Thursday, October 15, 2009

Book review for Mutation

"Somehow she would have to face this last demon child, and with Joe's help, end forever the nightmare that her husband had begun."

These were the words of Marsha Frank, thinking of the experiment that her husband, Frank, had done at his laboratory, that had caused her son, along with several other children to become geniuses. Unfortunately, this also caused them to become so smart that the children were able to realize how much they could accomplish, and they would take out anybody who tried to get in their way. Mutation is the story of what happens to the Franks when they bring home their new baby, whom they call VJ, after his father Victor Sr., and the events that happen during the next few years. After the death of the Frank's first child, David, and their maid, the Frank's life seems to settle down for a time, until many seemingly unconnected events begin occurring. Mutation captivated me with its realism and also scared me as I thought about how, with all the advancements in technology, this story could actually happen.

In Mutation, the characters are easily one of the best parts of the book. Each character has their own unique personality, and the way they interact with each other is extremely believable. VJ has all of the air of an evil genius around him, his father acts like the proud father that every father would act like if his son was a genius, and his mother is uncomfortable with certain aspects of VJ's behavior, just the way he acts and how he seems to have no emotion. All of these aspects give the reader clues often times to the way the story may be going or what may happen next. The way the author has the reader watching the parents as they find out more about VJ, and the different ways they react to what they discover, gives the book an air of mystery. I found myself not liking VJ and being a little creeped out by him and his plans for science. An author who can actually elicit emotional responses from the reader shows a good author, in my opinion.

A theme from this book that I interpreted was that, even though we may have the ability to alter and modify the human body to how we think it should be, should we? This issue has affected the lawmaking system many times and this book shows how doing this could affect the humanity of a person. This book could very well come true, and unlike the sci fi stories people read and then go and report seeing aliens in their backyard, the situation in Mutation could very well happen. It really makes the reader think, and some people may disagree with me but I think that some of the best books that I've ever read have made me think other than the time that I've been reading the book.

In conclusion, if you like a well written book that will make you think or if you are a biology nerd like me who wants to read an entertaining book, Mutation is a good choice. This book will keep the reader interested and entertained throughout the book. As the saying goes, "This will keep the midnight oil burning", or electricity or whatever you may use to make light to read by. If Mutation is put on your to read list, I doubt that you will be disappointed by it.

338 pages

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