Omnifix [Paperback]

Scott Mackay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004

An alien invasion left part of Earth's population deteriorating from alien viruses. The drug called Omnifix replaces the victims' DNA with microtechnology, saving their lives at the cost of their humanity. And now, the aliens have returned...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ten years ago, alien weapons platforms (AWPs) unleashed destructive nanogens on Earth and Mars, producing general chaos and the Great Die-Off. Scientist Alex Denyer, whose son was among the casualties, deactivates remaining AWPs and studies the alien technology. But when a nasty new AWP arrives, instead of being sent to study it, Alex is fired for not toeing the party line about war with Mars and blacklisted. When it becomes clear that his expertise is needed, however, an old friend of his is scapegoated for his "treason," and with two colleagues, Alex goes to study the AWP and change its course. He succeeds but is infected with human-tissue-dissolving Nanogen 17. The cure--the Omnifix--turns users into cybernetic soldiers; unsurprisingly, it changes Alex's attitudes radically. There is a conspiracy afoot, it develops, but the villain of the piece isn't Martian, as might be supposed, but a profiteering earthling. Despite lacking stylistic elegance, this is satisfying action sf, quite suitable for a weekend's entertainment. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Roc (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451459601
• ISBN-13: 978-0451459602
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,560,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story hampered by literary pitfalls, September 6, 2004

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Omnifix (Paperback)

I saw this at the bookstore and it looked interesting. In fact, it was interesting but not exactly what I had in mind. I enjoy books that use Science Fiction as a backdrop for a story about the human condition or romantic relationships, i.e. Fires of God, Hercules Text, Contact. The trouble is that the hero is never authentic nor are the situations that profound. Someone said it best when they noted the whole thing appears to be a draft of a novel.

As always, I note that even 350 years in the future, people still go on job interviews, have physical computers, and that strangely all the current historical sites (Congress, monuments, White House, etc) are still standing and intact. The reason for the alien attack is finally disclosed but I had LOTS of trouble with the boarding and exploration of the vessel. I mean, the descriptions were so esoteric and unclear that I could barely follow them on their journey.

I would have preferred two novels - one with alien contact, the other about the personal/political situation. Combining both in the same story only lessened the intensity of each. One sees the idea of a budding Martian-Earth romance between the scientists but for some reason this is side-tracked and we meet the snippy ex-wife. In fact, there are way too many characters for so short a book. I have railed against authors who introduced a myriad of folks, assign them a small task and forgettable dialogue before they sink into oblivion.

The ending was exactly what you guessed half way into the story. Everyone is healed, peace breaks out, true love conquers all. There is nothing bad with this (I am a romantic, at heart) but when you offer a pat conclusion, the preceding action must be sufficiently invigorating to withstand the mundaneness. In this case it was not.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost there, April 3, 2004

By 

L. E Notkin (Montreal, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Omnifix (Paperback)

This writer is a great ideas man, but his delivery does not do justice to those ideas.

Having read Orbis, I had decided that Scott MacKay had great potential and resolved to give him another try. Omnifix is an improvement over Orbis. The plot twists and turns with the reader unable to get a step ahead of the writer. His characterisations are deep enough without sacrificing the fast pace of the novel. Actually, it was that fast pace that kept me reading after I realised that he had written another average novel with once again a great beginning and concept.

This writer's problem lies with the way he handles prose. Reading this book you get the feeling that in a sense it is a draft, a relatively polished one but still a draft. Some parts needed expanding; some other ones editing. For example, why do we spend so much time reading about the martian trek, and yet there is little focus on the way he feels while his limbs disintegrate? Why do we end up knowing the causes behind nanogen 16 but not 17?

I am not trying trash this book. This book has a lot of merit, but there are some missing ingredients: better prose, an ending that matches the grandiosity of the concept instead of an ending that falls slightly off the mark.

Scott MacKay once he fixes a whole bunch of small deficiencies that unfortunately do add up to his detriment will be an author to be remembered as a master of the genre.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Amateurish style, and a plot ideal for straining pasta, June 14, 2010

By 

Matthew Farrell (Tempe, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Omnifix (Paperback)

450 years from now, Earth is recovering from an Alien invasion that infected large portions of the population with sinister nanogens that eventually prove fatal. Another wave of aliens are on the way, and a maverick scientist has to race for a cure before Earth gets wiped out. Other (human) factions want the alien technology too, so the clock is ticking...

There's more to it than that, of course, including one odd little twist about half way through that temporarily shifts the direction the book was going in. Enough to save it? Nope.

The plot is an inch short of silly, and really requires you to turn your brain off and not ask any embarrassing questions about things. I'd quantify that, but that would give away spoilers (something I don't do in reviews.) Suffice to say, I kept reading in hopes for a bigger "payoff" but things were either left unanswered/ignored, or the answer itself was a tremendous let-down.

Equally frustrating was the writer's prose style. If you like short noun/verb sentences on a "See spot run. Run spot, run!" level, you'll be comfortable here. Alas, a stilted style for narrative and dialogue abound, which leads to a cardinal sin of writing: tedium.

I didn't *hate* this book, but I certainly didn't *like* it. I'm surprised at the high proportion of good reviews for this book, though a couple mentioned that they don't normally read sci-fi, so I take that as an indication that they aren't acclimated to actual "good" books with "good" plots in this genre.

You can safely skip this one.