Rating: 
Summary: good science, bad story
Review: This was the first novel I read by Greg Bear and, overall, I am rather disappointed. The science behind the disease which gives the book its title is fascinating and lies within that intriguing realm of sci-fi which leaves you wondering where the real science has ended and the extrapolation begun. However, what made Darwin's Radio a disappointing read for me was not the heavy handed ecological and epidemiological jargon (some of which clearly could have been excluded), but the poor characterization, tiresome CDC and NIH politics and ultimately unsatisfying conclusion. I found myself trudging through pages of "intrigue" between the factions of various government agencies which really could not have been more dull. Perhaps this sort of thing would be more palatable to others who are more interested in politics. The characterization starts off strong but ultimately sinks into cliche, with one character (Mark Augustine) metamorphosing into a cartoonish evil scientist of monstrous proportions and another vanishing almost completely (Christopher Dicken). The main characters, Kaye and Mitch, who are initially presented as brilliant and dedicated (if somewhat troubled) scientists, abandon science altogether in order to solve the mystery of SHEVA by basically experimenting on their own bodies with nothing more than faith as their guide. Further, their romance is ludicrously two dimensional and peppered with such cringe-inducing dialogue as, "Mitch, be my man." Blech. The conclusion of the novel is incredibly abrupt and leaves so many facets of a very complex story unresolved I found myself thumbing through the dictionary at the back thinking perhaps the rest of the ending was hidden behind it. Alas, it was not. Overall, the science and speculation behind Darwin's Radio is top notch, but the characters used to flesh it out leave much to be desired. I found this to be a very unsatisfying book which failed to live up to the great promise of its premise.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, not great
Review: I must say that Bear's Darwin's Radio rather impresses me. He knows his science, or at least makes it sound like he does. This book is packed with DNA terminology and evolutionary concepts that make a dumb guy like me think he's pretty knowledgeable. Moreover, I really like the plot, and the concept that humans are entering some form of "upgrade". However, there is something frustrating about the book, some aspect of it that makes it seem plodding and slow. At moments that are supposed to be times when the reader's "thrill level" should be peaked, it is only mildly provoked. Bear dances around what this whole virus/SHEVA thing is without really hitting on it for way too long. As much as I liked the book, it was easy for me to become distracted by other books and as a result it took a while to get it finished fast enough. I would not classify this as a cheap sci-fi thriller. Its well written, but just not enough to grab me the way I think Bear intended.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise but..
Review: the book does not live up to its potential. The ending will leave you completely unsatisfied. Move along. This isn't the book you were looking for.
Rating:
Summary: Sags in the middle before an obvious conclusion
Review: This book had an interesting premise and some okay characters, but it ended up being a bit of a slog. The technical discussion is worth sitting through even for the non-scientist, but what is unforgivable is the number of boring conferences and meetings that populate this novel. In real life there is entirely too much of who said what about whom at the big conference, or jockeying for position at meetings -- we read escape fiction to get away from this stuff. Things picked up a bit again toward the end, but the conclusion was fairly obvious. There was also a small but bothersome plot hole which I won't describe for fear of giving away the ending, and the heroine's husband is conveniently dispensed with so early in the novel that one wonders why he existed in the first place. Greg Bear on a bad day is still better than many sci-fi writers on a good day, but this was not one of his better days.
Rating: 
Summary: Adendum to my earlier review...
Review: Upon further reflection, I have some additional comments to share about this about this book. Here's the main one...once the book gets rolling (after about 70 pp.) it's great. The greatest weakeness of the book, however, is in its conclusion. I won't say exactly what that is, since I do hope you decide to read this book...but suffice it to say that there is a strong developmetal evolution component to the conclusion. Here's my main criticism... The virus that is the focus of the book has significant developmental effects, not only on new offspring, but also on adults who have the virus -- this raises interesting and extremely unlikely results in the book. It is unlikely, for example, for adults to undergo what amounts to structural developmental change as the result of a virus, even one that triggers a cascade of genetic expression. The possibility of such change is much more likely in a developing embryo/fetus, which has undifferentiated tissues. It is not at all likely in adults that are made up of cell lines that have become specialized (for the most part) and designed to simply replace worn out like-tissues. Another consequence of the virus is a change in chromosome number in offspring. The author doesn't go into how/why this occurs, but there is no new DNA added to the genome, so this must be the result of cleaving chromosomes into smaller pieces. Would that change expression? I wonder... While that is a weakness, the story is still interesting and worth a fun vacation read this summer. Have a great day! Alan Holyoak
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: When a book is really, really, really bad I throw it across the room. This book took its maiden flight at 11:00pm on a Saturday night on around page 85. I am going to give this book to my brother Lonnie because he keeps giving me horrible books. If he reads this...great - He will save himself from wasting a few hours. If he doesn't - I figure I owe him anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Good hard science
Review: As a chemist in the pharmaceutical field I found this an interesting read, however, even I had trouble with a lot of the biology presented. A quarter of the book is taken up in a scientific mystery plot much like a Robin Cook novel, which are even given a short plug in the book. I found the characters interesting and their underlying psychology believable, however some of their actions in terms of their relationships with each other I found a little farfetched. The story has an antagonist that you just love to hate especially if you ever had to deal with office politics in a scientific laboratory. A very enjoyable read that kept the suspense going the whole way through the book, which made it hard to put down. I would classify this as a thinker's Sci-Fi, in that a reader has to keep most of their brain cells functioning to enjoy this book. Overall, I recommend this book as worth a read especially for a scientist or fan of hard science.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard Sci-Fi without the hardship
Review: True science fiction at its best, this book stretches known science to its farthest reaching limits and through it all keeps things plausible. As a student of Paleoanthropology this book was particulary interesting in its dealing with "The Missing Link" problem. But there's no need to be a science expert to read this book. G.B. does a great job laying out the basics in theory without stepping out of the story. Some may be inspired to do a bit of research on whats really been found out from The Human Genome Project, but thats just because this book is SO convincing. Truely Flawess... except that it really wants a sequel!
Rating:
Summary: Exon outbreak
Review: Greg Bear (Moving Mars, Foundation and Chaos)again engages the reader in a saga where even the movers and shakers are moved and shaken by larger than life events. A molecular biologist, a renegade archaeologist and a CDC virus hunter try to keep their heads when all around them are losing theirs and blaming it on them. Is it a new retroviral sexually transmitted disease that is spreading throughout the world or is it something more fundamental, some feature of the human genome that has suddenly been activated? Part of the fascination of this book is the way in which Bear, through the myriad efforts of his characters, reveals the astonishing possiblity that, genetically, we aren't quite what we think we are. The characters are well drawn and the science does not seem to be negated by the recently published maps of the human genome. An excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Shaky ending
Review: "Darwin's Radio" grips you from the start and holds on until an unfortunately anticlimatic conclusion. The characters are well drawn and diverse, and the plot moves along at a brisk pace. The evolutionary science that serves as the premise of the novel is speculative, but not beyond the realm of belief. Furthermore, it serves to make the book one of the more original I have encountered. However, as I mentioned, the ending is something of a let down. It is overly rushed, and doesn't really offer anything in the way of resolution. That said, this is still and enjoyable piece of hard SF. With a better ending I would have given it five stars, but it is still well worth reading.
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