Customer Reviews

Project Samuel: The Quest for the Centennial Nobel Prize

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Project Samuel is truly visionary and scary. It deals with baseball, genetics, cloning, athletes and science. It just comes so close to reality that it is spooky. The author writes a great story - as with all of Polidoro's novels. He knows how to spin a tale and make it both entertaining and even educational.

This is a page turning book - once you open it up and begin you will not be putting it down until you finish it. It is that good!

Good characters and dialog - and of course, a killer of a plot!

This book was one of the better books i have sat down and read in a while but with recent events happening, you wonder, is this book ALL fiction. Theodore Samuel Williams recently passed away and wanted to be cremated according to sources but was cryogenically frozen by orders of his son ironic isn't it. The book also takes place in San Diego and in boston near Fenway Park where Williams spent most of his life with the exception of the war. A Great book none the less but it makes u wonder, Ironic isn't it.

Seeing all the baseball superstars who are second generation,i.e. Barrry Bonds, Ken Griffey,Jr. makes one wonder what role genetics must play in the development of an athlete.Genetic research and human cloning which have been so much in the news make the subject of this book inevitable.What if a major athlete, perhaps the best baseball hitter of all time, can be cloned?
J.P. Polidoro takes on this scenario and weaves an interesting and seemingly plausible story, albeit with some required suspension of belief.
The action takes place in and around Fenway Park in Boston and in San Diego, Ted Williams birthplace (literally and figuratively)where the bio-lab happens to be located.
Whether you are a baseball fan or not, you will enjoy this piece of fiction (or is it?)

Polidoro creates a topical and exciting scenario while exploring the ethical limits of human cloning. The characters are realistic and well-developed, the plot seems to be from today's newspapers and the writing is well-paced, lively and compelling. Although this is an easy read and an enjoyable novel, the message is frightening - this might really be going on right now. Polidoro's tale shows how this is possible.

Polidoro has captured one of the hottest subjects being discussed today: Human Cloning. This book weds the scientific aspects of biotechnology with the unscruplous desires of a wealthy Texan and incorporates the author's love of baseball to produce a highly believable text for hijacking the human body. The technical data are presented accurately, yet clearly so an advanced degree in medical science is not necessary to grasp the technology being described. A perfect book for the sports enthusiast as well as the current events fanatics. The potential for the movie industry is obvious!

The premise of cloning from a living celebrity kept my interest all the way through. The author's love of baseball and it's heros is evident. I couldn't put it down, had to rush to the very satisfying finish. Looking forward to more from Polidoro.

As a molecular biologist & a HUGE red sox fan, I was very excited to see how Polidoro handled the controversy associated with his subject. Well, he didn't... in the story as he presented it, there was no controversy, with the exception of a few animal rights activists. Are you kidding me?!? The entire story was unbelievable, baseless, naive and repetitive. On top of that, it was also incredibly poorly written. Which brings me to the question I ask in my review title. Did anyone edit this book? The dialog was cringe-worthy, the story flowed horribly and there were numerous grammatical errors. Not to mention the huge errors in timeline continuity! My favorite involved a character telling her husband that she's just found out that she's pregnant, and attributes it to a sex act that took place over 8 months earlier in the story. How does an editor not catch that? All in all, it's typical of a book by someone who has what could be a very interesting topic, but thinks that all you need to do to write a good book is put together a happy ending story, and randomly plop in a bunch of lame pop culture, historical and geographical references (what do the swans in the public garden have to do with anything??) While clearly, based on other reviews presented here, there are people who enjoyed this book, I myself can't think of any audience for whom this novel would be appropriate. It was painful.

This is the first book I've read by "Dr. Jack" and it won't be my last! This novel is pure genius ... the plot, the writing, the location (San Diego is my favorite city in the world), the biotechnology, and the characters. The biotechnology alone was fascinating, written in layman's terms as to not overwhelm the reader with the real heart of the story. The plot was a refreshing change for this medical thriller junkie who has grown tired of the "uncontrollable virus in the hospital" or "corrupt mega pharmaceutical company" stories that tend to be the norm for today's medical thriller authors. The only thing I found a little annoying is the inconsistency with the characters' names. For example, within the same paragraph or page, Mr. Polidoro would refer to Mr. E. Royston MacDonald as "Roy", "MacDonald" and "Royston". Not a biggie, but for me, it flows better if the names were written consistently.

My New Year's resolution for 2005 is to read the rest of Dr. Jack's literary works. This one is a true Nobel winner for fiction -- if there was one!

With all the news of cloning humans lately, this book is timely, if not prescient. Jack Polidoro's scientific background and his expertise in reproductive biology show in this novel. His love of baseball is also evident. Jack has a writing style that keeps you turning the pages and will make the plot come alive.

Jack Polidoro has a writing style that will keep you turning the pages. Jack's love of New England is evident in this tale of politics and history of a small town in New Hampshire. As usual, Jack finds room for romance and juicy sex in this one.