Mount Dragon

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Guy Carson is a brilliant scientist at GeneDyne, one of the world's foremost biochemical companies. When he is transferred to Mount Dragon, GeneDyne's high-security genetic engineering lab, his good fortune seems too good to be true.

Carson soon finds that it is. He learns that GeneDyne geneticists are tinkering with a common virus with an eye on the enormous profit to be had from a cure for the flu. Their cure involves permanently altering DNA in humans, and Carson's job is to stabilize the virus. But Carson starts to wonder if this is justifiable, even for the most noble medical cause. Altering genes is a risky job, and the possibility of creating another killer virus is very real. What's more, Mount Dragon harbors another secret that puts the world at horrifying risk.

©2008 Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (P)2008 B00FO6WK0S

Good story terrible sound editor

The story was typical Lincoln and child writing which is very good and entertaining as well as informative. This book reminded me a little bit of Michael Crichton in a away. For those who gave the narration only one star I agree. However it was not the narrator‘s fault but the sound editor instead. The narrator himself did a fine job except for the pronunciation of a few things as well as acronyms. The editing however was terrible. The game was up way too high and it times you could tell when the narrator headset back from the microphone. These things should’ve been caught in production. The beginning of the book is the worst after that it is marginal at best. However it is listenable and a good story

Great listen!

Though at 1st I had a little difficulty with the Male narrator doing the female voices, I soon got used to it and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Would recommend.

Another great story by these two.

Would you listen to Mount Dragon again? Why?

I would not listen to this again as I have never reread or listened to a book twice. Way to many others to listen to something twice.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought the whole story was great. As always these guys know when to move the story along before it gets boring.

Have you listened to any of David Colacci’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Great narrator that did not sound forced. Kept the story going. Didn't try to over exaggerate the voices.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Science run amok!

Any additional comments?

These are my favorite co-authors of all time. When their books end I actually feel exhausted and drained. Both of wish I welcome.

Pretty good yarn, but the female lead is tiresome

Would you listen to Mount Dragon again? Why?

I would listen to this book again. It is entertaining, interesting, and creepy.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot kept me engaged --that is all except the female character De Vaca. She was a moron, and tiresome.

Which character – as performed by David Colacci – was your favorite?

Guy.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I absolutely hated De Vaca. She was tiresome, stupid, and dangerous. I don't care if she was supposed to be attractive, her character was not.

Any additional comments?

I found it unrealistic that the scientists would expect to leave quarantine if they were exposed to a virus. They are supposed to work with the most dangerous infections in the world, they would know it would be the height of irresponsibility to have someone leave quarantine. They should have had a better sense of responsibility than their reactions. De Vaca in particular was impulsive and irresponsible. She is the only negative in this very good book.

Pretty Neat Book

If you could sum up Mount Dragon in three words, what would they be?

Facinating, Suspenseful, Interesting

Who was your favorite character and why?

I couldn't pick just one...they were all very good. Preston & Childs have a high standard to reach with every new book & so far so good.

What about David Colacci’s performance did you like?

His versitality in his performance. Very believable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the two competing scientists got back together in the end. Never saw that one coming.

Interesting book

Interesting story. Didn’t particularly like the scientists, they were both kind of jerks, but I loved the professor. Very complex character.

Good Stuff

While this is only the second Preston/Child novel I have listened to, it is quite good. Following the harrowing action of Guy Carson trying to make "X-Flu" safe while people around him die or become deranged, Preston and Child always seem to get the details right enough to make you understand why this is a desperate time. If for no other reason than to argue bio-ethics in a fictional setting, this is a wise choice for the average audio-book listener. My only drawback is that it is 15 hours long and you are wondering who will be left at the end of 15 hours from this dread virus.
A+ for effort and B for the voices used, but hey, we can't get perfection every time!

Solid

While the overall plot is predictable, there are a few twists that keep it interesting. Overall an enjoyable few hours.

A must read on so many levels!

I rarely write reviews. I listen to too many books to do so.

I am a biochemist by training and enterpreur in the medical/biotechnology arena. Because of my background(s), I found this book an incredible distillation of so many topics. The authors present a technologically accurate description of the biotechnology and medical implications of a host of topics.

In addition, the writing, poetry, quotes, and other "liberal arts" kinds of things is fantastic.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in biotechnology and some of the capital "market drivers" described.

Naturally, there is a "love story" involved, a villain, and several important "supporting cast members".

As I was listening to the book, I couldn't help but think this would be an excellent text for Seniors in high schools. That is not a demeaning statement, rather it is a statement of how readable and informative the book is.

Kudos to both authors, and to David Coacci for the outstanding text and performance.

Interesting listen after the swine flu epidemic

It was scary to listen to this book after the swine flu and the bird flu epidemic. It felt like reading a prophecy. Fortunately these epidemics didn't kill most of the Earth's population as Mount Dragon predicted it could happen.

The story has several layers. One of them is the question: should scientists tinker with the human genome, alter our genes and change the core of our humanity for good. There are arguments pro and con, everyone should answer it for himself/herself. But the question is worth to talk about.

Another layer is the human desire for money and power. I also would add the human desire to do good. It was satisfying to see that the top guy admitted his mistake at the end and went down with dignity.

Another layer is that it's an action book with suspense and chase and fight. I liked that the main character is not an exaggerated super hero but a regular capable guy. OK, not so regular that you can find one at every corner, because he has a PhD and he's smart, but he has the temper and flaws that anyone of us has. By the way, the characterisation is quite good. I liked that the bad guy wasn't ultimate villain, but the authors showed the shades of his personality together with his good intentions.

The book proves that the authors did their housework in research. The places described vividly, the science is awesome and there are so many nice details about smaller things (for example about the banjo, or the horses). However they are not overdone, they fit very well into the story and they make it more believable.

The narration was well done except that doing female voices is not David Colacci's strength.

This my first book from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, but I will read / listen to more from them for sure.