Invasive Procedures

By: Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

George Galen is a brilliant scientist, a pioneer in gene therapy. But Galen is dangerously insane. He has created a method to alter human DNA, not just to heal diseases, but also to "improve" people - make them stronger, make them able to heal more quickly...and make them compliant to his will.

Frank Hartman is also a brilliant virologist, working for the government's ultra-secret biohazard agency. He has discovered how to neutralize Galen's DNA-changing virus. Now he is the one man who stands in the way of Galen's plan to "improve" the entire human race.

This taut thriller takes the listener a few years into the future and shows the promise and danger of new genetic medicine techniques.

©2007 Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"[An] intriguing medical thriller...raises pertinent regulatory questions." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Pace, characterization, and chilling suspense all polished to a high gloss." ( Booklist)

Book One?

Not up to Card's usual standards. The dialog was a bit stilted, the Science was just on the edge of plausibility and the plot seemed a little contrived to allow for a sequel. Still, it was fast paced and interesting.

Awesome!

This was a very interesting book for me, I have many years in as a research assistant, it all was so logical. The virus right on the heels of our so called "pandemic" made it feel relative. The narrator was the best!

Inventive invention of a different kind of cult

This is a well written story of a cult leader and his plan to dominate the world through genetics. Great character development!

It pains me.

It pains me to write bad things about Card as he is my favorite author, but sometimes you have to call a dud a dud. Don't get me wrong for some authors this would be a masterpiece, but out of Card we expect better.

This starts out as a poor imitation of Michael Crichton, then moves into an ok imitation of Dean Koontz and finishes as Stephanie Myers. Sprinkled through are touches of Card, such as characters questioning themselves and there inner strife.

At one point a 40 year old in the future references the Marx Brothers. I am 54 and living now and I would never reference the Marx Brothers. The amount of endless debate in action situations is unbelievable. These people are trying to escape a building, time is an issue and they are debating the most minute details. In one part Card gives a boy lessons on how to be a coward.

There is a lot here on genetics. I really liked the part where a megalomaniac makes four copies of himself in order to better rule the world, yet he is too stupid to figure out that four copies of himself would try to kill each other.

Before there was Scalzi and Wheaton, there was Card and Rudnicki. Rudnicki does an excellent job.

If you have never read Card, please don't start here. Card has written the best sci-fi book ever in "Enders Game". You must read that. Then if you want great fantasy read Seventh Son and the two books that follow, skip the rest in that series. For scary read Treasure Box. Hart's Hope is real good and Songmaster is Card in a nutshell.

A boomer wrote this

It's very obvious that the author is old and for a younger audience outdated. If you like CSI Miami you'd probably enjoy the book. Character dialogue is where it shines the brightest. Other than that portraying an NSA like organization as benevolent and the state as having a glass door is distasteful and delusional. It's something that you'd have to be in your 40's or firmly in the middle classes to appreciate to any measure.

Wonderful

Once in a while Card writes a looser but the great majority are fantastic as is this.

Not my favorite by Card

Granted my overall opinion of this audible book may be tainted because I listened to it at 1.5X due to my limited time. This removed most of the emotion from Stefan. But overall, I still felt the book was silly.
I've read many of Card's books and short stories, including the Ender series and A Planet Called Treason, loving them all. This book felt like an early work of Card, perhaps a high school English class project.
It was... OK.

Another awesome read!

Orson Scott Card did it again! I will remain a loyal reader for decades more!

Make a Crazy Person?

What would happen if/when some mad scientist could mess with our DNA and create odd fellows with coercive intent? It makes a great sci-fi story. Orson Scott Card can write books that are not related to "Ender's Game"...I'll look for more.

Exciting premise, but weak performance

The most irritating thing about this story is the poor pacing of the narration and unrealistic behavior of the characters. People in flight from superhuman pursuers should not stop to wash their faces in a stream or to chat about their problems. People knowingly infected with a terrible virus do not live in carefree moods waiting for it to take effect.