Graham Downs reviewed Gene by Stel Pavlou
Review of 'Gene' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Um. Erm. Wow....
As I sit here staring at the proverbial blank page asking what I thought of this book, I can but scratch my head and say, “I honestly don’t know.”
This is a deep story with lots of levels, some of which flew right over (the cuckoo’s nest) my head. It’s twisty and turny, full of surprises; “Diabolical” was the word used by the friend who recommended it to me, and on reflection, I think that’s spot on.
Officially, it’s supposed to be a thriller, but I think that barely scratches the surface. There are elements of fantasy, historical fiction, crime, and mystery. It all works, but I found it confusing at times, and I’m not ashamed to admit that after I turned the last page, I went and read the synopsis on Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_(novel)) to understand exactly what I’d just read and discover what I’d …
Um. Erm. Wow....
As I sit here staring at the proverbial blank page asking what I thought of this book, I can but scratch my head and say, “I honestly don’t know.”
This is a deep story with lots of levels, some of which flew right over (the cuckoo’s nest) my head. It’s twisty and turny, full of surprises; “Diabolical” was the word used by the friend who recommended it to me, and on reflection, I think that’s spot on.
Officially, it’s supposed to be a thriller, but I think that barely scratches the surface. There are elements of fantasy, historical fiction, crime, and mystery. It all works, but I found it confusing at times, and I’m not ashamed to admit that after I turned the last page, I went and read the synopsis on Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_(novel)) to understand exactly what I’d just read and discover what I’d missed — which turned out to be quite a lot.
I think if you know your Greek mythology well, you’ll probably get a lot more out of this book than I did. Also, a bit of Indian mythology and the theory of reincarnation. Also, the science of genetics... Again, there’s just so much depth to this book, it’s... Wow. Just wow.
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