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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780425161241
ISBN number: 0425161242
Label: The Berkley Publishing Group
Manufacturer: The Berkley Publishing Group
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 460
Printing Date: April 01, 1998
Publishing house: The Berkley Publishing Group
Release Date: June 12, 2000
Sale Popularity Level: 129936
Studio: The Berkley Publishing Group
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In his most prophetic novel, Robin Cook challenges the ethics of genetic manipulation and cloning.
'Shocking and thought-provoking...Cook's best to date.' (ssociated Press)
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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This is one of my favorite Robin Cook books. This rather prophetically scary story weaves together genetic engineering and cloning in humans and primates. Given rapid advances in modern technology, a story like this not only could come true any day, but do we really have any idea whether something like this is actually happening, without general public knowledge of it??? Think about it.
Rated by buyers 
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I'm a bit puzzled by the slams of this book in some of the other reviews. I found the topic of the book intriguing and the action strong. Also the ending while admittedly "neat" didn't seem as abrupt or contrived as some of the other reviewers thought.
In a nutshell, a murder victim in New York shows evidence of a recent liver transplant, oddly the victim has no record of such a procedure and no evidence of taking the needed anti-rejection drugs. Its almost like he was transplanted with his own liver.
The connection is to an lab in Equatorial Guinea where a brilliant scientist has discovered a way to genetically engineer Bonobos to develop the perfect "clone" for a particular human's organs. However, the alteration of the Bonobos has other effects on them which leads to the pimates being a closer "host" to humanity than was initially intended...
I found the action constant and gripping throughout the book. Yes there were a number of implausibilities or coincences as the book progressed, but that is something I typically anticipate in a thriller.
What gave this book the little extra in my view was that the plot was more believable than other genetical engineering plots. The Bonobo idea is a direct extension of pig-based organ transplants, and the Bonobo may be the closest relative to a modern human (or at least very close to a chimpanzee) and the idea of them being used as an organ farm would have to take place in a more lawless country, but is still one that would be plausible.
I hate not being able to give half stars since I would really put this at a 3.5, but in this case I'll do a round-up to 4 stars to counteract some of the other reviews.
Rated by buyers 
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I've read 2 or 3 Robin Cook books and this will most likely be my last. To be fair, I didn't read this one, I heard it as a book on tape.
The story idea is quite original - scientists are using bonobos (a chimp-like primate in West Africa) to grow hybrid human/bonobo organs for the ultra-rich. These are specifically matched to each client and held in an animal preserve until needed. Unfortunately, there may be unintended results by mixing animal and human DNA...
Good premise for the story. Poor, poor, poor dialogue and awful follow through. There are stilted, silly sentences that sound unnatural when spoken out loud. Unexplained odd illogical behavior such as the downright stupid employees at the morgue. How stupid are they? The body of a mob boss disappears. The mayor is super angry and making telephone calls. People's jobs are on the line. The media is everywhere and asking questions. Do the morgue employees even bother to open up ALL of the body drawers just to see if the body was just misplaced? N0, because if they did they would have found one of the biggest clues of the mystery at the beginning of the book rather than towards the end.
The premise of the book is a sound one and it would have been a heckuva read if it had been placed in the hands of a different author.
My grade: C-
Rated by buyers -
Robin Cook did again. Took mystery and science right to the edge. Kudos!
Rated by buyers -
some familiar faces return in this one which was pretty cool. That's one thing I like about certain authors. They bring back certain characters. Not necisarily in a 'series', but just to show that once you read them in one particular book, they're not forgotten by the author. Also brings a certain sense of attachment and interested with them.
the story reminded me a little of something James Rollins would come up with. Probably because of the setting moreso than anything else.
There's just something about the book that i couldnt' put my finger on that didn't have me completely wrapped up in it. Usually I get sucked into a book and can't wait to see how it pans out. I found that I wasn't overly excited to turn the page or get back to it when I had to put it down for a day or so.
I think it was the fact that the characters, for the mostpart, seem wooden in terms of their language and speaking style.
A great premise, but the execution fell short.
I liked necessary risk and blindsight much better.
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