Human Engineering is not a new idea, but by 2030 it will be possible to pre-program your child, just the way you want him! So says Taylor Madison in her first book entitled Blaine.
Because of the advancements in health sciences extending our life span, as well as the world's population which has resulted in a need to delay or forego having children, Katherine Phillips, at age 55, has just now begun to consider having a child. Her husband Paul is 75. They have achieved their goals, and Katherine's business is a multi-million dollar success.
After a physical examination, however, Katherine discovers she is unable to carry a child. After much discussion of options and research into the ability to ensure a healthy baby, Katherine and Paul decide to proceed into an agreement with the doctor and to use a surrogate to carry the child. Katherine knew exactly what she wanted her son to look like, what characteristics and aptitudes she wanted him to have. Paul wanted a son--that was the most important consideration for him. The doctor, well, expanding his research was part of the agreement--so he'd be adding a few genes that would do "this... and... that."
The birth of the child was difficult, with the surrogate mother bleeding extensively. They realized afterward that she had been seriously cut by a protrusion of animal cartilage coming out of his back...
From the first moment, Katherine believed that the baby knew her and that the baby told her what his name was to be. Throughout most of his childhood, he telepathically read his mother's thoughts and acted upon her guidance. The bond between them was extreme. So much so that little by little Blaine pushed Paul out of their lives. And, when that didn't totally satisfy him, he decided to invite his father on a fishing trip, from which he would not return.
Blaine was extremely intelligent, had special abilities and was learning more and more about what he was able to do. He knew he had been created for a special life and moved quickly to assume more and more control and responsibility until finally he was being considered to run for the Senate. He needed his mother, of course, to support him in every way possible.
Blaine is what you might call a slow-moving thriller. The pace of the story moves slowly, however, the events within Blaine's life move quickly and each compels you to read further. I started on the book at noon one day and read through to 10:00 p.m. to finish it. Events were strange, ideas presented provocatively. Little detail is being provided here to ensure that other readers have the same response that I did when I was finished, which was--Whew! Amazing!
One of the most important aspects of Madison's story for me was that she included a storyline both for and against advancements and experimentation in the medical field. Katherine was concerned about having a child because she had grown up having an autistic sister. This sister plays a very important role in the book and, to me, was an especially exciting part of Blaine.
Another interesting sideline was the role that religion and prayer played in the parents' lives, while Blaine, genetically engineered, was an atheist. Bottom line for this difference was that only the doctor actually knew what made Blaine the way he was, but inclusion of this issue made the book much more intriguing in my opinion.
In a time when cloning and other controversial medical issues are being considered world wide, Taylor Madison attacks the most fundamental problem of genetic engineering. She presents a fictional tale that provides a breadth of information upon which to bring each reader into a personal search for what they want to support in the important medical research in our future. Madison's book is well written and both human characters as well as "Blaine," the one and only child genetically engineered, were creatively and beautifully crafted for reader enjoyment. I believe this book and this author should be jotted down on your "must-read" list! You know 2030 is only 24 years from now!
GABixlerReviews
I have tried to find the author of this book on social media, to no avail. Her book was in a stack that I was passing on to charity and before I did, I checked to see that I had placed my review in my blog. I had not, so this is why I'm posting so many years later.
My post on Amazon is the only review. As you can see I was intrigued by the book and did recommend it. But years had gone by, surely another had read the book? Why no other reviews... And does this mean that reviews really are part of the marketing effort? Was there no marketing done on the book? I hoped to discuss all these questions with Taylor. So, if you read this, Taylor Madison (and if you are writing under a different name, I will keep that confidential) please contact me if you are willing to do an interview.
Since then, this author has only been doing shorts...I did buy one and will read it soon...
Was this book put out at the wrong time, too early? Because I've surely read similar books since then, but nothing quite like Blaine.
If you enjoy scifi regarding cloning, genetic manipulation, genetic engineering, and more, I would still recommend this book to you. Unfortunately, it was never added to Kindle and perhaps was too expensive for an unknown author...
What do you think? Have any other books you've heard about but decided not to read, been because of cost? Or what other reasons beside not liking the genre stopped you from purchasing a book... Just curious...no big survey being held here...LOL...
As a book lover and reviewer, I feel sad that this book may not be selling as it should. Would putting it out in Kindle get attention? Just wondering on this one...
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