Knockdown: A Thriller [Kindle Edition]

Emerson Doering (Author)

Book Description

Welcome to the underground world of garage biotech.

Owen Chancellor is a college kid biopunk with a garage lab, a circuit’s eye for recognizing patterns, and he’s had it with the stagnant state of medicine. His beloved brother is dying from an untreatable disease, already living off stolen time. Desperate and burnt out on the orthodox system of investigational drug testing, Owen searches on his own for a cure until an accidental self-injection changes the course of his research and the startling results have him running for his life…

His professor is shot dead, and Owen is the next target. His reflexes now changing in frightening, unexplainable ways, Owen races for answers only to learn he’s infected himself with a ticking bomb.

Built on up-to-the-minute scientific knowledge, KNOCKDOWN takes you headlong into this emerging world of revenge, redemption, and aspirations so vast they cannot be grounded.

Product Details

• File Size: 486 KB
• Print Length: 299 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007O5D0CY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,583 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Science gives us a real superhero June 10, 2012

By Tony Bertauski

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider. Bruce Banner was the result of an experiment. Green Lantern got a magic ring. The list goes on and we roll our eyes but suspend our disbelief to enjoy the story.

But Doering's "superhero" is born from real science.

In today's age -- where the human genome has been decoded and heritable traits can be manipulated -- Doering crafts a story from current medical technology. Our protagonist is a garage biotechnician, experimenting with genetic manipulation in an effort to save his brother from a debilitating disease. In the process, he experiments on himself and we see the results of unlocked potential and heightened senses -- the impact of super-sized olfactory senses and rapid reflexes. How an ordinary person can smell deception.

What's great about Knockdown is the insight into aspects of biotechnology. And not just how it works but its impact on society and culture, how advancements could very well come from garage geeks instead of corporations.

Knockdown is a fun thriller that offers a glimpse at today's medical world. And what the future may hold.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good first book: May 31, 2012

By S. Wilson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ive been looking for intriguing reads, mainly books that are slightly different then the norm. If you are like me, then i would like to encourage you to try this book.

I found Knockdown to be a refreshing read. Like a previous reviewer i found the book to be contemporary, and to be slightly reminiscent of some of Crichton's later books.

At times i found the science to be lacking, but because the book is from the kids point of view it doesn't take away from the novel.

I came back to amazon to buy more of Doering's books, but was surprised to see that this is his first book. I wish him the best on his future writings.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Good story, but..... June 23, 2012

By Ramona L. Voight

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

it seems as if the manuscript was read aloud to a speech-to-text program and then never proofread. Too many incidents of it's/its and there/their being used incorrectly, capitalization where not needed and other grammatical and spelling errors (such as "teepee the whole house"made it too difficult to read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars RNA can take you strange places if you let it June 14, 2012

By K. Maxwell

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Owen is failing university because all his time and energy is taken up with trying to find a cure for his dying brother. He has a garage RNA lab and stumbles across an amazing discovery and then accidently injects himself and a whole new deadly world opens for him. He then finds it's a race against time to find out what will kill him first - his science or the people who are willing to kill to keep scientific progress a secret.

I enjoyed this novel, it's a good thriller based on the way research into DNA/RNA is evolving in its own right. While there are some amazing discoveries in this novel there aren't any ongoing superpowers. If you enjoy a good thriller with a scifi edge to it this novel is worth downloading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best biotech thriller I've read July 15, 2012

By snissen15

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read many of these low cost thrillers (and even a few I pay full price for). Most are okay, a few are awful and this one -- this one is great. The science is real now, the pace is breathless, and the characters feel so real. The writing is so smooth, it carries the story along, never getting in the way. That's one of the critical factors in a good thriller, and I don't see it that often.

And the violence, always part of a thriller, is minimal, necessary, and not a focus point. I like that a lot--no luxuriating in gore or evil.

I eagerly await this author's next work. I think she has a real future in writing, especially science-based.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Page-turner: May 15, 2012

By Mike Reed

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A great read. Everything about this book is believable: Chicago scenes, young love, desperation of impending loss. Wonderful first novel. I look forward to more from this author.

5.0 out of 5 stars This cat can turn a phrase! February 26, 2013

By bridgeovertw

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wasn't expecting much from this book. First book, from an author I've never heard of. . . .. The esoteric science, DNA, RNA, delivery systems, etc., lost me at the starting gate but I was able to follow the plot. His descriptive writing is concise, original, and doesn't have you skimming whole pages of it just to get back to the story. READ THE SAMPLE. . . I think you'll understand what I'm trying to say.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! January 23, 2013

By TFinisherX

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a pleasant surprise from the opening words. I did not know the author, but the subject matter was intriguing.The story proved to be fast paced and gripping. I have no idea of the veracity of the science, but the character development and story line were good. All in all, it was a great read that I would highly recommend. I even did an immediate search for the author to see if he had other titles available...

More About the Author

Emerson Doering has a Master's degree in Biotechnology from Northwestern University and graduated magna cum-laude from University of Illinois, where Doering was awarded a Howard Hughes fellowship. Prior to writing novels, Doering worked as a biotech market analyst, appearing on CNN and in the pages of WSJ and IBD, conducted research as a member of a xenotransplantation team at NWU, and coordinated investigational clinical trials. Doering teaches biology at Columbia Arts College and lives in the Chicago area.