The God Gene (The ICE Sequence #2) by F. Paul Wilson

[gilda_elise]

Rick Hayden and Laura Fanning of Panacea return in this next thriller by F. Paul Wilson and come across another impossible medical scenario--the gene that makes us human. Or does it?

Rick's brother, Keith, a prominent zoologist at NYU, suddenly liquidates his assets and walks out of his job never to be seen again.

The only clues they have are his brother's book which mentions "the God Gene"--a gene found only in primates that spontaneously appears in the evolutionary record and controls brain development--and the mysterious death of odd, blue-eyed primate brought back from East Africa.

Rick and Laura's search takes them to an uncharted island off the coast of Mozambique and the edge of evolutionary science.


I enjoyed this second book somewhat more than the first, mainly because the main characters, this being their second go-round, are more fleshed out. Rick and Laura are beginning to rub off on me.

The other characters are better done, too. Rick’s brother, as well as the charter boat crew, are more than cut-out characters. Their motivations are more clear than in the first book.

And of course there are the “dapis,” the name given to the blue-eyed primates. They really do steal the show. But, as in the first book, much is left unexplained: how did their island go so long undiscovered? How in the world did the dapis end up on their unique evolutionary path? There are guesses, but nothing can be proven. I’m hoping all is revealed in the third book of the trilogy.

I didn’t catch in the first book that this series is part of Wilson’s “Secret History of the World,” part of the “Adversary” and “Repairman Jack” series story lines. It’ll be interesting to see just how these book fit into the rest.







Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.


1. The Outsider
2. War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
3. Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts
4. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
5. Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition
6. From Baghdad to America: Life after War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog (Lava #2)
7. The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge (Gap #2)
8. The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery
9. First King of Shannara (Original Shannara Trilogy 0)
10. Legends of the Fall
11. Moon of the Crusted Snow
12. Mio, My Son
13. Circe
14. Al Franken: Giant of the Senate
15. Memoirs of a Polar Bear
16. Of Mice and Men
17. A Dog's Purpose
18. A Quiet Victory for Latino Rights: FDR and the Controversy Over "Whiteness"
19. The Gap Into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises (Gap #3)
20. The Face of Apollo (Book of the Gods #1)
21. The Talisman
22. The Sword of Shannara
23. The Scarlet Lion
24. 999
25. The Sugar Solution
26. The Court of the Midnight King
27. Children Of the Sun
28. Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era
29. The God Gene (The ICE Sequence #2)

Comments

[leethet.livejournal.com]

Never heard of this series. It sounds intriguing. Is it well-written? Stylistically as well as plot?

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

On a scale between one and ten, I think I'd give it an eight. It's kept my interest, and I'm looking forward to reading the third book. So, maybe not War and Peace, but a good, solid read.

[leethet.livejournal.com]

Cool. Thanks! I'll put it on my list (well, book one) and let you know. :-)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Yes, please do. :-)