Customer Reviews

The Chimera Seed

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This was an excellent read. I couldn't put it down. Many of the scientific references are taken from the pages of today's newspapers and really makes you think. It raises many questions about the advances of science, its impact on the environment and the moral issues surrounding these scientific advances. It does so quite intricately, while not being preachy or too medical. The facets of the story reveal the many layers of our human nature and our tendencies towards self-interest and self-preservation with surprising moments of altruism. I especially enjoyed the character Lori Adams. She was delightful and even when she was diabolical, you just cheered her on. I truly loved the characters in this book. I don't want to write too much and give the story away. This is a quick read and I recommend it highly. Truly enjoyable!

Nominated for the USA Book News Best Books 2009 Award, The Chimera Seed is a novel of intrigue and suspense. Michael Tiernan follows a mysterious trail set by his deceased father, a path on the hunt of an anti-aging drug. Forced to keep on the run, while attempting to prove himself worthy of his father's secrets, Tiernan must work with his father's lab partner to hunt down the lost vials of Dionysinol before they reach the hands of the enemies. Surrounded by pharmaceutical espionage, enemies become co-conspirators, and the good guys become the bad in Matthew Tully's debut novel.

A host of characters and information are packed into the 387 pages of this novel. From scientists, to spies, to hired drivers, each character has a place in the story which is more than the search for the drug, it's about these people's lives before the drug, and the reasons they seek revenge on each other. There are several plot lines, all of which kept me interested, along with a helping of scientifical mumbo-jumbo to make the Dionysinal sound legitimate to skeptical readers like myself.

Perhaps it's Tully's advanced degrees in philosophy, education, and mathematics that make the writing flow so well, but I was impressed with the skill of the words on each page. This is not an amateur writer who decided to make a "political" thriller for the heck of it, this is an intelligent author with the necessary skills to make the reader understand without feeling overwhelmed, or worse, having it dumbed down to be made to feel like an idiot. From a writers point of view, I also appreciate the realistic voice for each of Tully's characters. Ranging from geriatric scientist, to middle-aged love-sick employee, to southern belle with an edge, each of the characters is completely believable.

If you like stories with twists and turns, with gruesome death scenes (the kind that almost made me sick which NEVER happens), with heros and villains who may or may not die and then may or may not come back to life, you will relish this novel. You don't know who will live or die, who will be brought to justice or escape, who will end up happy or alone with nothing. But it's best that way, don't you think?

Upon his father's death, Michael Tiernan inherits Oisin Pharmaceuticals. Originally, he is less than enthusiastic about this, but upon learning more details about his father's business dealings in Sardinia, he quickly reconsiders. It seems his father has developed a grape with special properties that, when consumed, reverses the aging process in humans and renders them immortal to disease. Naturally, Michael's greed gets the best of him as he tries to figure out how to make the greatest profits from the product. However, an unexpected side effect of the product derails his plans and forces him to rethink his course of action.

The author focuses on the ethics involved when deciding who, if anyone, should have access to such a life-altering product. Should it be based on who can afford to pay the most money or who is a more productive member of society? He also discusses the effects on the environment and the earth's natural resources that would occur with the ever-increasing population. These are topics that will provide a good discussion or debate in a book club or classroom.

The Chimera Seed is an incredible book. It contains elements of revenge, blackmail, intrigue, and deception. The characters are very diverse and the author does an excellent job of informing the reader of their backgrounds. He divulges just enough about their pasts to explain the reasons for their present actions. There are also some plot twists that keep the action moving at an appropriate pace. The author explains the processes by which pharmaceutical companies research, develop, and test new products in a way that is both informative and interesting.

I highly recommend The Chimera Seed. It forces the reader to think about how progress can be both good and bad. The reader will experience internal ethical and moral debates about how much control humans should have in changing the future. This book will definitely produce heated and thought-provoking discussions.

Armchair Interviews says: A most fascinating 5-star read.

Here's the scenario: your father dies, you inherit his pharmaceutical company, and in his will he leaves you his latest, secret drug: a cure for aging! What do you do? First of all, you lament the irony that the fountain-of-youth discoverer is dead. Second, you take immediate steps to patent the drug that not only stops aging but reverses it (imagine not needing plastic surgery to look younger-just take a sip and you become the best `you' that you have ever been). Well, for the main character, Michael Tiernan, nothing goes as planned. What follows is a roller-coaster-ride thriller that reminded me of Jack Bauer in the television show 24. The well-developed characters intertwine and the plot tightens like a wind-up toy ready to explode. You will definitely pause many times to appreciate the rich prose and philosophical insight. The author's use of resveratrol, the popular anti-aging ingredient found in grapes/wine, made the premise less sci-fi and more contemporary. The author bridges the gap between fiction and non-fiction to such a degree that I am actually excited about the prospect of a cure for aging within my own lifetime; I'm sure you'll feel the same way too!

The Chimera Seed can best be described as a taut, energetic thriller, just the kind of read I like. From its opening pages where you learn that a famed, visionary scientist has died and left his son, Dr. Michael Tiernan, a huge inheritance, the story rolls along and gathers speed like a snowball starting an avalanche down a mountainside.

Matthew Tully is a writer skilled at developing suspense. Tully's The Chimera Seed begins when Michael Tiernan hears of his father's death and travels to a remote area of the Sardinian countryside. There, he learns from his father's best friend about the astonishing Niamh seed.

By no means is the Niamh an ordinary seed. It has been named Chimera because of extremely peculiar properties. When its mature vines produce grapes and they are distilled, one dose of this potent wine-like chemical--Dionysinol--produces anti-aging in a human being. What's more, the drug doesn't just slow down the aging process, it stops it altogether.

Young Dr. Tiernan realizes the financial ramifications of a fountain of youth drug. But he is not as careful with secrecy and testing as his deceased father had been. Now, he determines to make an enormous fortune by marketing his anti-aging Dionysinol. He transports samples of the Dionysinol drug back to Oisinen Pharmaceuticals in the States where he is CEO.

Where Dr. Tiernan is determined to turn his company into a vast profitable empire, equally resolved are competitive pharmaceutical companies to obtain and uncover the secret of the Dionysinol substance, the Niamh seeds, and the engineering process, that turns the Niamh grapes into the immortality drug.

But as clandestine as Dr. Tiernan and his two most trusted chemists are, they get caught up in a ruthless battle that results in espionage and deceit, personal greed, political corruption, and murderous revenge. Dr. Tiernan learns he has been secretly treated to a dose of Dionysinol by an uncooperative employee. Although not the most moral person, when Tiernan learns that a second dose of the immortality drug is lethal, his sense of morality kicks in. He attempts to locate missing vials before the drug can be manufactured and wreak havoc on all mankind.

Unquestionably, the fast pace of The Chimera Seed is hypnotic. The reader will be transported back and forth across the Atlantic with Dr. Tiernan as he hunts the security leak within his own Oisinen Pharmaceutical Company and his vast vineyards in Sardinia. Like Tiernan, the reader will gradually realize the implication an immortal, increasing population would have, on what would become an ever decreasing food supply.

This book is a must read for those seeking an extremely fast paced story of espionage, intrigue, murder, and at times, deliberately imposed tortuous pain. The main characters are well developed, showing both their self-interest and also their redeeming humanity. Matthew Tully's tale displays real ingenuity with fascinating twists and turns. My suggestion to this writer is: keep writing. I will personally await your other stories. Dan Brown, make room for Matthew Tully.

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This was a great book filled with interesting story. The book raises more than a few thought provoking questions and is a must read for all.

The author is currently working on a sequel as well so I am looking forward to that!