DNA’nız hakkında bilmediğiniz her şey sizi öldürebilir
Bilim adamları, artık tıpkı hacker’ların bilgisayar sistemlerine sızdığı gibi DNA’ların içine sızıp yeni DNA’lar işleyerek ya da ölümcül kalp krizleri, Alzheimer gibi hastalıkları tetikleyecek genetik değişimler yaratarak organizmaları manipüle edebilmektedir. “Biohacker” olarak bilinen bu kişiler eBay gibi sitelerden satın aldıkları ekipmanlarla mutfaklarında bile bu deneyleri gerçekleştirebilmektedir.
Bu biohacker’ların arasında genetik manipülasyon alanında kendine isim yapmış Seth Stringer; genç, küstah, işine takıntılı biraz da naif biridir. Eski profesörü Marcus Adair’in Londra’ya gelip Chimera adında uluslararası bir eczacılık şirketiyle çalışma ihtimalini duyduğunda, Seth bu şansa balıklama atlar.
Fakat Chimera’nın esas amacının kalıtsal ilaçlar değil, elit kişiler için ölümcül ürünler imal ettirmek olduğunu öğrendiğinde ise her şey için artık çok geç kalmıştır. Bu ürünler; başkanlara, başbakanlara ya da onlara karşı başka DNA’lar kullanan CEO’lara suikast yapmak ve onları güçten düşürmek için kullanılmaktadır. Kullanılan bu metot sadece katil virüsün tanımlanmasını zorlaştırmakla kalmaz, aynı zamanda aslında bir suç işlendiğini belirlemeyi de imkânsız kılmaktadır..
Leslie Alan Horvitz is a NY Times Best Selling author of over 31 novels and several works of non-fiction with editions of his books published around the world.
Leslie's most recent novel is medical thriller SynBio with his other books including The Memory Hole, The Donors, Double Blinded, The Dying and Causes Unknown.
Leslie is also the author of several works of nonfiction, most recently The Essential Book of Weather Folklore, The Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide, The Weather Tracker and Night Sky Tracker Eureka: Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed the World.
To help write his medical thriller books, Leslie has researched epidemics ranging from Ebola and HIV in Zaire to Lassa Fever in Sierra Leone and Hantan Fever in China.
I thoroughly enjoyed Synbio. It is an intelligently written and well edited thriller/suspense novel.
The Hero is a scientist and biohacker who becomes employed by Chimera, a pharmaceutical and gene therapy company. The heroine (or anti heroine) is a gene harvester, stealing the genes of the rich, famous and powerful. Neither is concerned with the morality lacking in their professions until they are forced to by circumstances. They then work together to expose Chimera's actions and intent to the world.
The plot was fast paced and filled with surprises. I read until the early morning hours to finish Synbio.
The only drawback was the rather abrupt ending. The reader is left guessing about the outcome for the H and h. A second novel to continue the story would be nice or even an epilogue to tie up loose ends.
I highly recommend this novel. ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.
I think I can safely say that after reading this book I now know a lot about DNA and genetics. Perhaps even more than I would like to know or imagine possible. The use of bio-genetics as a biological weapon of warfare.
If it ever becomes as simple as it seems in this story then I am afraid we have something to worry about. Kudos to the author for simplifying the process and explanations, so that a layman can understand all the science involved.
We see Eugenie find her moral compass and at the same time she is struck by the reality of not being able to do anything to change the plight of others or those in need. It is interesting to see that contradiction in someone who appears so completely ruthless and jaded.
I think Seth plays the key-role of the scientist confronted by the conundrum most scientists have to face or acknowledge eventually. To discover can also often men holding the key to a potential weapon. Each cure can become a recipe for death, and each new step forward could mean any steps backwards for humanity.
It could do with a little more structure and direction. The development of the main characters suffers a little from the sheer magnitude of the main plot and sub-plots.
While SynBio by Leslie Horvitz had a great premise, the hacking of DNA, the plot deteriorated into something other than a science fiction thriller. While the suspense was still there, it became a novel about a series of hook-ups to gather DNA from various men and lost much of the initial excitement. In the end it was so-so and a forgettable book for me.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the author for review purposes.
3.25 Stars A medical espionage thriller with a good plot and plenty of potential; but the MCs need more depth and the writing needs just a bit of polish. It's gritty and fast-paced and the ending left the storyline open for a sequel. I loved the DJ's playlist at the club.
Seems the human race is in a RACE to destroy itself and if the manipulations described here are, or become, available, it will be one fast slide to extinction.