Shephard's Drone

A Novel

De: Brett Frischmann

Narrado por: Aven Shore

A breathtaking novel from the author of Re-Engineering Humanity, one of The Guardian's Best Books of 2018.

The year is 2154. Kate Genet, a renowned geneticist, suddenly confronts the mysterious death of a bio-mod couple's newborn while visiting a maternity ward. The shock rattles her, awakening long forgotten memories and suppressed fears. Determined to figure out what actually happened, Kate is catapulted on a quixotic and dangerous adventure in a world where engineered harmony cannot eradicate basic human conflict.

©2019 Brett Frischmann (P)2019 Brett Frischmann

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A toweringly good first novel, with echoes of Brave New World, but searingly relevant to our digital, genetically engineered age, and where it could well lead in this and the next century. Frischmann develops his female protagonist with a masterful hand, and invests his narrative with shocks and surprises in a world that slaps us in the face with its dangerous similarity to ours. Truly science fiction of the finest calibre, and highly recommended." (Paul Levinson, author of The Silk Code and The Plot to Save Socrates, and President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (1998-2001))

"Brett Frischmann writes like a mad scientist, altering the code of life to elicit new thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. His novel is an experiment conducted on our brains and hearts, to condition us for the future." (Joshua Cohen, author of Book of Numbers)

Interesting premises but not very good rhythm

The population of the United States has been segregated some generations before the events in this book, and these are the three main groups: on the East Coast live people with bioengineered modifications, on the West Coast everyone is connected to the network, and in the Midwest live the last pure humans in the country. Kate is a geneticist working on the maternity ward at a Hospital in Boston, and she supervises the administration of a cocktail to newborns to reinforce their bioengineered characteristics. It is a safe procedure, but this time, a rare reaction occurs and the baby dies in seconds without a chance to be saved. Kate becomes obsessed about this, and as it is so rare, no one knows why it happens. She decides to travel to the place where real human beings still live in search of answers.

I was excited about this story. The premises were interesting enough to get me hooked immediately. Kate is a woman with a mission, and the validity of it just justifies the adventure she immerses herself in. And what an adventure! Going to the Midwest for a biomod is not an easy task, and the cultural shock is something Kate was not prepared for. There are prejudices from both sides, and it is interesting how they can be overcome if we look beyond what is just visible to the eye.

Parallel to Kate's story, there are also some flashbacks to other characters, which explain bit by bit how the society of the country was segregated. I found it a very interesting social experiment, as I was curious why the three groups did not mix.

There were some parts that broke the flow of the story for me though. The romance was somewhat predictable but unnecessary, and felt totally forced. Maybe it is because I'm not really into romance, so this did not add too much for me. I think this could have been explored differently. Kate is well defined as a character but the rest are mere drafts, without distinctive elements that helped to identify them.

There is an event that happens soon after Kate arrives at the Hospital in the Midwest, which did not feel realistic at all, even less the consequences an escalation of it. I guess it added some thrill to Kate's adventure, but it did not make much sense.

Kate's dreams were chaotic, as any dream. Frischmann wanted to show us how obsessed Kate had become about the baby's death, and the dreams reflected this. In my opinion, once it would have been okay, but dreams were described again and again without adding much to the story.

I found the ending redeeming, as all questions are answered, and there is some light for Kate and others.

Aven Shore delivered a pleasant narration free of technical issues. The different characters' voices were distinctive enough but in a subtle way no to interfere with the story. I found it enjoyable and smooth.

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobook Empire. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Loved it

While I feel like one of Kate’s choices was an obvious mistake & she should have known better….I still loved this book.
The bonds she formed and her love for life and others was special. She had an awakening to the fact that others aren’t so different from her. Comp mod, bio mod or human… they all had preconceived notions about the others. In the end you see their similarities, their humanity and thirst for knowledge and experiences.

Narration by Aven Shore was excellent.

Shephard's Drone

I loved this story! It was an excellent sci fi book on what could happen if we ,as a species,go on to specialize our dna from birth. Aven Shore was a wonderful narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Better than l expected

Well this was surprising, the story out lived my expectations and also came to an interesting end.
The storyline was involved and at times told from differing characters so more perspective was obtained. The narrator's did a good job and overall l recommend this book.

An Interesting Premise

A lot of fascinating details are explored in this book, digging deep into what it means to be human and how culture evolves as new technology is introduced. It's a wonderful use of worldbuilding. However, the writing style is a little weak, using a lot of exposition and on-the-nose statements that get a little old by the middle of the book. It's an interesting entry to its genre and not a bad listen for a chore such as raking leaves, but it didn't quite pull off the heights it might have reached.