The Immortality Factor [Hardcover]

Ben Bova (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

Provocative, gripping, startling: bestselling author Ben Bova delivers a knockout read with his trademark blend of cutting edge science and unrelenting suspense….

Some see stem-cell research as mankind’s greatest scientific breakthrough. Others see a blasphemous attempt to play God. Suddenly, the possibility of immortality exists. Two brothers, both doctors, stand on opposite sides of the controversy. To Dr. Arthur Marshak, his work is a momentous gift to humanity. To Dr. Jessie Marshak, it is a curse. Between them stands a beautiful, remarkable woman both brothers will do anything to save.

Somehow, before it’s too late, Arthur and Jessie Marshak must bridge the gap that divides them…on an issue that could mean nothing less than life or death for millions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bova's cautionary medical thriller, the uncut version of his 1996 novel Brothers, explores the political, social and religious ramifications of what could be humankind's greatest medical breakthrough—organ regeneration. When biotech lab director Arthur Marshak discovers a way to grow replacement organs and limbs within a patient's own body, the uproar from religious extremists, conservative politicians and sensationalized media coverage threatens to derail the project. When Marshak decides to let a science court in Washington, D.C., rule on the validity of human organ regeneration, the subsequent travesty of a tribunal not only imperils his career but also his tempestuous relationship with his estranged brother, who happens to be married to Arthur's ex-fiancée. Even an implausible love triangle and a cast of two-dimensional characters can't dim the forcefulness of Bova's message: the singular significance of science in modern-day society. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Given Bova’s extensive catalog of science fiction and nonfiction, there are perhaps few better qualified to address the complex issues surrounding today’s controversial scientific breakthroughs. Toss the convoluted relationship of two brothers into a mix of cutting-edge science versus medicine for the masses, and his new novel engages both mind and emotion. Brilliant corporate researcher Arthur Marshak is on the cusp of an earth-shattering discovery that will cause the regeneration of damaged or severed tissue—organs and even limbs—so that amputees and people with cervical injuries, heart attacks, and strokes may fully recover without surgery. Jesse, Arthur’s younger, humanitarian physician brother, opposes Arthur’s breakthrough, however, because its hefty price tag will preclude using it to treat the poor. When Arthur’s project is evaluated in a “scientific court,” it draws national attention, thanks to an opportunistic evangelist, and pits brother against brother and science against religious ideology. Bova masterfully presents the subtleties of all sides of both personal and scientific issues in a movie-like presentation of court testimony interspersed with chapters of backstory. Guaranteed riveting reading. --Donna Chavez

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765305259
• ISBN-13: 978-0765305251
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,617,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars insightful exciting medical thriller, April 17, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: The Immortality Factor (Hardcover)

Grenford Laboratory Director Arthur Marshak discovers a method for human organ regeneration that enables the host body to replace ailing parts. The announcement causes a tsunami of support and criticism. Some called him God's agent on earth while others claimed he was a blasphemer.

Arthur agrees to appear before a Congressional "science court" in Washington, D.C. so that his project is not destroyed by politicians pandering their political base as he believes strongly that his achievement is a great gift to mankind. On the science court board is Arthur's estranged brother, Jesse, a winner of humanitarian awards for his work with the poor in the Bronx. Jesse opposes the technique claiming another example of money buying health as only the wealthy would be able to afford it. He has personal reasons to be against it too as he and Arthur fell in love with Julia, but he married her and then there is their late mother to split them further.

This is an insightful exciting medical thriller that makes a strong case to keep politics out of scientific research. The story line is at its best during the tribunal hearings as all sorts of irrelevant headline grabbing sound bites is tossed continually including by the "judges". The relationship triangle feels stiff and out of place as means to add sibling conflict. On the other hand a hostile business takeover attempt though not as explored like the politics intervening in science is interesting as the other firm has agenda to squash certain unacceptable research. Fans will enjoy Ben Bova's latest tale as he argues politics and science research are a bad combination.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tale Of Science, Politics, and More, January 5, 2010

By 

Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Immortality Factor (Hardcover)

Although Ben Bova is one of the Greats of science fiction, this is not a science fiction novel. I wouldn't exactly call it a "thriller," either, since the biggest weapon involved is an animal tranquilizer dart. In terms of genre, "medical fiction" seems to come closest. The novel is really a drama about the issue of animal and human experimentation in medical research, where morality, science, business, politics, and religion collide.

The protagonists are two brothers, one a physician and the other a commercial research lab director, who find themselves on opposite sides of the issues as the lab races to develop a method of growing replacement human organs. Conflict between the brothers is heightened by a love triangle that is intricately woven into the well-plotted story. The climax of the plot is a "science court" to try the issue, an idea that has been mooted for several years now in the science policy community, and whose pros and cons are illustrated here in fictional form.

Bova makes no secret where his sympathies lie; he is 100% pro-science, to the extent that readers who feel strongly about animal rights may actually dislike the book. One of the characters in the book is a thinly-disguised send-up of Jeremy Rifkin, the anti-technology activist; other satirized characters include venal politicians and anti-stem-cell-research preachers.

There are enough plot reversals and personal conflicts to keep the book interesting and well-paced throughout. The heros are given enough flaws to make them seem like real people, warts and all, and the science, politics, and business issues are worked out in a pretty realistic fashion. People who enjoy reading issue-oriented fiction may like to give this one a try.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exellent reading!, May 16, 2009

By 

Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Immortality Factor (Hardcover)

You can always rely on this author to give you a solid novel. Ranked with the classic "fathers" of science fiction, I expected an entertaining, diverting afternoon with a good summer book.

What I got was a riviting story centered on a debate about whether scientific feasibility or ethical concerns about the science should be primary considerations -- or if the two can be brought together.

This book is a reissue of a book issued some years ago that, at that time, was edited rather heavily. The Immortality Factor brings in previously deleted chapters, giving a fuller story. We have two brothers who come up on rather different sides of an issue about organ regeneration. In addition, we have strong secondary characters who support or oppose the research. All of this centers on a "trial" of the science itself, set in Washington, DC. The book has an interesting structure, with chapters alternating between the viewpoint of different characters, and the research itself.

I don't want to create a spoiler; let me just say that any thinking reader will have to confront and consider his or her own feelings on the matter. While it is true that the author clearly has an opinion, this book would make an excellent "book club" addition that would generate lots of interesting debate.

I hope any lover of science fiction (although that really isn't the correct genre for this particular book), medical thrillers, or future science thrillers reads and enjoys this excellent book.