Genome

This book is set In a futuristic world where parents can pay for the fetuses to be "specialized." Master pilot Alex, lands a dream job as the captain and pilot of a shuttle. After selecting his own crew, he learns that the shuttle is a sightseeing shuttle for those of alien races. The majority of his crew has a problem with the alien races, and they are forced to work together. Throughout the book the concept of freedom is debated, can you really be free if you are pre-programmed for certain tasks?

This was an interesting world with interesting characters. I thought the overall concept was original and well written. It did take forever to get to the real plot of the book. Once they got there, everything was wrapped up fairly quickly. I show more do think the author should have let the reader in on the investigation a little bit more. Despite these flaws, I would pick up another book in the series. Overall, a good read. show less

This review originally appeared on gnomereviews.ca.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

This book is set in the far future, and follows the adventures of Alex Romanov. Alex, like many people in this future world, was genetically enhanced while still in the womb, making him a “spesh”. These enhancements made him a master pilot, or “pilot spesh.” He becomes the captain of a space ship, has some adventures, and then gets caught up in a very suspenseful murder mystery.

Early in the story, Alex meets a young girl named Kim and helps her through her metamorphosis, a very painful procedure that all speshes have to go through to become adults. They become friends, and when Alex becomes captain of a space ship, he hires Kim show more as a part of the crew. Her specializations are fighting (useful) and sex (creepy, since she is only 14).

Kim’s young age is disturbing, and unnecessary. There was no reason (other than shock appeal, perhaps) to make her so young. At many points in history, a girl Kim’s age would be considered a grown woman, but the gnomes expect more of the far future.

Other women aren’t treated well, either. Janet, a highly trained woman with 5 specializations (doctor, gunner, linguist, executioner and junior pilot), is forced to bring drinks and snacks to the men on the crew. Alex has this to say about the situation: “Had Janet been a feminist, no one could have gotten her into a kitchen, even at gunpoint.” He makes similar statements throughout the book about other female characters, but since this entire book is one long, male fantasy, he still gets to sleep with all of them.

Casual sexism isn’t the only problem with this book. Janet is constantly referred to as “the black woman” or “the black lady,” and no other character’s race is mentioned.

The far future of The Genome is a disappointing throwback to the past in other ways, too. Everyone smokes, and they smoke a lot, which is an unlikely prediction. Cigarette smoking has been declining for years, and the author never explains why the people of the future have had such a surprising change of heart. Just as jarring, Alex rides a train that only travels at 40 mph and looks up information on the ‘infonet'; surely, a world with interplanetary colonization can also make some other improvements?

Overall, this book had an interesting premise and a promising plot line, but the casual sexism and racism will ruin the book for many readers.

Rating: 1 Gnome out of 5 show less

The Genome caught my attention with its name, since I am a molecular biologist who has worked with several genomes in the past. The science fiction aspect of the story in The Genome, in addition to the space dwelling human and Other empires, is well fleshed out. It should be said that some aspects of enhancing humans by reprogramming their genetic material at puberty is simply impossible due to physical and molecular constraints, some depicted in the novel are plausible (though very far away from what we can achieve today). So I don’t expect superhuman-powered speshes to populate the universe anytime soon (certainly not in mid-21st century), but it is an exciting and interesting premise for a novel.

The story follows the adventures of show more Alex Romanov, a master-pilot spesh, who is discharged from the hospital on an industrial planet after a work accident that cut him in two. Right out of the hospital, Alex’s life gets complicated, where he helps a girl escape from some thugs, and protects her while she goes through a complicated metamorphosis (indicating that she too is a spesh). Having been forced to find a new job right away, Ale accepts the captain position in a firm he has never heard of before flying a nice vessel for a good salary for an unknown purpose.

The setup is rather mysterious and engaging. Alex has his doubts about the job he has acquired, simply to have the money the salary was offering so that he can help the girl. His doubts multiply as he hires a new crew, each member possessing some impressive skills and some quirks that make him worry. The plot thickens as things seem better than he had hoped (turns out they are going to carry alien races for tourism purposes), but complications multiply still.

And then… And then the space sci-fi adventure turns into a classic whodunit, complete with Sherlock Holmes! This was rather unexpected, and I believe makes the book rather unique in the genre. On the one hand, Sherlock in space seems rather odd, on the other, it works well, because all the elements of a classic “impossible” crime is well laid out: confined location (spaceship), a brutal murder, each and every person on board a suspect with good motives, many secrets… The switch to classic mystery type plot in the middle was a bit of a shock, but in the end, I liked it (somewhat like Firefly, where the concept of cowboys in space seems weird at first, but works in the end).

Character development is another story, and perhaps the reason why I would rate the novel a 3.5/5 and not higher. I understand that Lukyanenko explicitly declares that he will not attempt to be politically correct. And he is Russian, so if we are to impose on him the prejudices he finds easy to write with, we would not expect him to be politically correct, anyway. So when the sexy white girl is petite and described repeatedly as a nymphet, and the sexy black woman is rather aggressive and “voluptuous,” when he (through the main character, Alex) comments on how feminists would never work in the kitchen to serve food for others, when he allows the only unlikeably bitchy character on board to be the only gay man, and then he turns him straight… Well, we are reminded that he knows all of this is on purpose, may offend others, and he is nor apologizing for it. Good for him! I wasn’t offended by any of this, but I did wonder if Lukyanenko can write any other way than sounding like a typical heterosexist Russian male (complete with the soft, rather hapless inside, affable likability, and a desperate need to be loved). Perhaps we’ll find out in the future. Until then, I am not judging either way. (I have not read Night Watch and Day Watch, but I have seen the films, which probably do the books no justice, and do not give me any real idea about his writing style.)

Beyond Alex, the other characters are mostly rudimentary. Kim and Janet, the female sex partners of Alex (and others) are probably the second most developed characters in the book. Considering that some key developments will require the reader to understand how things came to be, the lack of character development for some characters was not something that thrilled me. Edgar, perhaps the most intriguing character in the novel, was developed somewhat better, but the complete character switch halfway through the story was a bit unrealistic, though Lukyanenko tries to explain this in the plot.

Some would say the main story of the novel is about being human. More specifically, about the role our ability to fall in love plays in being human. There are many monologs, via Alex and the narration, about love, falling in love, what love requires, how it is not to be able to fall in love, what could substitute for love, what, if anything, could oppose love, who would benefit from not being able to love anyone. In addition to the discussion of love, there is plenty of philosophizing about the difference between master and slave, and how, genetically programming humans so they cannot do certain things and can only do other things may turn them into slaves. Some of the more minor concerns discussed include moral implication of cloning and consent.

In general, these themes and ideas were more successful in dialog form than in long monolog form. Lukyanenko does both, mostly relying on monologs in Alex’s head about the nature of love and being human, and on dialogs between characters about clones, slavery, and consent. The ending is interesting, though a bit open-ended, in this regard, where Alex claims he has fallen in love with Dr. Watson (though, going back to character development, it is impossible to really see how he was able to fall in love with her, unless he is just in love with her looks, because we know almost nothing about her, except for the fact that she is nice and smart. Perhaps that’s all Alex needs to fall in love, or perhaps he thinks he is in love… It is more believable that Dr. Watson has fallen in love with Alex, since she had ample time to study him, learn everything about him, and obsess about him during the murder investigation.) We do not know if Alex has gained the ability to love despite his spesh abilities, or if he is not as spesh as before, or what.

As this was a translated work, I will have to say something about the language. For the most part, the translation reads smoothly. Some things that bothered me were clearly based on the way Lukyanenko writes (a few stream-of-consciousness sentences in the middle of a larger paragraph, the overwhelming usage of “rainbow” especially in the beginning of the novel, some repetitive clichés) and not the translation. Two things stuck out that may be related to translation: “s/he started” and “rejoined.” These seem archaic usages that are not common in English today, and they read awkwardly in the text. A few places could have been trimmed for a better, tighter translation (easier said than done!) despite the fact that the original was probably not edited to be tight either. Lukyanenko also has a propensity to tell rather than show, but this is typical of sci-fi and fantasy writing, so I cannot complain too much.

Overall, The Genome was an engaging, fun read with some surprises, mostly due to style than plot twists. Coming back to the name of the book, I think The Genome fits the bill well, but an equally good argument could be made for “Sherlock in Space!”

Thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for a free digital copy of the book for my honest review. show less

Ultimately this was an enjoyable “space opera”/ mystery. The characters were well developed and likeable, and the plot was interesting. A nice story about an injured space pilot returning to the workforce after his recovery. He rescues a young girl on the street and helps her through her metamorphosis (a time when the genetic specializations that your parents chose for you kick in – similar to puberty but worse.) Most humans by this time have genetic specializations which prepare them with genetic skills to perform specific jobs. Alex Romanov is a pilot spesh – he is uniquely equipped to pilot spaceships. Kim the girl he rescues appears to be a fighter spesh making her capable of bodyguard and fighting capabilities.
As Alex show more becomes a master-pilot of the spaceship “Mirror” he chooses a crew of interesting characters and they are off into space. Their mission is to provide transportation to an Others (aliens) tourism company. This provides a number of uncomfortable situations since some of the crew have serious objections to the Others and the clone who is their escort as well as problems with the planets they will be visiting. This provides for an interesting background for the story to move in.
I was enjoying it and had recommended it to some friends as a cool space story, when about midway through the book the author got off on a tangent. He got into Kim’s specializations which were much more than just fighter spesh, she is also a hetaera, which is sort of a nymphomaniac. She is in love with Alex because she imprinted on him during her change, but pilot-speshes are incapable of love. The author implies that the only recreation during space travel is sex – amongst the crew or in virtual reality. I was very disappointed that he spent so much time focused on this tangent as the rest of the storyline had me hooked, because by this time there was a murder on board. The other predictable part was the detective who came on board was a clone who acted like he was Sherlock Holmes.
The story was enjoyable and had a satisfying ending. I would have enjoyed it more without all the promiscuity. I received a copy of this ebook through Netgalley. show less

Pros: interesting & diverse characters, solid world-building, some thought provoking philosophy

Cons: several highly disturbing (though not graphic) scenes, Lolita style relationship

Five months after a devastating accident that physically cut him in half, Alexander Romanov is released from the hospital. With little money and no plans, he encounters a young girl nearing her spesh metamorphosis and - due to the programming inherent in his pilot spesh - has to help her out. He takes a job as a ship captain to help pay for the treatment she needs and, once she’s done her metamorphosis, assembles a crew for an unknown mission.

The book is split into three sections. The first section introduces the characters, the second deals with the show more fallout of discovering their mission, and the third revolves around a mystery. While I really enjoyed the first two parts, the third got irritating as two of the characters claim to have solved the mystery but refuse to explain what happened, presumably so the reader has time to put the clues together. It felt artificial, though there is a reason given for their delay in the text. The resolution was interesting as it referred back to several of the philosophical questions the book as a whole posed.

The world-building in this book is solid. There are four groups at play: 1. Natural, unmodified humans 2. Speshs, people whose parents decide before birth what specialized job their child should have, and are then genetically modified physically and psychologically to do the work and enjoy it. 3. Clones. And 4. the Others, several alien races that have interactions with humans. You’ll also encounter human politics, with a child Emperor, various religions (and religious extremism), numerous branches of racism, etc. Different planets have different specialties, atmospheres, and customs, while travel between planets is done using hyper-tunnels and takes a surprisingly short amount of time.

For the most part I liked all the characters, at the beginning at least. The captain’s a great POV character. I love his demon tattoo (and what it does for him), and the way he analyses his world, questioning the way things are, even when he’s ok with the way things are. Kim’s a great character, though I did have issues with her… relationship with the captain (and others, as her being 14 and having sex with people significantly older wasn’t something I’m comfortable with, even if the characters - for the most part - considered it normal, or at least, not unusual). Her specializations made her self-assured, despite her lack of experience. Janet was my favourite character until the half-way point when her upbringing came to the fore. I liked that she’d taken charge of her life, getting several specializations and was willing to be a mentor for Kim.

The one character I didn’t much like was Puck. His antagonistic attitude and desire to prove that a natural human could be just as good as a spesh made him kind of irritating. I did, however, appreciate that he was gay and that his being natural showed off the prejudices of his crewmates.

This is a book that makes you think, though some of the scenes that open the way to philosophical discussion are disturbing to say the least. While nothing’s particularly graphic there are mentions of rape, slavery, and war. I could easily see this being put on university reading lists and/or used for book clubs, as there are some very interesting essay and discussion topics brought up, particularly around genetic modifications and freedom. So, for example, as disturbing as I found the hunting scene, I did appreciate the questions about class, ethics and humanity that the captain ruminated on that arose from it.

In addition to her relationships, I had a few issues with what happened to Kim at the end of the book.

I’m not sure I would want to read it again, but it was an interesting, if somewhat uncomfortable, book to read. show less

Странный мир будущего - мир, где люди еще от рождения программируются под профессионалов-"спецов". Странный контракт молодого спеца-капитана - слишком привлекательный, чтобы не таить в себе каких-то скрытых "но". Странный экипаж летящего к звездам корабля - экипаж, который выглядит набранным случайно, но в случайности этой, похоже, есть некая загадочная система. Все ждут. Что-то должно случится… И случается. show more Что-то страшное. И совсем не то, чего ждали… show less

DISCLAIMER: Other than Watch series I've never really liked any other book by Lukyanenko that much, never more then 3/5 stars. So its quite possible that I am just not the target group.

I was really enthusiastic about this book - I basically never buy books because of their short description on back cover but this time I made an exception. Genetics, detective story and Sherlock Holmes in a single book is a wet dream. Unfortunately Holmes plays a very little role near the end of the book and the genetics is... its basically absurdly exaggerated because author wants to make an philosophical argument via society where people are genetically preprogrammed to fulfill a certain role/job/etc.

I would not mind to this 'simplification' of show more everything in order to present a philosophical argument but its just not.. interesting? I guess that's what I don't really like about Lukyananko - he always sacrifices depth of characters and plot to some sort of philosophical side which is way too foggy or too obvious, or maybe even.. lacking in quality.

So unless you are a fan of other Lukyanenko book than Watch series and therefore you know what to expect I cannot recommend this book at all, and especially not for those what are reading this review lured by the thrilling mix of hi-tech future and detective story. Its just not about it at all. show less