The Calypso Directive by Brian Andrews
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| The Calypso Directive: A NovelBy: Brian Andrews Published by: Arcade Publishing ISBN: 1611454948 Author’s Website: Format of Review Copy: Hardback |
Synopsis (from Amazon):
An unprecedented genetic mutation, an underground think tank, and an unscrupulous pharmaceutical company collide in this dazzling debut thriller. For one hundred and fifty-five days, Will Foster has been locked in medical quarantine without his consent. The doctors claim he is infected with a deadly virus, but this is a lie. Encoded in his DNA is a mutation that provides immunity from disease for all who possess it, source code that Vyrogen Pharmaceuticals aims to commercialize as a multi-billion dollar gene therapy. Against all odds, Foster escapes his laboratory prison and steals a virulent strain of bubonic plague as insurance. To help him unravel the mystery inside him, Foster contacts the only person he can trust–a former lover and microbiologist living in Vienna– and the two become fugitives, hunted across the heart of Europe. Under the guise of averting a plague pandemic, Vryogen hires an elite, underground Think Tank to track down Foster. But when the team sets a trap for Foster, they discover they’re not the only ones in the hunt. In a race against two deadly assassins, can the brilliant minds of the Think Tank unravel the truth before time runs out for their quarry? In a novel where conscience clashes with greed, loyalty with suspicion, and paranoia with reality, THE CALYPSO DIRECTIVE deftly explores the issues of genetic exploitation and piracy. Captivating, controversial, and courageous, Andrews debut is sure to thrill and leave you wondering what secrets are locked in your DNA.
My Thoughts:
The Calypso Directive by Brian Andrews is a story about a guy, who basically gets kidnapped by this big pharmaceutical company because his genes could unlock the cure to many diseases. The story idea is great, and lets be real here – believable. I could totally see a huge corporation kidnapping someone if it could potentially make them BILLIONS (yes, with a B) of dollars. There is so much action and mystery in this book, literally page after page. I don’t recall, not even once – thinking there was a lull in the story.
So, if the story is that great – why’d it take me almost a month to read it?
Well, a few things. For one: the medical jargon was so over my head (and went for full pages at some points). My eyes literally glazed over and I started seeing the words “blah blah blah”. I would be lying if I said I didn’t skip a paragraph here or there. It was just too much for me. All I needed to know was the basics, you know? I didn’t care about all the science stuff – get back to telling the story! What happens next?! The second: and probably the biggie for me – I just didn’t care about the main character at ALL. Not even in the end.
There are different types of stories, character driven or plot driven. I never realized how much of a character driven reader I am. Lucky for me, even though I didn’t care about the main character, I found some characters to like. In this book there are the “good guys” the “bad guys” and then the “REALLY bad guys”. As much as I didn’t care for the “good guys”…I LOVED the “bad guys” (NOT to be confused with the “REALLY BAD GUYS”.) lol…
My reading updates from goodreads:
In Conclusion:
Because I took so long to connect to any of the characters, this book was just an “ok” read for me. It wasn’t horrible, and it wasn’t amazing. I would recommend it to my reading friends who enjoy more plot driven stories with a lot of ACTION and a lot of science/medical type talk. Think Robin Cook plus Clive Cussler. If that’s your thing, than this book is for you!
Mom Notes:
Contains language and violence (abductions, beatings, etc)
Extras:
Read Chapter 1 for FREE here: http://www.novel.calypsodirective.com/#!__read