Панацея

The ICE Sequence #1

by F. Paul Wilson, Ф. Пол Уилсън, Анна Василева (Translator)

Патологът д-р Лора Фанинг изследва два овъглени трупа, обгърнати
в мистерия. Причината за смъртта е неизвестна. Общото между тях е
наличието на еднакви загадъчни татуировки. Жертвите, изглежда, са
обвързани с редица любопитни случаи на чудодейно изцеление на хора.
Разследването на д-р Фанинг я насочва към култ, който притежава
легендарната панацея – лек за всички болести, но това би било
невъзможно.

Лора се озовава по средата на древна война между тайните пазители
на панацеята и също толкова потайните, но далеч по-опасни членове
на групировка, позната единствено с името „536“ – братство, което
пламенно вярва, че Бог е обрекъл човечеството на страдание, а не на
изцеление. Самата Лора не вярва в идеята за панацея, но това не пречи
на агентите на групировката да се опитат да я убият.

Един самотен, смъртно болен милиардер наема д-р Фанинг да проучи
възможността за съществуването на невероятното лекарство.
Неговият собствен бодигард, Рик Хейдън – наемник, който не е този, за
когото се представя – има за задача да охранява Лора. Двамата се
опитват да стигнат първи до легендарния лек, преди агентите на „536“
да са получили шанса да го унищожат.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Horror, Science Fiction Fantasy

495 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2016

About the author

Francis Paul Wilson is an author, born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He writes novels and short stories primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer (1976). Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog and continued to write science fiction throughout the seventies. In 1981 he ventured into the horror genre with the international bestseller, The Keep, and helped define the field throughout the rest of the decade. In the 1990s he became a true genre hopper, moving from science fiction to horror to medical thrillers and branching into interactive scripting for Disney Interactive and other multimedia companies. He, along with Matthew J. Costello, created and scripted FTL Newsfeed which ran daily on the Sci-Fi Channel from 1992-1996.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...

Reviews

[Scott Sigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A flat-out modern-day thriller with a wild scifi concept that delivers. F. Paul Wilson has been doing great work for a long time, and this book is no exception. PANACEA reads like a movie — fast scenes that deliver key information, moving the story forward. I'll be shocked if this isn't immediately by a big studio.

[Scott Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you read F. Paul Wilson before? If not, don't start here. Go back and start at least with the first Repairman Jack and follow it through until Wilson weaves in his supernatural elements and his "Secret History of the World" stuff.

Now.

If you are still reading, and enjoying, his "Secret History" concept of indifferent supernatural beings collecting realities like a kid collects marbles, then you should jump into Panacea without a qualm.

If you stopped reading Repairman Jack with a WTF? expression and a sincere dismay at the way a decent writer royally screwed up a great series, then you'll probably regard Panacea the same way.

Unfortunately, I fall into the latter category. Decent writing and a good mystery wrapped in a blanket of existential nonsense and metaphysical bullshit. I read it through for the characters, which appealed despite the left turn into the same Repairman Jack world I'd abandoned years ago.

Wilson fans will love this. If you're not, approach with caution.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A devoted fan of the Repairman Jack series, I was excited to see a new book by FPW. A battle is underway to protect our destroy a cure for any sickness, essentially a full health reset as you might find in a video game. The 536 Brotherhood thinks it's devil spawned while its creators use it to heal the deserving. A terminally ill billionaire hires an industrious and motivated coroner (Dr. Laura Fanning) to find him a dose, and she needs the money for her sick daughter's safety. She is joined by a mysterious, but skilled bodyguard. Traipsing around the world, Laura is tenacious, battling the bad guys. Classic struggle between good and evil. Recommended.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well narrated, interesting mystery-thriller with a foot in both the The Da Vinci Code conspiracy theory & The Andromeda Strain camps, but it doesn't stop there. The heroine is a believable medical examiner (She reminds me of Willows on CSI.) & an excellent protector who reminds me a bit of Mitch Rapp in American Assassin, although he's more believable & better done. Does this seem derivative? I guess so, but the derivation & mix is better than the source.

There's not much else to say that isn't in the description. Oh, it's not really SF save for the idea of a panacea. While that is central & critical, it only leads to some far out speculation. No BEMs or spaceships. I liked the characters & didn't trip over any major logic issues. It was a bit long & the ending was telegraphed early on. Still, it wound up well. Not finally, but I could easily stop with this book - no cliffhanger! Yay!!! I might continue on, but I'm going to read some of my friend's reviews first. I'd hate to ruin my good impression.

[David Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

How far would you go to attain the ultimate cure-all?

Laura Hanning leads a complicated life. Single mother of a young daughter, Laura also manages to hold down a job as the chief Medical examiner in her hometown. As if life isn't busy enough, charred bodies begin turning up on her beat, and each of them is marked with identical tattoos.

An elderly billionaire approaches Laura, imploring that she use her medical knowledge to help him track down the drug which could save his life. He talks of a mysterious cure-all known as the panacea, and tells her that the cremated bodies are victims in a war between rival factions; the Panaceans, who watch over and protect the fabled drug; and a mysterious religious cult known as 536, who consider the cure-all to be a blasphemy against God's mandate that mankind is born to suffer.

Laura is skeptical with regards the existence of the panacea, but the billionaire offers her a sizable sum of money to at least attempt in finding the drug. And she needs money to cover her daughter's growing medical bills.

The billionaire insists that his personal bodyguard accompanies Laura during her quest for the drug, though she is less than pleased with this as something doesn't quite seem right with Rick Hayden. As Laura will learn soon enough, Rick is a fella with secrets of his own.

The search becomes a continent hopping pursuit involving hired assassins, corrupt government agents, religious cults, (possibly) supernatural happenings, and more than a few murders.

With an interesting premise, Panacea is a nicely crafted blend of action, adventure, theology, and science fiction, that'll keep you turning the pages. Good book!

[Reeda Booke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great conspiracy thriller, except for the part where they make Christians the evil ones. That seems to be the thing nowadays, in a lot of books. It's getting old.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow did I dislike this book. The only thing I liked about it was the concept. I loathed every one of the trite and cookie-cutter characters, the predictable plot, and the middle school book-report-esque writing style. And don't ever get me started on the ridiculous romance and the caricature that was the female protagonist. . If it wasn't for a book club I would not have finished this truly atrocious book.

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to have Wilson writing more suspense novels that solid enjoyment. Kind of a silly statement since the vast majority of his work falls into that bucket. In my case, it was exactly what I needed and I'm very happy with the book.

Laura Fanning is a medical examiner who finds a weird connection between two corpses she has examined. Both bodies are in perfect condition other than being dead. She soon finds herself pulled into a search by a terminally ill billionaire to find the legendary panacea which will cure all ails. She is joined on her quest by Rick Hayden, an ex-Navy Seal who was also hired by the billionaire.

Going into this book, I knew that there were two more sequels in the The ICE Sequence books, so I wasn't exactly sure how it would end. And up to about two-thirds of the way through, I thought it was going to be a massive cliffhanger. Instead Wilson does his usual talented job and closes the novel up in a clean, respectable manner. Similar to the Repairman Jack series, you can tell further adventures are coming. However, at least at this point, there is no massive evil entity trying to destroy the world as there was in Repairman Jack. PANACEA is a Done In One. The continued continuity will be coming, I'm sure. There were a couple minor things that I wasn't crazy about in this novel. There were a couple characters that were too good to be true; they had all the right answers at the right time and guided our heroes along their quest. Yes, they were both explained later in the book but it still struck me as too convenient at the time. The story was a tad too formulaic also. Heroes travel to foreign country, defeat some trap and/or bad guys, find a clue that has them travel to yet another foreign country and do it all again. It was fine and worked but one more country would have been it! An excellent start for a new series by Wilson. I look forward to the future novels.

[Mommacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review and interview with FPW will be published on Cat after Dark in July!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nitty-gritty: A fast-paced, globe-trotting adventure, with plenty of mystery, humor and characters that will grow on you.

In my “old” book collecting days, F. Paul Wilson was one of the authors whose books I bought and read, but it’s been years since I’ve even thought about him, until Tor asked me if I’d like to read his latest. He's one of Stephen King’s contemporaries and published his first book in 1976, and I was curious to see what he was up to. Most authors don’t have that kind of staying power, but F. Paul Wilson, like King, has proven he’s a born storyteller, and I can attest to the fact that he hasn’t lost his edge. If anything, he’s better than I remember. Panacea was a wild adventure ride across several continents, as our characters search for the elusive “panacea” that may or may not be real, which can cure any disease. Wilson combines all the elements I love in just under 400 pages—adventure, action, humor, danger, mystery, fantastic characters and perfect pacing. If there was ever a “summer read,” then Panacea is it. I love my thoughtful literary science fiction and complex fantasy, but honestly, nothing beats a down-and-dirty adventure story.

Laura Fanning is a medical examiner who is routinely called to murder sites to investigate bodies, but she’s never seen anything quite like this. Within days of each other, two victims turn up with mysterious similarities: they both have an odd tattoo on their backs, and both bodies were set on fire. Found amidst the aftermath of the fires were planters full of soil, which suggests that the victims had been growing something in their apartments.

Meanwhile, a secret group that call themselves the Brotherhood are trying to track down the panacea, said to be a miracle cure. Their goal isn’t to use it, however, but to destroy everyone associated with it. When Laura is approached by a dying billionaire named  Stahlman and offered a huge sum of money to find him a life-saving dose of the panacea, her first impulse is to say no—although such a big payday would set her ill daughter Marissa up for life. But Laura is a woman of science and knows there is no such thing as a panacea. However, her interest is piqued and she heads off to Mexico with Stahlman’s bodyguard Rick Hayden to see what she can find.

But Laura and Rick have plenty of surprises in store for them, as the Brotherhood will do anything to stop them from finding the panacea. Caught up in a battle between religion and science, and maybe something otherworldly, Laura becomes even more determined to find the elusive cure. But with an army of fanatics after her, will she and Rick survive their adventure?

Panacea was such a fun read from the get-go, and when I said it had perfect pacing, I wasn’t kidding. There was never a dull moment, and yet Wilson included plenty of quieter scenes where the characters use dialog to explain the ancient history of the panacea and solve the clues that keep popping up on their journey. You have to give the author credit for his forty plus years of writing experience. Wilson is the epitome of a “seasoned writer,” and after reading so many debuts recently, it was pure joy to sit back and watch a master at work.

Even though the characters are chasing something that supposedly doesn’t exist, Wilson adds plenty of facts to support his idea that there could be such a potion, and he even suggests that its origins might be from another planet (although most of the story feels grounded right here on Earth). A big part of what I loved about this story was the detailed history and evolution of the panacea from ancient times to the present day, a secret that has been handed down for generations by “panaceans” who carefully cultivate the plant that the drug comes from. I also loved the fact that he made one of the main characters a doctor, which sets up a delightful quandary for Laura who, as a scientist, knows that such a thing cannot exist, and yet she’s seen some inexplicable things that point to a medical mystery that even she can’t explain.

So let’s talk about the characters. I absolutely loved Laura and Rick, both as individuals and as a team. And let me be upfront and tell you that there isn’t a romance between them. Laura can’t stand Rick when she first meets him—she knows instinctively that he’s hiding something—but the more time they spend together, the more he surprises her. There is the possibility of romance, but in this book, at least, it never surfaces.

Rick is introduced as a muscle-bound body guard with little or no social skills. When he and Laura are thrown together, neither one is very happy about it. And while Rick is great in an emergency—not only does he claim to have been a Navy SEAL, but he carries around a package of zip ties wherever he goes and tells Laura that there are “a thousand and one uses” for them—his tendency to kill those who get in his way scares Laura to death. But it isn’t long before she realizes there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Rick is also the comic relief in the story, and I loved his funny banter with Laura. Each time he pulled out a zip tie to fix (or kill!) something, I laughed out loud.

A slimy member of the Brotherhood named Nelson was the perfect "bad guy," a religious fanatic who sees the panacea as a threat to the world. Nelson’s beliefs are also tested, after he discovers he has terminal cancer, and he wonders if his devotion to the Brotherhood is strong enough for him to resist taking the panacea (if indeed he ever got the chance).

And here is my only complaint about the story. There are just too many sick and dying characters who are desperate to get their hands on the cure-all. Each time a new one was introduced with some awful disease, I admit I started to roll my eyes!

But that's just a small personal complaint. F. Paul Wilson has written a story that not only entertains but gives the reader plenty to think about. I’ve always said that I love reading books where I learn something, and I learned plenty by the time I finished Panacea. The intricate plot will keep readers on their toes, trying to untangle all the strange coincidences the characters find themselves involved in, and the search for the panacea—the ultimate goal of the story—will keep them reading to the very surprising and satisfying end. I’ve heard talk that this might be the start to a series, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll eagerly follow Laura and Rick on their next adventure.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Fanning is a medical examiner who has been called to the scene of two bizarre deaths, both victims burned to death but with no other signs of any disease, bodily harm, or foul play, despite their medical histories suggesting otherwise. Her background qualifies her to be hired by an eccentric billionaire to conduct an in-depth investigation as to the source of a cure-all substance that might explain the corpses. He's also terminally ill so wants Laura to seek out and find this panacea and he's willing to pay her millions for a single dose. She’s a scientist and thus a non-believer in such a panacea but the money she’ll be paid whether she is successful or not will provide for the future of her health-vulnerable daughter, so she takes the deal. It’s likely to be dangerous so she is accompanied by an extremely competent bodyguard named Rick, a man with a secretive past.

This is a whirlwind of a thriller novel. Secret cults, supernatural occurrences, CIA good guys and CIA bad guys, conflicting faith-based agendas, a slow-building romance, betrayals, world travel to exotic locations, an edge-of-your-seat race against time, and more all combine to make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. I’ve been a fan of F. Paul Wilson’s “Repairman Jack” series for a number of years now as well as his related “Adversary Cycle” series and for that matter the entire “Secret History of the World” that encompasses most of his work in one way or another. I knew this was the first book in a trilogy that existed as part of the Secret History but wasn’t sure how closely it correlated. Turns out I still don’t know although there were a number of Easter Eggs sprinkled here and there in this novel as well as some speculation presented by Rick that would seem to tie in well with the larger epic-level arc.

While the story does wrap up nicely in this one volume, larger plot threads exist upon which to develop sequels. I’ll be tackling those in the very near future.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have zero experience reading science fiction - until now.* I was caught up in the story from the start due to the interesting characters the book opens with as the Medical Examiner has some puzzles to resolve as she examines the bodies of a couple of males, one a young boy she knew and one a young man who had served as his PT assistant. It becomes apparent that something unexplainable had cured both of these specimens and she is soon approached to find the source of the healing agent, or panacea.
There is plenty of action on the medical side of things as well as government agencies following everything this ME is doing. It all results in a very entertaining read.

I must admit that as a young girl I did enjoy Rod Serling's Twilight Zone...but that was a family viewing experience. In this case I might just try another book or two in this genre. I may have been missing out, eh?
*Dec 20 Edit: Must correct since I recalled truly enjoying stories written by Goodreads author John Grant that do fall in the category of science fiction. Some can be found in the wonderful collection Tell No Lies.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilson fucking rocks. A fast tight thriller with cults, conspiracies, and unseen cosmic forces manipulating the world. Ties in nicely to his secret history of the world mega arch while being completely stand alone. I would love to see Rick Hayden team up with Repairman Jack!

[Dan Banana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kinda Indiana Jones, Jason Bourne and Jewel of the Nile stuff but not exactly. Characters are quite good, action, suspense and seems predictable but still some twists and turns. Worth the time unless you have none.

[K. E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...gerçek inançlılar kendilerini her şeye ikna edebilirdi."

[David Agranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

F.Paul Wilson is one of my personal big three when it comes to favorite living authors. I have a huge collection of his books. I flew across the country to the Borderlands writers bootcamp - mostly because I heard he was teaching plotting. The man is a plotting and structure Yoda in my opinion. No one writes thrillers with better pacing. He has written many types of novels but he is most known for his genre hopping Repairman Jack series with ties to his Adversary Cycle horror novel series. I would read the phone book if F.Paul Wilson did a draft.

So when it was announced that F.Paul Wilson was putting out his first non-Repairman Jack novel in years I marked the calendar and counted down the days. It took me a few weeks to get to it but I have read Wilson's latest novel Panacea and yes it is great.

Panacea shifts Points of View but our main character is medical examiner Laura Hanning who is called to the scene of a John Doe burned to a crisp. It seems like just another body at first but Laura discovers a web of conspiracy connected to a liquid - the mythical cure-all Panacea. Laura has a sick child herself, but she doesn't believe in the Panacea. After a string of miracle cures at a local hospital she is hired by a dying billionaire. She still doesn't believe but the money is too great. Follow the cures, the money the clues. With a Ex-navy SEAL (maybe?) named Rick Hayden as her bodyguard they set out across the globe to discover the origin of the Panacea.

This is a great global trek thriller that follows Rick and Laura across the global as the CIA, ancient cults and more try to beat or stop them. This is a fun tale! Trade mark Wilson plotting and reversals are on display, and yes it connects with several easter eggs to the Secret History that expands through his whole universe. Rick and Laura are great characters and they make the book for me. You can certainly see how Wilson will expand into another book, and he is working on one now.

The very coolest aspect of the plot of this novel is the ticking time bomb. Wilson toys with this well known trope but creating a situation where we the reader are watching the ticking clock storyline but our hero is totally clueless that the clock is ticking. Wilson does it again!

It is not a repairman Jack novel at all, but I think Jack fans will find this novel like putting on a comfy sweatshirt. It has all the feel of and consistency we enjoyed. If there is a weakness it is that so much of how the plot comes together SEEMS convenient. This might throw off new readers, but long time fans of Wilson's Secret history knows that there are forces at work directing EVERYTHING.

Wilson's medical background adds small but important moments of Clarity, but they never slow down the story. Globe trotting thrillers need a frantic pace and Wilson swift and no nonsense prose moves the story quick. Very pleased and ready for book two!

[Bria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mind-numbing.

This plot is a little overused, especially after the The Da Vinci Code series and the The Historian. Its interesting to follow an attractive couple search into the world's history for forgotten lore, the Holy Grail, explanations for human existence and visit exotic places, but in these cases, and with Panacea, the plot and characters only serve as a thin veil for the author's soapbox about what they view as worthy viewpoints about religion, history and humans.

If you want to make fun of religion, fine. It's incredibly easy to because most religions have miracles and stories that don't make sense unless you ardently believe in them, but at least make your storyline interesting, believable and original.

Wilson just recycled the jokes about Catholicism and created his 536 cult from them. Besides being shady, backwards, bloodthirsty monks, there is very little to their cult and even their most ardent follower, Fife, has no issues breaking free of their most revered beliefs when tested. This was so hypocritical and negated every single description Wilson had used of the cult up to Fife's betrayal. If Fife was really a member of such a cult, he would have died before he drank that potion. Cults don't last thousands of years when their followers can't even follow their central belief. They last because the followers are unable to turn their backs on the ideology or tolerate any proof that their cult is wrong. Wilson demonstrated through Fife's actions and his inability to even explain in simple terms why he hated the Panaceans (especially at the end of the book when his rhetoric goes down the toilet and he can't even convince his followers), that Wilson had no idea how to describe a cult, had no respect or knowledge about ardent religious followers and couldn't tie his own plot together.

Because if Fife wasn't really the evil mastermind that he was described to be throughout the book, then why were Laura and Rick running from him and scared of him in the first place?

Besides the poor explanations of the cult, Laura and Rick had no personality and charisma and just spouted off random ideas about human existence that clearly came from the author and not from their characters.

Overall the only redeeming quality of this book was that at least 536AD was a real event so Wilson must have completed some basic research.

[Viccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For centuries, two secret societies have waged war against each other; one wishes to destroy the panacea and the other seeks to keep it from the general public because it has too much potential to upset the order of humanity. Medical Examiner Laura Henning has two bodies that should not have died; their bodies are perfect and healthy. But, they were incinerated after they died, so identifying them has been a chore. Both bodies bear a strange tattoo, a stick wrapped with a snake, two lines and a shooting star. What does it mean? Laura is hired by a reclusive billionaire to investigate and she goes to Central America, home of the Mayan Indians, along with her bodyguard, Rick Hayden. They are pursued by an organization known as 536, an ultra-secretive Catholic brotherhood. As the body count piles up, Laura learns more about Rick; can she really trust him, is he who she has been told he is? If you like Dean Koontz, Stephen King and Dan Brown, you need to be reading F. Paul Wilson as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say! This book was fabulous. And I have always liked F. Paul Wilson novels. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. The bad guys were so easy to dislike and the good guys had flaws. Perfect. I always enjoy some science mixed with some fantasy (or is it sci-fi?). What would we do if we had something that cured everything at our fingertips? Interesting moral dilemma for sure.

[Elaine Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good entertainment with just enough science to make it feel respectable (to myself! No criticism of Mr. Wilson here!) Loved the erudite conversations that go on between Laura the ME doctor and her protector, the mysterious "Rick."

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, what a repulsive main character (Nelson) and I feel completely justified in rating it zero stars having read exactly 10% of the book. Because even an unlikable character could be written well, and even a stupid plot idea could end up being compelling. But, not this time.

[Kozmokitap · Rating 5 out of 5]

İşlenen cinayetler, yanmış cesetler ve bunları inceleyen bir adlı tıp uzmanı... Tedavisi olmayan farklı rahatsızlardan kurtulan , tamamen iyileşen insanlar... İki farklı tarikat... Biri insanları iyileştiriyor diğeri ise tanrının işine karıştıkları için bu tarikatın peşinde olanlar.... Bilimin ve mantığın sınırlarını zorlayan bir iksir ve bu iksirin peşindeki insanlar...

Kitabın başları biraz yavaş akıp konuya dahil olmam zor olsa da sonunda öyle bir balıklama atladım ki konuya, beni çıkarmaya kimsenin gücü yetmedi. Boş olduğum her saniyeyi kitabı okumak için değerlendirdim. Karakterler ile farklı coğrafyalara gittim , iksirin içeriği hakkında teoriler ürettim. İçeriği tam bir şok oldu benim için. Kİtabı çok sevdim ve devam kitabının basılmasını sabırsızlıkla bekliyorum.

[Elisa]

3.5 stars. Fun book. Really enjoyed.

The only thing, I wish I cared more about our main character, I just didn't have much of an emotional attachment, meaning I didn't need to speed read to find out if everything turns out ok.

But, interesting idea, and I think this is just the beginning, because I still have some questions...

[Amber Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was kind of like a Dan Brown book in that the characters are running for their lives (and/or others' lives) while having to solve a mystery one layer at a time. The story was very interesting and thought-provoking. It is a quick read with chapters that seem to get shorter as the story intensifies. I would have read this in no time had I not been busy with life!

[Juanita Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a F. Paul Wilson fan for (dare I admit it?) decades. As usual I am NOT disappointed. I started the audiobook on a 10 hour drive to GA. By the time we finished it the girls were begging me to get the next book in the series.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic FPW book!

[Kalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5***

[John]

Christians - nuts and evil
Nature worshipers - kind and persecuted

life's too short...

[Galen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can I give this less than one star? It was so dreadful.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This kept me reading and I liked some of the characters, but some bits felt over the top. That said, I could see myself reading any follow-ups to this novel at some point ... just to see where things go.