Gargoyles [Hardcover]

Alan Nayes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2001

With the recent completion of the human genome project, speculation on future genetic research has run wild. Most people fear what might happen once humans have the ability to create perfect children. What will it mean when the human race no longer has to deal with natural imperfections-when science can be used to eradicate disability, disease, unique features, asymmetrical faces? But little attention has been given to the other possibility of such research: what will happen now that the human race may have the ability to create perfectly imperfect children? The research industry-and the human race-may never be the same.

Brilliant pre-med student Amoreena Daniels needs money desperately. Her mother is dying of metastatic cancer, and the medical insurance has run out. When told of a new cancer study that offers some measure of hope for patients in her mother's condition, Amoreena is thrilled-until she realizes that the treatment will cost $30,000. When a seemingly legitimate women's clinic offers Amoreena $50,000 for service as a surrogate mother, Amoreena thinks her prayers have been answered. But then-much too early-her baby begins to move.

The strange dreams, another surrogate's mysterious death, and a drug-addicted former medical intern confirm Amoreena's worst suspicion: there is something terribly wrong with her pregnancy. Amoreena embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth behind the endless battery of genetic tests, sonograms, and frightened patients, only to discover that she has unwittingly become a pawn in a high-stakes game of biomedical experimentation.

In the tradition of Robin Cook and Richard Preston, Alan Nayes has written an absorbing, terrifying novel about what happens when human beings have the ability to save countless lives-by changing the face of humanity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Navigating the turbulent waters of genetic manipulation, this first novel tells a grisly what-if tale, speculating about the possible outcome of human gene research gone bad. Amoreena Daniels, a young Julia Roberts look-alike, is a bright but impoverished premed student who chooses to become a surrogate mother in order to pay for her uninsured mother's cancer treatment. She believes she is gestating a child for private adoption, but a series of suspicious incidents at the clinic lead her to wonder whether something different is in the works. The other surrogate mothers seem to be mostly illegal aliens, and some of them are badly frightened. Then a former medical intern with a drug problem gets in touch with her and tries to convince her that the clinic is fronting a scheme to produce subhuman clones for organ harvesting and scientific experimentation. Amoreena refuses to believe him, but a disk he sends her after he mysteriously disappears proves he is right. Unwittingly, she has allowed her body to be used as an incubator for "drones," mostly human but also part pig and part baboon. The novel culminates in a long episode set in Guatemala, where Amoreena is taken against her will to give birth. Nayes doesn't indulge in gory detail, focusing instead on the clinic intrigue and a Guatemala subplot involving two young crusaders out to foil the clinic's plans. The frisson the novel supplies is meager when weighed against the wordy buildup, but those who prefer their thrills mild may be satisfied.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Gargoyles is a heart-stopping page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat. Alan Nayes combines his expertise and slick writing to brilliantly bring to life the all-too-real
possibilities of genetic engineering in the wrong hands. Gargoyles is a frighteningly good read!"-April Christofferson, author of The Protocol and Edgewater

"A splendid debut. A timely tale, steadily accelerating suspense . . . and a warning."
-Charles Wilson, USA Today best-selling author of Deep Sleep and Extinct

"The idea behind this story is first rate. Dr. Nayes shows the dark side of genetic engineering run amok, in a nightmarish biotech scenario. . . . Gargoyles is an audacious beginning for a bold new writer of medical thrillers."-David M. Shobin, New York Times bestselling author of The Provider

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (August 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765300109
• ISBN-13: 978-0765300102
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,934,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live in Southern California but still consider myself part Texan by birthright. I was born in Houston and grew up in Dallas. I've resided in California since the mid 1980's but get back to Texas as much as possible. My first two published novels--GARGOYLES and THE UNNATURAL are biomedical thrillers. Actually THE UNNATURAL could also fall into the horror genre as it is a pretty bizarre tale. BARBARY POINT is a love story about a successful young woman who falls in love with a fishing guide. It was written on a suggestion from a former agent.

I have several other projects in the works. HEMLOCK POND is a horror story about a young woman and her son who move into a farmhouse with a haunted pond.

GIRL BLUE, another pretty bizarre story, is about a world renowned sculptor who becomes haunted by his last work. Oh did I mention the sculptor is terminally ill?

SMILODON is the story of a huge cat that terrorizes a small town in the majestic Pacific Northwest. This one will grab you and not let go--yeah, that sounds like a cat.

PLAGUE is the riveting sequel to GARGOYLES. Fasten your seat belts, close your eyes and pray like hell because the world as we know it is coming to an end.

My favorite football team is the Superbowl champs GREEN BAY PACKERS. Sorry Cowboys. But when GB is not on the gridiron--Go Dallas! Great Cheerleaders, too!

I enjoy the outdoors and as a side note I'm one of only a few individuals to ever swim across Wisconsin's chilly Lake Winnebago. Does this make me a better writer--probably not.

When I'm not working on my next project, I enjoy relaxing and fishing at our family vacation home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars well-written medical research thriller, August 15, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gargoyles (Hardcover)

Amoreena Daniels is a brilliant pre-med student needing a scholarship to attend med school so she works extraordinarily hard towards that goal. However, her idyllic world collapses when she learns her beloved mother Geneva suffers from cancer. Worse, Geneva used her small available cash to pay for Amoreena's education, leaving her without health insurance and little hope for the high cost treatment that might save her life.

However, to the rescue is Meechum Corporation's Women's Clinic who pays Amoreena fifty grand to serve as a surrogate mother. Soon her saviors come under suspicion GARGOYLES for illegal medical practices by the once naive Amoreena. Whatever is inside her womb is growing at a humanly impossible rate and feels like it is ripping her up. When she complains, the clinic staff insists nothing is wrong and this is normal. Amoreena rejects the explanations even as she begins to receive weird warnings from female strangers. She vows to learn the truth not yet knowing how dangerous that endeavor is.

GARGOYLES is a well-written medical research thriller that, though it adds nothing new to the genre, will excite readers. The story line is loaded with action as even a person with Amoreena's background is caught up in the questionable activities of Meechum, leaving the audience to wonder about the average individual who gives God-like trust to the profession. There will be no naysayers to Alan Nayes' strong look at the ethics of modern day genetics claiming the betterment of humanity justifies the means.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scary and engrossing medical thriller., March 1, 2006

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gargoyles (Mass Market Paperback)

Alan Nayes's "Gargoyles" features spunky and beautiful Amoreena Daniels, a twenty-one year old premed student in California whose mother, Geneva, is dying of cancer. Unfortunately, Geneva's health insurance policy has lapsed. Amoreena cannot afford to pay for the expensive treatment that her mother desperately needs if she is to have any chance of survival. The young woman makes a fateful decision to sign herself up as a surrogate mother at a place called the Women's Clinic. The money that Amoreena stands to earn will help defray Geneva's astronomical medical costs.

Meechum Medical Corporation, which owns the Women's Clinic, is a pharmaceutical firm run by (you guessed it) unscrupulous and ruthless individuals who are willing to take ethical shortcuts in the name of big profits. Only after Amoreena becomes pregnant does she get wind of the fact that the clinic personnel are hiding some very unpleasant details from her. As her pregnancy progresses, Amoreena finds out that Meechum is involved in a much more nefarious business than mere surrogate motherhood.

Although the plot is familiar, Nayes diverges from the paint-by-numbers formula in enough ways to capture the reader's interest. Amoreena is not your typical Teflon heroine. She makes mistakes, acts impulsively, shows poor judgment, and has unbelievably bad luck. In addition, she has no love interest or any hint of one. The villains, alas, are stock characters, a few of whom rationalize their actions in the name of medical research. Some of the other bad guys are your standard sadists.

The writing is, for the most part, fairly literate and fast-paced, and most readers will find themselves anxiously turning pages late into the night to learn Amoreena's fate. The author provides enough medical details to lend the novel verisimilitude, and the obligatory chase scenes, some of which take place in the jungles of Guatemala, are suspenseful and exciting. Nayes wisely avoids tying up all of the loose ends, leaving the reader with the disturbing idea that there could be scientists who would engage in grotesque medical experimentation if they thought that they could get away with it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gargoyles,Timely Book, January 8, 2002

By 

Jo Proferes (Lewiston, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gargoyles (Hardcover)

Gargoyles, by Alan Nayes, his first book (two more on the way). I loved it! Good, short prologue, he grabs the reader's interest immediately. Sympathetic characters in desperate situations with real problems. Their stories grab you by the heart and you are on a runaway train. It's a fast, edge of the seat, heart in the mouth ride with a satisfying conclusion.
This is about surrogate mothers, bioengineering, cloning and a greedy pharmaceutical corporation. Plenty of ambiance, the setting is southern California, south, through Mexico to Guatemala.
You know what's so scary about all this? It is just too possible, it is no longer in the realm of science fiction! Think about it. Fish genes in tomatoes, human genes in both pigs and cattle. I clipped all that from the newspapers and saved it. Only God knows what else they are doing - with humans and cloning.
Fiction writers have always led the pack when it comes to informing the public of something they need to become aware of, and Nayes has done a good job.
Alan Nayes is a gifted new writer of medical thrillers. Like Robin Cook, he writes what he knows, and he, too, is in medicine.
With Nayes' expertise in the field in which he writes, and his writing ability, Gargoyles should be a best seller the first time out.