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66 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An apocalyptic story that evolves, September 21, 2008
This review is from: Immortality (Paperback)
Deep in the Amazon, within specifically precise boundaries, humans drop dead within seconds, leaving behind animals and plant life. The areas are circular, and become known as "kill zones". Little notice is taken until a kill zone strikes in Anchorage Alaska ... American soil.
Dr. Kathy Morrison, a CDC doctor in their BVMC (Bacterial and Viral Maximum Containment) lab is assigned to study the kill zones. Are they chemical or biological? What she does find is large amounts of Chromatium Omri, a benign water bacterium, in eighty percent of the Anchorage victims. She needs an expert on the bacterium.
Dr. Mark Freedman, a bimolecular biologist, has been studying ancient layers of Chromatium Omri BIC 3.7 in fossilized form from the Cretaceous period. He's nicknamed the bacterium COBIC 3.7. Mark leaves behind his girlfriend Gracy, his ex-wife and daughter, to fly from Los Angeles to Atlanta to join Dr. Morrison's search for the cause of the kill zones. When Mark discovers a tiny "seed" embedded inside the COBIC, it's a race for time to discover if the seed is natural or foreign, and whether it's related to the kill zones. What they find is going to surprise you, over and over again.
Other major characters are Sarah Mayfair, a police officer in New Jersey and her hundred and twenty pound Rottweiler Ralph. Sarah finds herself a fugitive after surviving a kill zone, and must find her way back into society. Artie Hartman and his pregnant wife Suzy live in New York. Artie is a lawyer, working as an assistant DA and running from his past as a former gang member. General McKafferty, an ugly, determined man, leads the military research faction called BARDCOM ... but is BARDCOM working with the CDC or against them?
Mark and Kathy are in a race against time and a deadly foe, one that cannot be predicted or controlled. The fate of the world relies upon them breaking the code of the COBIC bacterium.
As an aficionado of Apocalypse books, 'Immortality' is a great addition to my collection. While marketed as a techno-thriller, it manages to fulfill both genres quiet nicely. Kevin Bohacz has done his homework. The descriptions are detailed, the dialogue is natural and flowing, and the plot has the distinctive feel of "real time". The characters are fully fleshed and naturally believable, you'll feel as though you know them personally as you travel with them through loss and triumph. The flow from one character's POV to the next is smooth and fits the flow of the storyline. Bohacz's coverage of possibilities, such as military mishandling, gang behavior, societal classes, changing politics, fear, herding and hoarding, and religious zealotry all smack of realism. 'Immortality' is a journey you don't want to miss.
On the downside, there are some typing errors, spelling and punctuation, probably due to a small press company, but don't let those distract you from a great story. The novel is not necessarily fast-paced due to the detailing, but I still found myself unable to put it down, and thinking about it while not reading. 'Immortality' is an overlooked gem in the apocalypse genre. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!
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42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to put down, August 7, 2007
This review is from: Immortality (Paperback)
This is an all around GOOD read...and not just for SF fans!
I admit, science-fiction is my favorite genre. But this book should appeal to a very broad audience; it has just enough intriguing "science" concepts to keep your brain cells firing nicely without bogging you down outside of the plot line.
When I discover a book like "Immortality" I am thrilled: a well constructed plot, fast moving story-line, well developed characters, attention to small details that add the feeling of reality to the writing, adroit blending of innovative concepts and current issues for earth and humanity...Wow.
I've wondered about how it would be when modern humans began noticing an evolutionary movement into our future, and what specific events might generate that shift...enter "Immortality" and human v2.0 with its intriguing concept.
Enticing reading for anyone. If you enjoy a book that holds your interest so much that you don't want to put it down, and happily anticipate the author's next novel, then "Immortality" should be on your list.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brimming with ideas, May 3, 2010
Kevin Bohacz' Immortality is one of those books I happened to stumble across while browsing Amazon. The plot sounded intriguing, so I took a chance and bought the book.
After a promising start set at an illegal tree cutting site in the South American rainforest, the novel grinds to a halt while most of the main characters are introduced and set in motion. I nearly gave up on the book at this point because the background, exposition and needless details bogged down the story. I'm glad I decided to stick with it. Once a mysterious "kill zone" forms over populated American soil, the book kicks into a high gear that moves the story along. Granted, there are still places in the book that slow the pace of the story, but as a whole the story of the kill zones and the work of a team at the Centers for Disease Control to find a way to predict where the zones will strike next (or maybe even how to stop them) makes for fascinating speculative fiction.
Bohacz weaves together paleontology, nanotechnology, computer networking, religion, psychedelia and other assorted subjects into a first-rate story. While some will be reminded of Stephen King's post-apocalyptic The Stand or perhaps a well-written Michael Crichton novel (if such a oxymoron is possible). And toward the end the novel seems to borrow heavily from Paddy Chayefsky's Altered States while the finale feels like a knock-off of Road Warrior.
I wasn't a big fan of the ending. It felt truncated. Obviously, the author is preparing a sequel, but it seemed like the action was cut short just to provide a stopping point for the novel. Frankly, I'm hoping for a sequel to find how he intends to wrap up the loose ends left behind in Immortality. For instance, what happened to the sole survivor of the first American kill zone? After being taken into custody by the military, he's not heard of again. I have a hunch that he'll show up in the next novel ... possibly as the story's new "big bad."
My only other quibble with the book is an apparent lack of research in some places. Obviously, Bahacz knows his stuff when it comes to computer networking and other technical topics; but when one of the characters gets his hands on a pharmaceutical that has been stored "for years" it has apprently lost none of its potency over time.
Even with its flaws I found Immortality to be a book brimming with ideas and would wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone interested in speculative science fiction and end-of-the-world scenarios.
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