The Seventh Son

by Sebastian Faulks

AN INTERNATIONAL SETTING: The first Faulks' novel taking place in a modern, international setting - from London to New York City and the Scottish Highlands - after the number one bestselling A WEEK IN DECEMBER

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Book Club, Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Audiobook, Modern

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2023

About the author

Sebastian Faulks is a British novelist, journalist, and broadcaster best known for his acclaimed historical novels set in France, including The Girl at the Lion d'Or, Birdsong, and Charlotte Gray. Alongside these, he has written contemporary fiction, a James Bond continuation novel (Devil May Care), and a Jeeves homage (Jeeves and the Wedding Bells). A former literary editor and journalist, Faulks gained widespread recognition with Birdsong, which solidified his literary reputation. He has also appeared regularly on British media, notably as a team captain on BBC Radio 4's The Write Stuff, and authored the TV tie-in Faulks on Fiction. Honored as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and appointed CBE for his services to literature, Faulks continues to publish widely, with The Seventh Son released in 2023.

Reviews

[Indieflower · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially intriguing but ultimately disappointing. Underdeveloped, unrealistic characters, cringeworthy sex scenes, and that ending seriously gave me the ick 😐.

[Andrew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the near future, this novel explores some challenging ideas around what it means to be human. Talisa, an American academic, agrees to be a surrogate mother for an English couple in exchange for funding to continue her career development. But the super-rich owner of the institute that is to carry out the procedure plans to execute an outlandish plan. Experimental and corrupt, it is to have huge consequences for Talisa, the parents and Seth, the child.

It's definitely best not to give too much away here, so suffice to say it explores the genesis of some of the challenges each of us might have to deal with in our lifetime – challenges we’d all rather not have to address. There’s a good deal of very technical talk here, which sounds authentic (though I really have no idea if that’s the case), and in part, it states the case for the ‘experiment’. So it’s part of a story of how things play out, particularly for Talisa and Seth, but it’s also a discussion on the positive and negative aspects of how humans have to this point evolved.

As I’ve previously experienced with this author, the writing is really strong; Faulks certainly knows how to string words together. I was particularly drawn to Seth, a boy and then a young man who is just a bit different from others. The developing relationship between he and Talisa is, though, a bit odd – uncomfortable and somewhat spooky. But it’s certainly an eye-opening piece: a mix of science and history, woven into a story of people living in a world that has moved on from where we are at present. This new world made me smile, too, with its predictions as to what developments we might expect as the 21st century progresses. If the author set out to tease the minds of his readers, to make us ponder on the conundrum of what we are and how we got here, then I do believe he succeeded.

My thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone for supplying an early reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel sad.

I hate humans. Why can’t we just love and accept each other for what we are? Live and let live. Take joy in our world?

This book has a dystopian feel to it but at the same time, everything that happens in it feels like it’s within touching distance. Travel by unmanned car, restrictions on flights. Meat becoming a rarity. Experiments on genes. It’s started already. The story begins in 2030 and spans across the next 25 years. Talissa Adam volunteers to be a surrogate and carry a child for Mary and Alaric Pederson. She doesn’t realise that the son she bears for them is the result of an experiment. How he was created doesn’t matter, because he is loved and he’s just a man.

I’m not a science geek so some of the science stuff was a little over my head but it wasn’t too much to affect my enjoyment of the book.

The nods to the disasters in recent politics show that me and Sebastian Faulks share the same views on the debacle that is Brexit and the lying buffoons and xenophobic behaviour that caused it. Which brings me back to the point, we live on a tiny and beautiful planet. There’s room for us all and we are all equally entitled to live here.

Seth Pederson is just a man. I would be glad to be his friend. I wish more people on this earth were like Seth.

Thought provoking and very well written and observed. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book and telling people about it. It’s one of those books that is going to live for a very long time in my memory.

[Emma.catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW 😱 what a rollercoaster of emotions that was…

This book has been on my TBR for almost a year and I am so happy to finally be reading it. My prompt to reading it now actually came from my aunty, who really enjoyed it. Here we go…🤲🏼

🌟🌟🌟🌟

As someone who has worked in research studies myself, I found that I instantly connected with Talissa. Talissa is an American academic who agrees to be a surrogate mother for an English couple in exchange for funding to continue her career development. However, there is an underlying corruption plan carried out by the rich owner of the institute that is to carry out the procedure plans…the question is, what will this mean for the unborn child and his parents over the coming decades…

‘She told me once it was just like looking after a friend’s house while they’re on holiday.’ - I loved this quote and it very concisely depicts how Talissa interacted with the family. I enjoyed the fact that there was a connection between surrogate and the parents of the boy (Seth), particularly the involvement she had later in Seth’s life.

This book was set in the near future which made it extremely thought-provoking and challenging to read in parts. It was however, very well written and the characterisation was brilliant, each character adding to the masterpiece. The only thing preventing it being a 5 🌟 read for me, was in the ending…other than that it was a brilliant read.

One of the key elements of the success of this book was the love Mary and Alaric had for their son. Mary so loved her child that she wanted to scream from the rooftops: ‘Look what we’ve done with the baby you gave us. Isn’t he great?’ - how utterly heartwarming 🥰 It also made what comes next even more heartbreaking 💔

Although I couldn’t relate directly to Seth, I definitely felt for him. Particularly when other boys called him “Test Tube”. My heart broke for the little boy. As if teenagers need anything else to deal with. He was being made an outsider and felt lonely at best, invisible at worst.

Soon after Talissa’s visit to London to meet the boy she carried for two innocent people, she discovered that more than fifty per cent of his DNA was Neanderthal. Seth’s parents knew he wasn’t considered normal but this was a scientific situation that never should have occurred…unless of course, it was done on purpose? Who would do such a thing? There was a monster in this story and it certainly wasn’t the young boy.

This was an incredibly challenging examination of what it is to be human. The story sweeps us up and carries us between New York, London, and the Scottish Highlands. It is an extraordinary novel about unrequited love and unearned power, and furthermore, it prompts the question of just because you can do something, does it mean you should?

I particularly loved the start of the book, mostly because we were, for the most part, blinded from the utterly absurd reality that would be revealed…but I also enjoyed the end too, seeing how it all panned out was an important part of the process.

I admire Sebastian for taking on a book like this. It is not easy thing, particularly being set in the near future, so for that alone I think he deserves credit. Furthermore, he not only produced a book of this genre but also greatly succeeded at doing so, creating a fantastic and intriguing story about scientific research that is accessible to all.

I do have to say though that the ending was totally unnecessary and only took away from my enjoyment of the book but I will leave you with one little nugget of wisdom I gained:

‘Love passed, lives ended; and if you thought that only what was permanent had value, you were lost.’ ♥️

Anyone read of his other books? I really enjoyed his writing style and would be keen to read more…

[Peter Boyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is set in the near future. Talissa is a young academic, struggling for cash, who agrees to become a surrogate for a childless English couple. What none of them know is that the baby is the subject of an experiment that will change the way we understand the human species. Seth is brought up as a normal child but he knows he is different from everybody else. He has unusual appetites and seems to possess another sense. When the truth about Seth is threatened to be exposed, the most important people in his life are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect him.

I'm afraid I didn't really get on with this one. There just wasn't a whole lot to it. Once the truth about Seth is revealed, the rest of the story proceeds without major surprises or insight. I didn't feel like the characters had great depth, in comparison with other Faulks novels, like Birdsong for example. And the sex scenes that happen towards the end of the book are a poor choice, if you ask me. The Seventh Son may have an intriguing concept at its core, but it doesn't really do anything interesting with it.

[Roger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this book last night and was appalled at how bad it was compared to say Birdsong. The characterisation is poor and while some of the passages are well-written, e.g. Seth's sojourn in Maine, others are awful and in need of a good editor.

I don't have a problem with the science - no doubt the author did his research - but the explanations were utterly superficial and the explanation of e.g. spandrel was ludicrous.

There are at least 2 scenes that will be strong contenders for the bad sex writing awards, especially the one where the first Neanderthal Sapiens coupling was described as the fall. The latter with Talissa was absurd.

The completely imagined idea that Neanderthals were some perfect species living in natural harmony in a pre-lapsarian paradise with no climate change, cohabiting with cave bears, sabre-toothed tigers and other predators is simply laughable, as is the idea that it was all destroyed by the solipsistic Homo Sapiens expansion.

It just seems another chapter in the woke delusion that everything was once perfect and that we white, colonial technologists are the problem.

[Mike Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed many books by Faulks it was a shame to say this was not a favourite. The story of a woman who gives birth to a son in an IVF experiment. But where the donors sperm has been switched by the Institute with a high percentage of Neanderthal sperm.

The boy Seth and his parents grow up unaware of his special side. Eventually it is leaked to the Press and the usual witch hunt of ‘different’ people or in this case species takes place.

I didn’t connect too much with Seth or his IVF mother Talissa. And I didn’t like the ending. Although some complex issues covered, ultimately it let me down.

My recommendation would be not to start reading Faulks with this book. Try Birdsong or any of the French trilogy.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seventh Son opens in the near future – 2030 to be precise – just far enough away to feel familiar but also scarily prescient. Technology has advanced beyond what we have today but not necessarily for the better. Climate change has wrought havoc and forced all sorts of changes to individual lifestyles and freedoms. Power and wealth still remains in the hands of a few.

The Seventh Son explores the various ways in which individuals and society respond to those who are different: acceptance, curiosity, exploitation, intrusion, prejudice, fear but also unconditional love. And it brilliantly evokes what it’s like to be the person who is different from everyone else. It poses the ethical question, just because you are able to do something does that mean you should? And if you do, are you prepared for the consequences? It’s also a book about obsession, isolation and sacrifice… and a love story.

I’m not going to say more for fear of giving too much away, other than I hope Elon Musk never reads this book. The Seventh Son was a ‘wow’ book for me and I finished it with tears running down my cheeks. I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

[Karen Campbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been an excellent story, but for me it wasn’t. I expected better of Faulks, but this was ….dull.
Superficial characterisation, a very flat narrative with mundane and irrelevant trivia. And conversations which went on…and on…
The weird interlude where a character imagines a prehistoric sex scene made me cringe.
Another reviewer wrote ‘nothing happened…and it happened very slowly’. Spot on.
I think the pace at least picked up towards the end, but by that point I was skimming very quickly just to get it finished. And the ending was a damp squib.
It’s not my intention to be mean, but there was really nothing I liked about this book at all.

[Jinxy_Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started so well with such an interesting and yet vaguely topical subject. There was so much potential that unfortunately was not realised. From such a promising start it had a very boring middle which went downhill to a disappointing and pointless end. The characters weren’t interesting or appealing and had no depth. The sex scenes were so excruciatingly badly written and totally pointless.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC

[Michelle L · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find it hard to believe that this is the same author of Birdsong or Charlotte Gray. It was so badly written and the plot disjointed. I only finished the book as I loved Birdsong, but on reflection I wish I had not wasted my time. I actually cannot find anything positive to write about this book. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to read this book.

[Daren Kearl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what to make of this one. It was a bizarre read and I am not sure why Faulks wrote such a dud.
A surrogate mother has her sperm sample swapped for some doctored with Neolithic DNA. The boy grows up and is pretty normal. The truth is leaked and he is hounded by press and hated by general phobics for being “unnatural”
I am guessing there is some shady referencing to fearing what is different and intolerance but it’s lost in the plodding storyline and total lack of an emotional connection with the main character.
The ending where he and his surrogate mother have sex is just all sorts of wrong..

[Algernon · Rating 2 out of 5]

[5/10]

“I’m interested in hybrids. What they can tell us about ourselves. How we got to be the way we are. The inexplicable leap. The ‘saltation’, as you call it.”

A search for existential answers doesn’t necessarily translate into a good novel. Good questions and daring speculative theories need to be supported by a coherent plot, by some good characters and by a lively pacing to move the story forward.
I’ve been a big fan of Sebastian Faulks for many years, but I am starting to wonder whatever happened to the man who wrote Birdsong and the other couple of books in his French historical trilogy? He used to be so in control of his exposition and so good at creating memorable portraits of men and women caught in the drama of history.

Lately, I get the impression he is becoming obsessed with figuring out how the human brain works, to the point where storytelling becomes irrelevant and the execution can be labelled ‘lacklustre’ if I try to be kind, ‘clunky and cringe worthy’ if I’m more honest about the experience provided by this far-fetched story.

“Seth? Was he someone in the Bible?”
“He was the son of Adam. After Cain murdered Abel in the field. Adam, when he was a hundred and thirty years old, had another son, a sort of replacement for Abel.”
“Legend! How do you know this?”
“Bible study. In one version, Adam also had four boys with Lilith. So Seth was his seventh son.”

This modern day Seth that serves as study object for the author’s theories on brain function is a Son of Man created in a laboratory by a narcissistic tech bro who believes that having an obscene amount of money gives him license to do as he pleases, regardless of the laws of the land or ethics.

“I’m an originator. A philantropic disruptor.” explains Lukas Parn to Talissa Adam about why common law should not apply to him. Talissa accepts to become a surrogate mother in Parn’s genetic laboratories in exchange for money to finish her anthropology doctorate thesis. Seth is the result, and the novel tracks the lives of these two people several decades into a dystopian future.

Frankly, despite several cool ideas about the toxicity of billionaires [“No one can play God. Not even rich men.”] with too much wealth and too little self-awareness, or some pertinent commentary on the collapse of investigative journalism that coincides with the rise of extremist politics [ Anyway, they were conspiracists. The internet allowed them to flourish because proper journalism had collapsed. People wouldn’t pay for real news when they could find sensation for free. ] , the central idea of anthropology as the key we need to unlock the future of brain studies failed to lift off the ground for me.
I blamed this mostly on the bland and unconvincing personalities of Talissa and Seth, who were supposed to do the heavy lifting in terms of plot, and on the numerous jumps in the timeline that never allowed for any human interest angle to develop the sexual attraction angle for the Neanderthal hybrid was the low point of the whole exercise for me

A couple of years ago I read Human Traces by the same author, a novel that explores similar grounds, but one that I found better anchored in historical research and personal development for the lead characters [I gave it 5 stars]. I was reminded of this earlier story when Faulks started talking about his pet theory that the gene that causes intelligence is the same mutation as the gene that causes schizophrenia and other mental disturbances. Now he wants to convince us that the brain is just like the fancy electronics in a modern car.

“Oh boy. Sure as hell the fancy electronic warning systems will go wrong, it’s just a question of when. Young madness or old madness. Youthful dementia, like your Felix, or senile dementia, like half the population.”
“And why are we like this?”
“It’s who we are. It’s our special frailty. In the genes. No other primate has it. Mind you, no other primate walked on the moon. So maybe it’s our special power too.’

The similarities in concept made me go back to that earlier novel, and I came upon this interview of Sebastian Faulks where he describes his interest in the subject as a sort of compulsion:

"After spending five years in libraries reading up on madness, psychiatry and psychoanalysis (my office had charts and timelines and things plastered all over the walls), the act of finishing it felt like a bereavement.”

His coming back to the theme now is proof that Faulks has not managed to exorcise or exhaust the subject, and we can expect more in the same vein in the future.
I don’t think the science-fiction format is really comfortable for the author, and he might be better served to stick to the sort of romanticized history that made him so popular at one time.

[Cesca B · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT
This was disappointing and then laughable! The poor character development, unless they were all meant to be either sanctimonious and/or boring, made it impossible to care. Two characters provided SF a convenient soap-box from which to air his political views and grievances - I’m guessing he didn’t vote leave 🤔 Which would be fair enough if it added anything meaningful to the story?
The science reminded me of the L’Oreal ads, you could almost hear the “here comes the science” disclaimer and they were then followed by laughable Scooby-Doo explanations.
And laughable too is where it all ends? On a remote Scottish island, with incest and suicide! Those are the only coping skills SF managed to afford his two main characters!

[Kimberley Leighton · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was intended to be thought-provoking. It certainly provoked feelings of frustration, anger, boredom, and annoyance. There were some good ideas, but they were let down by terrible, lazy writing. And I have no tolerance for famous male authors who write unrealistic, overly sexualised, nonsensical female characters, as was the case here. The ending was very bad indeed. I do not recommend.

[Clare Mortensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really interesting initial concept. My favourite part of this book was the description of the future political and social environment. I also found the scientific description interesting. However, has Faulks ever met a real woman? The character of Talissa was so unrealistic in my option, like who sleeps with someone they've given birth to? Oedipus much! Gross! The ending, therefore, totally ruined it for me!

[Rita Egan · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐ ⭐
The Seventh Son
by Sebastian Faulks

The premise of this near future speculative novel appealed to me, stretching the boundaries of ethics as never before, a baby born through IVF in a series of secret experiments funded by a billionaire entrepreneur and hints about the differences this child displays and his eventual othering.

I like the way the author drops in just enough details about the world in 2030 through to 2056 for the reader to recognise where technology, politics, ethics and trends have evolved.

I find the morality questions interesting, but ultimately the storytelling didn't work for me for several reasons. There is not much attempt to flesh these characters out. I wanted to feel engaged in their dilemmas. Isn't that where moral and ethical queries come from? It is all tell and not much show. I am particularly irritated by the basicness of the scientific talk. It has an oversimplified cartoon comic quality, as though either written for an eight year old, or by an eight year old.

The final section was where I hoped to encounter some hypotheses that would offer food for thought, but instead it ventures into territory I wish I could unread.

Publication date: 7th September 2023
Thanks to #NetGalley and #cornerstone for the eGalley

[Eric Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sebastian Faulks is a brilliant writer. His First World War novel Birdsong might even be a masterpiece. But his most recent book is, sadly, a dud. It’s a near-future science fiction story full of cliches (imagine a future world that uses high-speed ‘loops’ rather than air travel, or cars that — brace yourself — drive themselves, or even a world where hardly anyone eats meat). Enough of these are planted throughout the book to remind you that it’s set in the future.

The core story is about a couple going through IVF treatment at the hands of a secretive tech billionaire genius who decides to swap the father’s sperm sample for the DNA of a Neanderthal. The resulting child grows up to be an American president … no, that’s not in this story but it would have made a more interesting one. I read until the end hoping for some kind of surprise or twist or what used to be called “plot” and couldn’t find anything. Not recommended.

[Angela Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very deep and meaningful. I loved it as boy can this bloke write. Quite disturbing as I can imagine this happening and high tech firms messing with DNA. This book and Seth stayed with me.

[Agnieszka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting premise but badly written, with every cliche and stereotype thrown in. My first Sebastian Faulks novel and it’s put me off reading more by him despite everyone raving about his other books.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An interesting, albeit worrying premise. I just wish we could have been given more of Seth's character and how he was feeling. At times, he felt rather like a cardboard cut out.

[Sylvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebastian Faulks in The Guardian review

“I want the reader to engage in a thought experiment,” says Faulks. “Had evolution taken a different path, then it’s possible there would have been four different human species walking around today. And it could also be true that if there were to be just one species, it might not have been Homo sapiens but Neanderthals. Or if there had been more interbreeding, then the resulting species would have been quite a different creature, and adjusted to the world in quite a different way. Perhaps it would have been much less aggressive and much more willing to get on with the rest of the world.”

In a previous book, Sebastian Faulks also thought about other possibilities. This one features a thought experiment that makes me more aware of what we are like as a species. There has been quite a bit about the topic and also about consciousness. This book explores it in an imaginative way, also looking at the personal implications. The events in the book start with part 1 in 2030 to part 4 set in 2056. There are many elements that are present today. - some are just the tweaks of what you might call the evolution of technology.

The story focuses mainly on a young American woman,Talissa, who wishes to do a post doctoral course at the Helen Lingard Institute in the US, which she will fund by acting as a surrogate mother for a couple in London. This seems an ideal situation and she is encouraged to make friends with the future parents, Mary and Alaric Pederson. The IVF procedure goes ahead at the Parn Institute. This us run by a megalomaniac billionaire Lukas Parn. We know where megalomania leads - we have our contemporary ones, who use their wealth to further their wild notions.
Yes L Parn persuades one of the team to conduct an experiment which is ethically dubious to say the least. The fertilised ovum is not Mary’s and Alaric’s.

The much adored child is called Seth, grows normally but is thick set, with a low brow, is a bit different and as a consequence bullied at school. He does not seem to have any idea of what he’d like to do, but goes to a prestigious university to study engineering. He’s regularly monitored by the Parn Institute.

As you would expect, it’s not long before somehow a doubt emerges about Seth’s origins. This is when those closest to him feel the urgent need to protect him because the social consequences will be dire, considering how people behave.

The hunters/hounds really, get more and more ingenious and cunning, which results in a chase that is unsettling and possibly dangerous. You wonder how it can possibly end.

The science is lightly handled. Enough is given to make the story plausible and to avoid tedious explanations. It is all within the realm of possibility. In fact, Faulks visited IVF clinics and says that something similar to what happened is possible even at this very time.

It is fiction which can highlight in an emotional way the deficiencies in the way Homo sapiens thinks and behaves. From this story, we realise the toxicity of human reaction to the “other”, to the perceived differences in individuals. I was also made acutely aware of what an unstable species we are - prone to depression and other mental issues, to delusions, to self harm and war. Faulks is interested in the human mind in all its aspects. There is even a downside to a certain form of imagination.

Although to my mind, and going by the few books I have read, Birdsong remains his greatest book, Faulks is certainly a good storyteller able to anchor a scene well. The pace keeps the reader engaged, the plot is interesting and compelling, the characters believable. Seth is very likeable, I was full of anguish for him all along, especially when he became the victim in these unfortunate events. The modern world is so unrelenting. The writing is not experimental, something I expect these days, but in some ways this is refreshing - a steady storyline, dates given as we go along, so we know where we are.

[Lady Fancifull · Rating 4 out of 5]

A horribly plausible ‘speculative’ near future. Fascinating, though writing occasionally clunky 3.5

Sebastian Faulks has written many novels looking at the last century, exploring European history, and our species propensity for widespread destruction. He is often, also, raising philosophical questions about identity and the nature of the human mind.

In The Seventh Son, he takes a fairly small step into the future. The novel begins in 2030, and ends in 2056. Though there are some technological changes, these are not outside what might be pretty predictable, so the new world isn’t really much of a future speculation.

Where Faulks is really placing his attention is the specific nature of our species, what that nature has created, individually, collectively, and therefore, what it is likely to do, going forward.

Think our basest crowd mentality, think our tendency to tribalism and to castigate the ‘other’ . How we have, over centuries, abused other races. Think how it is that suspicious and rapacious populism comes to be. Look at our addiction to tabloid journalism, debasing, degrading reality television. Look at the sense of entitlement, and being above the law that some of our richest and most powerful demonstrate.

And look also at the inventiveness of our species, our quest for knowledge, and how that drives science and scientists to explore areas that we are maybe not morally and ethically developed enough to be exploring. Particularly in the biological sciences, with gene editing, cloning, and the like. We are almost there, already, where this book will start.

A powerful man entrepreneurial, fascinated by the possibilities of science. An institute offering the enhanced possibilities we might expect to have happened by 2030 for a much more successful way of couples with fertility problems to have children. And, perhaps, audacious scientific experimentation, kept under wraps. And maybe, a way to move evolution in a slightly different direction

Though this was a fascinating and immersive I dropped a star as at times the writing was clunky : at the beginning of the novel, there seemed to be a focus on unnecessary detail , the first chapter did not have the seamless writing I would have expected of Faulks. I also had certain question marks around the inexplicable desire which every woman appeared to feel for the male central character, and could also see this leading to an obvious coupling which occurred towards the novel’s end, where the chasey chasey activities of various bad actors turned this into more of a kind of thriller. Not particularly successfully. It almost seemed as if different genres were being bolted on to a more interesting middle

The ’what is the book about’ the thought provoking ideas are mostly, but not completely, satisfied by the telling of it.

[Pudsey Recommends · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Seventh Son takes readers on a journey that starts with an ambitious IVF experiment, pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding and challenging the ethics of research funding. It is a thought-provoking tale.

Meet Talissa Adam, a young woman seeking funding for her post-doctoral research in the USA. She believes she's found the solution when the Parn Institute offers to pay her to act as a surrogate for a couple in England. However, she soon realises that the unscrupulous billionaire owner, Parn, has something far more life-changing in mind. Enter Seth, the baby resulting from this experiment. As he grows into adulthood, it becomes apparent that he is different from other children.

I personally found it a bit difficult to fully engage with the narrative. Set in a lightly built future world, it grazes upon darker themes that could have been made more unsettling. Nonetheless, it shines a light on love, kindness, and the importance of responsibility. Faulks occasionally throws in a dig at Brexit, and the legacy of the current British government. I enjoyed Ms Gopal’s character, even though she gets censored by the writer himself, I wish there was more of her. It all feels a little too serious, too intelligent. I just found it hard to connect to the main characters and their journeys.

The narrative captures the root of the challenges individual face throughout their lives—challenges that none of us would ideally want to encounter. The story includes a considerable amount of technical dialogue that supports the rationale behind the "experiment." And I admired all the research that went into it.

While I genuinely wanted to appreciate this book, I found it lacked the dynamism and unexpected twists I was hoping for. The anticipation and tension failed to build up, leading to a somewhat disappointing conclusion devoid of surprises. It was just underwhelming.

The Seventh Son certainly has its merits despite falling short of fully captivating me.

Thanks Netgalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Hutchinson Heinemann for the advance reader copy.

[Milly Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that raises so many questions but is at the same time a super read. Set in the very near future - it starts 2030 - Talissa, an American academic, decides to travel to London to become a surrogate mother to fund her career in history and anthropology. Her decision has life-changing consequences because at the Parn Institute where the procedure is going to be carried out, a billionaire is not planning to play by the rules. The child, Seth, is born, handed over to his adoring parents and Talissa returns to the US, but she still has contact with the family and as years pass, bonds develop. It is difficult to say more without giving away huge spoilers, but when the truth is revealed what happens next is frightening. There are all sorts of issues here, nature versus nurture, a person's right to choose, what it means to be human. The characters of Talissa and Seth are really well drawn and I felt attached to them. As for the scientists, there is a part that can see the reasoning behind the actions, how they believed that their actions would be for the good of mankind in relation to cures for mental illness and I can't decide if Parn is Elon Musk-esque or Bill Gates-esque. Some of the science I found a little heavy going at times, but the story grips and I felt a sense of fear as it progressed. This piece of speculative fiction could have been melodramatic in other hands, but this author knows his craft. A super novel that feels not too far from reality.

[Bernice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Margaret Atwood, Kasuo Ishiguro, and even PD James, Faulks is another prize winning author stepping into the dystopian genre. With a compelling plot and well written prose, the first three quarters of the novel is entertaining in a Jurassic Park sort of way. Then it goes downhill. Fast. It almost felt that the last part was written by someone else.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. Very interesting premise but somehow missed the mark

[Andy – And The Plot Thickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love passed, lives ended; and if you thought that only what was permanent had value, you were lost.

When American palaeoanthropologist Talissa Adams runs out of money to fund a post-doctoral fellowship, she offers to become a surrogate to a childless couple in England, for a price. It's the year 2030, and the Parn Institute is at the cutting edge of research into IVF. Its billionaire founder is interested in doing something that's never been done before: creating a hybrid human species combining Homo Sapiens and a newly discovered humanoid ancestor related to the Neanderthals.

And so, Talissa unknowingly becomes the vessel of something that will change the way people look at themselves and at humankind. Seth is given to the loving Mary and Alaric, who have no idea they will raise anyone other than a little boy who deserves to be loved and protected.

'The Seventh Son' asks the basic question we have been asking for decades if not centuries: what does it mean to be human? Is it consciousness, something animals don't have? And did our distant ancestors have this? At what point in our evolution did we develop the ability to self-examine and dream about the future?

This literary sci-fi takes a deep dive into an area of much interest right now, with the rise of artificial intelligence and the discovery of ancient animals in melting permafrost. Readers are confronted with a dilemma: is it ethical to resurrect such beings in a world that is hostile to their existence? How far should we go in trying to answer questions about humanity's past and future?

The themes raised in this book are fascinating and one cannot help but empathise with Seth. What brought my rating down on this book was the sex scenes. I'm not sure if the author was trying to make a point about our connection to other species by making them so awfully animalistic (at one point Talissa compares herself to an ape while having sex), but I found it strange and a bit off-putting.

An interesting read that will stay on my mind.

[Chris Chanona · Rating 3 out of 5]

the seventh son

Talissa Adam is looking to fund her post doctoral research in USA and thinks she has the solution. The Parn Institute will pay her to act as surrogate for a couple in England. They tell her they are researching IVF but the unscrupulous billionaire owner, Parn, really has a life changing experiment in mind.

Seth, the baby, is the result but he is soon seen to be different from other children. As an adult this becomes a very real problem for him.

An interesting story but I found it difficult to engage. Some of the events seemed very unlikely to me, especially near the end of the novel. And there was an added layer of discomfort as the reader considers these.

I cannot say I enjoyed this novel. Well written as you would expect from Faulks but it just did not engage me. There were echoes of John the Savage from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley so if that is your kind of reading you might enjoy this.

I read a copy provided by NetGalley and the publishers but my views are my own.

[Cinnabar · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give it zero stars, I would.
This is the worst book I've read in my entire life, and I've read quite a lot of bad books before.
Parts of the story seem at least plausible or interesting, but the execution is horrible and the story telling extremely bad.
The worst part about the book is the ending.
It's extremely rushed from the point where he is "revealed", and that part handled so unbelievably bad that it's almost comical.
Add to that the very last oedipus-esque part and his suicide, I've never read anything worse.
Was intrigued and badly betrayed by the cover story and the apparent awards, how could this garbage ever be a best seller anywhere.