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Robert J. Sawyer

Frameshift Kindle Edition

by Robert J. Sawyer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Frameshift won Japan's Seiun Award and was a finalist for the Hugo Award.

Pierre Tardivel is a scientist working on the Human Genome Project with the Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Burian Klimus. A driven man, Pierre works with the awareness that he may not have long to live: he has a fifty-fifty chance of dying from Huntington's disease, an incurable hereditary disorder of the central nervous system. While he still has his health, Pierre and his wife decide to have a child, and they search for a sperm donor. When Pierre informs Dr. Klimus of their plan, Klimus makes an odd but generous offer: to be the sperm donor as well as to pay for the expensive in vitro fertilization. Shortly thereafter it transpires that Klimus might be hiding a grim past: he may be Ivan Marchenko, the notorious Treblinka death-camp guard known as Ivan the Terrible.

While digging into Klimus's past with the help of Nazi hunter Avi Meyer, Pierre and his wife discover that Pierre's insurance company has been illegally screening clients for genetic defects. The two lines of investigation begin to coverage in a sinister manner, while they worry about the possibility of bearing the child of an evil, sadistic killer . . .

This edition includes a reading group guide.

ROBERT J. SAWYER has won the Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell Memorial, Seiun, and Aurora Awards, all for best science fiction novel of the year. His novels include Hominids, Rollback, Wake, and FlashForward (basis for the TV series).

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

February 25, 2017
File size

4901 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is a 50 percent chance that geneticist Pierre Tardivel is carrying the gene for Huntington's Disease, a fatal disorder. That knowledge drives Pierre in his work on the Human Genome Project, an attempt by scientists to map human genes. But a strange set of circumstances--including a knife attack, the in vitro fertilization of his wife, and an insurance company plot to use DNA samples to weed out clients predisposed to early deaths--draw Tardivel into a story that will ultimately involve the hunt for a Nazi death camp doctor. Frameshift shows why the New York Times calls Robert J. Sawyer "a writer of boundless confidence." --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Robert J. Sawyer is the Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids, the Nebula Award-winning author of The Terminal Experiment, and the Aurora Award-winning author of FlashForward, basis for the ABC TV series. He is also the author of Calculating God, Mindscan, the WWW series―Wake, Watch and Wonder―and many other books. He was born in Ottawa and lives in Toronto.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Filled to bursting with ideas, characters, and incidents.” ―The New York Times

“You hardly need me to tell you to buy his latest, Frameshift. You know it's good, you know he gets the techy bits right, and you know he's interesting and thought-provoking.” ―Analog

“Robert Sawyer's science fiction is always ambitious, well-written, and imaginative. With each novel he keeps getting better.” ―Kevin J. Anderson

“Sawyer has created a gripping medical sf thriller...Highly recommended.” ―Library Journal

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A Nebula Award winner and Hugo Award nominee, Sawyer has created a gripping medical sf thriller. Pierre Tardivel, a French Canadian geneticist, works on identifying junk DNA for the Human Genome Project. At risk for contracting Huntington's chorea, Tardivel drives himself to succeed in a race against time to complete his research. Skillfully interwoven is the misidentification of John Demjanjuk as the Treblinka death camp's Ivan the Terrible, the cloning of Neanderthal genes, and a greedy insurance company that illegally and clandestinely takes DNA samples from its policy owners and kills high-risk clients before it has to pay out large claims. Highly recommended for sf collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Praise for Robert J. Sawyer:

"Filled to bursting with ideas, characters, and incidents." --The New York Times

"Robert Sawyer's science fiction is always ambitious, well-written, and imaginative. With each novel he keeps getting better." --Kevin J. Anderson

"A finely crafted novel with a riveting plot and complex characters that one can care about deeply." --Calgary Herald

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

From Booklist

That a Nobel laureate who has successfully extracted a Neanderthal's DNA from its skeleton might not be an ideal sperm donor doesn't occur to Molly and her geneticist husband, Pierre, until young Amanda's looks and actions start to seem unusual. Sawyer twines this plot strand with two others: the expected development of heritable Huntington's disease in Pierre (the reason he and Molly were attempting in vitro fertilization) and the machinations of an insurance company whose clients with high-cost medical problems have also suffered a high rate of homicide. Behind those murders may be a brutal former concentration camp guard, but who among several likely candidates is actually he proves hard to ascertain. Pierre's symptoms increasingly manifest themselves as award-winning sf scribe Sawyer's unputdownable thriller proceeds to a violent conclusion. William Beatty --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Another near-future science-fictional thriller from Ontario resident Sawyer (the 1995 Nebula Awardwinning author of The Terminal Experiment, not reviewed). French-Canadian molecular biologist Pierre Tardivel does research for the Human Genome Project in California--and has a 50-50 chance of dying of the incurable genetic Huntington's disease. His girlfriend, psychologist Molly Bond, is a short-range telepath; so when Pierre narrowly escapes being murdered, Molly knows the knife-wielder had in fact been paid to kill Pierre. But why? Well, Pierre discovers that other clients of Condor, his health insurance company, are being eliminated--clients with potentially expensive health problems. Molly, meanwhile, unable to conceive normally, agrees to an IVF procedure conducted free of charge by Pierre's boss, the Nobel laureate Burian Klimus--but he impregnates her with genes extracted from a Neanderthal's bones! Worse still, after a visit from Avi Meyer of the Justice Department, Pierre wonders whether Klimus might be the infamous Ivan the Terrible, of the Treblinka extermination camp! Conspicuously overplotted and unwieldy--the whole Ivan the Terrible subplot would have been better eliminated--but exciting and engrossing, if increasingly improbable. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XBLLKDT
Publisher ‏ : ‎ SFWRITER.COM Inc. (February 25, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 25, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4901 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #992,578 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #962 in Psychic Thrillers
- #1,024 in Psychic Suspense
- #1,103 in Medical Thrillers (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
62 ratings

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Robert J. Sawyer

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Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers ever to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He has also won the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award, and the Hal Clement Memorial Award; the top SF awards in China, Japan, France, and Spain; and a record-setting sixteen Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”).

Rob’s novel FlashForward was the basis for the ABC TV series of the same name, and he was a scriptwriter for that program. He also scripted the two-part finale for the popular web series Star Trek Continues.

He is a Member of the Order of Canada, the highest honor bestowed by the Canadian government, as well as the Order of Ontario, the highest honor given by his home province; he was also one of the initial inductees into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Rob lives just outside Toronto.His website and blog are at sfwriter.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Patreon he’s RobertJSawyer.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

62 global ratings

5 star		51%
4 star		31%
3 star		7%
2 star		5%
1 star		6%

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Michael Lynn McGuire

A standalone science fiction book, no prequel or sequel that I know of

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 29, 2019

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A standalone science fiction book, no prequel or sequel that I know of. I read this book on the recommendation of a friend and bought the book used on Big River. I read the well printed and bound trade paperback published by Tor in 1997.

I really enjoyed the book as I have all Robert Sawyer books. I have no idea if the DNA and genetics information presented within are correct or not, but the positions taken made sense. This is a good old science fiction story, kinda pulpy and a very easy read, despite its length.

The book has a message in that we should treated equally and not be discriminated on based on the content of our genes. I believe that author is correct in his message and viewpoint. I am not sure of the current laws regarding genetic discrimination.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 16, 2005

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FRAMESHIFT is my first book by Sawyer. I had high hopes going in, but I confess to being a little disappointed. The prose is competent enough, the main character and his battle with Huntinton's Disease is compelling, and the idea of someone being used as the unwitting object of a genetic experiment is intriguing. The hunt for the evil Nazi war criminal was even interesting.

On the other hand, the mysterious ability to read other people's minds is, in my opinion, a greatly over-worked scifi gimick. Also, the greedy corporation that will sink to any depths to enrich itself is an overdone cliche. The notion that a business should bankrupt itself on behalf of a tiny minority of incurable people is as ridiculous as the idea that a company would murder such people. Further, the spectre of a neanderthal child being raised like an ordinary child struck me as silly. Emotionally appealing, but silly. Finally, the "DIEHARD" (think Bruce Willis) climax was predictable and tired.

FRAMESHIFT was OK, but I would have liked it better if Sawyer hadn't cluttered it up with so many sub-plots. He should also have tried harder to resist the temptation to use his story as his own personal little soapbox. I don't know about you, but I read this stuff to be entertained, not to give some writer a platform to preach to me. From my perspective, it's a mediocre three stars. Proceed at your own risk.

4 people found this helpful

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Kd

Another hit by Robert J. Sawyer

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 11, 2019

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This book was terrific and unpredictable. While one aspect of it was not truly surprising, it was well crafted and left me as fiercely protective as Molly and Pierre of their daughter. As a mother and grandmother, I could definitely relate to the story.
Racism, Nazis, suspense, a bit of romance, it's all here, as well as the science that explains DNA and it's place in genetics. It was just well enough explained to add to the story, not distract from it. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to suspense readers everywhere.

One person found this helpful

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Robert B. Gordon

WHY SAWYER KEEPS WINNING PRIZES!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 4, 2013

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I'm a retired college biology teacher, ninety years old and got hooked on SF stories when I was in high school. Three years ago I happened upon my first Sawyer book and was immediately aware that I had to read all of his books. He plots tight stories, writes excellent English, and develops believable characters who have very real human problems the reader can relate to, even though they are from another time or galaxy.
Robert B. Gordon

3 people found this helpful

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Kelly Barratt

Highly Recommended!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 19, 2019

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Incredible plot and extremely well-written. One of my favorite books of all time. No matter how many times I read it, I always cry at the end...

One person found this helpful

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E.M.

Easy read. Not the most satisfying of his books

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 18, 2017

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Easy read. Not the most satisfying of his books, but OK.

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Carl Alves

good story, neat concept

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 13, 2013

Frameshift is a thought provoking, well written sci-fi novel. Heavily centered on genetics and genetics research, Pierre Tardivel is a genetic scientist who suffers from Huntingdon's Disease working on the Human Genome Project. His wife Molly can read other people's thoughts. Early on in the story he is attacked by a man with a knife. He survives the knife attack. This sets into motion a number of seemingly unrelated events. Because of his Huntingdon's he wants to have a child but not pass on his bad genes. This leads to the in vitro fertilization of his wife with his boss's sperm. The boss, Burian Klimus, is a Nobel Prize winning scientist, who may or may not be Ivan the Terrible from the Treblinka prison camp. Meanwhile, Avi Meyer of the Justice department has been trying to track down Nazis and Ivan the Terrible in particular for years. There is also a sinister insurance company that figures into the story as these separate story lines converge.
This is the first Robert Sawyer novel that I have read, and I enjoy his prose and story telling style. The characters are well developed. There is a sufficient amount of tension in the story, and there is a decent mystery component to it. There were some flaws in the novel. I thought the genetics described in the book was a little more detailed than it needed to be. The beginning of the story jumps in time back and forth and was hard to follow. The story went a little too heavy into conspiracies, and in particular, the one involving the insurance company made me groan. That being said, this was a well written and enjoyable story that I would recommend.
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Ariane

Another Robert Sawyer winner

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 3, 2020

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Robert Sawyer is without a doubt an amazing "hard" science fiction writer. His well researched topics (in this case, genetic diseases) are always of interest and very informative. The plot is well written with excellent characters. More, more!

みやさま

神は生命の進む方向についておおざっぱな計画を立てた後，わたしたちの成長ををじっと見守っている

Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on October 5, 2013

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　本書はソウヤーの他の傑作「さよならダイノサウルス」「ターミナルエクスペリメント」「フラッシュフォワード」といった作品に比べると，あっと驚くようなＳＦ的な驚きは少なく，どちらかと言えばハリウッド映画的な展開を見せます。
　それでも，国民自身で民間の保険会社と保健契約を締結しなければ，その高額な医療費を支払えず，貧しい人々は病気になっても病院に行けないという，アメリカにおける保険制度の問題点を浮きぼりにしており，そこを本書は物語にうまくとけ込ませることに成功しています。
　健康保険に加入することで，自身の医療費の一部を負担するだけでよいという現状があたりまえの，カナダ人であるソウヤーや，社会保障に力を入れる日本人にとっては，アメリカの保険制度のあり方は，力のある政治家が変えようとしてもなかなか変わらないことが不思議です。どうやらアメリカは極端なまでの民主主義国家で個人を尊重する社会のため，社会主義的な制度にはアレルギー反応を示すようです。

　また，本書の大きなテーマの一つはＤＮＡです。
　本書タイトルのフレームシフトとは，「フレームシフト突然変異」という生物学用語を指します。
　遺伝子の一つであるヌクレオチドが挿入されたり欠損したりすることで遺伝コードが変わってしまうことをいうらしい。
　本書では，主人公自身が親から引き継いだ遺伝病だけに限らず，その妻が持つ特殊な能力についてもこのフレームシフト突然変異によって解明しようとしている点が面白い。
　物語が進むにつれて，これが前述のアメリカにおける保険制度と絡んできます。
　更に，人間ドラマとして，親子の心の繋がりについて，たとえそれが生物学的な親と子でなくてもＤＮＡとは関係なく成り立つ家族関係についてもふれられています。

「神は生命の進む方向についておおざっぱな計画をたてたが，すべてが動き出した後は，定められた進路に沿ってわたしたちが独自に成長し発展していくのをじっと見守っている。」
　科学の進歩によりＤＮＡを発見した我々にとって，人間はＤＮＡによって生まれながら運命が定められているように見えてしまいがちだが，実はそこまでは神によるおおざっぱな計画であって，その後の発展や人類の未来は，我々自身の考え方次第なのです。

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