Second Genesis

by Jeffrey Anderson

When a lead scientist is brutally murdered and genetically altered chimpanzees escape from a private compound in the Amazon rain forest, young biologist Jamie Kendrick is plunged into an unethical conspiracy, involving stem cell engineering, that could render humanity obsolete. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jeffrey Anderson, MD PhD studied abstract mathematics and neuroscience at Northwestern University before completing residency and fellowship in neuroradiology at the University of Utah. Dr. Anderson is Director of Functional Imaging at the University of Utah, and runs the Brain Network Laboratory. He is author of 2 national bestselling science thrillers, and has unsuccessfully tried for years to explain to his four children why he doesn’t do something cool like crew for the Jonas Brothers.

Reviews

[Shirley J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot and characters, visually descriptive writing kept me reading this book to the end, despite the mantra that echoed "Planet of the Apes:. Gave the book 3 stars, because I felt the story lost momentum and headed toward a hurry up and finish mode, even though the book likely ended set up for a sequel.

[Ralph McEwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that great of a book. Not much to write a review about.

[Anoop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot, reminded me of the story from Planet of the Apes with genetically-modified intelligent chimps and all, however the similarity ends there.

[Cody Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read. Nothing terribly surprising, but good enough to kill time on the commuter train. Felt like there wasn't much of a conclusion.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the first half of the book was really good setting up an interesting story. The second half devolved into not so good a story, and the ending was terrible.

[Shanyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quick easy read, really horrible ending.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was thought provoking and kept my interest from beginning to end.

I did go look for the sequel and found none which surprised me.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a while, this book was hovering around a 3, 3.5 for me, but with that ending? It dropped down to 2-stars.

The second half of this book gave me serious Planet of Apes vibes, and I wasn't mad at it. It made the book more interesting and fast-paced regarding the chimps, but at the same time a lot of what was happening felt unrealistic to me. I had difficulty believing that a genetically modified chimpanzee could learn how to operate a gun so easily without having seen one before.

The romance in this seemed way out of place. It's science-fiction thriller; who the hell has time to form a relationship when you have a gang of chimpanzees trying to kill you? The characters felt one-dimensional already, and I felt that Paolo was only in this so Jamie could get an anticlimactic happy ending (and some good dick, though, thankfully, there were no graphic details of their eventual coupling).

I would have liked to learn more about the new species Nakamura and Kate Batori were collaborating on together, mostly from her end. She clearly doesn't fear losing her career or her license too much at the end, though, if she's still trying to implant modified embryos into unsuspecting patients. I feel like there was a missed opportunity there to expand on that part of the plot.

The writing seemed a bit juvenile, for my tastes, despite the scientific jargon thrown at me from all sides, but I don't know if that's because of when this book was published or if the author chose to focus more on the science aspect instead of worrying about how natural the dialogue sounded.

I did enjoy the setting of this book, at least. I liked that it took place in the jungle in Brazil, but I thought that the author could've maybe expanded upon the visuals a bit more because it's the Amazon rainforest, for crying out loud! With how big it is, I expected to see descriptions about all kinds of plants and trees and the abundance of wildlife. If you're going to bring up the adaptation of chimpanzees in the rainforest, bring up why it's such a big deal.

Also, why was Carlos more important to bury in the rainforest than any of the others who'd died? Who even thought Carlos would WANT to be buried in the jungle in the first place?

All in all, I expected better from this book, and it didn't deliver. I don't recommend.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The promise of this book did not live up to my expectations. The idea that humans now have the ability to play God and create other sentient beings poses many ethical questions. Should we do this, even if we could? If we did this, how would the new species be treated by us and what are the implications for our future? In this novel, scientists have created a transgenic chimpanzee with all of the intelligence of a human being. The purpose for this creation is never fully explained however. The scientists interacting with the chimp acknowledge it's intelligence, but no one seems to have any qualms about using it as an experimental animal. They marvel at its possible implications, but still see it as less than. No one's motivations or emotions are fully explained in this book. Moreover, once the chimp escapes and a chase ensues, every one is involved for selfish reasons and no one cares really about this creature they have created. The resolution was terribly disappointing in that there was no real resolution. If you want a similar idea about transgenic chimps and the ethical problems that would ensue, try reading Sims by F Paul Wilson.

[Blaise Sica · Rating 3 out of 5]

And easy read and good story. A perfect pick for a long flight or train ride. Be warned its written by a proper scientist so they will explain a lot of stuff that most writters wouldnt bother to explain. It sometimes seems like padding but at least its real stuff you can use (for example how a MRI works)

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel but felt like it should have been a couple hundred pages or so longer to fully develop the characters and the plot, especially at the end. There’s certainly opportunity for a sequel as well.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea, but not well written. Some scientists genetically alter chimps in the Amazon to make a new smarter species. The characters are two-dimensional and not very believable. The plot keeps the story going none-the-less.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept my interest though out, but then just abruptly ended as if a sequel was under consideration and leaves you hanging with many unanswered questions. Still worth a read....

[jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s sad that it took me nearly a month to finish this book but it just couldn’t hold my attention. It reminds me of a weird prologue of Planet of the Apes.

[Judith Trail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good science based thriller. Scientists are genetically modifying chimps; too successfully, as the chimps demonstrate a tendency to hunt and to violence. Science experiment gone wrong.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and plausible story concept with potential for sequels. Spurious love scene - why ?! Weak ending.

[Heisenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a decent book. But the ending sure ruined it. Still a good book for beginners tho.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as good as his first book at least in content at the begining. However say around the midpoint chapter it gets good just like the beginning of his first book. I followed my author here. Had to read Dr. Anderson again he is great love the style. The Chimps hunting the humans oh yeah loved it nature getting revenge!!!

[Chris Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Genesis is intelligent writing. It was well researched and the plot has a fascinating premise. It took me a little while to get into it because the setup is a bit complex. The romantic stuff was a little kitzchy for me too, but I'm not much of a romantic so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Michael Crichton-esque science thriller about nefarious genetic engineering of chimpanzees to make them super-intelligent. A little schlocky but it definitely kept me reading.

[Sherri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like books with a scientific tone to them, but this one didn't hold my attention well.

[Amy Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 star science thriller (top 50% of the genre). Genetically-altered apes show up their creators. No, this is not Rise of the Planet of the Apes. For my full review, see ScienceThrillers.com

[Hildegart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by Anderson I read and it led me to look for more books by him.

[Lillian Sciqueen]

Not very good. Kinda boring.