Customer Reviews

GermLine

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've given it my best, read 73 pages and I'm putting this book away now. Not going to read it. I haven't yet encountered a well developed or believable character. The character motivations are either trite or non existant. So far we have been in about a dozen different scenes and few tie together or give me a sense of supporting the direction of the book. Chapter One is Titled "Part One The First Component -- Year 6 of the Plan," Chapter Two is Titled "Part Two The Second Component -- Year 7 of the Plan," Chapter Three is Titled "Part Three The Final Component--Year 17 of the Plan" which helped me not at all in figuring out what is going on. I just flipped through the rest of the book to see if it continued to jump around in Years of the Plan and Components and these references never appear again; the rest of the chapters have simple chapter numbers. Many chapters start with a date, but no year so I can't figure out the sequence of things. Others start with a day of the week, no date, no year. Lost me. As long as I'm complaining, I love the science in novels like this but the author didn't help me enjoy it in this book. He explains the simplest aspects, but then dumps in a bunch of what looks to me like pure blather. I have to quote this, "A physics-based computational approach, lad. Totally unique. My protien prediction software program uses multibody interactions for an expansion of the free energy based on the meolecular relative weight, as determined by the Z-score optimization, conformational space annealing methodology, and multiple linear regression. This allows hierarchical ab initio prediction of a protein's structure. Even using a Q8 refined accuracy index -- the standard's only a Q3 -- my program's perfect." Okay, so this bit of dialogue goes totally unexplained to me as a layperson. I have no idea why this is important. In conclusion, find another book.

GERMLINE by Dr. Nelson Erlick is a provocative medical thriller that examines the plausible future of gene therapy and genetic engineering. Briefly summarized, the "Collaborate" is a global consortium of financial and scientific corporations backing a plan for advanced gene therapy based on a technology that can introduce whole chromosomes into the developing human fetus in order to correct genetic abnormalities. The chief protagonist of the story, Dr. Kevin Kincaid, is the brilliant physician-researcher employed by a Collaborate health care and research entity, the Benjamin Franklin Healthcare Network (BFHN), to create and perfect the protein vector, HACV.V7 that inserts the new genetic material into the targeted germ cells. Fearing monopolistic abuse of the technology, two organizations oppose Collaborate and seek to acquire V7's design: the Defense Advanced Research Progects Agency (DARPA - a very real government body) and the Anti-Genetic Action Committee (AntiGen).

GERMLINE's premise is intriguing, the action is occasionally exciting, and the dialog is well done for a "debut novel". However, the book has several rough edges that allow me to award only 3 stars.

There's an excess of characters that significantly impact the storyline: Kincaid, Frederick Grayson (the head of BFHN), Eric Bertram (Chairman of Collaborate), Dixon Loring (Bertram's megalomaniacal deputy), Trent McGovern (head of AntiGen), Kristin Brocks (DARPA's security chief), Helen/Tracy Bergmann (of AntiGen), Dr. Roderick Stevenson (Chief Pathologist at the Collaborate's isolated research complex, Delphi), Marguerite Moraes (at Delphi), and Blount (a Collaborate thug). By my count, four or five of these players could have been left on the cutting room floor, thus streamlining an already complex plot.

Background information provides depth and realism to fiction. As an award-winning researcher and ex-surgeon, Dr. Erlick is well positioned to provide such. However, perhaps he went over the top. For example, when referring to the neurotransmitter glutamate, a character mentions APMA-kinate receptors, voltage-independent synaptic responses, voltage-dependent NMDA-receptors, and metabotropic-subtype receptors. Or, regarding certain custom-created genes:

"We back-coded for the genes ... (placing) them with gene regulators on the q arm of our designer chromosome, position 23q11 through 23q14 ..."

Such esoterica could be understood, I'm sure, by workers in the field. But I gather that Erlick desires a wider readership; your average reader's eyes may glaze over.

I personally was totally unsympathetic towards the "hero" of the story, Kincaid. Sure, at the very beginning his wife and two children are murdered. However, the author never established for the reader a close relationship between the four, so it was hard to care. Kevin was simply the brilliant physician robot wound up and sent on his way to engage the Bad Guys. And Kevin's relationship with Helen/Tracy was forced all the way to the end.

Lastly, I suspect that GERMLINE's specter of gene therapy going awry is the author's personal apprehension. Unfortunately, sinister global conspiracies in fiction are tricky constructs. They're only sinister if the general consensus holds them to be so, like the nuclear Armageddon brought on by KGB plotters so popular in Cold War potboilers. In GERMLINE's case, the maleficence of the conspiracy is perhaps subjective and not to be shared by all.

I think additional editing could lift this thriller to the 4-star level, and I believe Erlick has a viable career as a fiction writer ahead of him if he elects to pursue it.

(Note: This review is of an advance uncorrected proof in the publisher's binding sent to me by the author, who has since informed me that the book has undergone some editing.)

I read 250 pages and pitched it. Every page is a new city, new scene, new character.....And.....the story just never goes anywhere. There's a good premise here but the writer and publisher need to re-work this thing! In short: Don't bother...keep looking.

With all due respect, I think Dr. Erlich should stick to science, or perhaps get a ghostwriter or at least a decent editor.

If this book has any continuity, I couldn't find it. Characters come and go, people change sides without apparent reason, and the protagonist, when not giving pedantic lectures, seems confused and obtuse.

There is no real story here - the book simply appears to be a vehicle for the author's views and opinions. A non-fiction work would have been much better for his purposes.

In the tradition of Crichton and Cook, Erlick comes up with a scientific thriller that is believable. This is what makes it so scary. I couldn't put this book down once I picked it up. I also loved the fact that it's set locally (for me anyway).

I can't wait to see what else Mr. Erlick comes up with for his next novel.

Trust me! Buy this book. You won't be disappointed. You're in for the ride.

Thanks for reading!

I bought this book a couple of weeks before a 5 hour flight and I intended to read this book on the plane. Well, I should not have opened the covers to take a peek because I was hooked.

The science in Germline was interesting but for those who are not into cloning and gene therapy, you can skip the science dialog and the story would still make sense. What really facinated me were the thought provoking questions that the story brings forward.

The explosions and chase scenes in this story were terrific. As I read it, a Hollywood movie played in my mind. If entertainment is what you need, this is it.

2.5 stars-In other words a very average read. The plotline was interesting with the possibilities of genetic engineering falling into the wrong hands. The sinister corporations were a little bit unbelievable but the way they manipulated the protagonist Dr. Kincaid added a touch of plausability to the novel. If Nelson Erlick can work on his plotting (have his bad guys act a litle more human to increase conflict) and his character development a little more he does show promise as a writer. His explanations of the science involved are done well and he communicates his passion for this subject in his descriptions.The overall lack of realism of his characers actions however pull this novel down to a mediocre level -and I think he can do much better than this.

This is a mass-market thriller in the great tradition of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook. A previous reviewer was bothered by a plot that skips around. It does, but so do most books of this type. I found it a well written version of this type of story, but there is no denying that it is genre literature.
What impressed me was the depth of the ethical thinking displayed in the book, which was not one-dimensional or simplistic fear mongering. Do take the time to read all the way to the end of the book. If I were teaching an ethics class I would seriously consider making this suggested or required reading on the topic.
The background is meticulously done, and this book is backed up by a scientific website for readers who want to pursue the subject further.

An exciting Crichton-like thriller. Many twists and turns. Are the good guys really good? Quick moving story with many twists and turns. Action packed, I couldn't put the book down to see what Erlick would come up with next. Never lacked for a suprise twist. Well researched...this could really happen.

GermLine has lots of neat science, a convoluted plot with too many double crosses, a protagonist and love interest that are hard to like and numerous monologging villains. I really wanted to like this, but it didn't really gel for me.