Darwin's Children

A Novel

By: Greg Bear

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Greg Bear’s Nebula Award-winning novel Darwin’s Radio painted a chilling portrait of humankind on the threshold of a radical leap in evolution. Now, Bear continues his provocative tale of the human race confronted by an uncertain future, where “survival of the fittest” takes on astonishing and controversial new dimensions.

Eleven years have passed since SHEVA, an ancient retrovirus, was discovered in human DNA - a retrovirus that caused mutations in the human genome and heralded the arrival of a new wave of genetically enhanced humans. Now, these changed children have reached adolescence...and face a world that is outraged about their very existence. For these special youths, possessed of remarkable, advanced traits that mark a major turning point in human development, are also ticking time bombs harboring hosts of viruses that could exterminate the "old" human race.

Fear and hatred of the virus children have made them a persecuted underclass, quarantined by the government in special “schools”, targeted by federally sanctioned bounty hunters, and demonized by hysterical segments of the population. But pockets of resistance have sprung up among those opposed to treating the children like dangerous diseases - and who fear the worst if the government’s draconian measures are carried to their extreme.

Scientists Kaye Lang and Mitch Rafelson are part of this small but determined minority. Once at the forefront of the discovery and study of the SHEVA outbreak, they now live as virtual exiles in the Virginia suburbs with their daughter, Stella - a bright, inquisitive virus child who is quickly maturing, straining to break free of the protective world her parents have built around her, and eager to seek out others of her kind.

But for all their precautions, Kaye, Mitch, and Stella have not slipped below the government's radar. The agencies fanatically devoted to segregating and controlling the new-breed children monitor their every move - watching and waiting for the opportunity to strike the next blow in their escalating war to preserve "humankind" at any cost.

©2003 Greg Bear (P)2003 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Bear's sure sense of character, his fluid prose style and the fascinating culture his 'Shevite' children begin to develop all make for serious SF of the highest order." (Publishers Weekly)

"Top-shelf science fiction, thrilling and intellectually charged." (Amazon.com)

Different

At the beginning I thought I knew where it 'might' be going---I was wrong. At first I wasn't sure I liked the path Bear took the novel and was disappointed. Having a strong science background I liked the science part and thought his departure from where I might have taken the book, if I could write that is...disappointing, but I finally came around to appreciate it was written by a different perspective than say hard core sci-fi, or hard core scientific influence.
Having segued into that mind set I enjoyed the last part. It was kind of like having two books, once separate then conjoined, sort of juxtaposed unity. Sorry don't mean to be glib but it's the only way I know to decribe my perception of Darwin's Children.
The first book had more scientific overlays which contributed to my conflicting views: I like it, I don't like it, maybe I will like it, not bad.
All told it is a different book then I normally listen to (although I didn't know that at the onset), being a Robert Hamilton, Sanderson, Stephen King kind of sci-fi reader/listener, but I have to say I came to enjoy the different path that Bear took, at least this once. Hmm I think I'm rambling so just get the book, put aside any self-perceived notions at the start and enjoy going somewhere you might not have bought a ticket for. The scenery will be enjoyable if not spectacular. Good doesn't mean mediocre.

Interesting science in this series!

I enjoyed the real science in this story and the interactions of the characters. Great ideas of what ties different fields of science together.

Great story with provocative themes

Liked the readers cadence but a bit slow for me. I listened at 1.2 speed

A sequel that stands alone

I downloaded this book without realizing that it was a sequel to "Darwin's Radio." I was pleasantly suprised to find a sequel that stands on its own merits and doesn't have to retell the original story for the reader to follow along. This book was a riveting listen. The ideas that Bear presents are amazing and the characters are all very real people. Some characters, such as Stella, are developed much more intensely than others but I think that "Darwin's Radio" probably addressed these characters in more detail. This was my first exposure to Greg Bear's science fiction and I can't wait for more! Now, if only Audible would get the unabridged "Darwin's Radio" ...

Easy listen,but not as good as Darwin's radio

Good if you like sci-fi, easy to listen to. Good overall book, I would get it again.

Unique story & well told!

I loved this book. The story was plausible, as good science fiction should be. The characters are three-dimensional and, a rarity in SF, the female characters are fully realized, and believable. The narrator did such a good job that I got completely lost in the story. That's rare, I usually get occasionally distracted by the narrator but this one let the story shine and did an impeccable job.

Too much detail detail and felt forced

Wow, Kind of disappointed in the story. No real conclusion just a good point to stop (why, after 16years did the government just suddenly stop persecuting the children).
The author goes into too much detail setting up scenes... details that have no baring on the story. It also drags a bit with asides that don't seem to have any correlation to the story line. This felt forced... like the publishing house pushed him to write a sequel and the author was compelled to come up with a story.

Propaganda

I got into this book with the synopsis sounding interesting. I, however, found this to be a thinly diguised effort to criticise the current government with the story line somewhere between responses to AIDS and the war against Islamic Terrorists. If you liked " An Inconvenient Truth", you will probaly fall for this one too.

Okay, but...

I enjoyed the book. I had read Darwin's Radio so was interested in the follow-on. I did not like the direct attacks against Republicans, FoxNews, and Rush Limbaugh. With a little effort I'm sure the author could have found a way to not make his enemies of today his enemies of the future. Although the author tends to criticise fundamentalist Christians, one of his main characters spends a lot time communicating with who she believes is God. So, if you can get by the out-of-place political comment on current events the overall story is interesting and well-read.

a good sequel

I wasn't really expecting a sequel to Darwin's Radio, but this one does a pretty good job. The plot is almost as good as the first book, but some of the speculative aspect is better.

The characters are as believeable as ever, though Kay's character has lost a little bit of her past I think.

All in all, the ending really makes the book. I doubt it's a popular ending with most people, but it really fits the book well. In this regard, Bear has done phenomenal work. It's absolutely an appropriate addition to the Darwin series.