Perfection

Tom Tancin
Lulu Press (2006)
ISBN 9781411689817
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (5/06)

Author Tom Tancin has written a science fiction novel about a genetics company that is able to alter genetic codes to create perfect bacteria, mice, monkeys and then finally a perfect child. CIA operatives have infiltrated the company to investigate suspicion of illegal experiments.

Personal relationships develop among the operatives and genetic researchers creating a more complex plot as each person involved must decide if the price of their cooperation with the company or the government is worth the cost of their personal relationships. To escape public scrutiny and protests about the ethics of this research, the team relocates their lab to an island. The director of the company has his wife implanted with the embryo of the perfect child that carries synthetic DNA. This is around the time when things start to go wrong with the experiments. The mice are doing fine because more than one was created and they are able to function well together and not be viewed as misfits. However, all of the perfect bacteria die, except for one dominant one. The monkey is isolated from its troop because the other monkeys view it as different and too advanced. As the products of the lab experiments begin to fail, the scientists realize they are not as perfect as they seem and the researchers should not try to play God. A powerful quote by Tancin’s characters sums up the story, “Though we won the battle, nature intends to win the war.”

The author has a background in the biological sciences and thoroughly researched this topic. I appreciated that there were references cited in the back of the book. Tancin doesn’t get carried away with excessive detail about genetics; he manages to explain enough about the experimentation without losing the reader in scientific talk.

I recommend this book to science fiction fans that enjoy reading about medical experimentation that raises issues of bio-ethics. This story encourages the reader to think about what could go wrong as we evolve and attempt to manipulate the path of our own evolution.

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