Parasite Eve (Paperback)

by Hideaki Sena (Author), Tyran Grillo (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Japanese pharmacologist Sena's biochemical horror novel, which won the first Japan Horror Novel Award, has lost something in translation. Notwithstanding the many academic footnotes, the author fails to suspend disbelief in the book's outlandish premise;that mitochondria, subcellular organelles, have secretly evolved and developed an intelligence superior to Homo sapiens. Alternating between past and present, the story opens with a car crash that imperils the life of Kiyomi, the wife of scientist Toshiaki Nagashima; that "accident" sets in motion the mitochondria's elaborate scheme involving a parasitic kidney transplant to inherit the planet. The plot reaches almost farcical levels when the cell component manipulates organic matter to form podlike human simulacra, complete with fake genitalia. Readers expecting the thrills or suspense of Curt Siodmak's classic Donovan's Brain or even Michael Crichton's Prey will come away disappointed. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
“Comes just in time for summer getaway reading…
Oozes with enough violence and sexual perversity to make Caligula blush.”
—TIME

“Hideaki Sena, a pharmacologist, microbiologist and now pop icon, knows all too well how to combine the scientifically plausible with the psychologically unimaginable… Have fun with it, by all means, but don’t keep it on the bedside table.”
—Susan Salter Reynolds, L.A. Times

“Parasite Eve combines Michael Crichton’s scientific cutting-edge plausibility with David Cronenberg’s abject flesh/sex horror. Throw in Frankenstein and The Blob, synthesize, and enjoy.”
—Fangoria

“Sena’s work in pharmacology and microbiology lends this Japanese import a sense of discovery and fear that resonates when new science is not fully understood. SF and horror fans who liked Suzuki Koji’s Ring…will find Parasite Eve a chilling tale on a cellular level; recommended.”
—Library Journal

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Vertical (May 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932234209
• ISBN-13: 978-1932234206
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #506,128 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch SF/Horror , February 21, 2006

By	Marc Mckenzie (Hillsborough, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Parasite Eve (Hardcover)

Having played the two "Parasite Eve" videogames, I was very happy to finally read the original novel upon which the games were based (the games are actually sequels to the book, taking place in the US and involving new characters). Hideaki Sena's debut novel is a strong science-fiction horror story, but it might not be for everyone.

This is one horror novel that really gets under your skin, and the final third of the novel is filled with many graphic, scary moments. To put it one way, imagine if Dean Koontz and Michael Crichton decided to team up and write a book together.

Sena's background in Pharmacology is evident here--the scientific jargon is at times overwhelming (even to me, and I have a biology degree!). This fact will turn off some readers. As to the complaint that the book is too gruesome--come on! Are we forgetting about Clive Barker's early stories/novels and the splatterpunk craze?

If anything, PARASITE EVE's release in English is a welcome step into bringing over more Japanese literature to America, whether it is horror, science-fiction, or contemporary. It just seems appropriate since many American writers are translated into Japanese, but not vice-versa.

I enjoyed PARASITE EVE. It's a different kind of horror story, and kudos to Vertical for bringing it to these shores.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow at first but quite Interesting, December 15, 2006

By	Kevin D "Krazy K" (Watsonville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parasite Eve (Hardcover)

That's the main reason I did not give this a 5/5 rating is due to it's slow start. However, once it gets going, it is a good book. If you aren't much of a romantic though, it's not really for you because it is somewhat of a romance/sci-fi novel. Quite a well thought out story if our Mitochondria could actually do that...

3.0 out of 5 stars Story not so good, February 5, 2008

By	Neyen "Neyen2000" (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parasite Eve (Hardcover)

The writing method is good. The story has a lot of hospital related words. For me, the story is not so good. It's a little terrifying, but I think the story lacks on that emotion that makes the reader hooked in it.