Elixir (Turtleback)

~ (Author) "There's no good way to die. But this was as bad as it gets..." (more)
Key Phrases: Roger Glover, Christopher Bacon, Chris Bacon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Elixir is a novel poised, sometimes awkwardly, between the demands of philosophical speculation and those of hang-on-to-your-hats suspense. Gary Braver's biotech thriller takes as its premise the existence of a fountain of youth: when Chris Bacon, a dedicated medicinal chemist for Darby Pharmaceuticals, journeys to Papua, New Guinea, in search of "miracle drugs that grow on trees," he finds much more than the contraceptive plant steroids he was looking for. He discovers tabukari, the "forbidden flower of the long day"--a blossom with the power to prolong life.

When his bosses, and other powerful and unsavory characters, discover that Chris has successfully synthesized a formula for immortality, the scientist and his family become the targets of a ruthless manhunt. What the bad guys don't know is that Chris didn't stop at injecting lab rats with his elixir; he is himself participating in a dangerous experiment. Braver effectively conveys both Chris's burning desire to test the fruits of his labor, and his wife's prophetic understanding that those fruits are far more lethal than anything Eve might have given Adam:

They were silent for a long spell, and Laura felt the old anger burn itself through the sadness. Chris had brought this upon them himself. In a monumentally stupid act he had injected the stuff into his veins thirteen years ago and forever infected the very fabric of their lives. While she understood all the forces that had driven him to that act, she could never forgive him. More than anyone else alive he was able to foresee the consequences but had chosen to disregard them instead. And while she felt pity and compassion for him, there were moments she hated him for what he had done.

In addition to metaphysical speculations on the social consequences of living forever, biotech thrillers demand action, suspense, car chases, villains, breathless pursuits, guns, meaningful glances--you name it, Braver provides it, and it's an unholy mess at times. His sense of plot is shaky, and the novel falters whenever it moves away from Chris and his family (and even they can become a bit tedious). But Elixir is more successful than the sum of these parts would seem to allow; in taking on the power of research and genetic manipulation, Braver has plugged into a hot topic, and he largely does it justice. --Kelly Flynn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Dorian Gray enters the world of the biotech thriller in a fast-paced and well-plotted debut novel that tells the tale of a geneticist who discovers a miracle drug that reverses the aging process. Unfortunately, users die if they stop taking it. Chris Bacon is the Massachusetts scientist whose clandestine effort to find the Fountain of Youth boomerangs when his corrupt boss at Darby Pharmaceuticals, Quentin Cross, attempts to leverage the value of the new compound against a mob debt he has incurred to get financing and to live the corporate high life. When the drug lord who controls Cross gets wind of the existence of "Elixir," and Bacon tries to impose ethical limits on the drug's applications, the mobster implicates Bacon in an airline bombing after setting him up to die in the crash. Bacon avoids the fatal flight, but evidence that incriminates him as the bomber forces him to go underground. Living with his wife and child in a remote cabin in upstate New York, he changes his identity and becomes a modern-day Methuselah after succumbing to the urge to take the drug. The second half of the book tracks the FBI's efforts to find Bacon as clues surface connecting him to the bombing. Braver's larger purpose is to explore the moral and ethical dilemmas proposed by anti-aging technologies. He does so with compelling plot twists, as well as with down-to-earth writing that bring his characters to life as ordinary yet complex people. The drug itself may produce a fatal addiction, but the story behind its development makes for an intoxicating read. Film rights optioned by Scott Free Productions.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606211748
• ISBN-13: 978-0606211741
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,727,406 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elixer, March 29, 2002

By	Jean from Massachusetts "dguiney2" (Pembroke,MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elixir (Mass Market Paperback)

Elixer... The best thriller in a long time. The suspense and plot twists kept me up late into the evening. Couldn't put it down. The character development was rich and full. I hated to see this tale of moral intrigue, greed and redemption end. Please do yourself a favor and pick up Elixer, by Gary Braver. You won't be disappointed.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars connection, March 19, 2002

By	Ben Daly (Denver, Co USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elixir (Mass Market Paperback)

In today's modern bestsellers it is hard to find an author who connects with his audience through the actions and thoughts of his characters better than Gary Braver. In a literary time of wild sci-fi thrillers and seemingly clued-in mystery novels, it is refreshing to read a novel that allows for a combination between high drama and action as well as a clue into the minds of the characters. Braver's style is a true tribute to the east coast, and i look forward to reading more of his novels in the future

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Think it'd be neat to live forever?, March 15, 2002

By	Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Givrins Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elixir (Mass Market Paperback)

Lots of guys write books about big themes. Plenty of writers can tell a story. Gary Braver does both, a real accomplishment

It's easy to see that Gary Braver teaches creative writing - he does some things that every novelist would do well to emulate - he puts his characters in big trouble and just keeps piling it on. Every character has thick spider web links with all the other characters. Best of all, normal people find themselves in situations where they do abnormal things. He plays the "what if?" game over and over - what if Elixir's hero is shown an immortality plant while bio-prospecting in New Guinea? What if he tries to synthesize it? What if, what if, what if?

Think it'd be neat to live forever? Read Elixir. And take one of Braver's writing courses - the only way Elixir-challenged folks like us will live forever will by writing books that last