Godplayer

BOOK: Godplayer

AUTHOR: Robin Cook

This novel was a medical thriller classic. It was interesting & engaging…..two qualities that make a medical thriller work. The gripping ending was well written & the characters captivate the reader. The idea of SSD (Sudden Surgical Death) is well laid out in this book along with many other soul searching questions associated with the medical field. However, the main question put forward in this book is one which is still asked till this day………..who can judge who really requires expensive medical aid of a hospital……..everyone ? even when there are shortage of beds ? even those who we know won’t survive for long ?......who is going to bell the cat…..who is going to play God ?
The story is show more well presented with a lot of heated dialogues about what is morally right & what isn't when one is concerned about treatment. The easy way a person can kill another in a hospital is also very well described in this book. To give internists a chance to work on patients, the risks involved & all the information about a surgery that is kept a secret from unquestioning patients is well illustrated in this novel. The delicacy of cardiac surgery is also one of great importance that is presented in this novel & how many people each day die of heart related symptoms.

Another idea that presents itself in this book is about the egoism & narcissistic tendencies of excellent surgeons. The pressure on good surgeons is tackled very well by Robin Cook including the way such surgeons often take recourse to drugs to overcome the sort of ‘emptiness’ they feel within after too much of adulation. However, as the book describes, such surgeons often are unable to be in control of their thoughts & emotions & therefore, have a terrible end.

Two characters that stand out in this novel are the famous cardiac surgeon Thomas Kingsley & his wife Cassandra (Cassi) Cassidy who is a first year psychiatrist who was earlier into pathology. Both are very different characters. Though Cassi is the protagonist in the story, more emphasis is given to her spouse Thomas who is a very volatile character always on tenterhooks & ready to burst at all times. Their failing marriage along with Thomas’ drug abuse is the focal point of this novel. Both characters have tendencies to be dependent on an external factor to feel ‘fine’. While Cassi finds her solace in her husband, Thomas’ finds his in drugs & extra-marital affairs. The author ultimately relates how intelligence does not necessarily mean one can be successful in life……only when one is happy with ones state of life & takes each day as it comes, only them is one in total control of ones faculties.

The bureaucratic interference in surgery as well as the drastic decisions they take to make a mark in the market is also put forward very well & delicately in the novel. How business has changed the face of medicine especially surgery is narrated in most of the chapters in a very interesting way as well as the loopholes that such groups want to keep a secret or shield from the public eye. In the novel it is shown that truth always does not garner importance if it interferes in the working of the bureaucracy. The story shows the reader clearly how the fine line separating medicine & business is slowly disappearing.

Thrilling & a challenge to read, Godplayer is a real looking glass into the workings of the human mind &………….how at times it is simply too easy to kill. show less

Cassi, uma patologista residente e o brilhante cirurgião cardíaco Thomas Kingsley formam o par ideal, foram feitos um para o outro. Será, mesmo? A história começa com a união dos dois, ela necessitando do apoio nas horas difíceis, agora que terá de mudar de especialidade médica por causa de um problema de visão, e ele da devoção que ela nutre por ele e que todo o seu egocentrismo precisa, urgentemente. Mas o seu castelo começa a ruir quando Thomas, à medida que sua carreira começa a deslanchar, demonstra ter duas personalidades: adorável para o público que o venera e idolatra, e temperamental, excêntrico e insensível com a mulher que o ama.

For the most part, I enjoy Robin Cook novels. Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed with "Godplayer". The plot's two main characters were poorly written. Thomas Kingsley was supposed to be renowned surgeon. However, he was a drug addict with additional mental issues. He shows up to surgery drunk and high with shaking hands. Yet no one on the surgical team says anything due to fear. His wife, Cassie, a pathology resident that switches to psychiatry due to sight issues has mental issues of her own. She finally decides to have eye surgery which proves to be a minor surgery and restores her vision to near perfect 50/50. What?? And on and on this plot goes. Lots of unanswered questions. Not one that I would recommend.

For the most part, I enjoy Robin Cook novels. Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed with "Godplayer". The plot's two main characters were poorly written. Thomas Kingsley was supposed to be renowned surgeon. However, he was a drug addict with additional mental issues. He shows up to surgery drunk and high with shaking hands. Yet no one on the surgical team says anything due to fear. His wife, Cassie, a pathology resident that switches to psychiatry due to sight issues has mental issues of her own. She finally decides to have eye surgery which proves to be a minor surgery and restores her vision to near perfect 50/50. What?? And on and on this plot goes. Lots of unanswered questions. Not one that I would recommend.

Interesting plot & an easy read. The suspenseful bits did a good job of making me feel tense. I really did not like the two main characters, though - Thomas had a very strong, aggressive personality while Cassi was weak & very dependent on her husband. I didn't really enjoy experiencing their points of view, especially at the beginning when the plot hadn't picked up yet. There were also several loose ends that were just dropped at the end. The plot was really what kept me reading, & it was disappointing that not all aspects of it were resolved.

When Cassandra Cassidy meets Thomas Kingsley, it's love at first sight for both of them. Deeply in love, the two gifted doctors are soon married. As Cassandra's degenerative eye disease forces her to switch from her chosen field to psychiatry she tries to make the best of her situation.

Around other people he is wonderful, but as he begins a meteoric rise in the hospital, alone with her, Thomas is hostile and full of rage. Soon, the fairytale begins to crumble. Desperate to save her marriage, Cassandra spends more time around the hospital, which is being menaced itself. There is an 'Angel of Death' stalking and killing the terminal patients. Against her husband's furious objections, Cassandra takes it upon herself to catch a killer; the show more discovery of whom opens the floodgates of unimaginable horror.

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. I give it an A! show less

Fully enjoyed this book, i had it down to a few suspects about half way trough the book, but didnt totally get it to right near the end. As always Cook is great as setting up his characters and giving good descriptions of the characters and the surroundings in the book. Look forward to getting into his next one soon.