast factchecking didn't exist. People still used encyclopedias. The scare feeling was very much in the style of the XFiles or Doctor Who or similar--where there is this tremendous fear of losing control of science. This sort of story nowadays points to a lack of understanding and research but in the 80s, I think science was more of an esoteric world, full of unknowns and potential armageddons. Despite my inability to shake my own POV, it seems unfair to rate it according to standards of now. Even so, this has got to be the least scary monster that it is possible to create. I'd go for killer plants a la John Wyndam over these.
This book should really have been titled, Chimera: When Curious George Attacks.
Yeah, that basically characterizes both the basic plot and my general issues with its execution.
I read this a while ago; I remember it only as one of those unfortunate novels in which a nonscientist writer tries to create a scientific horror/scifi story. It is full of naive stereotypes of scientists and portrays them as uncaring, selfish tinkerers who wish to open Pandora's box for personal gain. Also has that practically superstitious phobia of science and technology. It manages to create the most ludicrously inane monster imaginable: apparently (honest, kids!) we've never been able to create viable hybrids. (Tell that to mules.) And somehow, the Evil Scientists (TM) want to breed half-monkey hybrids because they can be used as slave labor and organ banks and whatnot because somehow no sense of decency or compassion will apply to them. (Tell that to PETA). And then somehow THE MONSTER GETS LOOSE AND ATTACKS. That's right. A 5-foot half-monkey takes down about 20 people. I didn't know being half-monkey half-human gave you superpowers. Wow will this monster haunt my nightmares. I'm just shivering in fear of the prospect of a curious little monkey on a rampage. It just goes to show how evil Science is.
So why 3 stars? Well, first, this was written in the 80s, before I was born. Wikipedia for fast factchecking didn't exist. People still used encyclopedias. The scare feeling was very much in the style of the XFiles or Doctor Who or similar--where there is this tremendous fear of losing control of science. This sort of story nowadays points to a lack of understanding and research but in the 80s, I think science was more of an esoteric world, full of unknowns and potential armageddons. Despite my inability to shake my own POV, it seems unfair to rate it according to standards of now. Even so, this has got to be the least scary monster that it is possible to create. I'd go for killer plants a la John Wyndam over these.
April 22, 2021
I listened to the radio adaptation of the book and realized that I had watched this as a TV mini series back in the early '90's. I wasn't a fan of the mini series and sadly I wasn't much of a fan of radio adaptation either. The main reason was the characters. Everyone is somewhat blasé about the mass slaughter of everyone at the clinic, especially at the end. The heroes kinda shrug the whole thing off which is hard to accept when one of heroes is the scientist who was responsible for getting everyone killed. I'm a fan of Stephen Gallagher's work but this one fell flat.
March 6, 2009
First published back in 1982, ‘Chimera’ became Stephen Gallagher’s forth full-length novel to be released (including the 1980 novel entitled ‘Silver Dream Racer’ that was released under the pseudonym John Lydecker).
The novel became one of Gallagher’s most well known books, which might have a lot to do with the ITV mini-series adaptation that was broadcast back in July 1991. Since the broadcast of “Chimera” the novel has seen a couple more reprints and is likely to be rereleased in the future.
The novel is set in the isolated and somewhat sleepy Yorkshire town of Langstone, where a fertility clinic has been running under the direction of a scientist by the name of Jenner. The plot soon takes form as the reader learns of a mass murder that has just occurred in the confines of the clinic.
The storyline follows the likeable character of Peter Carson, a freelance journalist with little ambition but a wealth of money left in a trust fund by his father. Carson agrees to visit one of the nurses at the clinic, but upon arrival is escorted away by the local police. Carson learns of the fate of the nurse he planned to visit and begins to get more intrigued with the whole conspiracy side of the affair as the army quickly take over.
The truth is slowly unearthed that the clinic was a large cover-up for a government run operation that was focussed on developing the capability to create bizarre hominids (half-chimpanzee-half-human’s) that could be used cheaply for scientific testing. The first experimental attempt at one of these hominids was a creation named Chad, whose escape was the reason behind the events at the Jenner clinic. Chad is now being hunted by the army.
With a storyline that twists and turns, drawing closer to the eventual meeting of the manmade atrocity by the name of Chad, the tale manages to weave a clever commentary on governmental deception and the terrible capabilities that man might undertake in the name of science.
The book flows with a gradual pace, taking on board a heavy descriptive nature which in turn sets the mood and atmosphere to the setting of the tale well. Characterization is tackled at a steady pace, developing on the various identities in due course, with careful consideration for their interplay within the developing storyline.
A complex collection of subplots is intermingled within the main thrust of the storyline, thickening out the story as a whole and adding greater depth to the plot. An obvious weight of research had been applied to the novel during the writing process, allowing Gallagher to utilise a wide range of scientific know-how which brings more credibility into this dark premonition.
Not only does the tale portray a strong and important message regarding the darker side to human infatuation with scientific progression, but it also throws a paranoid question mark over the very real possibilities of ‘behind-closed-doors’ governmental tactics.
All in all the book delivers a thoroughly enjoyable read, containing many depths for the reader to immerse themselves within, as they follow the intrinsic storylines to a thoroughly downbeat conclusion.
A dark premonition of mankind’s lust for scientific pursuits with no thought for the moral implications involved. The novel runs for a total of 312 pages and is currently available from Hodder and Stoughton.
The novel became one of Gallagher’s most well known books, which might have a lot to do with the ITV mini-series adaptation that was broadcast back in July 1991. Since the broadcast of “Chimera” the novel has seen a couple more reprints and is likely to be rereleased in the future.
The novel is set in the isolated and somewhat sleepy Yorkshire town of Langstone, where a fertility clinic has been running under the direction of a scientist by the name of Jenner. The plot soon takes form as the reader learns of a mass murder that has just occurred in the confines of the clinic.
The storyline follows the likeable character of Peter Carson, a freelance journalist with little ambition but a wealth of money left in a trust fund by his father. Carson agrees to visit one of the nurses at the clinic, but upon arrival is escorted away by the local police. Carson learns of the fate of the nurse he planned to visit and begins to get more intrigued with the whole conspiracy side of the affair as the army quickly take over.
The truth is slowly unearthed that the clinic was a large cover-up for a government run operation that was focussed on developing the capability to create bizarre hominids (half-chimpanzee-half-human’s) that could be used cheaply for scientific testing. The first experimental attempt at one of these hominids was a creation named Chad, whose escape was the reason behind the events at the Jenner clinic. Chad is now being hunted by the army.
With a storyline that twists and turns, drawing closer to the eventual meeting of the manmade atrocity by the name of Chad, the tale manages to weave a clever commentary on governmental deception and the terrible capabilities that man might undertake in the name of science.
The book flows with a gradual pace, taking on board a heavy descriptive nature which in turn sets the mood and atmosphere to the setting of the tale well. Characterization is tackled at a steady pace, developing on the various identities in due course, with careful consideration for their interplay within the developing storyline.
A complex collection of subplots is intermingled within the main thrust of the storyline, thickening out the story as a whole and adding greater depth to the plot. An obvious weight of research had been applied to the novel during the writing process, allowing Gallagher to utilise a wide range of scientific know-how which brings more credibility into this dark premonition.
Not only does the tale portray a strong and important message regarding the darker side to human infatuation with scientific progression, but it also throws a paranoid question mark over the very real possibilities of ‘behind-closed-doors’ governmental tactics.
All in all the book delivers a thoroughly enjoyable read, containing many depths for the reader to immerse themselves within, as they follow the intrinsic storylines to a thoroughly downbeat conclusion.
A dark premonition of mankind’s lust for scientific pursuits with no thought for the moral implications involved. The novel runs for a total of 312 pages and is currently available from Hodder and Stoughton.
May 22, 2024
Review of the BBC dramatized radio play (4 stars)
Chimera is a suspenseful sci-fi genetic thriller from 1982 about a fertility clinic that is secretly undergoing trials to infuse a monkey with human elements, creating a creature that can be used for body parts and testing. The project successfully produces “Chad”, but what will happen if he escapes and embarks on a killing spree?
Author Stephen Gallagher adapted his novel as a TV miniseries in 1991, and as an audio drama for BBC Radio 4 in 1985. While the novel was generally well received, modern critics are somewhat polarized, some saying it was boring and others saying it was suspenseful. I listened to the dramatized radio adaptation, which had a Jurassic Park feel, and was well worth listening to, aside from instances of blasphemy.
Chimera is a suspenseful sci-fi genetic thriller from 1982 about a fertility clinic that is secretly undergoing trials to infuse a monkey with human elements, creating a creature that can be used for body parts and testing. The project successfully produces “Chad”, but what will happen if he escapes and embarks on a killing spree?
Author Stephen Gallagher adapted his novel as a TV miniseries in 1991, and as an audio drama for BBC Radio 4 in 1985. While the novel was generally well received, modern critics are somewhat polarized, some saying it was boring and others saying it was suspenseful. I listened to the dramatized radio adaptation, which had a Jurassic Park feel, and was well worth listening to, aside from instances of blasphemy.
February 6, 2019
Dull. Dull. Dull.
I didn't realise it was possible to make multiple murders and shady goings on so totally uninteresting.
Even on the rare occasions when something actually happened, it still felt as if nothing had....
Gave up about two thirds of the way through from fear it was possible to die of apathy.
I didn't realise it was possible to make multiple murders and shady goings on so totally uninteresting.
Even on the rare occasions when something actually happened, it still felt as if nothing had....
Gave up about two thirds of the way through from fear it was possible to die of apathy.
August 27, 2023
POV:you're a monkey-human hybrid named Chad. Hobbies include: biting, arson, murder, and kidnapping. *Gigachad music starts*🗿
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2014
Brutal killings in a secret laboratory spark an official hush up. Stephen Gallagher dramatises his own novel. Stars Broadcast on:
BBC Radio 7, 1:00am Monday 16th November 2009.
There's something nasty in the laboratory...
BBC Radio 7, 1:00am Monday 16th November 2009.
There's something nasty in the laboratory...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2015
Another excellent, gripping little thriller from Gallagher, this time dealing with genetic experimentation and - for once - not featuring a rogue cop.
In fact, the cops are given quite a pivotal part to play in the denouement.
In fact, the cops are given quite a pivotal part to play in the denouement.
August 16, 2013
Very good but over a little too quickly :)
January 29, 2013
Very good story that is well written. Enjoyed reading it.
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May 1, 2019I have the german edition: Schimaere
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews