Blood Music

By: Greg Bear

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Vergil's innovative experiment restructuring the cells of a common virus becomes a nightmare when, in order to save his research, Vergil injects the entire culture into his bloodstream.

©1985 Greg Bear (P)1991 RECORDED BOOKS

Careful with that blood transfusion!

Where does Blood Music rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Certainly in the top 3rd. A very unusual book, that takes some fascinating turns and twists that are unexpected, to say the least. A good combination of Greg Bear and George Guidall.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Mostt...the communication between the nanocells, and humans, without a doubt. A highly original concept.

Least...nothing immediately comes to mind, to be honest. Few flaws.

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

Goodness, where do I start? George G gives a brilliant performance. The Neocytes, the female characters, the accents. Classic GG. He is an artist, and truly brings this very nuanced novel to life in an approachable, genuine way.
Other reviewers note some timing/editing issues, but this appears to be have been done intentionally.

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

They' re here!

Any additional comments?

The other reviews of this fascinating Bear offering don't give it justice, IMHO. Granted, the book moves forward with scientific concepts, and suspensions of disbelief, that otherwise would require a great deal of committment.
I tend to disagree. This book blends nano-end of times concepts, with real characters and concepts that are at once a stretch, and believable.
I am very impressed by this effort, and highly recommend it to all.

Half full/Half empty

The first half of this book was very engrossing and captivating. The second half - not so much. The story works well when its about the main character: Vergil. You're interested in his plight and his fate. Once that is determined, the story meanders about to various other characters that I just couldn't really care about.

The narrator also does not speak clearly into the microphone at a few points in the book making you have to turn up the audio very high just to hear him. In his defense, this was recorded many, many years ago when audiobook recording was not at the best. The narrator does not have a vast range of voices either: alternating from gruff, gravely to a high-pitched attempt at female voices which just doesn't work.

An interesting premise and great first half of the book, but not one that I could recommend.

Start is great, ending is confusing

So I started this book not knowing what it was about. I have to say, the beginning was great. I listened intently and I give the author props for not letting the reader/ listener feel like they were dumb. Then came the middle and end, and you lost me. I kept thinking I would catch on or understand, like the beginning, but it was hopeless. Maybe if I read, instead of listened to the end it may have been different. However if you like sci-fi books, this will definitely not disappoint.

Amazing concept

I think this is such a wonderful adaptation of an idea we've probably all toyed with at one point or another, what if the cells could think?

For Fans of Greg Bear and Hard Science Fiction

What made the experience of listening to Blood Music the most enjoyable?

The uniqueness of Bear's writing and the recording by George Guidall

What other book might you compare Blood Music to and why?

Very similar to Eon by Greg Bear, but the particulars and story line are different.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the noocites began speaking

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

Blood Music by Greg Bear is in four sections, each being named after one of the phases of mitosis. The characters are mostly different in each of the four sections, with some spillover. The basic story is about a bioengineer who creates an intelligent virus and infects himself with it rather than destroy it, as he is ordered to by his superiors. A plague ensues, and the world must deal with a billion trillion new sentient life forms.

As I stated in my review of Eon, this is a book that was written in the 1980s, but is still relevant today, but perhaps even more so. Heck, if you replaced “East Germany” with “Germany,” this could be a contemporary novel with a few other minor changes. Really, Blood Music is a horror science fiction novel, as it's terrifying, but a lot of the reason why the audiobook is terrifying is the brilliant reading by George Guidall, who is well known to readers of audiobooks. I didn't like it quite as much as I liked Eon, but it's still a solid novel reading, and I look forward to reading more of Greg Bear. ****

An eerie Sci-fi that proves to be timeless!

The entire book had an eerie tone to it that kept me on the edge of my seat. Thought provoking and creative. The science and biology details added to the story but slowed the pace at times. The narrator was good but the audio quality wasn't perfect. A classic to remember!

So good…

They should make a TV show out of this, so much interspersion and metaphor, I lived the ending especially

Good and aspirational narrative

I see a lot of reviews saying it drops off on the second half, what I would say is that it’s very focused in the first half with a clear story, movement and thrust and then the tension resolves to the new norm, the new reality of this world and now it’s much more conception and exploring what this fundamental shift in the world means. For lack of a better example it feels similar to the journey through the Dune series to me. The first three books have a very clear narrative thrust following characters and their personal goals. Then we jump into the consequences of those decision 3500 years into the future and try and understand s what do the choices of the original cast mean for the world. To be clear, I am not comparing quality, I think comparing an arch over one book and a 6 book series is different but the bones seem similar, set up world, challenges world fundamentally and then explore what the shift means. If you like that and the exploration of ideas then you may like this book.

old time story

this NEEDS a new recording. and this review needs more words. it's a good story though.

Genetically engineered intelligence

Greg Bear's Blood Music is a tale from the early days of genetic engineering. A scientist manipulates lymphocytes by adding DNA that allows natural selection for intelligence. He injects himself with his modified lymphocytes to smuggle them out of the lab and is slowly transformed as they continue to evolve. Eventually the entire North American biosphere is transformed, except for a few isolated individuals. Meanwhile, one victim has managed to escape to Europe and is studied as the rest of world panics over this unstoppable plague.

The main theme is of the potential for unintended consequences from genetic engineering. In addition, the general public and government panic and fear is on display. At the time, Bear explores the notion that reality and perceptions of reality are shaped by the physical basis of thought itself. The story meanders back and forth between biology and philosophy.

The narration is well done with excellent character distinction and reasonable pacing.