Rating: 
Summary: creative, believable and terrifying
Review: Darwin's Radio is a pleasure for someone who loves hard science fiction, as I do. Here's the premise: SHEVA, a retrovirus long-buried in our genes, suddenly awakens and begins to attack pregnant women, forcing them to miscarry after three months. But that's just the beginning - after the miscarriage, these same women spontaneously become pregnant again, this time developing a fetus that's not quite human. The federal government, led by the science establishment, after first denying the truth, then begins pressing parents to turn over their strange children to the government.This premise just blew my mind; it's creative, believable and terrifying. The science was complex and I referred to the glossary, included at the back of the book, several times. As I progressed through the pages, I was reminded of Beggars in Spain, Nancy Kress's wonderful story. Both novels explore the rapid evolution of humanity into another species, although Greg Bear, unlike Kress, makes humanity involuntary travelers on the journey. My major complaint is the slow pace. Too much time was spent on a romance between the two major characters. Even more frustrating was the endless politics between and among the scientific community and their patrons. Although Darwin's Radio is science fiction and not a techno-thriller, more action - yes, a little violence, too - would have strengthened the brew. The bottom line: a slightly flawed but thought-provoking tale.
Rating: 
Summary: Wasted a great theme!
Review: I had never read Greg Bear before. So I was excited and ready for the experience of this writer and, it started very good. However once he got into the characters it began to fall apart. Especially the diolog between Mitch and Kay was very amateurish. Conversations between the scientists were not realistic. At the top of all this the turn of the events and the agenda (far from science) that the author was trying to sneak in became obvious. What could be a exciting page turner evolved into a "can't wait to finish" kind of a nuisance. Although it was not waste of my time, it was the waste of an excellent theme by the author. A very interesting subject was being squandered by bad writing and shaky science.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much truth, not enough fiction
Review: In Greg Bear's novel DARWIN'S RADIO, the author inundates us (me, anyway) with authentic, thoroughly vetted, detail about retroviruses, bacteria, and the uncharted territory of the human genome. At least, I *think* it's the human genome, that inbetween space where slices of RNA and DNA and proteins recombine and exchange information. It is this exchange of information, however it occurs, that is the primary plot device for this science fiction novel. There is, however, too much detail to be readily assimilated for anyone who is not biologically inclined. The politics of public service is handled in an interesting way, and the extraordinary powers that can be authorized to deal with a public health emergency have always been there. The book was published in September 1999, and antedates the Patriot Act, so its `government run amok' theme falls in the Public Health area, rather acting as a parable about anti-terrorism measures. For a book in which one of the lead characters is an accomplished woman, doing Nobel-Prize-worthy work; which has several African Americans in different roles; where Native American characters assist in the denouement; where all of these notes are nicely sung, it is infuriating that men are invariably titled Dr. So-and-so, and women with advanced degrees are addressed as Ms. It is like the New York Times entitling Dr. Condoleezza Rice, formerly a professor and then a Provost at Stanford University, Ms. Rice. It REALLY grates. Another reviewer noted that there were an awful lot of minor characters that we are supposed to remember. This is where it pays to read a book in an ebook version. In my MobiPocket (TM) version I could search for the first occurrence of a name, which usually involved the basic information about the character and his or her relationship to the main characters. There are a few places where the motivation for a character's actions are inadequately given: the marriage of Mark Augustine is one example--it serves no purpose in this novel; the belief of Dr. Kaye Lang (first introduced as a "medical expert," by the way, although her degree is not given), against scientific knowledge, that *her* child will be OK--and then the child almost isn't, though saved in a `deus ex machina' move. I have to assume that the cellular-level biology has authenticity, because I don't know that field. The author, Bear, does not handle anthropology and archaeology very well; he seems unclear about which of these disciplines is that of Mitch Rafelson. While some aggregate numbers of people affected are sprinkled throughout, Bear does not have any statistical or epidemiological treatment of the numbers involved. Are normal children being born during the time period of the novel, as well as the unusual pregnancies that everyone is so concerned with? We are led to think not, and then suddenly there is one. DARWIN'S RADIO is a complex novel; in spite of the times I had to take a break to play "Jawbreaker" on my Pocket PC--when there was another meeting, even when the meetings turned out to be explosive, and when there was yet another cellular biology lesson--I am glad to have read a novel set in the near future, using existing institutions.
Rating:
Summary: clumsy telling of a fascinating story
Review: The premise for this novel is clever and interesting. The author's research is obviously exhaustive and comprehensive. The telling of the tale, however, is clumsy and tepid. Much of the novel is set during tedious staff meetings where people endlessly chatter and squabble over theories and turf. Much of the drama of this book, if it could be called that, is a bureaucratic tussle between various divisions within NIH and CDC, involving rather uninteresting, one-dimensional characters. There's nothing vesting the reader in most of their petty struggles. The antagonists are amorphous and unengaging. The central two characters are more fully realized; however, they begin to fade as the book progresses. They also take a rather implausible leap of faith, particularly for scientists, that needed a more artful foundation. And their story is often overwhelmed by far, far too many minor characters who seem redundant and unnecessary. The greatest weakness, however, is so much information and backstory crammed in the dialogue. Characters turn into talking heads, spouting information at each other and not engaging in conversation with any sense of verisimilitude. This book could've used a lot more "show" and a lot less "tell."
Rating:
Summary: Bio-science Hugo winner
Review: The concept is good stuff: evolutionary jumps are built into our DNA, triggered by retroviruses (Mad Cow disease is a retrovirus). What happens when the jump is triggered? The science is a bit bewildering, but appears to be thoroughly researched and is reasonable enough. The fiction is good, but not great; I often found myself more interested in the background (the world as effected by the virus) than the foreground (the characters and their story). Despite being "science fiction", the story is set in the present and could easily be classified as "fiction", if it wasn't written by an established sci-fi author. All in all, a definite recommendation. If you like it, there is a sequel "Darwin's Children", which I have not read.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Darwin's Radio
Review: This book was a good book. What did I like about it? I liked the idea of something living inside of us for so long. About how life can change in an instant due to factors that we cannot control. I also like the deep, complicated science part of it. Although, for me, at times it got too complicated. The science talk would slow down the book some but it did add to the book an air of understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, good if your into biological suspense.
Review: Something different I decided to read. The book moves along rather swiftly but really picks up near the end. But it ends very abruptly, obviously setting us up for the sequel. Bear has an interesting take on how evolutionary changes may have originally lead to modern day humans. Unfortunately for me it kind of dragged the same issue along for most of the book, was it a disease or a new phase of human evolution. Lot's of concepts or ideas that were new to me were introduced, such as a phage being a virus that attacks bacteria and might one day lead to new types of antibiotics. I will probably at some point in time pick up Darwin's Children and read it, just to see what happens to Stella. I didn't rate the book very highly because a couple of times I felt like not finishing it. I prefer a book that I can't wait to get back into.
Rating:
Summary: Evolutionary Fairy Tale
Review: For those of you who believe in evolution, this book is a stretch. For those of us who don't, the whole concept is ludicrous. Quite suddenly, the world is faced with a retrovirus called SHEVA that infects pregnant woman causing them to either spontaneously abort or deliver dead babies. It is a public health crisis capable of toppling governments and rending the social fabric. But wait, perhaps SHEVA isn't a virus, but spontaneous evolution (this is a theory to get around the all the missing links in the fossil record). Instead of a gradual change, the evolutionary dynamic takes place in a couple of years. The human genome somehow senses (but this is never really explained) that the human race needs to change into a new species and activates SHEVA worldwide to make it happen. Then there are the dreams about the last time this happened - a kind of mystical element tossed in with all the "hard" science used to make the book. On the plus side, the characters are complex and developed. Mr. Bear envisions a world where social norms begin to breakdown (although I think the breakdown would happen faster and be more severe). If you don't mind mythology dressed up as science, then this is good read.
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas and plot, but overlong and underdeveloped
Review: "Darwin's Radio" is my first experience with sci-fi writer Greg Bear. This book, as I've been told, is a more human and down to Earth story compared to his previous novels. There is a great deal of realism and "current" science, instead of far flung futurism you'll find in many sci-fi novels. Think of "Darwin's Radio" as a cross between Robin Cook's medical thrillers combined with Tom Clancy's ultra modern technology, with a smidgen of political intrigue. The theory of evolution states that organisms develop and improve over long periods of time, adapting and evolving to best suit their living conditions. The common perception places the rate of these changes over periods of millions of years. But what if it happened suddenly? What if, in the course of a single generation, humans evolved from Neanderthals to Homo-sapiens? And what if... another sudden stage of evolution was happening right now? This is the idea Bear puts across in "Darwin's Radio". Neat stuff. The story begins with a Neanderthal man and woman being discovered in a long-buried cave. Their child, found mummified alongside them, is a modern Homo-sapien. At the same time, pregnancies all across the globe are going awry - a gross number of stillbirths, and the stillborn infants don't seem to be human as we know them. The story takes off from there. The characters are well-drawn, from scientist Kaye, discredited archaeologist Mitch, hard-headed government type Augustine, and Dicken, a much more reasonable government type, haha. Plenty of questions are raised about the pregnancies, some debating that it's a disease, others coming to the conclusion that it's a form of evolution. Either way, riots begin in the streets, as angry citizens want a cure and they want answers. Bear's descriptions of genetic science are excellent, and he weaves truth with fiction like a master. There really ARE large sections of human DNA whose functions are unknown, and Bear speculates that they may be a code to evolution. These same ideas can be found in the non-fiction real world, and it's great to see them brought to a novel form. Unfortunately, this novel drags a little, and by "little" I mean a LOT. Halfway through the book, any reader knows what's going to happen, and Bear throws few surprises during the second half. There are many things that could have been expanded upon with this story, too bad it doesn't happen. If the book had been cut by 100 pages, it wouldn't suffer. The book creates great expectations early on, and then runs out of gas. The ending is excellent, but leaves too many points unresolved. This book was above average, but not great. This story is told well, the characterization is excellent, but it drags too much and doesn't capitalize on it's opportunities as much as I expected. "Darwin's Radio" is recommended, but it's close to the borderline. In Amazon terms, I rate it 3 1/2 stars, rounding down to 3.
Rating:
Summary: hard sci-fi for the masses...
Review: This was the first full-length novel I've read from Greg Bear and it is a highly-impressive intro to the author. I appreciated the short chapters and fast-paced movement of the story. The book contains a handful of plot-lines and many worthwhile characters who help advance the story to ever-increasing levels of political and sociological conflicts. The dialogue may have been kinda phony-sounding and weak in some spots, but they adequately get the character's ideas across. Even though the book reads well for one that is 500+ pages long, I felt there could have been at least 100 pages cut out here and there without tampering with the meat of the story. The story however is fascinating if you're interested in human evolution and the politics behind global disease control, but sadly the entire book feels just like a primer for the sequel "Darwin's Children". It seemed like the book was just get started when it ended! Well, I guess that's a good ploy to get me to read part two. And I AM looking forward to it.
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