readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
In the early 1900s, a man named Jeremiah Rice falls off a ship and is assumed drowned. Over a hundred years later, scientists chip their way into an iceberg and discover his frozen corpse. Then they slowly thaw him out, hook him up to a bunch of electrodes, shock the bejesus out of him, and he miraculously comes back to life. Now tell me that’s not a book you want to read! Right?!?!
(In the book, all these events are related in a much more scientific and accurate manner. I’m simply trying to hit the highlights of the premise to create a buzz.)
The story is a great example of science accelerating faster than ethics. Who had time before reanimating a 100-year-old man to ask questions, anyway? Who cares if he doesn’t want to be reawakened? Why would it matter that his entire family is now dead? And the most pressing question, how long exactly will this second chance at life last?
Narration rotates between characters, chapter by chapter. One perspective is that of Dr. Kate Philo, a researcher on the team that finds the frozen man, who eventually falls in love with him. Another narrator is Erastus Carthage, the egomaniacal and tyrannical leader of the aptly, if self-importantly, named Lazarus Project. We also get the dubious honor of being inside the head of Daniel Dixon, a sloppy, horny, cowardly small-time journalist who is covering the story of the reanimated man. His chapters are cringeworthy, completely over-the-top in making certain we know he is an irredeemable scumbag. Finally, we also get the unique perspective of the frozen man himself, Jeremiah Rice, antiquated turns of phrase and all.
Of course, the experiment skids out of control quickly, pretty much as soon as Rice decides to live as a man and not a research subject. Carthage is unable to see him as anything but a lab rat, while Kate is crushing so hard, she’s forgotten she was ever in this for the science. Dixon, after some aimless douchebaggery, eventually creates genuine suspense with his quest to expose the secrets of the project.
Bottom line: Read this book, and then make arrangements to have yourself cryogenically frozen, because hey, you never know.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
(In the book, all these events are related in a much more scientific and accurate manner. I’m simply trying to hit the highlights of the premise to create a buzz.)
The story is a great example of science accelerating faster than ethics. Who had time before reanimating a 100-year-old man to ask questions, anyway? Who cares if he doesn’t want to be reawakened? Why would it matter that his entire family is now dead? And the most pressing question, how long exactly will this second chance at life last?
Narration rotates between characters, chapter by chapter. One perspective is that of Dr. Kate Philo, a researcher on the team that finds the frozen man, who eventually falls in love with him. Another narrator is Erastus Carthage, the egomaniacal and tyrannical leader of the aptly, if self-importantly, named Lazarus Project. We also get the dubious honor of being inside the head of Daniel Dixon, a sloppy, horny, cowardly small-time journalist who is covering the story of the reanimated man. His chapters are cringeworthy, completely over-the-top in making certain we know he is an irredeemable scumbag. Finally, we also get the unique perspective of the frozen man himself, Jeremiah Rice, antiquated turns of phrase and all.
Of course, the experiment skids out of control quickly, pretty much as soon as Rice decides to live as a man and not a research subject. Carthage is unable to see him as anything but a lab rat, while Kate is crushing so hard, she’s forgotten she was ever in this for the science. Dixon, after some aimless douchebaggery, eventually creates genuine suspense with his quest to expose the secrets of the project.
Bottom line: Read this book, and then make arrangements to have yourself cryogenically frozen, because hey, you never know.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
kdaven8's review against another edition
3.0
I was expecting the author to tie this story up with a better ending.
tmcwilliams0's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
emilyanne29's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't like jumping from person to person each chapter. I spent too much time trying to remember who was narrating the chapter.
Overall I thought it could have been much better. I think there was too much time spent talking about Kate's ass and her lack of relationships. Turning the whole thing into a stupid love story was just silly. Focus on the moral, ethical, and legal aspects. There wasn't one character I cared for or about.
Overall I thought it could have been much better. I think there was too much time spent talking about Kate's ass and her lack of relationships. Turning the whole thing into a stupid love story was just silly. Focus on the moral, ethical, and legal aspects. There wasn't one character I cared for or about.
kimberly_b's review against another edition
2.0
If I could describe The Curiosity in one sentence it would be: It's not as good as it sounds.
The premise of this novel was way more interesting than Kiernan's actual execution of it. You would think a story about a man who was frozen in the Arctic and brought back to life would be compelling, but it wasn't. Too much space was devoted to the ethical questions surrounding reanimating someone (who clearly couldn't give consent), and not enough time was devoted to fleshing out the characters. I didn't connect with any of them, and I didn't find the romantic storyline believable. The dialogue in the book was so stilted and dull; that was one of it's main problems, IMO.
I really debated between 1 and 2 stars...I'm rating it 1.5, rounded to 2. I can't say I'd recommend this to anyone.
The premise of this novel was way more interesting than Kiernan's actual execution of it. You would think a story about a man who was frozen in the Arctic and brought back to life would be compelling, but it wasn't. Too much space was devoted to the ethical questions surrounding reanimating someone (who clearly couldn't give consent), and not enough time was devoted to fleshing out the characters. I didn't connect with any of them, and I didn't find the romantic storyline believable. The dialogue in the book was so stilted and dull; that was one of it's main problems, IMO.
I really debated between 1 and 2 stars...I'm rating it 1.5, rounded to 2. I can't say I'd recommend this to anyone.
kristenmccon's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable read and well-imagined story, also brings up some thought provoking topics. Clever mix of science fiction, suspense, romance, and humor. Such very different characters, and I found all of them interesting and believable. Should make a great movie, looking forward to seeing it some day.
nhoff's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the premise but the writing style and various viewpoints didn't work for me. The only character I was interested in hearing from was Philo. The other characters were flat and uninteresting to the point that I wasn't willing to even skim over or slog through their chapters to get the gist of that section of the story. I wish I could have liked it better because the premise, along with all the ethics concerns it raises, which the book seems prepared to explore, interested me a great deal.
mazza57's review against another edition
5.0
what a fabulous book. A very different and individual story line that starts out being about the edges of science but becomes a book about humanity and how to live the human life. In some ways it reminds me of the premise of [b:Sophie's World|10959|Sophie's World|Jostein Gaarder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343459906s/10959.jpg|4432325] in that both books encourage curiosity and examination of things that cannot be seen. There is a lot of literary concept and word examination in amongst a riveting story.
I would recommend this book highly
I would recommend this book highly