Customer Reviews

Elixir

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Elixer... The best thriller in a long time. The suspense and plot twists kept me up late into the evening. Couldn't put it down. The character development was rich and full. I hated to see this tale of moral intrigue, greed and redemption end. Please do yourself a favor and pick up Elixer, by Gary Braver. You won't be disappointed.

In today's modern bestsellers it is hard to find an author who connects with his audience through the actions and thoughts of his characters better than Gary Braver. In a literary time of wild sci-fi thrillers and seemingly clued-in mystery novels, it is refreshing to read a novel that allows for a combination between high drama and action as well as a clue into the minds of the characters. Braver's style is a true tribute to the east coast, and i look forward to reading more of his novels in the future

Lots of guys write books about big themes. Plenty of writers can tell a story. Gary Braver does both, a real accomplishment

It's easy to see that Gary Braver teaches creative writing - he does some things that every novelist would do well to emulate - he puts his characters in big trouble and just keeps piling it on. Every character has thick spider web links with all the other characters. Best of all, normal people find themselves in situations where they do abnormal things. He plays the "what if?" game over and over - what if Elixir's hero is shown an immortality plant while bio-prospecting in New Guinea? What if he tries to synthesize it? What if, what if, what if?

Think it'd be neat to live forever? Read Elixir. And take one of Braver's writing courses - the only way Elixir-challenged folks like us will live forever will by writing books that last

As an avid reader of medical mystery/thrillers, ELIXIR rates at the top of my favorites list. Long after memories of other novels I've read have faded, this book will continue to make a lasting impression on me. The concept of longevity is endlessly fascinating, and Gary Braver presents thought-provoking questions surrounding the ethics versus practical aspects of this issue. The reader finds himself/herself immersed in the action-oriented plot, in which the central character handles the implications of his potentially dangerous discovery in a sensitive and realistic way. What helped to set this novel apart from others I have read is the skillful manor in which the author involves the reader in the riveting drama and makes it impossible for him/her to avoid imagining himself/herself dealing with the same fates as the characters. The surprising twist at the end of the book prompted me to do some inner-self searching about my values regarding the length and quality of my own life.

ELIXIR has all the elements of a superb read: an edge-of-your-seat plot, nonstop action, mystery, romance, and sensitive portrayal of realistic characters, with the added fascination of imagining... "what if this could really happen?! " "Would I want it to?!"

I look forward to Gary Braver's next novel, and hope he continues to contribute his high quality writing for years to come.

ELIXIR, Gary Braver's biomedical thriller, offers the best of why we read. For fiction fans, the storyline moves along at a "can't put it down" pace. For information junkies, we learn about tribal medicine men - both from Papua New Guinea and America! For those of us over-50s, we learn that getting old has its drawbacks, but that "Forever Young" is best left to Rod Stewart lyrics. For those who long for deep insight from their reading, there's a wealth of points to ponder long after the last page is turned.

Gary Braver explains just enough about the biology of the aging process to help us put the book in a proper context. The reader won't get bogged down in too much science but will learn to understand the implications of what we hear each evening on the news health reports. It teaches the reader to look beyond any headlines of "miracle drugs."

I anxiously await Gary Braver's next offering!

I just finished reading ELIXIR by Gary Braver (aka Gary Goshgarian, author of STONE CIRCLE, ROUGH BEAST and ATLANTIS FIRE)and can't stop thinking about it. Although it's billed as a biotech thriller--and is a very good one--the book goes much deeper than that, probing what human beings are willing to trade for immortality. But even more interesting to me as an aging baby boomer, is what the characters were willing to trade to stay young and fit, a desire I can relate to all too well. What would I do under the circumstances, knowing the risks? AFter much thought, I came to the conclusion that I'd do what Chris did, not what his wife Wendy did, although I respect her choice much more than his.

This is a book that entertains you from page one, but even more important, it makes you think.

In a rain forest in Papua, New Guinea, Christopher Bacon is given a rare orchid to use in his research for a cancer-killing agent. However, while this flower can be used to create an elixir that stops cancer cells from replicating, it also restores the body to a younger, healthier state -- which can last for centuries -- and experience none of the maladies associated with old age.

Gary Braver addresses the social, psychological, religious, political, and medical aspects of the question that humankind has pondered for centuries. Would you live forever if you could? What happens to a family when one person says yes and the other no?

Chris and his wife Wendy are accused of mass murder and they are on the run. Becoming Roger and Laura Glover, their baby son grows up under the belief that he is Brett and has no other family than his parents. They hide under secret identities and teach their son to never lie -- then he learns of their deceit. Plans for escape and new identities are always worked out carefully, years in advance; but even the best of plans have unexpected events.

Elixir is a thriller. It starts a little slow, much like a roller coaster being pulled to the top of the first hill; then rushes through ups, downs, twists, and turns for the ride that will not disappoint you! Enjoy a plot filled with industrial espionage, murder, fanaticism, greed, wealth, secret identities, and personal histories that reveal the life and character of these very human people and their emotions.

It was worth five stars to me. Now who is making the movie? I will be there to watch it....

As an Active (voting) member of the Science Fiction Writers of America I have the privilege of receiving word of new books on the market I might otherwise miss. A postcard announcing the publication of ELIXIR by Gary Braver arrived in my mailbox about a month ago. Intrigued with the idea of a drug for eternal youth (who isn't! ) I decided to order a copy. What a wonderful surprise to escape the mundane world of editorial deadlines and publishing meetings within my own life and fall into such an exciting world created by author Gary Braver. When I discovered that Gary Braver is a pseudonym for Gary Goshgarian, I was not surprised at all. I have loved Mr. Goshgarian's other books as well, especially THE STONE CIRCLE and the out-of-print ATLANTIS FIRE (which I was able to get hold of through a rare-book search). I wish the publisher would allow Mr. Goshgarian to use his real name from now on so I become aware of his new works a little sooner!

If you're looking for a novel that is gripping, informative, well-crafted, suspenseful and one that will leave you thinking, then run out and get a copy of Gary Braver's ELIXIR. This terrific book takes the reader on a harrowing journey in which the discovery of a fountain-of-youth drug imperils everything and everyone the biologist-discoverer Chris Bacon cherishes--his wife, his child, his profession, his life. The settings in the novel, vividly and richly presented, add to the book's appeal--from the rainforests of New Guinea, to the Caribbean, to flossy Boston suburbs and biotech research labs, to upstate New York woods, to midwestern (Wisconsin) towns. The book crackles with suspense at the same time it brings up profound ethical and moral issues about tampering with the nature of human life by prolonging it indefinitely. And, best of all, Gary Braver is a first-rate writer. His prose is meticulously crafted with an elegance and precision that far exceeds the average thriller. Take this book to the beach, the pool, the mountains--take it anywhere. You'll be happy you did.

As a woman who normally avoids reading biotech thrillers, I thought this one might be intriguing and light because of the title. To my surprise, it stands far above any bestselling thrillers I have read. It is an intelligent book with such a fast moving plot that I hated to put it down to sleep or go to work. But more than that, the characters prove to be real people who respond that way. Braver has done his homework in planning this book! There is no supernatural or gratuitous violence to turn my stomach, just consistently realistic descriptions of what happens. No, this novel deals with real issues and surprises us at every turn. Long after I have finished the book, I still feel a familiarity with Chris and Wendy as I do with Parker's Spencer and Susan. I reconsider actions that took place and wish for more. Braver leaves the reader with the possibility of a sequel OR the denouement may just be left to our imaginations. I want to read it again to pick up things I've missed, but I also want to share it with friends so we can debate some of the issues and consider other options at the end. Elixir is a real winner!