Fever

Rating:
Summary: One of Cook's better novels
Review: "Fever", one of Robin Cook's earliest novels, is also one of his better ones. Some were better ("Mutation"), but it's much better than some of his recent works ("Abduction" and "Vector"). Like many of his novels, the premise varies little from novel to novel.

This tale centers around a twelve year old girl who has developed a form of leukemia. Her father, a doctor/scientist who has studied and searched for a cure for cancer for the past nine years following the death of his wife to leukemia, is suddenly having to deal with his nightmares again. He has since remarried, but soon conflicts arise between the father and his wife, oldest son, and the doctors who prescribe chemotherapy treatment for his daughter.

The father soon discovers the cause of his daughter's leukemia. That source was also the cause of another child's fatal disease. The father subsequently tries to bring the culprits to justice and continue his work while also trying to find his own cure for his daughter. The believability factor is strained a bit here.

Cook does a masterful job of relaying the tension between the father and his family, but his description and reactions of the girl do seem to fit better with a younger child and not one twelve years of age. Like many of his novels, there is corporate greed entwined with government agencies. Even though it's a bit farfetched, Cook makes it work with his skillful writing. Overall, any fan of Cook or medical thrillers in general should enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: One of Cook's better novels
Review: "Fever", one of Robin Cook's earliest novels, is also one of his better ones. Some were better ("Mutation"), but it's much better than some of his recent works ("Abduction" and "Vector"). Like many of his novels, the premise varies little from novel to novel.

This tale centers around a twelve year old girl who has developed a form of leukemia. Her father, a doctor/scientist who has studied and searched for a cure for cancer for the past nine years following the death of his wife to leukemia, is suddenly having to deal with his nightmares again. He has since remarried, but soon conflicts arise between the father and his wife, oldest son, and the doctors who prescribe chemotherapy treatment for his daughter.

The father soon discovers the cause of his daughter's leukemia. That source was also the cause of another child's fatal disease. The father subsequently tries to bring the culprits to justice and continue his work while also trying to find his own cure for his daughter. The believability factor is strained a bit here.

Cook does a masterful job of relaying the tension between the father and his family, but his description and reactions of the girl do seem to fit better with a younger child and not one twelve years of age. Like many of his novels, there is corporate greed entwined with government agencies. Even though it's a bit farfetched, Cook makes it work with his skillful writing. Overall, any fan of Cook or medical thrillers in general should enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: What Would You Do?
Review: A cancer researcher who's daughter is diagnosed with leukemia is suddenly told by the institute that employs him that he should drop his own research to work on project that he doesn't believe in. Benzene found in the river being dumped by a recycling company. All these things add up to another terrific Robin Cook novel.

This was a wonderful book. In typical Robin Cook fashion, it doesn't take very many pages before you are hooked. I guess the real thing about this one it the fact that it is all too real. Big business doing anything they can to protect themselves, a research institute that is willing to do almost anything to keep the money flowing in and a child with leukemia, all very real in this time.

One of the things I liked best about this book, was the way in which Mr. Cook describes people, places and things without going overboard. He keeps it straight to the point without all the miniscule detail that you see from some authors. In addition, Mr. Cook kept the medical terms to a bare minimum (unusual for him), and the ones he used, he managed to follow-up with a layman's explanation.

I guarantee this book will scare the heck out of you. No it's not a scary horror novel, but it will get you to thinking about what is going on in this day and age. Could there really be a cure for cancer that big business is keeping under raps to keep the money flowing in? This book really got me to thinking about things like, millions of dollars flowing into different charities for years and nothing to show for it.

Other books I have read by Mr. Cook include Blindsight, Brain, Chromosome Six, Contagion, Godplayer, Harmful Intent, Outbreak and Vector all of which are good and only one that I didn't really like (Brain).

If you like medical thrillers, and Dr. Cook, don't pass this one up. You won't be disappointed. If you have never read one of Mr. Cook's books, don't hesitate to start with this one.

Rating:
Summary: "Fever" is a story that I could only wish were true¿
Review: A middle-aged medical researcher finds himself in a horrible predicament. He is in the final stages of proving his genetically-related cure for cancer is the solution that medical researchers across the world have been searching for.... If he can only solve the final puzzle that his research suggests. And so close to that answer, he is. Simultaneously, his livelihood is threatened when his employers demand that he verify that a miracle cancer drug, "Canceran" is proven effective, when he well knows that it is not the answer. In the meantime, his twelve year old daughter is suddenly diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and she has only a matter of weeks to survive. If only he can prove the answer to the final puzzle of his own research in time, he may be able to save his dying daughter. If only...

Robin Cook's "Fever" is full of suspense and is the page-turning novel that every reader wants to experience. I highly recommend it to dear reader. Cook concocts an excellent portrayal of the emotions that a family member or close friend experiences when someone they love is dying. His main character goes through all of those feelings of helplessness when we are obliged by fate to contend with something that is completely out of our control. We can sometimes do nothing more than stand by and watch.

My recommendation to read this story comes with only one caveat: it may stir up memories of which you may not want to be reminded. For those of us who have been forced to experience watching someone slowly expire from this evil called "cancer," this is a difficult story to read, but this experience brings an appreciation for the emotions that the characters of the story are experiencing.... We KNOW.... Been there.... Done that.

Surprisingly, my only criticism of the story is of the twelve-year-old girl, or of the writer who created her. Cook creates a character that seems much younger than her twelve years. The little girl that he creates acts and is treated as though she were about seven or eight years old. I felt that a twelve year old girl would have more maturity about her. But I'll forgive this small descriptive faux pas.

So pick this one up and give it some attention, but don't be afraid to put it down when your experience with these emotions runs high. That's the great part about books, you can put them down for a while and come back to them, never missing any of the story. And when the story is over, we can all hope together that this story may some day come true.

Rating:
Summary: How far would you go to save your child?
Review: Action packed race against time to find a cure for the 'fever'. A great story of one man trying to beat the system he works for in order to save a loved one. Your frustration grows as the main character meets and must overcome obstacles before it is too late

Rating:
Summary: Occasionally Confusing
Review: Dr Charles Martel is a cancer researcher, whose first wife died from lymphoma. Now their daughter Michelle has myeloblastic leukaemia, and Charles thinks she got it from benzene dumped in the local pond. An interesting idea (I rather do like medical thrillers), but characterisation was poor, and the book was occasionally frustrating. Mind you, it was published in 1982, if that accounts for anything. (B)

Rating:
Summary: Worthy of your time
Review: I am 15 years old. I enjoyed reading this book. It took me a little be longer to read it because of medical terms but if I understood what the terms meant I am sure I would give it 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK
Review: I am a 17 year old senior in high school. We had to pick a book for an anatomy project. I picked this book because it is kind of non fictional. I LOVED IT!!!! It is kind of slow to get into but about 15 pages in I couldnt put it down!!

Rating:
Summary: Solid medical thriller, if a bit syrupy at times
Review: I read this book in its entirety on a nine-hour plane ride. I'm not sure if I would have read it so eagerly had I not been cooped up on a plane.

Dr. Martel is a brilliant but socially cranky researcher who has lost a wife and is now on the verge of losing a daughter. The story was a bit predictable (thanks in part to the back cover, which gave away too much) but there are a few twists which force you to keep turning the pages.

I'm sometimes wary of amateur writers that become big-time novelists. Sometimes, it's a positive thing, because they write less pretensiously than a creative writing major would. But other times, the writing quality suffers (think "Truth Machine.") I was also worried because this was one of Cook's earliest novels. But there was no need to fret -- Robin Cook is a pro. He knows how to write well. He does a good job developing characters, even if those characters don't always seem entirely believable (I agree...he made the 12-year-old daughter seem like an 8-year old.)

This is the only Cook book I've read. I might be tempted to read another.

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. It was very believeable and fast paced. A really good read.