In a darkly warped near future, lucrative disease cures are brokered on Wall Street’s Genetic Stock Exchange. And the hottest consumer products are artificially synthesized humans that serve as everything from domestic slaves to combatants in savage gladiatorial games. For Jack Saxton, the young heir to genetic design powerhouse Genico Inc., these Synthates are just a fact of life…until the murder of a high-profile genetic scientist leads a pair of seasoned NYPD detectives to Genico’s door.
As a small band of Synthate rebels steps up its attack on the status quo, Jack encounters a pleasure-parlor girl who opens his eyes to their cause. When he dares to sympathize with the rebels, Jack is hunted down and arrested for the murder. Sentenced to die in the brutal games on Bloomberg Island, Jack will be forced to fight―for his life, for the future of all Synthates, and for a chance to uncover the mind-bending secret buried in his past.
Entertaining, hang in there for the last half Throughout the reading of this book, I was thinking how it seemed about right for a wait-to-watch-on-HBO movie: plenty of the popular plot points, usual twists, and opportunities for good-looking movie stars. Big doses of Blade Runner and Running Man, some Minority Report and Hunger Games interludes, even touches of A.I. and maybe Gattaca. Familiar, but not in a bad way.Â
Great Writing Spoiled by Plot Devices I have to admit, I was about one-third of the way through this book and thought I had found a winner. The world that Mr. Delaney had created was very detailed and extremely interesting. The book held my interest and I was concerned about what would happen with the main character. I was ready to commend the author for having established some gritty characters without resorting to f-bombs to get the point across…then everything began to change. Here’s a synopsis of what worked and what didn’t,…
“Black Rain;” Taut, Evocative Action-Adventure Reminiscent of The Running Man & The Hunger Games Quick & Dirty HighlightsÂ