Frameshift [Hardcover]

Robert J. Sawyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Pierre Tardivel, a geneticist confronted with the possibility of dying of Huntington's disease, uncovers a plot by his insurance company to kill off all their clients who are dying of disease so that they do not have to pay their claims, in a novel about the Human Genome Project.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is a 50 percent chance that geneticist Pierre Tardivel is carrying the gene for Huntington's Disease, a fatal disorder. That knowledge drives Pierre in his work on the Human Genome Project, an attempt by scientists to map human genes. But a strange set of circumstances--including a knife attack, the in vitro fertilization of his wife, and an insurance company plot to use DNA samples to weed out clients predisposed to early deaths--draw Tardivel into a story that will ultimately involve the hunt for a Nazi death camp doctor. Frameshift shows why the New York Times calls Robert J. Sawyer "a writer of boundless confidence."

From Library Journal

A Nebula Award winner and Hugo Award nominee, Sawyer has created a gripping medical sf thriller. Pierre Tardivel, a French Canadian geneticist, works on identifying junk DNA for the Human Genome Project. At risk for contracting Huntington's chorea, Tardivel drives himself to succeed in a race against time to complete his research. Skillfully interwoven is the misidentification of John Demjanjuk as the Treblinka death camp's Ivan the Terrible, the cloning of Neanderthal genes, and a greedy insurance company that illegally and clandestinely takes DNA samples from its policy owners and kills high-risk clients before it has to pay out large claims. Highly recommended for sf collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 347 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031286325X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312863258
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,969,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert J. Sawyer -- called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by the OTTAWA CITIZEN and "just about the best science-fiction writer out there" by the Denver ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS -- is one of eight authors in history to win all three of the science-fiction field's highest honors for best novel of the year: the Hugo Award (which he won for HOMINIDS), the Nebula Award (which he won for THE TERMINAL EXPERIMENT); and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (which he won for MINDSCAN).

Rob has won Japan's Seiun Award for best foreign novel three times (for END OF AN ERA, FRAMESHIFT, and ILLEGAL ALIEN), and he's also won the world's largest cash-prize for SF writing -- the Polytechnic University of Catalonia's 6,000-euro Premio UPC de Ciencia Ficcion -- an unprecedented three times.

In 2007, he received China's Galaxy Award for most favorite foreign author. He's also won eleven Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards ("Auroras"), an Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada, ANALOG magazine's Analytical Laboratory Award for Best Short Story of the Year, and the SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE Reader Award for Best Short Story of the Year.

Rob's novels have been top-ten national mainstream bestsellers in Canada, appearing on the GLOBE AND MAIL and MACLEAN'S bestsellers' lists, and they've hit number one on the bestsellers' list published by LOCUS, the U.S. trade journal of the SF field.

Rob is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences, teaches SF writing occasionally, and edits his own line of Canadian science-fiction novels for Red Deer Press.

His novel FLASHFORWARD (Tor Books) was the basis for the ABC TV series of the same name. He enjoyed spending time on the set and wrote the script for episode 19 "Course Correction."

His new WWW trilogy, WAKE, WATCH, and WONDER (Ace Books), is all about the World Wide Web gaining consciousness.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A gene for telepathy!, October 12, 2000

By 

Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frameshift (Mass Market Paperback)

There's no doubt that Robert Sawyer can merge the most recent scientific concepts with fictional narrative flawlessly. Frameshift brings the latest revelations in genetic research to a story of murder and conspiracy. To that, he's added a strong historical element, rarely found in speculative fiction. The combination makes an overwhelming tale of perseverance in the quest for justice. This story is astonishingly relevant to today's circumstances.

Sawyer's characters are always excellent images. His Canadians are a wonderfully disparate group [Illegal Alien provides another good example]. Pierre's character is well drawn, although probably the most 'heroic' of all Sawyer's characters. It was surprising that he remains silent on the issue of Quebec independence. That Molly loves Pierre him because he thinks in French, which doesn't intrude on her 'space', was a charming idea.

At first, Molly's telepathic abilities seemed to suggest Sawyer had finally exceeded credibility. Telepathy, mysticism and inspiration from some divinity have too often been brought together to inspire religion with all its hurtful dogmas. That reaction was quelled after reading a fellow Canadian, Sharon Butala. Her non-fiction book, Wild Stone Heart, depicts a perfectly rational person subjected to 'experiences' she can't explain. Why do some people have these 'visions' while others don't? Perhaps, as Sawyer suggests here, there really is a genetic base for telepathy. It's an intriguing notion.

As usual, Sawyer's science is up to the minute. The current attempts to restore extinct species include the quagga, the thylacine [Tasmanian Devil] and even the Neanderthals Sawyer depicts here. He recognizes the need for a proper environment to make the restorations succeed, in this case, Molly herself. If it can happen, this is exactly the mechanism that will be required. He has detailed the process to perfection. This is a highly readable book, stretching the reader's mind just enough to maintain interest and some suspense.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Genetics, Evolution, Telepathy and Mystery, July 13, 2001

By 

Jonathan Burgoine "bookseller" (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frameshift (Mass Market Paperback)

This book really weaves some very diverse elements into a single plot, and has you guessing right up to the end.

The true strength of this book is the core protagonist of Pierre Tardivel, a french-Canadian genetecist who has to battle the uncertainty of being a man who may - or may not - have inherited Huntington's Disease. His struggle with his own genetic future is centre stage in this story.

But woven into this tale is a woman who can read minds, Molly. Though a genetic quirk of fate, her ability puts her in the forefront of a potential murder, and the story picks up steam from there.

Evolution, genetics, Nazi experimentation, murder, and a whole stream of incredibly rich plotlines cumulate into one great showdown of SF writing. As always, Sawyer's strong characterizaitons and his respect for science shine through, and I was gripped right to the end.

Give this a shot, you won't regret it.

'Nathan

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific book about genetic destiny, September 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Frameshift (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a terrific book about genetic destiny. The chapter in Treblinka is incredibly powerful stuff, some of the most moving and disturbing prose I have ever read. And the tale that grows out of that --- of a Nazi-hunter, a man who might have Huntington's disease, a mute child, and a telepathic (and very convincing, for a male author) woman --- is affecting, memorable and deeply moving. I recommend this book both to SF readers AND to mainstream readers.