The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan
- Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher.
- Published by: William Morrow
- Release Date: 7.9.2013
Dr. Kate Philo and her scientific exploration team make a breathtaking discovery in the Arctic: the body of a man buried deep in the ice. As a scientist in a groundbreaking project run by the egocentric and paranoid Erastus Carthage, Kate has brought small creatures-plankton, krill, shrimp-”back to life.” Never have the team’s methods been attempted on a large life form.
Heedless of the consequences, Carthage orders that the frozen man be brought back to the lab in Boston, and reanimated. As the man begins to regain his memories, the team learns that he was-is-a judge, Jeremiah Rice, and the last thing he remembers is falling overboard into the Arctic Ocean in 1906. When news of the Lazarus Project and Jeremiah Rice breaks, it ignites a media firestorm and massive protests by religious fundamentalists.
Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, Kate and Jeremiah grow closer. But the clock is ticking and Jeremiah’s new life is slipping away. With Carthage planning to exploit Jeremiah while he can, Kate must decide how far she is willing to go to protect the man she has come to love.
A gripping, poignant, and thoroughly original thriller, Stephen Kiernan’s provocative debut novel raises disturbing questions about the very nature of life and humanity-man as a scientific subject, as a tabloid plaything, as a living being: A curiosity.
The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan is the story of a fantastic, scientific breakthrough as told through the eyes of four people: the investor, the scientist, the reporter, and finally … the experiment. Three of these four elements made this book a really fantastic read, while one of them simply seemed to just take up space. Which do you think it was?
The experiment: Buried in hard ice, a human body has been recovered and now, through the miracle of science (and perhaps playing on those cryogenic ideas we all know and love) he has been revived, but for how long? The experiment faces controversy, of course – Stephen Kiernan taking a page out of the Westboro Baptist Church pickets and placing a well-organized, politically-rooted group outside of the building protesting the nerve of science playing “God.” But the experiment is more than the reincarnation of a Lazarus-type, it’s a look at the morality of science – if we create or revive life, what rights does that lifeform have? I really enjoyed the point of view of the frozen man and thought it provoked some interesting questions.
The reporter: Complete and total trashy-minded reporter. I was a tad annoyed with being inside this characters head. Daniel Dixon played a vital role throughout the book with key questions and the threads necessary to bring a story together, but I was annoyed by the stereo-typical behavior being portrayed. Dixon shows a complete disregard and lack of respect for women (seriously, I don’t need to be constantly reminded of how nice Dr. Kate Philo’s butt looks) and was out for his own gain, which isn’t a bad thing but reporters really did get a bad rap in this book based on that character. Still, he wasn’t the worst and the character definitely provided texture for the story.
The scientist: I really enjoyed Kate’s character. Faced with demons from her own past, Kate is determined to position herself in a place where she can have first contact with the recovered man. She showed an intense love of science and interest in humanity over experiments that was refreshing to see throughout the course of the book, especially considering those she was surrounded by. Still, it is inevitable when you throw a female scientist together with a reanimated man from the past that a romance springs up – but in spite of this cliche, I found it to be tastefully done and not an “in your face” romance like most books of this sort tend to do.
The investor: I thought this character was worthless. In fact, his point of view seems to show up less and less throughout the book (although, maybe that was my complete indifference toward him). I could not find anything worthwhile about what he had to say and thought that the author might have made a better choice by showcasing Carthage through the eyes of his assistant instead.
Overall, I think the description of Michael Crichton meets Time Traveler’s Wife is an apt one. I was reminded a few times of movies I’ve seen where men from the past appear in the present, but at no point did the story seem repetitive to me. I think fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife would thoroughly enjoy this new book by Kiernan and I know I’ll be on the lookout for more to come.
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