And the Lord God made Adam and for hic wife garments of skin, and clothed them, Then the Lord God szüI, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth hic hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for eve?- therefore the Lord God sent hn forth from the garden of Eden,... he placed afiaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. - Genesic 3:21-24 In Book I, Garment of Skin, biotehcnology had enabled man to slip past the flaming sword. He has broken through to the Tree of Life and eaten of its fruit. But now the soul in trapped in the garment of skin, and this curse brought about by the hubris of science is poised to spread like a plague throughout all humanity.
Garments of Skin:A Genomic Apocalypse / Book I
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Kevin D. McMahon is the husband of Janice and the father of Megan and Breanna. He teaches science and is the varsity tennis coach at Reseda High School in Los Angeles. He is a member of the parish of the Byzantine Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Brave New World?,
By
This review is from: Garments of Skin: A Genomic Apocalypse / Book I (Paperback)
"Garments of Skin", by Kevin D. McMahon, presents the reader with a not-too-distant future in which a U.S.-based biotechnology firm, Chimaera Inc., develops a stem-cell therapy that cures a wide range of medical disorders and greatly increases the human life span. In the course of the novel, we see how this breakthrough has huge ramifications in government, society, and religious institutions. As an eager public awaits the incredible benefits of this therapy, an unforseen consequence occurs: at death, the Chimaeric patient's soul is trapped in the body (fused to the "garments of skin"), and exists alone and in despair. What was once hailed as a "brave new world", free of injury, disease and aging, now has the potential to become a "genomic apocalypse".
One of the major achievements of this novel is in how the author skillfully makes the incredible events seem so believable, and, in some cases, inevitable. The characters are portrayed as complex and fallible individuals, motivated by greed, altruism, high ideals, lust for power, and, in one instance, love for humanity that results in a supreme act of self-sacrifice. The intricate details of genomic science, so crucial to our understanding of the story, are presented in such a way as to be easily grasped by individuals such as myself who have little scientific backround (the illustrations are particularly helpful). The amount of historical, theological, scientific and cultural information woven into this book is amazing, as the story takes the reader from Vatican City to Moscow, and from the oval office in Washington, D.C. to the dense jungles of Mexico. The novel functions quite well as an action-based, suspenseful thriller, a very good "read", but it is in the questions it raises involving certain ethical, moral and religious ideas that the work achieves real depth and profundity. For example, who should receive the Chimaeric technology - the old or the young, the healthy or the infirmed, the rich or the poor? Also, what should be the role of the government in this process? Would government regulation of this technology result in a benevolent democracy, or Big Brother? More importantly, the novel questions our very idea of "what it means to be human", i.e., are we simply a collection of materials to be manipulated in the quest for "self-actualization", or are we created in the image of God, and as such, off-limits to human tampering? Does Chimaeric technology bring us into a new Garden of Eden, where we can become "like God" instead of, as Christians, participating in God's divine nature? I was particularly interested when the novel related what Eastern Orthodox theology has to say on this subject: how God, after the events in the Garden of Eden, chose to clothe mankind in in "garments of skin" (i.e., biological life), in order to preserve our souls. Thus, at death, the soul is released and achieves union with God. In doing so, God allowed death to limit the consequences of sin, "that evil might not become immortal". As a Christian, I appreciated the fact that the theology in the novel never comes across as "preachy" or contrived; in fact, the opposing viewpoints of the Church and Chimaera, Inc. are presented in such a way that the reader is able to appreciate the arguments of each side, and in so doing, achieve his or her own conclusions. I think that "Garments of Skin" is a remarkable achievement - a highly entertaining, fast-paced narrative whose events are credible but rarely predictable, and a challenging, thought-provoking work that forces us to reassess our views concerning the very nature of our humanity. I confess that, until now, I have not followed the stem-cell debate very closely, but this novel has alerted me to the relevance of that discourse. As one might say, "you may not be interested in genomic therapy, but genomic therapy is interested in you". I look forward to reading "Daughter of Abraham", McMahon's sequel to "Garments of Skin", as this intriguing and profound story continues.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Bold, Original Vision,
By Li Tubman (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Garments of Skin: A Genomic Apocalypse / Book I (Paperback)
"Garments of Skin" is the first volume of a projected "Genomic Apocalypse" trilogy. "Genomic Apocalypse" pretty well sums up the disparate subjects that KD McMahon links in this book. With one hand on cutting edge science and the other on profound theological questions, McMahon molds a bold, original vision of what it means to be human. How else can one describe a world view in which believers, who condemn euthanasia, demonstrate and pray in hopes of a putative saint's death?
McMahon takes us from Washington and Moscow to remote jungles. Along the way he introduces us to government officials struggling to save the world, or their own power; to religious authorities with a firm belief in God's guidance, or their own; to tycoons who literally sell their souls to the Devil, or whose bloody grab for political power is blessed by the highest church authorities. Of course, parts of McMahon's world require a certain willing suspension of disbelief. Pope and Patriarch celebrating communion together--never happen. Geneticists developing the technology to make human beings practically immortal--well, I don't think I'll live to see it. The United States government assassinating the President of Russia to hide its complicity in his crimes--when does the unbelievable become believable after all? Working in the same school as Kevin McMahon, I've long known that he's a great teacher. "Garments of Skin" shows that he is a storyteller as well.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertainment and Erudition,
By
This review is from: Garments of Skin: A Genomic Apocalypse / Book I (Paperback)
Kevin McMahon's first major work shows his skill at dancing between and within biological science, genetics, philosophy of theology, theology, and creativity. The novel is heavily influenced by Christian teleology with some epistemology as a guide, but the reader will not be aware of them except as s/he too dances through a fast moving, highly entertaining and poignant combination of them. The last 50 pages rivet the reader so much that one's saccadic pace and page turning move more rapidly than neurons are supposed to fire. I highly recommend this work to any reader, and especially recommend it to those who are trying to keep abreast of stem cell implications for the future. James McMahon PsyD, PhD, ThD, ScD, Island Hts NJ and Naples FL (perhaps a 454th cousin of the author!)
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