Rating: 
Summary: I'm SO bored...three-fourths of the way through...
Review: Okay, I admit writing this review is a little premature, since I haven't quite finished this book. I've been at it for two weeks now, but I keep putting it down and finding better things to do--highly unusual behavior for me, since I love medical thrillers and usually zip right through them in a day or two. Not this one. It's SO BORING! For some reason, the author feels compelled to explain every infinitesimally small action the characters take--down to their showers, gassing up their cars, and what they eat for breakfast. At least a chapter is wasted on Jude finding and renting an apartment for his twin, Sklyer, which he doesn't stay in more than a hour and is never visited again. Talk about a useless section of the book! As a reader, I DIDN'T CARE, not about these pointless plot meanderings nor about the characters. None of it seems to bring them any closer to their goal. Worse, the big conspiracy was revealed in the very early chapters, so what's there to discover? As someone else commented, the three main characters SLOWLY bumble their way around, going hither and yon, never really unraveling the conspiracy or coming up with a plan. Jude even finds a web site which appears to be sponsored by the conspirators, but doesn't bother to find out who runs it.On their "race" across the country to find answers, they take the time to conveniently visit college lecture halls, which happen to be discoursing on the very aspect of genetics they need to know at that moment. Yeah, right. And then they waste time going to dinners with the professors, so they can be conveniently lectured to some more (so we, the readers, can learn all of Darnton's research and the theories behind his plot, obviously.) Poorly done! This sort of research should be woven in seamlessly, not plunked down in big ungainly, far-too-convenient chuncks. The characters are as cardboard as characters can possibly be. Their big emotional moments all take place off-stage, such as Jude and Tizzie BOTH figuring out Skyler lost someone who looked exactly like her, or Jude becoming suspicious of Tizzie. Why should I care that he doubted her for a while if we never felt his worry as he experienced it? I didn't care. Nor did I care that Tizzie had to become a double agent. She certainly doesn't seem frightened or nervous about it, so why should I be worried for her? I did like NEANDERTHAL, which is another reason this one's so disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Darnton Hits the Nail on the Head
Review: II found this book to be a fascinating blend of science and mystery. The story had me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't put the book down because of the gripping suspense. The science involved seemed extremely realistic, and only a logical extension of matters about cloining which are already known to be true. Additionally, there is a wonderful trip through Arizona depicted in the book, including a trip to Mr. Luckys in Phoenix, which I found particularly enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is a great book, a book about DNA testing and genetic testing. But it is a mystery as well. Very enjoyable and well-written.
Rating:
Summary: Very Sloppy
Review: I finally forced myself to finish this plodding tale, which is written on a fourth-grade level. I haven't read any of Darnton's other works (fiction or non) and I can't imagine I ever will. He has a very bad habit of giving pages of detail at certain points, only to dismiss crucial revelations in a sentence or two -- the technique of an amateur, which I abhor. There's plenty of blame to go around for this mess. Besides the sophomoric writing, there's no evidence that Dutton provided any editing to help clarify the story or pick up the dull pacing. A sloppy job for everyone involved.
Rating:
Summary: Man, this is a BAAAAD book
Review: As a reader of several novels a week, I expect -- at a very minimum -- that the author of a book at least TRIES to be creative. Darnton must think the reading public are all a bunch of fools. With his credentials, he should be ashamed of himself for cheating us -- his readers. I'm sure that after the undeserved success of his first novel, NEANDERTHAL, that he is laughing all the way to the bank and really doesn't care about entertaining his readers. We're not morons, Darnton. Don;t ever do this again to us. You've forever lost me as a future reader of your fiction. Shame on you.
Rating: 
Summary: An Awkward Read
Review: I've just finished chapter thirteen--I'm not sure how many more I can endure. Mr. Darnton's investigative reporter skills are obviously quite advanced, much of that ability, however; serves only to slow plot development, not enhance it. I found myself skimming entire paragraphs/pages searching, hoping, then agonizing for something interesting to happen. The author's use of flashbacks bothered me as well. Case in point: Young Skyler finds himself an uninvited passenger winging his way to the "other side". In the next paragraph we find him wandering around the "other side" safe and sound. Why not leave it at that? For some reason Mr. Darnton felt it neccessary to flashback to the journey over, even interjecting some after-the-fact suspense? I wasn't moved by it. I mean we already know the kid made it. This flashback served only to waste my time as a reader. Much of the first 13 chapters wasted my time. The plot is sound but advances far, far too slowly. I found the author's pacing awkward and annoying.
Rating:
Summary: Something Went Haywire With This Experiment
Review: I feel duped and misled, given John Darnton's Pulitzer Prize credentials and industry plaudits at the top of this page. The book fails from the classic high-concept, poor-execution syndrome. The concept of an island of clones as an organ farm for the rich and famous is the stuff of good thrillers. What would happen if one of those poor clones escaped the island and made his way to New York in search of his twin? Imagine the thrills and chills and fun a reader could have finding out if this renegade clone could stay one step ahead of the bad guys and foil the whole conspiracy! No such luck. The novel's trouble begins as soon as the hapless clone manages to escape from "Clone Island." From there, it's a slow-witted, cross-country trek to find out -- well, we're never quite sure what they're looking for. Our bumbling, ménage à trois of hard-drinkers (immune to hangovers!) prove to be rank amateur sleuths when it comes to unraveling conspiracies that reach all the way to -- surprise! -- Washington D.C. They could be swept up and killed at any time. Instead, they are allowed to traipse across the country, SLOWLY unearthing clues to their pasts. They are never clever enough to figure out the big picture or who is allegedly chasing them. I ceased having fun. By the end of the story, the mad scientists finally sit down with our hero and spell out the plot to him in a few pages of rushed narrative more so the reader can make sense of this plodding story. Imagination, apparently, has run dry in New York. Darnton seems to be at his investigative-reporting best when he's expositing the science of cloning and life extension. While interesting material, this is more biochemistry than I needed to know to make this elementary plot work for me. Each character seems to possess an advanced degree in biochemistry and is always willing to lecture. Bombard the reader with science to make up for the lack of plotting thrills and chills -- is that the way we craft best sellers today? I expected more from Darnton. His world-class word-smithing kept me turning pages and just barely stopped me from tossing the book aside unfinished. Where were the editors at Dutton and why didn't they show him how to build some suspense? And Darnton's shameless name-dropping in the "acknowledgements" buys him few points -- he makes sure we all know that he personally interviewed Dolly's creator to help him understand cloning procedures. I would have been more impressed had he sought the counsel of Patricia Cornwell, not for the pat-on-the-back cover sound bite he talked her into, but rather for showing him how to craft a genuine page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: Fresh Out Of New Ideas
Review: I realized this book was in trouble early on when I read the obligatory autopsy scene, a staple now it seems to all new writers of medical/science thrillers. This one even has two journalists donning surgical gloves to help the campy coroner with his dissection! Unbelievable. From here, the plot keeps slipping until the laughable climax -- young people running amuck like some game trying to outwit the befuddled mad doctors. No danger, no thrills. Just pure pulp.
Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: This was my end-of-summer reading and it was one of those "I couldn't put the book down" reads. It would be equally terrific for any season. It's exciting and packed with fascinating information.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced, intelligent, informative thriller
Review: This was a fast paced, intelligent book... a thriller that also packs a lot of information. I couldn't put it down. A great read.
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