The Select [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

F. Paul Wilson (Author), Elizabeth Shue (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994

The author of The Tomb invokes the terror of modern medicine run amok in the chilling story of an overly curious medical student who discovers a dangerous and far-reaching conspiracy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Drawing on many years experience as a practicing physician, Wilson wrote this fast-moving thriller under a pseudonym. Only after Morrow won the auction did he reveal himself as the author of 15 previous books, including The Tomb and The Keep . This is a powerful read with a chilling premise about diabolical doctors (and big pharmaceutical companies) that may make a timely entry onto the bestseller lists. The book is neatly divided into two sections, the first recounting the attempts of Quinn Cleary and her friend Tim Brown to get into the country's most exclusive medical school, Ingraham College of Medicine, a tuition-free institution completely subsidized by Kleederman Pharmaceuticals. But there is one strange requirement: only those students who are proven susceptible to subconcious suggestion are admitted. Though Quinn is immune, Tim manages to get her in, and the two slowly discover the secret agenda behind the brainwashing and the grisly truth of the school's research. The main characters are perfectly capable of driving the plot on their own, so the occasional gratuitous event almost seems unnecessary. But that's the only stain on Wilson's story, which is well and believably told, with the suspense mounting relentlessly until the satisfying conclusion. Literary Guild alternate; major ad/promo.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-Coming from a farm family of modest income, Quinn Cleary can only go to medical school if she is accepted by The Ingraham, whose program is so exclusive that application is by invitation only and all expenses are absorbed. She is crushed by her rejection but some quick and devious action on the part of her friends gets her enrolled. Quinn finds the education almost too good to be true until she notices subtle changes in her classmates, a common line of opinion, and a mysterious "Ward C." Could it be that the medical students are being brainwashed? Could the school's administration be frustrated with tedious and lengthy FDA regulations and be experimenting on humans? As Quinn tackles the mystery, she puts her own life in danger as her discoveries threaten to topple a pharmaceutical empire. A suspenseful medical thriller so believable it could almost pass as nonfiction.
Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audioworks (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671883186
• ISBN-13: 978-0671883188
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,357,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born toward the end of the Jurassic Period and raised in New Jersey where I misspent my youth playing with matches, poring over Uncle Scrooge and E.C. comics, reading Lovecraft, Matheson, Bradbury, and Heinlein, listening to Chuck Berry and Alan Freed, and watching Soupy Sales and horror movies. I sold my first story in the Cretaceous Period and have been writing ever since. (Even that dinosaur-killer asteroid couldn't stop me.)

I've written in just about every genre - science fiction, fantasy, horror, a children's Christmas book (with a monster, of course), medical thrillers, political thrillers, even a religious thriller (long before that DaVinci thing). So far I've got about 33 books and 100 or so short stories under my name in 24 languages.

THE KEEP, THE TOMB, HARBINGERS, and BY THE SWORD all appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List. WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS won the first Prometheus Award in 1979; THE TOMB received the Porgie Award from The West Coast Review of Books. My novelette "Aftershock" received the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for short fiction. DYDEETOWN WORLD was on the young adult recommended reading lists of the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, among others (God knows why). I received the prestigious Inkpot Award from San Diego ComiCon and the Pioneer Award from the RT Booklovers Convention. I'm listed in the 50th anniversary edition of Who's Who in America. (That plus $3 will buy you a girly coffee at Starbuck's.)

My novel THE KEEP was made into a visually striking but otherwise incomprehensible movie (screenplay and direction by Michael Mann) from Paramount in 1983. My original teleplay "Glim-Glim" first aired on Monsters. An adaptation of my short story "Menage a Trois" was part of the pilot for The Hunger series that debuted on Showtime in July 1997.

And then there's the epic saga of the Repairman Jack film. After 14 years in development hell with half a dozen writers and at least a dozen scripts, THE TOMB is finally moving toward production as "Repairman Jack" from Beacon Films and Touchstone. The plan is to make Jack a franchise character. (Gotta tell you: all the years of this has worn me out.)

I've done a few collaborations too. One with Steve Spruill on NIGHTKILL, and a bunch with Matthew J. Costello. Matt and I did world design, characters, and story arcs for Sci-Fi Channel's FTL NewsFeed, a daily newscast set 150 years in the future. An FTL NewsFeed was the first program broadcast by the new channel when it launched in September 1992. We took over scripting the Newsfeeds (the equivalent of a 4-1/2 hour movie per year) in 1994 and continued until its cancellation in December 1996.

We did script and design for MATHQUEST WITH ALADDIN (Disney Interactive - 1997) with voices by Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters, and the same for The Interactive DARK HALF for Orion Pictures, based on the Stephen King novel, but this project was orphaned when MGM bought Orion. (It's officially vaporware now.) We even wrote a stageplay, "Syzygy," which opened in St. Augustine, Florida, in March, 2000.

I'm tired of talking about myself, so I'll close by saying that I live and work at the Jersey Shore where I'm usually pounding away on a new Repairman Jack novel and haunting eBay for strange clocks and Daddy Warbucks memorabilia. (No, we don't have a cat.)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE SELECT, December 7, 2007

By 

Kevin "spiralcity" (Chicago, U.S.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Select (Paperback)

THE SELECT

F. Paul Wilson covers more ground than any writer I have had the pleasure to read; Sci-Fi, Horror, Thrillers, Medical Mysteries (Mr. Wilson also practices medicine) and his very popular Repairman Jack series which happens to cover all of the areas previously mentioned.

The Select is a medical mystery about a top-notch medical school, which only selects the best of the best to be added to its alumni. The school, which seems to be every aspiring doctors dream actually becomes a nightmare for three friends chosen to test for entry exams. The school hides a huge secret and will stop at nothing to keep their activity quiet.

I highly recommend this book. I feel this is one of Mr. Wilson's best efforts. I wish he would write more books in this genre but he claims he has nothing left to say in this field and he doesn't want to be repetitive.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encapsulates the reader into subliminal entrapment!, February 6, 1999

By 

D. E. Jegtvig "djegtvig" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Select (Paperback)

F. Paul Wilson delivers in this explosive medical thriller as only he can. From the very first page I could NOT put this one down. I was entranced without feeling bombarded by psychotic jargon. The plot begins simplisticly with Quinn and Tim previewing, then entering, the most prestigious medical school in the world offering a free ride to "the select" would-be doctors but finding that The Inghram is a bit more than just that. There is no denying the sense of the horrific, potential realism of this storyline. What a tribute from a brilliant writer!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book!!, March 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Select (Paperback)

I read this book quite awhile ago but never wrote a review for it. I can't recommend this one enough! I still remember it quite well even though I read it 2 years ago. This is one of the best medical thrillers I've ever read. I could not stop turning the pages to find out what would happen to these characters. You won't regret reading this one.