The Transformed

by Raphael Hirsch

Dr. Robert Newman is a man obsessed--obsessed with the death of his wife from a rare genetic disease--obsessed with finding a cure to save her sister from the same fate. After years of single-minded effort, he has developed a revolutionary gene therapy procedure. Now the most devastating of human diseases can be stopped in their tracks. But within weeks, his discovery has unleashed a deadly cancer epidemic. His life is threatened and everyone he loves becomes his enemy. As he searches frantically for clues, he discovers a long dormant secret hidden within the human genome. Dr. Newman realizes that malignant transformation in human cells is not a random event. The marked increase in malignancies has a more horrific explanation. Silent for millennia, Cancer is now awakening as a rationale entity with an agenda of its own. And unless it can be stopped, no one--least of all Dr. Robert Newman--has long to live.

Genres: Thriller, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Mystery

321 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2004

Reviews

[Deborah Sastroredjo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story had me intrigued and made me think of the 'what if' later on. It's written very good, great research and has solid twists and turns

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising Plot

I enjoyed the story line with it's twists and turns and the unusual "bad guy". The main character was not developed well in the story. Scientists can be obsessed with solving problems, but he was a bit too two dimensional. The science is what got to me. I probably would give 3 stars if it weren't for the plot. I was willing to accept the possibility of developing the virus having taken the equipment they needed, but having a secondary character run off to basically someone's kitchen down the road and producing a vaccine is too big of a stretch. Scientists can be adaptable but they don't pull rabbits out of their hats. It would be refreshing to have research shown in a more realistic manner.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This story went down a path I was not expecting it to go down, but I enjoyed it all the same!

[Elise Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a reverse on the usual alien invasion story. Instead of invading externally the aliens invade us from within our bodies with the help of a scientist who becomes their unwitting pawn.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Transformed had me gripped from page 1, and I read it in one sitting. It follows scientist Doctor Newman, who is obsessed with finding the cure to his sister-in-law���s genetic condition. His research, on which he has worked tirelessly for years, is nearly complete when he is attacked by a woman who has woken from a coma shouting the strange word Sartan. One attack from a demented patient can be explained away, but when he is attacked again by someone shouting Sartan he starts to get worried. But what has an ancient Hebrew word for cancer got to do with the attacks.

There are so many ways The Transformed could have gone wrong. The back story about the dead wife and her ill sister is clich��d, but is written beautifully and believably, and provides a ticking clock that drives the story along. Similarly I nearly stopped reading when it became obvious what Sartan was, but I���m glad I pushed on, as the story, while taking on a sci-fi plot nearer the end, is very gripping and well written.

For fans of medical thrillers, this is a fantastic read. Raphael Hirsch is a well known scientist, and as such the scientific detail in the novel is of the highest standard. The back story of Sartan is also believable, although maybe too 'out there' for some medical thriller fans. Apart from the heavy sci-fi plot near the end of the book, which stretched believability, it was a great book and an author I���ll will be watching.

[Cross-posted to tomesofthesoul.blogspot.com - Rating at TotS - 4.5]

[Michael Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel from Dr. Raphael Hirsch, a renowned genetics researcher and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Having previously read his second effort, Informed Consent that was published in 2004, I was even more impressed by this book, as its content and style reminded me of some of the best Michael Crichton fiction - with elements of The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, and Prey combined with a dose of pre-Biblical anthropology to form a compelling, terrifying, and all-too-realistic page-turner. Can't wait to see what Dr. Hirsch sets his pen to next!

[Lorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read hirsch's "informed consent" and couldn't put it down because i really wanted to get to the end and 'figure it all out.' i was hoping this book would be as suspenseful. while "informed consent" told a story that was plausible (in a sense), i did not find this to be the case as much with "the transformed." i enjoyed reading it, but it wasn't a "can't put it down" book. if you have not read "informed consent," i would read that one first. if you like medical mysteries, you will enjoy this book.

[Cathy B · Rating 3 out of 5]

At 62% through, I'm at once fascinated and horrified. A hybrid of Robin Cook and Stephen King, two of my favorite genre authors.

Update: Worth reading - I'm glad I chose this Kindle freebie. If I could give 1/2 stars, I'd give it 3 1/2. Better than average, and I'd not hesitate to recommend it to fans of medical thrillers with a twist.

[Genevieve]

This book sounds so intriguing!Too bad I cant get past the first chapter that is full of inappropriate topics. I wish the authors would leave out all the garbage and bad language and just tell the story.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating premise, written by a doctor who obviously knows of what he speaks. I would suggest that it could do with some re-editing and proof reading but on the whole I really enjoyed this book. Lost a star because of the cheesy romance.

[Ricky Kimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invasion From Within

This a reverse on the usual alien invasion story. Instead of invading externally the aliens invade us from within our bodies with the help of a scientist who becomes their unwitting pawn.

[Laura Trachtenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good science horror story

The story line was good and the science was reasonable, although somewhat exaggerated. Vaccines cannot be made from scratch that quickly. The author needed to proofread his book better, as there were lots of typos. Overall I found it an entertaining read.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://freshcoffeespot.blogspot.com/2...

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

awful

This is so terrible. Can't believe I kept reading to the end but it was stopping to watch at a car wreck.

[Matthew]

Interesting concept. unbelievable at times and extremely cheesy at times.