The Story
In 2001 scientists isolated the gene for regenerating damaged organs from the DNA of a South American flatworm. Within five years it had been spliced into the chromosomes of a rhesus monkey, transported through the cell walls by a retro-virus denuded of its own genetic material.
Attempting to regrow impaired or elderly tissues, a scientist will one day modify the DNA of human beings by injecting the gene-carrying virus. It is just a matter of time.
Before consenting to treatment, you may want to ask a simple question: could there be a situation in which you would want to die but were unable to do so?
A crime-thriller with an injection of horror
Journalist Hendrix ‘Aitch’ Harrison links bodies stolen from a renowned forensic-research lab to an influential drug company.
Aided by Sarah Wallace, a determined and beguiling entomologist, he delves into a grisly world of clinical trials and a viral treatment beyond imagining.
But Aitch must battle more than his fear of technology to expose the macabre fate of the drugged victims donated to scientific research.
The Review
When the opportunity to read and review GENERATION by William Knight was presented I found myself debating whether I could stomach yet another story of the undead. Between AMC’s The Walking Dead television series and a slew of recent books and movies, I feared that my taste for zombies was waning. Fortunately, Knight’s tale has left be hungry for more.
GENERATION falls squarely into the Medical Thriller genre, blending science, mystery, and, of course, impending doom. Knight balances each of these elements very well, never speaking too far above his readers with techno-babble, nor feeling obliged to water things down. The story of GENERATION causes you to think far beyond the what if’s of whether science can do what Knight suggests, but rather, what will happen when science ventures down this path.
Knight writes believable characters free from stiff dialogue and cliches. Although their journey kept me engaged throughout, I left GENERATION disappointed by a lack of true horror or chills. That isn’t a complaint, merely an observation from a reader and author who prefers his zombies to be a bit more blood thirsty.
Knight’s foray into the mind of the undead was highly entertaining and although I won’t go so far as to say I have a new-found sympathy for these lifeless walkers, I must admit that I will think twice before engaging in any medical trials.
I give GENERATION 3.5 stars.
Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes
Get Generation on Amazon or Barnes & Noble– you know you want to!
Be sure to enter for your chance to win an autographed copy of Generation : ENTER HERE.
William Knight is a British born journalist and technologist currently living and working in 
Wellington, New Zealand. He’s chased a varying career starting in acting, progressing to music, enjoyed a brief flirtation with handbag manufacturing and was eventually wired into technology where he’s been since 1989. In 2003 he published his first feature in Computing magazine and has since written about the many successes and failings of high-tech for the Guardian, Financial Times and the BBC among many others publications. He continues to maintain a lively IT consultancy. Connect with William on his website, blog, facebook, twitter or Goodreads.
