In Synergy, the setting of Earth in the next century is frighteningly plausible, with the advance in technology, the shortage and high cost of things we now take for granted (water, simple foodstuffs), the demand for 'designer' drugs, over-population and deforestation. The plot is compelling, not just the surface story of the desperate race to find a cure for a deadly and rapidly-progressing disease, but also the interactions between the characters that propel them forward and give momentum to the plot.
Torver, a gifted molecular biologist in danger of losing his licence, is not a very likeable protagonist to begin with, but he grows and becomes more sympathetic as the story progresses. Demetria, the statistical analyst assigned to work with him on a confidential case, is likewise flawed--she may be brilliant but she's also cold and ornery. Both Torver and Demetria possess strange powers (brilliantly described) that synergistically resolve the intricacies of the non-government-sanctioned research they're undertaking. When the results prove a whole lot more sinister and far-reaching than anyone could expect, an ethical can of worms burst wide open, to alarming and heart-wrenching effect.
The pace picking up quickly from an unhurried start, Synergy is SF at its best--chillingly plausible, with a solid plot, excellent characterization, dramatic tension that builds relentlessly, with the pages flying by as the reader races to the sound and satisfying climax. More than anything else, Synergy makes the reader ponder a not-too-distant future in which genetic research will likely result in even more conflict and ethical problems than it does now, and the question of who sets the guidelines and who watches the watchers will be more controversial than ever before.
