Rating:  Summary: No Elixir for me! Review: This is a book filled with intrigue, desire, hope, loss, action, and I couldn't put it down. In the classic style of John Grisham, this story won't let you go. You feel the fear and exhilaration, panic, and excitement of a family with no true identity because they are on the run. I also discovered that I would never take Elixir, even though it would heal my back -- the price is too steep. I read this book in one day, and look forward to the next Gary Braver novel. It's a golden book, and you won't go wrong taking this journey into Neverland.
Rating:  Summary: Elixer Review: Elixer... The best thriller in a long time. The suspense and plot twists kept me up late into the evening. Couldn't put it down. The character development was rich and full. I hated to see this tale of moral intrigue, greed and redemption end. Please do yourself a favor and pick up Elixer, by Gary Braver. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:  Summary: connection Review: In today's modern bestsellers it is hard to find an author who connects with his audience through the actions and thoughts of his characters better than Gary Braver. In a literary time of wild sci-fi thrillers and seemingly clued-in mystery novels, it is refreshing to read a novel that allows for a combination between high drama and action as well as a clue into the minds of the characters. Braver's style is a true tribute to the east coast, and i look forward to reading more of his novels in the future
Rating:  Summary: Think it'd be neat to live forever? Review: Lots of guys write books about big themes. Plenty of writers can tell a story. Gary Braver does both, a real accomplishment It's easy to see that Gary Braver teaches creative writing - he does some things that every novelist would do well to emulate - he puts his characters in big trouble and just keeps piling it on. Every character has thick spider web links with all the other characters. Best of all, normal people find themselves in situations where they do abnormal things. He plays the "what if?" game over and over - what if Elixir's hero is shown an immortality plant while bio-prospecting in New Guinea? What if he tries to synthesize it? What if, what if, what if? Think it'd be neat to live forever? Read Elixir. And take one of Braver's writing courses - the only way Elixir-challenged folks like us will live forever will by writing books that last
Rating:  Summary: Bravo for Braver Review: I totally enjoyed this exciting, thought provoking novel. It has a "little bit of something" for everyone. When (not if) this gets made into a movie, I know my husband and I will be first in line. "Elixir" is heavy enough to make you think, while light enough to let you escape from the ordinary, every day routines of life. Woven within a biotech, Sci Fi thriller are many incredible (and anything but Sci Fi) everlasting love stories. I look forward to seeing it become an awesome special FX, blockbuster movie, and I impatiently await future works from Mr. Braver. You have to read this BOOK!
Rating:  Summary: What is forever? Review: In a rain forest in Papua, New Guinea, Christopher Bacon is given a rare orchid to use in his research for a cancer-killing agent. However, while this flower can be used to create an elixir that stops cancer cells from replicating, it also restores the body to a younger, healthier state -- which can last for centuries -- and experience none of the maladies associated with old age. Gary Braver addresses the social, psychological, religious, political, and medical aspects of the question that humankind has pondered for centuries. Would you live forever if you could? What happens to a family when one person says yes and the other no? Chris and his wife Wendy are accused of mass murder and they are on the run. Becoming Roger and Laura Glover, their baby son grows up under the belief that he is Brett and has no other family than his parents. They hide under secret identities and teach their son to never lie -- then he learns of their deceit. Plans for escape and new identities are always worked out carefully, years in advance; but even the best of plans have unexpected events. Elixir is a thriller. It starts a little slow, much like a roller coaster being pulled to the top of the first hill; then rushes through ups, downs, twists, and turns for the ride that will not disappoint you! Enjoy a plot filled with industrial espionage, murder, fanaticism, greed, wealth, secret identities, and personal histories that reveal the life and character of these very human people and their emotions. It was worth five stars to me. Now who is making the movie? I will be there to watch it....
Rating:  Summary: A real nail biter! Review: Extremely suspenseful! Enjoyed this book more than any other in the last 2 years.
Rating:  Summary: Great Story! Great Writing! Review: I had the good fortune to get Gary Braver's ELIXIR for my birthday. And am I glad. I am thoroughly impressed with Braver's writing. Even though this is a bio-medical thriller, Braver has the dark imagination and terrific story-telling capacity of Dean Koontz and Stephen King. There is some really fine writing in this book, and some twists I never saw coming. I literally could not put the book down. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers--medical, psychological, or otherwise.
Rating:  Summary: A Rare Treat Review: I'm not a woman who ordinarily reads biotech thrillers, but I bought this one because I had heard it was above the standard fare. I was also intrigued by the subject matter--discovery of a fountain of youth serum. Wow!! What a delightful surprise. This is one of those rare books that is so engaging and fast moving that you can't stop reading, yet so well-written that you want to cut your pace and savor the prose. More than that, the characters are so sharply drawn that I missed them when the book was over. For me, Gary Braver's Elixir was a rare treat. Can't wait for his next one.
Rating:  Summary: Be Preared to Consider Your Own Mortality! Review: As an avid reader of medical mystery/thrillers, ELIXIR rates at the top of my favorites list. Long after memories of other novels I've read have faded, this book will continue to make a lasting impression on me. The concept of longevity is endlessly fascinating, and Gary Braver presents thought-provoking questions surrounding the ethics versus practical aspects of this issue. The reader finds himself/herself immersed in the action-oriented plot, in which the central character handles the implications of his potentially dangerous discovery in a sensitive and realistic way. What helped to set this novel apart from others I have read is the skillful manor in which the author involves the reader in the riveting drama and makes it impossible for him/her to avoid imagining himself/herself dealing with the same fates as the characters. The surprising twist at the end of the book prompted me to do some inner-self searching about my values regarding the length and quality of my own life. ELIXIR has all the elements of a superb read: an edge-of-your-seat plot, nonstop action, mystery, romance, and sensitive portrayal of realistic characters, with the added fascination of imagining... "what if this could really happen?! " "Would I want it to?!" I look forward to Gary Braver's next novel, and hope he continues to contribute his high quality writing for years to come.
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