Adrenaline [Paperback]

John B. Olson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

Set in the not-so-distant future, Adrenaline introduces James Parker, a biochemistry grad student who discovers a cure for muscular dystrophy, the disease confining him to a wheelchair. However, the cure that began as his salvation appears to have bizarre side effects that open the door to an existence he never imagined. Darcy Williams, an attractive, intelligent, and delightfully quirky fellow grad student joins forces with James, but it is clear she is haunted by a dark secret. When they publish James’s findings, their campus community is turned upside down by something they had never anticipated. Will discovery of the truth be too devastating to face? From the award-winning author of Oxygen.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Olson strikes out on his own with Adrenaline, following his extremely successful collaborations with Randall Ingermanson in the sf thriller Oxygen (2002) and its sequel, The Fifth Man (2003). James Parker, a researcher bound to his wheelchair by muscular dystrophy, seeks a wonder drug to reverse the disease. When his sister, also afflicted with MS, nears death, he breaks an ethical barrier and injects the drug into himself, producing a Jekyll-and-Hyde effect. But wait: the dire results of self-experimentation may have an even more ominous explanation. Adrenaline lives up to its title by pumping out suspense, at times almost to the point of self-parody, but there are ideas here and good atmosphere on the oily streets of Oakland, where "glass-head" gangs creep like criminal automatons. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"an amazing, and powerful tale...a talented and creative writer...action that never slows and tension that constantly builds." -- Newmysteryreader.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; PF edition (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764228196
• ISBN-13: 978-0764228193
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,071,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John is a novelist and speaker who lives with his wife Amy and two kids in the San Francisco Bay Area. John earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and did postdoctoral research at the University of California at San Francisco. His novels have won several awards including a Christy Award, a Christy finalist, a Silver Angel award, and placement on the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pulse-pounding medical thriller that never slows down, October 15, 2004

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adrenaline (Paperback)

Adrenaline is a doubly appropriate name for John B. Olson's first solo novel, for not only does adrenaline hold an integral place in the medical foundation of the plot, the novel itself rushes from first page to last at an adrenaline-pumping pace. The action gets a little repetitive from time to time, but it never slows down. I have to admit that I did have a little trouble settling down into this fictional world of Olson's making. On the one hand, you have a modern-day medical thriller involving the search for a cure to a dread disease. On the other hand, you have a character haunted, either figuratively or literally (you don't know early on) by a mysterious and possibly quasi-human Dark Man, and the streets of this world are sometimes populated by almost surreal drug users of a slightly fantastic nature. Thus, the story resides somewhat uncomfortably in a modern, scientific setting; perhaps this was intentional on the part of the author - it did, after all, force me to think more deeply about these characters and the story unfolding before my eager eyes.

James Parker is a much-heralded graduate student in biochemistry. He is desperately seeking a cure for muscular dystrophy, a disease that not only he, but his sister also, suffers from. Already confined to a wheelchair, James figures he has about four years left to fight, but his sister Jenny is already in the final throes of the disease. Finally, James seems to be on the brink of a breakthrough, as a certain chemical derivative of adrenaline has induced motion in his MC-afflicted test mice. In the throes of hopeful joy, he heroically barrels into a crowd of Glass-heads (drug addicts) threatening a young woman outside the chemistry building, and the mysterious character of Darcy Williams enters his life. Darcy is a difficult character to decipher early on; she is incredibly paranoid, seeing agents of a mysterious Dark Man all around her, refusing to let anyone know where she lives, and keeping all manner of secrets from those who would befriend her. She begins to help Parker with his experiments, bringing along, somewhat reluctantly, a young suitor of hers named Jason. There is a lot of romantic tension between Parker and Darcy from the beginning, one that builds into a lot of "does he like me? - does she like me?" material -almost too much, actually.

Confident that he has discovered a cure but knowing his sister Jenny will never live long enough to benefit from it as it plods its way through years of testing and approval, James violates everything he knows is right and medically ethical and begins testing the drug on himself (despite the fact that the drug caused incidents of extreme aggression in his test mice). It has quite an effect on him, initially setting him on fire internally, causing spasms of immense agony, and similar nasty side effects. It also, however, begins working. In short order, he regains the ability to walk; eventually, he acquires a degree of unnatural strength and agility. He also experiences disturbing nightmares and unsettling blackout periods, often waking up later in the unhealthiest of places and conditions. As the work proceeds, mysterious men begin following our heroes, destroying their labs, attacking them, and seemingly going after the medical secret Parker seems to hold. Although a lot of the action gets repetitive, and one wonders where everybody else in Berkeley is all the time, Olson makes it difficult to figure out exactly what is going on. Is it the obvious? Is it Darcy's Dark Man? What about the fictional professor Jason created in order to publicize the research, a scientist who seems rather well-known for a nonexistent person? The ultimate conclusion is surprisingly satisfying, although I just can't accept a couple of the conclusions I'm apparently supposed to accept here.

James and Darcy are engaging characters you will be rooting for with great enthusiasm. On a few occasions, however, they do or say things that struck me as clichéd or a bit overdrawn, reminding me that this is in fact a novel about people who don't really exist. The action also seems a tad repetitive in places, but these are small complaints on my part. Olson has no trouble whatsoever in terms of pace, suspense, and action. You have to stop and take a breath between chapters because Olson doesn't slow down for a second; he maintains the energy of this story all the way to the end, an accomplishment that is really quite remarkable.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book For Preteens Too, December 15, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Adrenaline (Paperback)

I am a twelve year old kid and I love adventure books. My mom had just read a book by one of her favorite authors and said I needed to read it. I read it and I loved it. It's a great book with adventure, exitement, suspense, mystery, great character descriptions, and some romance.(Personly, the romance wasn't my favorite part, but I'm a 12 year old. What do you expect?)It is about a man with muscular dystrophy and his sister has it too. He discovers a cure with the help of a friend. Thats where things went downwards for him and his friend.(I had better not tell you to much, or that would spoil the book, wouldn't it?) Overall, it was a great book(and I love this author), and I would highly recommend this and his two other books to other preteens.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Page-Turner from an Expert in the Field, February 24, 2004

By 

FictionAddiction.NET - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adrenaline (Paperback)

Adrenaline opens with biochemistry student James Parker on the verge of a cure for muscular dystrophy, a disease that has debilitated he and his sister. In a clever rescue attempt, he meets Darcy Williams, another dedicated biochemistry student.

When Parker tells Darcy about his experiment, she and her overzealous boyfriend Jason eagerly volunteer to assist him with his research. Parker is overjoyed but it doesn't last long when he discovers his sister is running out of time.

He decides that he cannot wait on the normal refinement and testing process that his drug must go through. Influenced by his sister's worsening condition, Parker desperately takes matters in his own hands. Then things really start to go wrong.

Darcy is paranoid and running from someone or something that she won't reveal to anyone. Jason seems obsessed with the possibility of the drug making lots of money and his genuineness is questioned as he witnessed hanging out with some questionable characters. Creatures with incredible strength are creeping up everywhere and terrorizing the college campus, causing massive fear and bloodshed. Eventually all the secrets, schemes, identities and motives are revealed.

John B. Olson is no stranger to science and stories of suspense. He received a doctorate degree in biochemistry and has co-authored Oxygen and The Fifth Man.