September 15, 2015.
3.5 Stars
This novel has been referred to as a “medical space
opera,” which seems pretty accurate. I would say it’s a sci-fi thriller, with a
good amount of goofy comedy thrown in. The story follows Dr. Grace Lord, beginning
with her first day of her new job on the Nelson
Mandela, a medical space station. Her coworkers are an eclectic mix of
personalities, including a group of soldiers bred to be half-beast – they are
part gorilla, wolf and many more. The human characters are just as unusual,
with many psychological quirks. Most interesting is the android character,
SAMM-E 777, colloquially known as “Bud.”
Bud quickly forms an attachment to Grace – he begins
to evolve, feeling strange human emotions that he struggles to process. This
relationship and many others are explored in the first half of the novel, which
is focused on character development and world building. There is plenty of
drama, with interactions between the doctors. Even the space station itself has
a personality, with a humourous streak. I really appreciated the depth of
character – as a non-sci-fi fan, the characters were what pulled me through the
futuristic story.
In the second half of the novel, adventure begins!
(There are also a lot of exclamation marks). A mysterious ship docks on the
station – and the medical team realizes that a deadly virus has been let loose.
The balance between comedy and drama continues, especially in the banter
between the various characters. There are also many interesting ethical
questions about the future of medical research – the author clearly has a
passion for her subject, as she is a doctor herself. Personally, my rating
hovered around two stars overall, as it is not my chosen genre – however, it is
impressively well written and filled with exuberant language, so I am rating it
closer to 3.5 for readers of sci-fi medical thrillers. It is also the first in
a series, so this is a great place to start.
I received this novel from Goodreads First Reads and the
author in exchange for an honest review.
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