Rating: 
Summary: As frightening as tomorrows headlines....
Review: Dr Marcus Gallagher, the administrator for the closely controlled Bloodsworth Island facilty, wants to rid the planet of all genetically interited disease. His scientists live on an island in a cult-like atmosphere where their every move and thought is controlled so that they are able to concentrate on the jobs at hand and not be bothered by the day-to-day personal peressures that affect the rest of us.Gene Nolan is the Bloodsworth Island research scientist that was instrumlental in developing a virus to attack the disease transmitting gene for Cystic Fibrosis and a test to pinpoint that gene. When the entire Orani Indian colony in Ecuador that the Bloodsworth Island scientific team is testing sicken and die, Gene begins to suspect that they have been deliberately murdered using his experimental virus. His suspicion begins to point to the idea that perhaps Dr. Gallagher and his administrative team want to rid the Earth of all genetically transmitted gene carriers. In a suspensful, fast reading first novel, Slate and Rearden have come up with a truly frightening concept involving genetic research, and the strange gullibility of dedicated humanitarians. When Gene starts thinking in terms of the numbers of people this mass murder would involve, it becomes unthinkable; he must stop this insanity. This Action packed suspense novel really gave me some things to think about...and maybe changed my mind on previous ideas about genetic research. I'm looking forward to more innovative ideas from this team...a bright star in the new author galaxy. Beverly Rowe, reviewer for myshelf.com.
Rating:
Summary: As frightening as tomorrows headlines....
Review: Dr Marcus Gallagher, the administrator for the closely controlled Bloodsworth Island facilty, wants to rid the planet of all genetically interited disease. His scientists live on an island in a cult-like atmosphere where their every move and thought is controlled so that they are able to concentrate on the jobs at hand and not be bothered by the day-to-day personal peressures that affect the rest of us. Gene Nolan is the Bloodsworth Island research scientist that was instrumlental in developing a virus to attack the disease transmitting gene for Cystic Fibrosis and a test to pinpoint that gene. When the entire Orani Indian colony in Ecuador that the Bloodsworth Island scientific team is testing sicken and die, Gene begins to suspect that they have been deliberately murdered using his experimental virus. His suspicion begins to point to the idea that perhaps Dr. Gallagher and his administrative team want to rid the Earth of all genetically transmitted gene carriers. In a suspensful, fast reading first novel, Slate and Rearden have come up with a truly frightening concept involving genetic research, and the strange gullibility of dedicated humanitarians. When Gene starts thinking in terms of the numbers of people this mass murder would involve, it becomes unthinkable; he must stop this insanity. This Action packed suspense novel really gave me some things to think about...and maybe changed my mind on previous ideas about genetic research. I'm looking forward to more innovative ideas from this team...a bright star in the new author galaxy. Beverly Rowe, reviewer for myshelf.com.
Rating: 
Summary: When free thought's eliminated -- Recommended
Review: Dr. Marcus Gallagher holds virtually omnipotent power over Bloodsworth Island in the Chesapeake Bay. His followers are a carefully assembled group of doctors, a "body" thoroughly indoctrinated into his principles. Hs myriad principles rely upon eliminating free thought and complete dedication to his dream of eliminating disease. Rigid control of the doctors in his employee insures that no one on the outside knows of the methods Dr Gallagher intends to employ while taking funding from the Federal Government to further his research. Rather than healing those plagued with debilitating disease, such as Cystic Fibrosis, he plans to eradicate the population who carry the genes for such disease. Human testing has already begun. The book begins with Gene Nolan, one of three doctors sent to Orani tribe in the Ecuadorian rain forest. The doctors inject each tribe member with an immunization that actually kills with great rapidity. When a doctor challenges what they are doing, the Paladin Alfred injects the dissenter with the killing shot. As he dies, he breaks one of the Principles, he tells Gene that no one leaves "the body" alive. When Gene asks their leader Alfred about what happened, he's reminded of the seventh principle; that is, "Components of the body would be told whatever they needed to know." The overly done theme of research scientists playing God-like eugenics achieves a new freshness in the hands of authors Jeff Slate and David Rearden. These authors combine many of the strongest elements of our culture to new ends, constructing a dangerous and destructive world. The echoes of Big Brother watching, keeping the "body" in line with careful observance and control seems all too plausible in this information age of easy tracking and recording. Likewise, the echoes the rituals and rites that have brought clarity and insight to many religious followers give this fascinating novel chilling spiritual overtones. In addition, the Orani tribe lends a chilling lesson as their systematic destruction ends with their village burning, destroying all evidence in a frightening echo of the Holocaust. The simplistic plot could have used a few more twists to fully satisfy this reader. In addition, the author's tone sounds more like a reporter giving the facts rather portrayed the expected emotion; however, it still makes for a fascinating read. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Great premise
Review: How many times a day are we bombarded with headlines screaming new breakthroughs or threats in genetic tampering, biological warfare, chemical terrorism, and all those other wonderful anxiety provoking topics? Reardon and Slate take some of these threats, throw in eugenics and cult behavior, and then mix all this up to create Bloodsworth Island.
Gene Nolan is a young, idealistic doctor who loses his residency and flounders around until Dr. Marcus Gallagher becomes his mentor, employer, and father figure. Gene joins Dr. Gallagher and his "family" at the Davenport Center on Bloodsworth Island. Gene thinks he's there to help the family find a cure for horrible diseases, but Dr. Gallagher's plan is to eliminate carriers of disease. Nice work if you can get it, eh? In the meantime, Gene falls in love with Kelly even though this relationship violates the rules of the Center. Gene then proceeds to violate nearly all the principles that guide each member of the family at Davenport Center. All of these elements come together in a race to save the world from Dr. Gallagher's nefarious scheme.
I like this premise. It's timely enough to be interesting and scary enough to add a touch of "what if?" However, the writing style here leaves much to be desired. The characters are underdeveloped to the point of being rather one-dimensional. I didn't have a feeling of suspense or surprise at any point of the story. The writing is flat. I can't write a novel myself, so I rely on others to create great stories and characters for me. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen here. Perhaps with more fiction experience, Slate and Rearden can combine their great ideas with great writing and characters. This is an interesting storyline, and if you can ignore some of the writing flaws, you'll probably enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine first effort. An exciting book.
Review: I enjoyed "Bloodsworth Island", and that enjoyment was enhanced from having lived in the MD/DC area for some time. The novel tells the story of a medical doctor (Dr. Nolah) who is extremely skilled at his work -- and extremely insecure concerning his own value and worth as a person. As such, he is the natural target/victim of a cult of personality surrounding a brilliant but quite mad biotech research scientist (Dr. Gallagher) who is plotting a horrific biological crime -- the genocide of all humans carrying certain defective genes -- all in the name of improving the species (and, of course, doing the work of God). The research is being carried out (fraudulently) under the auspices of the Federal Government. (As a former civil servant, this was both amusing and frightening. See my review for "Q-Clearance".) The novel chronicles the growing self confidence of Dr. Nolan in his own worth as a person and as a researcher -- and his breaking free of the clutches of evil. The book does not climax until the very end, and the authors have pulled together the various plot threads quite well. A number of observations: The authors have described the "cult personality" quite well, both in terms of how such a person operates and how intelligent people can get sucked into such a web. The scenario is believable -- which, in and of itself is frightening. There is a fundamental ethical tension in scientific research (one pointed out repeatedly in the novels of Michael Crighton), and exemplified well in this novel, namely this: Just because we CAN do a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we SHOULD do a thing. To my mind, this is becoming an increasingly important question. The "love/hate" relationship involving the extremely abusive character Richard with members of his family rang true with me -- and, I suspect, would also ring true with those involved in counseling in such situations. In addition, the authors have succeeded in producing a novel which does not have to rely on titallating sex, mindless violence, and gross profanity to move the plot along. In this day and age, such a thing is refreshing. The biggest weakness in my opinion? The reliance on the "fringe supernatural" for certain elements of plot resolution. Not believable, not necessary, and certainly not integral to the plot. All in all, I enjoyed this book. I hope that the authors produce more novels in this genre.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I really wanted to be able to write a positive review for Rearden and Slate's Bloodsworth Island. I have a soft spot for new authors, and for that reason briefly considered whitewashing my evaluation. In the end, however, I felt compelled to be honest: this book lacks strength in almost every area. That's not to say there aren't elements here to praise. These two new authors clearly love to tell a story and know something about creating suspense, essential in a thriller. So what failed? The prose is bland and often awkward, and the characters, despite the authors' attempts to lay details on top of them, are two-dimensional. The main character, supposedly a man bright enough to be a doctor, someone who has come created an ingenious marker to identify cystic fibrosis carriers (and "genetically perfect" to boot) demonstrates the wit of a flea. I don't care if he IS a member of a cult; a man of that intelligence should have sensibilities greater than those of a five year old child. The authors seem to have confused brainwashing with brain removal. As for the premise, that cult leader Dr. Gallagher, with his evil genetic purity plan, has positioned himself favorably largely by his government contracts and contacts, is preposterous. The security clearance process required of people working on top secret projects (even if they don't work directly for the government) would reveal at once a cult, something the US goverment would dump in an instant. The above are just a few of many holes in this book. Rearden and Slate have accomplished what many aspiring writers never do: a finished book. Now they need to learn that a novel is more than an idea, a plot. Once they incorporate all the elements of fiction into their work, weaving each into the whole of the others, they will be well on their way to careers as fiction writers. I wish them the best of luck.
Rating:
Summary: "Are You Defective", "You Could Be Next"
Review: I'm so glad this book was brought to my attention. I receive so many books to review, it's hard to make a decision on what to read next. I'm just so thankful I put the others aside to read this first. It's a thriller that will keep you glued to your seat till the very end. Jeff & David have written a masterpiece of suspense that just builds & builds to the final climax. I believe and I hope there's a sequel in the works, and I'm sure there's a movie in the future for this exciting story. The story centers around Dr. Marcus Gallagher who is trying to eliminate genetically inherited disease in the world. Dr. Gallagher's goal is to create a more productive society by eliminating all the people with defective genes. He has enlisted many great doctors & scientists to work at his advanced cult-like lab facility on Bloodsworth Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Gene Nolan is one such research physician who gives up his own identity and personal self to help Dr. Gallagher. However, he soon learns Dr. Gallagher has a plot to eliminate millions of people. Should Gene turn against Dr. Gallagher who has always been there for him, or do the right thing before this gets out of control? You get the feeling of being a member of a cult from this story, or being brainwashed by a leader who has taken over the minds of the people. It made me think of Hitler and Jim Jones and how they twisted the truth and managed to make so many people believe in them & follow them. I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a suspenseful read. I eagerly await Jeff & David's next book!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but flawed first effort by Slate and Rearden
Review: In their first novel, Jeff Slate and David Rearden tackle the theme of the possible eugenicist uses of the current revolution in biotechnology. Attempting perhaps to emulate the success of Michael Critchton in penning medical thrillers for a popular audience, Slate and Rearden weave a fascinating tale involving a secret Chesapeake Bay laboratory, an evil scientist with a cult-type staff of followers, the extermination of an entire village of Ecuadorian natives, and a confused but ultimately noble protagonist who attempts to right the wrongs he discovers. All in all this makes for a quick and interesting read that might make it a fun take-along on a summer vacation. At the same time, however, the novel emerges as disappointing in some fundamental ways. What succeeds here is the apparent familiarity of the authors with various aspects of their topic. Clearly Rearden knows a lot about the biological issues presented in the story, and consequently the discussions of the genetic markers associated with certain diseases are convincingly thorough. The authors also are apparently familiar with the life and culture of some Ecuadorian natives, as the interaction between protagonist Gene Nolan and his native friend Hiaroma comes across as authentic. The geographical underpinnings of the suburban Maryland setting for much of the book is certainly accurate and well-described. Finally, the overall trajectory of the story is gripping enough to keep a reader's interest from start to finish. Unfortunately, the book also reflects the inexperience of these authors as novelists. The prose style is so basic and unadorned that I suspect any reasonably literate middle school pupil could race through the story effortlessly. Some may perceive this as a virtue, but I found the simple, bare-bones style of writing to be disappointing. A second set of problems involves the authors' selection of a serious biological/philosophical issue as their central topic. In portraying Marcus Gallaher as a latter-day eugenics mastermind, the authors have neglected to explicate sufficiently the philosophical, social, and political themes and issues that would likely be associated with such a hypothetical figure. Gallagher's Bloodsworth Island laboratory is supposedly "top secret," and yet it's clear that after one or perhaps two of his dastardly "experiments" resulting in large-scale body counts inquiries would be launched and there would be a significant reaction against any futher work of this kind. End of story. The only possible way out of this quandry would be for the Bloodsworth Island effort to have garnered political muscle as part of some kind of broadly based movement. Certainly neo-Nazi ties would make for glamorous thematic material, but portrayal even of the level of public support enjoyed by eugenicists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries would have made for a richer overall story. Is there a significant basis in our current American society for this kind of future political movement? Exploration of some of of issues raised by this question would have made the novel far more socially relevant and very likely more frightening, as well. Overall, there is a striking lack of discussion of any kind of utopian (or dystopian) vision for a better future world that might contribute to Gallagher's alleged "charisma" among his followers. The hold Gallagher exercises upon his underlings is cult-like in ways that are ritualistic and silly, in fact, rather than plausible. And aside from his immediate staff, there is no 'movement' at all--thus, the potential for actual success of Gallagher's lonely efforts to "rid the planet of genetically inherited disease" would certainly be doomed from the start. Finally, there is a curious inclusion of some supernatural elements that include a fortune teller whose visions we apparently are supposed to take seriously This, along with the sudden (and temporary) acquisition of magical qualities by a shamanistic totem from Ecuador don't really fit with the matter-of-fact scientific tone that characterizes the rest of the book. It's almost a kind of "deux ex machina" to get the authors through particular portions of the story, or else they represent potshots against the "hegemony of science." To me, however, these were not convincing inclusions. Despite the flaws in *Bloodsworth Island*, I will look forward to the next effort by these two young writers, as they have talent as storytellers and to their credit, they apparently wish to explore some scientific issues that raise serious ethical questions.
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue and terrorism -- biochemical warfare.
Review: The premise for the book is chilling and realistic, particularly with the amazing developments in the science of DNA mapping, cloning, and stem cell creations. The cover art is masterful. The name of the island (which actually is in the Chesapeake Bay) seems to be a complex synopsis of the premise (as in worthy blood). Bloodsworth Island is owned by the federal government, which suits the intrigue and plausible terrorism in the scenario. Dr. Marcus Gallagher could easily pass for the charismatic Jim Jones or the youthful Adolf Hitler. He has established a bio-research facility with the goal of eradicating those that he has judged to be genetically inferior humans. He exerts cult-like control and indoctrination over all of his employees, but the devotion of highly educated scientists is not realistic. The hero is Gene Nolan, a research physician who lost his residency and could never get another job until this golden apple was offered to him. I immediately thought that Dr. Gallagher had arranged this before the story begins. Being jobless and unemployable is what Dr. Gallagher holds over him, but it is not a strong enough reason to support the loss of individuality that is required. There are no ex-employees, except in graves. The writing is disjointed and hard to follow, almost as if too much information was edited out in trying to create a more mysterious environment. "...The clandestine practice of medicine..." is a clue to the intrigue with the overtones of "black arts" or witchcraft and wizards, which does fit the story. These are good ideas that need further development. Future books by Slate and Rearden should be a real treat. Victoria Tarrani
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue and terrorism -- biochemical warfare.
Review: The premise for the book is chilling and realistic, particularly with the amazing developments in the science of DNA mapping, cloning, and stem cell creations. The cover art is masterful. The name of the island (which actually is in the Chesapeake Bay) seems to be a complex synopsis of the premise (as in worthy blood). Bloodsworth Island is owned by the federal government, which suits the intrigue and plausible terrorism in the scenario. Dr. Marcus Gallagher could easily pass for the charismatic Jim Jones or the youthful Adolf Hitler. He has established a bio-research facility with the goal of eradicating those that he has judged to be genetically inferior humans. He exerts cult-like control and indoctrination over all of his employees, but the devotion of highly educated scientists is not realistic. The hero is Gene Nolan, a research physician who lost his residency and could never get another job until this golden apple was offered to him. I immediately thought that Dr. Gallagher had arranged this before the story begins. Being jobless and unemployable is what Dr. Gallagher holds over him, but it is not a strong enough reason to support the loss of individuality that is required. There are no ex-employees, except in graves. The writing is disjointed and hard to follow, almost as if too much information was edited out in trying to create a more mysterious environment. "...The clandestine practice of medicine..." is a clue to the intrigue with the overtones of "black arts" or witchcraft and wizards, which does fit the story. These are good ideas that need further development. Future books by Slate and Rearden should be a real treat. Victoria Tarrani
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