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Akemi C. Brodsky

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The Brill Pill: A Novel Paperback – August 15, 2023

by Akemi C. Brodsky (Author)

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In the not-so-distant future, organs can be re-grown from a handful of stem cells.

For patients who can afford the treatment and hang on to life support for long enough, the prognosis is good. Even the most complex organ of all can be reproduced in the lab with nearly perfect accuracy. Nearly.

Patients of brain regeneration face a wide range of problems, from loss of motor functions or intelligence to sociopathy. Spurred by personal tragedy, research scientist William Dalal works feverishly to improve the lives of those he has had a hand in saving. For every success, however, there is a consequence, and eventually a question arises in his mind: Are they worth it? His desire to help fades as he comes to realize a shocking truth: the monsters he has created are taking over.

As Will walks a fine line between altruism and ambition, acquaintances and events change the way in which he perceives the world and the extent to which he is willing to compromise in order to make his mark on it. As the situation escalates, he finds himself dealing brain-enhancing drugs and developing life-altering treatments. In their deliverance, he sees his own―but is he deluding himself?

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

She Writes Press
Publication date

August 15, 2023
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1647425239
ISBN-13

978-1647425234
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A novel of sparkling intelligence and wit, in the end it brings home searching ethical questions, about what it means to be human, and what it means to be real.”
—Louis B. Jones

“The Brill Pill is a lively and thought-provoking novel from a highly promising young writer. In scientist anti-hero Will, Akemi Brodsky has created a Victor Frankenstein for our time—an ambitious academic who lets personal rivalries deflect his moral compass, making him push the boundaries of genetics too far.”
—Andrew Crumey, author of Beethoven's Assassins and Pfitz

“Brodsky transports us into a strange new world of regenerative science that is uncomfortably close to our own. Dark, intense, and compelling, this fully immersive lab-based tale—told through the eyes of a flawed but all-too-human scientist—probes at deep questions of medical ethics, society, love, friendship, consciousness, and the all-consuming landscape of modern scientific research.”
—Jennifer L. Rohn, author of Cat Zero, The Honest Look, and Experimental Heart and editor of LabLit.com

“Smart and engaging, The Brill Pill caught my attention from its very beginning and never let up. Complex scientific and ethical concepts are conveyed with wit and confidence, and this near-future morality play is made all too believable. I’m looking forward to reading more from Akemi Brodsky!”
—Pippa Goldschmidt, author of The Falling Sky

“Provocative and unnerving, The Brill Pill is a whip-smart, propulsive, too-close-for-comfort exploration of what happens when scientific curiosity, moral limits, and personal ambition collide. An intoxicating thrill of a read from a dazzling new voice.”
—Catherine Chung, author of The Tenth Muse and Forgotten Country

About the Author

Growing up in the Bay Area, Akemi C. Brodsky always loved unassigned reading and making creative and unnecessarily complicated school projects. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University with a bachelor of science, then moved to the UK to do a master’s in engineering at Imperial College London. She currently lives in the Bay Area and spends most of her spare time traveling, cooking, seeing family and friends, and watching TV.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ She Writes Press (August 15, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1647425239
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1647425234
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,173,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,836 in Medical Fiction (Books)
- #5,133 in Genetic Engineering Science Fiction (Books)
- #11,003 in Dystopian Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
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Akemi C. Brodsky

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AKEMI C. BRODSKY grew up in the Bay Area, went to college at Brown University, and lived in the UK and New Haven for a few years before eventually returning home. She studied geochemistry in school but started writing when a friend challenged her to write a page a week as a means to navigate a quarter-life crisis. A page (rather slowly) turned into a novel, and she has been writing ever since. Akemi now splits her time between the Bay Area and the UK, and when she isn’t writing she enjoys over-researching her travel plans, cooking without ever completely following the recipe, hiking but not too strenuously, and many other basic activities, including brunch.  

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R. O.

Dark storyline, pulls you in

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

It took me a few chapters to warm up to characters in the story. But after the main character makes some highly questionable decisions, I was compelled to keep reading without putting down the book. The fresh take on "zombies" and the open question of what makes a human truly human are always in the background and add a dimension that makes the book more than just "enjoy and forget".

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Bubonic

Science Fiction meets not-so-distant medecine

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2023

Verified Purchase

I recommend this read for one reason: it's eerily plausible while still falling into the utopian/dystopian future of sci-fi that I love. Another favorite of mine in a similar vein is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - a novel about the effects of creating sentient robots, but we're nowhere near that. Growing organs though? We're already lab-growing meat for consumption, 3-D printing human tissue and pushing the boundaries of transplant technology from animals. This novel is SUPER TIMELY and entertains with its story, characters and narrative style.

Great read - check it out!!!

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer #2232456

odd

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2023

This book was weird but good which was exactly what I was looking for. The concepts and world building was amazing overall I loved it. Except for the main character who was just annoying and confusing also kinda stupid.

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Ban

Interesting and well written!

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2023

Verified Purchase

Definitely scientific and challenges the reader to think rather than stating the obvious. The Brill Pill balances on a fine line between reality and fiction, which makes it compelling, thought provoking and definitely frightening. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Akemi’s books.

One person found this helpful

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CharlieReads

Thought provoking suspenseful Sci-Fi

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2023

I don’t always gravitate towards Science Fiction but this one caught my eye. I love the idea of a “mad” scientist walking the morally grey fine line of trying to make the world a better place albeit by not so ethical means. In this world, brain regeneration is already a thing of the present but those that suffer brain traumas and then ultimately undergo brain regeneration are never the same and seem more “zombie” like. Will wants to change the outcome and ends up developing life altering treatments but in the end is he really making the world a better place or is he creating little demons?

The way I read this book played out in my head in a style similar to Severance (the apple TV show that I absolutely loved). The cast is full of socially awkward intelligent scientists who you don’t necessarily hate but don’t necessarily love, except by the end, I kind of grew to actually like Will. The science talk wasn’t so over the top that I was bored or over my head, it really kept me engaged and I really found myself geeking out a bit. The story included a little bit of humor, had some very interesting curve balls, and an overall thought provoking question of morals. I loved the full circle of the story and if you are a Sci-Fi fan, I highly recommend this read. It is definitely out of the box entertainment.

One person found this helpful

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Celine Keating, author of novels LAYLA and PLAY for ME

Chilling and Unique

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2023

The author is a terrific writer - lots of highlight-worthy sentences - and embues a creepy, all too possible scenario with charm and wit. She takes a risk in giving us a main character that we might consider despicable but although he's flawed and makes questionable decisions, he totally won me over. The ending to this complicated story is brilliant. Definitely a book to share and discuss with others.

Helpful

Rebecca D'Harlingue

A future protagonist with an age-old flaw

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2023

Brodsky creates a totally believable, and horribly frightening, near future world where science can recreate any body part for those who can afford it. The story is compelling, and asks a lot of questions that are very timely, perhaps first and foremost, should everything that science has made possible be put into practice.

At the same time that the novel thrusts us into a future that seems very possible, Brodsky's main character, Will, can be seen in the context of millenia of literature that explore the hubris of a man whose pride and unbridled ambition lead him to make morally questionable decisions. Will seems ever more willing to overlook ethical questions, as he seeks recognition and power, all the time trying to convince himself that his work is for the good of humanity. Brodsky skillfully draws his trajectory, and offers an ending that is startling, believable, and chilling.

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2023

Once I got half way through I couldn't put it down! The book is not predictable, and kept me ruminating on the fictional future for many days after I finished it. The writer does a good job of making the science accessible.

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